Judge Puts Domestic Violence Defendant on Supervised Release

DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan released a domestic violence defendant awaiting trial under the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP.)

The defendant is charged with violating a Temporary Protection Order (TPO). He was released on his promise to return to court for his next scheduled appearance.

The defendant also received a stay away order as a condition of his release.

The defendant is also charged with violating a TPO, attempted threats to do bodily harm and contempt in another case. He received a stay away order for that case as well.

The defendant is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 21.

Judge Holds Defendant with Multiple Probation Violations

A DC Superior Court judge held a defendant July 7 after he violated his probation multiple times.

Christopher Proctor pleaded guilty to the second-degree burglary on Sept. 11. He was given four months in jail plus three years of supervised probation on Nov. 21.

In his decision, Judge Michael O’Keefe cited the defendant’s history of substance abuse and mental health issues, along with a lack of accessibility to outpatient drug and mental health resources due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proctor is being supervised in Maryland for his DC charges. His probation officer in Maryland said that he has been in and out of treatment because there are periods of time where he loses contact.

Proctor has also picked up three additional charges while on probation. He was charged with simple assault on Feb. 26 and March 30. He was also charged with simple assault and assault on a police officer on May 9.

Proctor’s probation officer says that he is in need of intense psychological and drug abuse treatment.

Judge O’Keefe asked Proctor’s attorney, Gemma Stevens, if there was any probation plan she believed would prevent Proctor from picking up additional charges. Stevens said that she believes her client’s behavior has derived from stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of a steady job that he held for a year.

Stevens also said Proctor seems very clear-headed after being incarcerated for 60 days, and that he is motivated to stay clean and get back on the right track if he remains on probation.

Judge O’Keefe examined Proctor’s additional charges during his time on supervised probation. He decided to wait for the results of Proctor’s withstanding cases and then evaluate whether or not he is a risk to the community.

Proctor will remain held in DC jail until Sept. 17, when he is due back in court.

Defendant Given Probation for Operating Vehicle while Impaired

On July 7, a DC Superior Court judge sentenced a defendant who pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while impaired.

Joann Meredith was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and operating a vehicle while impaired on Feb. 24. She pleaded guilty to the latter charge on July 7, and her DUI was dropped.

Judge Steven Wellner sentenced Meredith to 10 days time suspended, so she won’t have to spend any time behind bars. He also gave her one year of supervised probation.

As part of her probation, the defendant must participate in a traffic alcohol and traffic safety program, attend a victim impact panel and not drive under the influence or while impaired. She is also required to complete a driving safety program.

On Feb. 9, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer responded to an accident at 14th Street and Jefferson Avenue, NW. Upon arrival, the officer found a vehicle with severe front end damage that appeared to have been in a collision. He found the Meredith in the vehicle’s driver seat with a key in the ignition.

While talking to the defendant, the officer heard her slur her words and smelled alcohol on her breath. He conducted a field sobriety test on her, which she failed.

Document: Judge Finds Probable Cause for Multiple Robberies

On July 2, DC Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna led the initial hearings for two defendants that were arrested for armed robbery, robbery, and armed carjacking.

Malik Beverly is charged with robbery, armed robbery and armed carjacking. Rayrae Stover is charged with unarmed carjacking and robbery. The defendants were both involved in the incidents on June 22 on the 1700 block of F St NE and on June 29 on the 500 block of Oklahoma Ave NE. Judge McKenna found probable cause for both defendants’ crimes.

The first defendant, 18-year-old Malik Beverly, is a resident from Southeast DC. Judge Mckenna found probable cause for Beverly’s armed carjacking, armed robbery, and robbery charges. Beverly is being held without bail.

The second defendant, 19-year-old Rayrae Stover, is a resident from Northeast DC. The judge found probable cause for Stover’s unarmed carjacking and robbery charges. She released the defendant because of safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stover is released on personal recognizance.

Stover was also issued a stay-away order from the victim and the victim’s home address.

According to the press release, the investigation is still open and police are looking for additional suspects.

The department is offering a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone that provides information that leads to an arrest and conviction in these cases or any other violent crime committed in the District. Any person with information can contact their office at (202) 727-9099 or send a tip to the department at their Text Tip Line – 50411.

The defendants’ next hearing will be on Aug. 14.

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Crime Alerts: July 6-7

From 9 p.m. on July 6 to 9 a.m. on July 7, the Metropolitan Police Department sent out two crime alerts.

The most recent alert was sent at 2:18 a.m. for a shooting on the 4900 block of C Street, SE. Police do not have a description of the suspect.

The second alert was sent at 10:01 p.m. for a robbery investigation occurring at 7:52 p.m. at the intersection of Kenilworth Avenue, NE and Quarrels Street, NE. Police are looking for two suspects. The first is a Black male, 5’9″, 160 lbs, wearing a baby blue mask, camouflage hoody and blue jeans. He is thought to be armed with a handgun. The second suspect is a Black female, 5’6″, 140-150 lbs, wearing a black hoody, jeans and timberland boots. She was last seen on Pond Street, NE.

If anyone has information on any of these incidents, call 911.

Crime Alerts: July 6

There have been five crime alerts since noon.

An alert of a robbery investigation was sent out at 8:05 p.m. for an incident at Kenilworth AveNice, NE and Quarles Street, NE. Police are loooking for a black male, who is 5’9”, wearing a hoody, blue jeans and armed with a handgun. Police are also looking for a black female, who is 5’6”, 140-150 pounds, wearing a black hoody, jeans, timberland. The suspects were last seen on Pond Street, NE.

An alert was sent at 8:34 p.m. for a robbery investigation at 4:40 p.m. on the 3800 Block of Reservoir Road, NW. The first suspect is a black male in his 20’s, 5’5- 5’6, 150 pounds with short black hair, wearing baggy pants & gray shirt. The second suspect is a black male Who is 20-30 years old, 5’7-5’8, long dreads, wearing blue jeans and holding two shopping bags.

At 7:55 p.m an alert for another robbery investigation on the 2800 block of 11th Street, NW was sent. Police are looking for Three black males aged from 14-16 years old, wearing all black clothing. One suspect is armed with a handgun.

Another alert of a stabbing investigation in the 3400 block of 14th Street, NW was sent at 5:44 p.m.

At 11:47 a.m. an alert for a shooting was sent out. The shooting occurred on the 2400 Block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE. Police are looking for a white vehicle that was last seen heading northbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, The tags or model of the car are not known.

if anyone had information on any of these incidents, call 911.

Judge Holds Four of 32 Defendants During Initial Hearings

On July 6, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge James Crowell released 28 defendants and held four defendants in DC Jail during initial hearings.

Of the released defendants, two defendants did not have charges filed against them.

One defendant was charged with first-degree sexual abuse. The defense attorney said that the complainant walked with and took photographs with the defendant before reporting that he had assaulted her.

Afterward, she got back on the train with the defendant. The defense attorney said the woman’s actions were not the same someone would do if attacked.

But, the prosecution said defense counsel was “victim shaming” the complainant by mentioning that she suffers from bipolar disorder and anxiety.

Judge Crowell decided to hold the defendant until his next hearing on Aug. 8, citing the seriousness of the allegations and amount of evidence in the police report.

There were eight domestic violence cases. Six of the defendants were released and two were held. All released defendants were given stay-away orders.

One of the held defendants was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly stabbing another woman several times in front of a victim’s minor children.

Another defendant who was held was charged with destruction of property and contempt. The defendant has two other pending domestic violence cases against the same complainant, his mother.

“His mother lives in fear of him every single day,” the prosecution said.

Judge Crowell held the defendant, citing he stopped taking his medication the last time he was released.

Two defendants were charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer. One defendant was released under the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP), while the other, Jamar Byrd, was held in DC Jail.

Judge Crowell held Byrd, citing his three pending cases where he violated his stay-away order. The defendant also has two prior convictions for assaulting law enforcement personnel.

Four defendants were charged with carrying a pistol without a license. Judge Crowell released them due to minimal criminal history.

Two co-defendants were charged with unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. The prosecution was amenable to their release, so both were released by the judge. One was given a stay-away order.

Two defendants were charged with DUI. In one of the cases, the prosecution requested that the defendant not be allowed to drive at all, but both were released with instructions not to drive after consuming drugs or alcohol.

Two defendants were each charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance. They were both released because prosecution was amenable to their release.

One defendant was charged with being a fugitive from justice out of the state of Maryland. Judge Crowell released him with instructions to turn himself in to the authorities in Montgomery County.

A defendant was charged with contempt for being out past his curfew. The prosecution requested a hold, but Judge Crowell said, “It seems like we’re going from zero to 60 pretty fast here,” and released the defendant under HISP with GPS monitoring.

Seven misdemeanor cases were heard for attempted threats to do bodily harm, unlawful entry, tampering with a detection device, destruction of property and failure to appear. All were released by Judge Crowell.

Document: Police Arrest 2 Suspects for Eight Robberies

On July 3, Metropolitan Police Department detectives arrested two suspects, connecting them to eight different robberies that occurred throughout Washington, DC between June 15 and July 2.

The two suspects, one 30 years old and the other 25, are both residents of Southeast DC. While each incident varies in specific details, the suspects are said to have demanded property from a single victim in each robbery.

In four of the eight robberies, the suspects are said to have taken property or money from the victim after threatening them with a handgun. In one, they also assaulted the victim.

The robberies occurred on the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, the 2800 block of Alabama Avenue, SE and the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE.

The last of the locations featured two separate robberies. The robberies occurred on July 1 at 4:35 p.m., on June 29 at about 7:00 p.m., on June 29 at about 6:00 p.m and on June 27 at about 8:42 p.m.

In two more of the robberies, the suspects allegedly assaulted a victim before taking their property. These occurred on July 2 and June 15 on the 4400 block of Georgia Avenue, NW and the 4700 block of Georgia Avenue, NW, respectively. The suspects were unarmed in the offenses.

In each of the final two robberies, only one suspect is said to have been present. Police say the suspect took property or money from the victims after threatening them with a handgun. Both occurred on the evening of June 29, the first on the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue, SE and the other one hour later on the 2800 block of Alabama Avenue, SE.

It is unclear which suspect is believed to have been responsible for these final two offenses.

The 25-year-old suspect was also arrested for carrying a pistol without a license, while the 30-year-old suspect faces additional charges for tampering with a GPS monitoring device and for possessing a firearm as a felon.

During the period of the robberies, the 30-year-old’s GPS was largely uncharged, a violation of the terms of use. However, when the GPS was functioning, the device placed one of the suspects near the scene during the time frames the robberies are said to have occurred.

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Case Acquitted: Document: Police Arrest Suspect for Homicide

This case was acquitted on Nov. 15, 2023.

On July 6, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department arrested a suspect in connection to a homicide that occurred in May.

According to court documents, 25-year-old Michael Austin allegedly shot 26-year-old Kayvon Kinney on the 1800 block of Gainesville Street, SE. Kinney died on the scene.

Austin was arrested on a second-degree murder while armed charge. He is awaiting his initial hearing for the charge at DC Superior Court.

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Document: Police Arrest Suspect for Homicide

On July 6, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department arrested a suspect in connection to a homicide that occurred in May.

According to court documents, 25-year-old Michael Austin allegedly shot 26-year-old Kayvon Kinney on the 1800 block of Gainesville Street, SE. Kinney died on the scene.

Austin was arrested on a second-degree murder while armed charge. He is awaiting his initial hearing for the charge at DC Superior Court.

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Judge Gives Defendant More Time to Appear in Court

A DC Superior Court judge gave a defendant, who is currently a loss of contact, more time to appear in court before issuing a bench warrant for the defendant’s arrest.

Larry Davis was charged with second-degree burglary on June 1. Two days prior, a pizza shop employee noticed the store had been broken into. The employee checked security footage, which showed a person entering through an unlocked rear door at around 6 a.m. and stealing beer and food.

During the hearing, a prosecutor requested that Judge Robert Okun issue a bench warrant for Davis’ arrest.

However, Judge Okun decided to grant Davis additional time to appear before issuing a bench warrant.

Davis’ defense attorney, Thomas Lester, said the only notice his client would have received has only been in the mail for fewer than three full business days.

Davis’ next court appearance is scheduled for July 16, which gives the defendant 10 days to receive a notice to appear. Judge Okun said that if Davis does not appear in court again, he will likely issue a bench warrant for the defendant’s arrest.

Davis was put on pretrial release with a stay away order and other unspecified conditions. However, a notice of non compliance was filed on June 26. Davis has been a loss of contact since June 20.

Judge Denies Prosecutor’s Request to Revoke Convict’s Probation

A DC Superior Court judge denied July 6 a prosecution’s request to revoke a convicted felon’s probation after several incidents of non compliance. The defendant has recently been in compliance with he terms of his release.

Eulis Knox pleaded guilty to attempted threats and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon and carrying a pistol without a license on June 24, 2019. He was initially charged with simple assault, attempted threats to do bodily harm and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon and carrying a pistol without a license outside of a home or business.

Judge Robert Okun ultimately sided with Knox’s attorney, Brett Cohen, who said that Knox has remained in contact with his probation officer since June 4 and has recently come into compliance with the conditions of his probation. Judge Okun allowed Knox to continue with his probation in hopes that he will remain in compliance.

On March 28, he was sentenced to 30 months, only 14 of which he would have to serve behind bars. He was also given one year of supervised probation.

Knox reportedly violated his probation a number of times since being released on Nov. 26, 2019. The prosecutor listed a series of violations that included a three month long loss of contact and a simple assault charge filed on June 9 when recommending that Knox’s probation be revoked.

The prosecutor took particular concern with the circumstances of the assault case, because Knox had a stay away order from one of the incident’s witnesses.

A representative from the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) deferred to the prosecution’s request for probation revocation.

Since probation officers were not seeing clients face-to-face at the time, she said Knox’s failure to stay in contact “does speak to his character when the only thing he had to do was call in.”

Knox is scheduled to return to court to reassess his compliance on Sept. 21. He is also slated to appear in court on Sept. 8 for a status hearing in his assault case.

Defense Receives New Hearing to Accept Deal

A DC Superior Court judge granted a defense attorney’s request July 6 for a hearing so his client can accept a plea deal from the prosecution.

Earl Britt was charged with second-degree burglary on May 4. That day, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers were dispatched to 5500 block of Colorado Avenue, NW for a burglary in progress.

DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Beck granted a hearing for July 22.

A witness saw the suspect break a glass door to a restaurant on the establishment’s security cameras. The person who reported the crime saw that a cash box was missing, according to court documents.

When canvassing the area, police officers observed the glass window to 4700 block of 14th Street, NW was also broken. Detectives, who arrived at the location saw a man who looked similar to the burglar on the security footage, the documents state.

Officers initially arrested Britt for burglary and destruction of property.

When processing the arrest, a MPD officer found that Britt’s DNA was a match with a blood sample found after a burglary that occurred Dec. 16 on the 3500 block of 14th Street, NW. He was charged with second-degree burglary for the incident as well.

Judge Grants Another Continuance for Convict Undergoing Drug Treatment

A DC Superior Court judge agreed July 6 to hold a defendant’s hearing after his 28-day drug treatment program.

Amadu Fomah pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and simple assault on May 8, 2019. He was sentenced to two years of probation on Nov. 8.

Upon confirming Fomah’s continued participation in the drug treatment program during the July 6 hearing, Judge Robert Okun granted another continuance so that he could complete it.

This is the second time Fomah’s hearing has been continued. On June 23, Judge Herrmann granted Fomah a continuance until July 6 so the court could confirm whether or not he remained enrolled in the program. However, she noted the convenient timing of his enrollment.

The court has filed three notices of non compliance since the start of his probation on March 30, April 8 and June 16. A hearing was held on June 23 to address the compliance issues, but Fomah failed to appear.

Fomah is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 24.

Judge Found Defendant Competent to Stand Trial

A DC Superior Court judge found an assault defendant competent to stand trial.

Steven Jones was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon on Nov. 2, 2017. He is currently receiving mental health treatment at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric institution.

Defense attorney Brandi Harden agreed that Jones is competent, but she asked that her client stop being forcibly medicated, saying “there’s no indication that he doesn’t wish to take the medication voluntarily.”

Harden also requested that Jones remain in the hospital to continue cognitive behavioral therapy.

Judge Michael Ryan granted both of her requests.

Jones’ next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 7.

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