Crime Alerts: June 23-24

During the evening of June 23 through the morning of June 24, the Metropolitan Police Department sent out two alerts.

The most recent alert was sent at 12:08 a.m. for a robbery on the 900 block of Longfellow Street NW. Police are looking for 2 Black males wearing social distancing face mask that are blue in color.

Another robbery alert was sent at 10:35 p.m. for a robbery on the 3300 block of Benning Road, NE. A Grey 4-door 2016 Dodge Charger bearing Virginia tags 3442NT was taken. Police are looking for a Black male.

Anyone with information on the crimes should call 911. Please do not take any other action.

Judge Grants Continuation of Hearing After Defendant Fails to Appear

On June 23, DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann granted defense counsel more time to get in contact with a defendant before issuing a bench warrant.

Wendell Poole was charged with distributing cocaine and released pending trial on March 18.

Poole’s defense attorney, Dan Harn, said it is very difficult to contact his client because he does not currently have a working phone number.

Poole has also not been in contact with the Pretrial Services Agency, but he has remained in contact with his probation officer.

Harn said he was not aware that the defendant was in contact with the officer until it was mentioned during the hearing.

Harn said Poole may not have appeared because he is awaiting transitional housing and has displayed no indication of disobeying his stay away order from co-defendant Devine Norman. Harn requested that the hearing be continued so he can have more time to contact Poole.

Judge Herrmann continued the hearing until July 9. She said that if Poole once again fails to be present, a warrant would be issued for his arrest.

Defense Attorney Requests to Reschedule Hearing

A defense attorney requested that his client’s hearing be rescheduled so he can meet with him beforehand.

Khamari Perkins, 19, is charged with the first-degree murder of Naseem Simpson, 18, who died from a gunshot wound March 26 on the 3000 block of 14th Street, NW.

Defense attorney Kevann Gardner told DC Superior Court Judge Julie Becker that he is scheduled to meet with Perkins on July 6.

Judge Becker scheduled a new hearing for July 8.

Judge Grants A Continuance to A Defendant in Drug Treatment

After several stays at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric institution, a man was finally found competent to stand trial in March of 2019.

Amadu Fomah was convicted of three counts of simple assault, disorderly conduct and threat to kidnap or injure a person.

Fomah was released on probation in November of 2019 but did not stay in compliance with his probation requirements.

Fomah did not appear in court on June 23 for his probation show cause hearing.

His defense attorney, Nate Mensah, asked the judge to continue the hearing until July 27 as Fomah is currently enrolled in a 28-day drug treatment program and is unable to leave due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions.

District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann said she found it very convenient that Fomah enrolled in drug treatment program on the same day of his hearing.

It “seems like he could’ve come to court before he did that,” she said.

Fomah’s probation officer said the defendant is in need of residential treatment. The officer also mentioned that Fomah does not want treatment and is not admitting to using drugs, so it is unlikely that the current treatment will work.

According to the officer, Fomah already completed a 28-day drug treatment program in February, and that he went back to using drugs shortly after completing the program.

The prosecution testified against the bench warrant in this case, saying Fomah’s need for treatment and his program would be longer than the jail time he would receive if arrested.

Judge Herrmann granted a continuance until July 6 when she thinks it will be clear if Fomah is serious about getting treatment for his drug abuse issues.

Judge Issues Bench Warrant for Defendant with Mental Health Issues

A woman, who allegedly swung a knife at a person after trying to steal a pack of beer from a store, has a warrant out for her arrest.

Sonya Champ is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.

Champ was released with a stay-away order, but has been a loss of contact with pretrial services since February.

On June 23, Champ’s defense attorney, Karen Minor, said Champ has a lot of acute mental health issues and that she got treatment from the Psychiatric Institute of Washington (PIW) several times over the last few months due to her issues.

Minor requested that pretrial services try to find Champ before the judge issued a bench warrant. Champ is not at PIW.

District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann said it is clear that Champ needs mental health treatment and is not getting it, so she issued a no bond bench warrant for her arrest.

Judge Releases 14 Out of 18 Defendants During Initial Hearings

On June 23, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann held four defendants and released 14 defendants.

Of the 14 defendants released, three did not have charges filed against them by the prosecution.

Malcolm English was held on charges of assault, unlawful entry, attempted possession of a prohibited weapon and destruction of property. Judge Herrmann said she held him because of the seriousness of the charges and his criminal history.

Judge Herrmann also held Kareem Howard, who is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Police found a gun in a vehicle that Howard was seen leaving. The gun is allegedly a match for a gun that was fired on May 19.

Howard’s defense attorney argued that no fingerprint evidence has been found, and the gun was ever held by Howard. Nonetheless, the judge held him citing past criminal history.

Haile Wade, 39, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction. He has also had multiple unlawful carrying charges in his criminal history.

Wade’s defense attorney argued against the facts of the charge, saying that the complaining witness argued with Wade right before giving thtold polices the gun in question was not kept on Wade’s person.

However, Judge Herrmann considered the weapon possession charge alongside Wade’s criminal history, and decided to hold him. She also told Wade’s attorney to file a medical alert for a suicide watch for Wade.

Adrian Proctor was held on charges of carjacking and attempted carjacking due to his criminal history. His co-defendant was released by the judge due to his lack of criminal history.

A defendant was released who was charged with being a fugitive from Maryland, and the prosecution was in agreement with his release.

Four misdemeanor defendants were also released, two of which had stay-away orders.

Four domestic violence defendants were released with stay-away order.

Ten Hearings Rescheduled

Ten hearings that were supposed to happen on June 23, but they were rescheduled for Sept. 8.

Edward Drake-James, James Lee, Jendai Robinson, Daninccio Evans, James Newton and James Woods were scheduled for status hearings. More information on all defendants is classified either due to involvement in domestic violence cases or contact with persons who filed civil protection orders against them.

Drake-James is charged with simple assault, unlawful entry and destruction of property less than $1,000. Lee and Woods are charged with simple assault. Jendai is charged with attempted stalking.

Evans is charged with destruction of property less than $1,000 and unlawful entry on private property. Newton is charged with violating a civil protection order.

Jose Crisostomo-Herrera was supposed to have a sentencing for his simple assault charge.

A defendant charged with contempt of a civil protection order, was scheduled for an arraignment.

Leroy McGill and Mohamed Sesay were scheduled to have non-jury trials. McGill was charged with simple assault and Sesay was charged with violating a civil protection order.

Bench Warrant Issued for No-Show Defendant

DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann issued a bench warrant for a defendant who failed to appear in court on June 23.

Herman Smith pleaded guilty to attempted robbery on March 15, 2019. He was given a two year suspended sentence and three years of probation.

According to records, Smith has had trouble complying with the terms of his probation since his sentencing. As of May 14, Smith officially lost contact with the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency.

Judge Gives Defense More Time to Review Plea

Two co-defendants received more time to review a plea offer from the prosecution on June 23.

Antonni Flores and Ryan Harding were charged with second-degree burglary on April 10. The co-defendants entered a residence and stole a vacuum cleaner and bicycle while multiple residents were present in the building.

The prosecution presented plea offers for each defendant prior to the preliminary hearing on June 23. Harding’s offer proposes that the prosecution would not indict him for any additional charges stemming from the burglary.

Additionally, the prosecution said they would dismiss one of Flores’ contempt of court charges and that he would receive a maximum sentence of 90 days for a separate contempt of court charge.

Flores and Harding’s defense attorneys, Henry Escoto and Raymond Jones, requested two or three weeks to review the terms of the plea offer. DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz granted the defense’s request.

After the request had been granted, the co-defendants asked to be released from DC Jail. The defendants mentioned a lack of medical care and sanitation in the jail, citing ignored requests for medical treatment.

Judge Kravitz proposed filing medical alerts for both defendants after Harding explained his lack of treatment for glaucoma and Flores explained his ignored requests for treatment of a bump he had gotten on his chest.

Judge Kravitz also set a separate hearing to evaluate Flores and Harding’s request for release.

The release request and the plea offer are scheduled to be addressed on July 14.

Judge Doesn’t Release Man Charged With Violating Protection Order

A DC Superior Court judge denied June 23 a release request from a man charged with contempt.

Alexander Day is accused of violating a civil protection order while he was released by contacting a witness from whom he was ordered to stay away.

Judge Maribeth Raffinan agreed with the Department of Behavioral Health’s assessment that the defendant is not mentally competent but also does not qualify for hospitalization at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC psychiatric hospital.

Judge Raffinan cited Day’s criminal history, including multiple counts of unlawful entry, assault and destruction of property.

She ordered that Day receive a full competency assessment in jail within 30 days.

Day’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 21.

Defendant Decides to Keep Lawyer

A defendant withdrew his request to represent himself at trial after going back and forth on the matter several times during a hearing on June 23.

The defendant is charged with armed kidnapping, first-degree sexual abuse while armed with a dangerous weapon and assault with a dangerous weapon.

He told a judge that he wanted to represent himself at the start of the hearing. However, such a request would require the defendants to undergo a competency evaluation. He has not had a competency evaluation.

The defendant did not identify himself when DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson asked him to do so, which raised concerns about his mental state.

Defense attorney Andrew Ains said that his client appeared sluggish during the morning, and he wasn’t presenting himself the way he usually does. However, Judge Dayson, who had the defendant in her court before, said “it’s not typical, but it’s not the first time it’s happened.”

The defendant said he believed his lawyer does not want to help him.

After a private conversation, it was announced that the defendant withdrew his request to represent himself. But the defendant reinstated his motion to represent himself shortly after.

A short time later, the defendant decided that he did not want to represent himself, instead asking for a different lawyer.

After that, he changed his mind one more time, saying he wanted to keep Ains, which he called his final decision.

A mental observation hearing is scheduled for July 13.

Crime Alerts: June 23

At 1:25 p.m., the Metropolitan Police Department sent out one crime alert for a stabbing on the 1300 Block of Southern Avenue, SE. Police are looking for a black male, approximately 20 years of age, medium complexion, wearing black shorts and a green colorful hoodie.

If anyone has information on this crime, call 911. Do not take any other action.

Judge Grants 4 Stay-Away Requests

A DC Superior Court judge granted four of the stay away order requests on June 23.

All four defendants are required to keep a 100-foot distance from their complainant’s home, school, workplace and vehicle. The defendants are also prohibited from contacting their complainant via telephone, social media or through a third party.

However, in one case, Judge Judith Pipe made some exceptions to accommodate co-parenting.

Three of the cases involved a defendant who repeatedly tried to approach or contact a complainant. The other case involved an assault.

All four stay away orders are temporary and the complainant must come back to court on Aug 25. with evidence to back their claims.

Defense Requests More Time to Review Evidence with Defendant

A defense attorney requested that a judge schedule another hearing, so he could have more time to determine a way to share evidence with his client, who is currently detained in the DC Jail.

Marcus Vines is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.

The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions at the jail have prevented defense attorney Kevin Mosley from being able to meet with Vines to review video evidence. Because of this, as well as the fact that Vines has been in jail for around 80 days, Mosley argued for his client’s release.

Judge Julie Becker said that since two other judges, Judge Robert Okun in March and Judge Neal Kravitz in May, denied home confinement and that none of the factors that went into that decision have changed, she could not release the defendant.

Mosley asked for the scheduling of another status hearing, hoping that by the time of the next hearing, he would be able to show Vines the video evidence.

Mosley said he is also concerned that the proceedings will have to continue longer, since it is not possible to show a witness the video while cross examining them.

Another hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4.

Judge Hears 10 Cases for Protection Orders, Grants 7

On June 22, a DC Superior Court judge granted seven out of 10 requests for civil protection orders against potentially violent individuals.

Judge Kimberley Knowles granted a temporary restraining orders for seven people. They will be required to return on Aug. 24 to get civil protection orders in their cases. The temporary order will only last for 14 days.

A man requested an order so that he wouldn’t be abused and harassed from his long-time romantic partner. The man said that, on June 20, his partner demanded money from him, saying he owed her. Protection orders also require a stay away mandate.

When he was unable to pay, she started packing up his belongings, allegedly trying to “damage his property.” He said that she then started scratching him in the face and the chest.

When the police arrived on the scene, they arrested the woman for domestic violence. She has since been charged with simple assault and was released on personal recognizance.

However, Judge Knowles mentioned that the police might not be able to serve the order due to the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting he do so through a trusted third party.

“During these times with COVID and all of the other things happening in the world today, the police are stretched very thin,” she said. “The police aren’t as able to serve people as they were pre-pandemic.”

Judge Knowles warned that if the woman is not served the paperwork, the man’s request for an order might not proceed.

Judge Knowles also permitted the man to return to his partner’s property to retrieve his mail with police escort if necessary on June 24.

Other orders were granted to women who said their significant others were displaying abusive behavior and a woman who said her father was harassing her and her children over property.

In August the persons who were issued the orders would have to appear at a civil protection hearing where a judge would decide whether or not the situation warrants protection for an extended time period. A civil protection order is valid for one year.

Another man said he was sexually assaulted by two men and requested civil protection orders from both of them. When questioned by Judge Knowles, he was unable to provide specific details on the incident, saying he was drugged and could not recall.

Judge Knowles denied his request for the orders, dismissing the case.

Search