Weekly Review: Judges Only Release 9 Percent of Cases Heard

By D.C. Witness Staff - May 18, 2020
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Judges presided over 36 defendants cases at the DC Superior Courthouse between May 11 and May 15. Of those cases, only nine percent of the defendants were released.

DC Superior Court Judges Michael Ryan, Sean Staples, John Campbell, Steven Berk and Neal Kravitz presided over all the cases. Most of the cases included defendants charged with felonies.

There were three Youth Rehabilitation Act sentences that were not held or rescheduled and no judge was assigned to preside over the cases.

Out of 31 cases that were heard, only 30 percent of the cases were not bond review hearings where defendants filed emergency motions for release due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the defendants who had hearings were already released.

Judge Michael Ryan heard 25 defendants’ cases between May 11 and 15, releasing four defendants and denying release for ten defendants.

Judge Ryan placed two released defendants under the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) and the other two defendants were released with conditions imposed by pre-trial services.

He also moved Kenneth Bloomfield, who is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, to a different area of the DC jail and ordered that a defendant speak with his lawyer, weekly.

Legal counsel for William Johnson, who is charged with distribution of a controlled substance — heroin, possession of a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance while released, withdrew his request for release after Johnson refused to attend two hearings.

Judge Neal Kravitz heard one case during the week for murder defendant Alisa Randall, which was a mental observation hearing. The hearing was scheduled to continue on May 21. Randall, 32, is charged with stabbing 59-year-old Ronald Jones on the 1300 block of Euclid Street, NW on July 15, 2019.

Judge Sean Staples heard five hearings all of which were probation show cause hearings. One defendant did not show up to his hearing, so Judge Staples issued a bench warrant for Davon Boyd.

Franklin Fludd, who is serving one year on probation after being found guilty of simple assault, had his case rescheduled because he was told there was no court.

Judge Steven Berk only heard one hearing, which was a sentencing. He sentenced Robert Frazier, who pleaded guilty to assault of a police officer and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction, to six-months in prison followed by a year of probation.

Judge John Campbell only heard one hearing where he sentenced Dominick Paris to serve a year and a half in prison for attempting to commit robbery in 2019. Paris was initially charged with robbery.