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By
Blair McLendon [former]
- September 21, 2021
Court
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Daily Stories
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Sex Abuse
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Suspects
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Victims
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A DC Superior Court judge sentenced a defendant to 15 years for first-degree sexual abuse.
Last year, Theodore Tinsley pleaded guilty to the charge for breaking into a woman’s home and sexually abusing her on the morning of Nov. 3, 2019. According to court documents, the 28-year-old defendant told detectives that he had used drugs that morning and entered the home through the rear window.
The plea deal included an agreement between parties that 15 years would be an appropriate sentence in this case. But during the Sept. 17 hearing, defense attorney Mani Golzari argued that his client’s sentence should be followed by five years of supervised release, while the prosecution wanted Tinsely to remain on supervised release for the rest of his life.
Golzari argued that five years is enough time for Tinsley to begin to build good habits and get his life back on track. The prosecution, however, argued that a lifetime of supervised release is necessary to keep the community and victim safe.
Judge Neal Kravitz decided to impose a 25-year period of supervised release. He said he wasn’t persuaded by either side, but called lifetime supervised release “excessive” and “inconsistent with outlived experiences.”
During the sentencing, Tinsley said he has thoughts and feelings he can’t control, but takes responsibility for his actions.