Sex Abuse Defendant Waives 90-Day Indictment Deadline

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A defendant facing kidnapping, carjacking and sex abuse charges consented to the deadline for indictment being extended.

The defendant is accused of holding a woman at gunpoint in her car and forcing her to drive to an alleyway in a residential part of Petworth, where he then raped her. He allegedly drove off in her car with her clothes, leaving her to seek help from a nearby homeowner, according to court documents.

More than six months passed before the defendant, who was 18 years old at the time, was arrested. He is charged with armed carjacking, kidnapping while armed and first-degree sexual abuse while armed.

During the most recent hearing for this case on March 8, the defendant agreed to waive the 90-day deadline for an indictment. The 100-day deadline for a trial reportedly goes into effect on April 26, which the defendant is also expected to waive at his next hearing.

The prosecutor said they had already provided initial discovery to the defense as well as a preliminary plea offer. They requested a preliminary hearing date with enough time for the defendant to consider the offer. Defense attorney Howard McEachern had no objection.

A preliminary hearing was not scheduled. The defendant is scheduled to return to court for a felony status conference on April 6.

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