Judge Releases All but One Defendant During Initial Hearing

By D.C. Witness Staff - June 17, 2020
Court | Featured | Homicides | Suspects |

District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Sean Staples released 15 defendants and held one during initial hearings at DC Superior Court on June 17.

The one defendant held, Terrell Brown, was charged contempt and a civil protection order violation in a domestic violence case.

The judge decided to hold Brown because he has four pending cases and he violated his stay away order in one of the cases.

According to the defense, Brown was actually sleeping on a chair outside the building and was not bothering the person he has been ordered to stay away from.

Judge Staples still found probable cause in the case, ordering Brown to be held in DC Jail until Aug. 7. He also ordered a mental exam for Brown.

A mental observation hearing is scheduled for June 25.

The judge also released three co-defendants in another matter. The defendants are charged with second-degree burglary for stealing from an Ace Hardware store in Northwest, DC. They are ordered to stay away from the 1200 block of Upshur Street, NW.

The prosecution requested holds for all three defendants, but Judge Staples said all three defendants have minor criminal histories. He said he did not find the defendants to be dangerous.

Another man was charged with simple assault and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon in a domestic violence case. The prosecution did not oppose the defendant’s release, so the judge released him.

Similarly, another defendant was charged with simple assault in a domestic violence case and the prosecution requested a no harassment order for the victim. The judge agreed and released him with the order.

One defendant, charged with carrying a pistol without a license and one count of contempt, was released because the judge argued that there was no indication that the defendant tried to use the weapon in the police report. He was released with a stay away order.

Two cases are pending for another defendant–one for assault of a police officer, one count of resisting arrest and one count of destruction of property which resulted from an altercation with a woman whom the defendant appears to know. The other case is for assault and obstruction of justice in a domestic violence case. 

The prosecution mentioned that the defendant is on probation and in complete compliance. The judge released the man with a no harassment order and told him to call his probation officer within 24 hours of release.

One defendant was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, threats to do bodily harm and possession of a controlled substance for threatening another man with a knife at Union Station and a substance which tested positive for cocaine.

The prosecution was not opposed to a release of the defendant, so the judge released him with a stay away order.

The judge released a man charged with simple assault for allegedly striking an individual across the face. The prosecution simply asked for a stay away order for the individual that got struck.

Another defendant was charged with simple assault and a sexual abuse of a minor misdemeanor. The judge ordered a release with a stay away order from the young woman he allegedly abused.

Another defendant who was charged with assault in a domestic violence case was released. He was ordered to stay away from the person he allegedly assaulted and the 900 block of Taylor Street, NE.

A defendant who was charged with assaulting three persons with a metal pole was released. 

The prosecution asked for him to be put under a curfew and receive drug testing but the judge dropped these conditions. Instead, he was ordered to stay away from 3500 Block of 16th St, NE and his alleged victims.

Another defendant was released on a $1500 bond. The judge ordered him to turn himself over to the state of Maryland. 

The last release was defendant who was let out of jail with a no harassment order and a requirement to relinquish all firearms within 24 hours.

In addition to the initial hearings, Judge Staples also heard and dismissed ten extradition cases, all of whom were charged with being fugitives from justice. The cases are all closed now.