Judges Hold Almost 26 Percent of Defendants During First Half of October

By D.C. Witness Staff - October 23, 2020
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Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15, DC Superior Court judges presided over a total of 305 cases during initial hearings. 

Of the 305 cases, 77 of the defendants were held at DC Jail and two were held at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS). The other 226 defendants were released.

In total, judges held almost 26 percent and released 74 percent of the defendants they presided over.  

Of the three judges presiding over the presentment hearings, Judge Juliet McKenna held the lowest percentage of defendants. Judge McKenna only held around 23 percent and released around 77 percent of defendants.

Judge James Crowell and Judge Heide Herrmann both held almost 27 percent of the defendants. Judge Crowell released 102 defendants and held 38, while Judge Herrmann held 20 defendants, releasing 53.

Overall, there were 57 domestic violence cases, 91 felonies, 104 misdemeanors, 15 traffic violations and 35 bench warrant cases. Some defendants were charged with more than one case.

Judges also mentioned 38 instances of violations, which were committed while defendants were on pretrial release, probation or parole. The violations included failing to appear at hearings, stay-away violations, GPS tampering, possessing weapons, failing to get drug tested and loss of contact.

Compared to the last two weeks in September, violations increased by 5 percent, according to D.C. Witness data.

Of all of the defendants brought before the court, at least 79 of them were on some sort of supervision, including pretrial release, probation and parole.

There were a total of 57 domestic violence cases, which is almost 22 percent lower than the previous two weeks. 

The charges for the domestic violence cases included assault, destruction of property, unlawful entry, contempt, threats or attempted threats to do bodily harm, sexual abuse, possession of a weapon, violation of a Civil Protective Order (CPO) or Temporary Protective Order (TPO), unlawful disclosure [of sexual images] and cruelty to children.

Close to 81 percent of the domestic violence defendants were released, while judges held around 19 percent of the defendants at the DC jail.

Of the 11 domestic violence defendants that were held, the main charges were assault and contempt, though charges also included destruction of property, violation of a CPO or TPO, threats to do bodily harm and weapon possession.

Four of the held defendants in domestic violence cases were also on pretrial release at the time they allegedly committed their new offenses. 

This report was written by Emily Pengelly and Krystin Roehl