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Today’s Baltimore City Circuit Court bail review/habeas docket thread. Judge Sampson is presiding.
CASE 1: a young man who was arrested for an alleged VOP. He’s being held on the VOP despite having been released on the alleged offense itself.
The ASA recites allegations as facts. State will agree to home detention. Pretrial recommends home detention.
Judge Sampson asks defense atty “why your client keeps finding himself in situations where the police have to intervene.” We have a long list of neighborhoods we guess Judge Sampson doesn’t live in.
Now he’s addressing the man (who is present by videoconference) and says “you know how to not be in situations where the police can accuse you of a crime” and “most people are in jail” bc they don’t know how to conduct themselves.
He tells the man “act like you have some training.” Orders home detention.
CASE 2: a man who was sentenced in another proceeding last month, but the commitment order was rescinded by the judge a few days later.
This case is sort of procedurally confusing, and we won’t try (and botch!) an explanation, but what he’s being held on at this point is a technical VOP. He is medically vulnerable and has serious underlying conditions.
His attorney is asking for ROR so he can try to get him into inpatient treatment. Pretrial recommends home detention but would prefer release to inpatient treatment.
The ASA recites allegations as facts. State will agree to home detention. Defense says home detention isn’t appropriate because there’s no threat to public safety.
Judge Sampson says that because the court isn’t aware of the nature of his last conviction, he will order private home detention/monitoring.
CASE 3: a man with asthma. He has run out of asthma medication. He is being held at JCI, which has no AC and poor ventilation. He will not have a trial date until 2021.
His attorney tries to tell the judge about a trauma her client’s family suffered right before the alleged technical VOP he was picked up on that she says may explain what happened, and he won’t let her.
Pretrial was going to recommend HWOB, but having heard about his medical condition is now recommending home detention. The ASA says the state will agree to home detention. Judge Sampson orders private home detention/monitoring.
CASE 4: a man whose trial isn’t scheduled until February 2021. The state has lost contact with the complaining witness. He is being held on an alleged VOP but was released on the underlying charge by another judge.
Pretrial recommends home detention. The ASA recites allegations as facts. She acknowledges the CW isn’t returning the state’s calls. State will agree to home detention. Judge Sampson orders ROR with pretrial services.
CASE 5: a woman who is alleged to have violated probation. The underlying charge was NPed this morning. She is seeking to be released awaiting her VOP hearing, which is several months away, so she can go into treatment.
She has severe medical problems and is being held at Central Booking, where COVID cases are rapidly increasing. Her atty tries to tell the court the current number of positive cases, Judge Sampson says “you can skip that part, I’m aware of the numbers.”
Pretrial was going to recommend HWOB but now that the charge has been dismissed, they are recommending home detention. The ASA says the state is still opposing ROR but would agree to home detention.
The ASA recites as facts the allegations in the case that her office NPed this morning. Judge Sampson asks why it was NPed then, and the ASA says “I don’t know anything about that.”
The ASA says “the state believes she is dangerous.” THE STATE DROPPED THE CHARGES THIS MORNING.
Defense atty points out the state’s own actions don’t support this sudden belief that she’s a danger, and reiterates the severity of her health problems. Judge Sampson orders ROR with pretrial services.
CASE 6: a man who was arrested despite clearly not looking anything like the person who committed the offense. The detective “forgot” to turn on his bodycam while interviewing the person who IDed this man.
When the defense and state agreed that the detective should reconduct the interview with his BWC on, the witness refused to talk.
The accused is a young man whose family has arranged for private home detention. His trial isn’t set yet so won’t be until sometime next year.
The ASA says the state was going to ask for HWOB but is now seeking home detention instead. Pretrial recommends home detention. Judge Sampson orders private home detention/monitoring.
CASE 7: a woman who is being in held in Central Booking for a matter other than the one that is on the docket. She isn’t being held on the one that is on the docket, so the judge can’t hear it. Defense atty will refile.
CASE 8: a man who was arrested when his car was searched during a traffic stop that was initiated because cops “couldn’t see whether or not he was wearing a seat belt” due to window tint.
He is the primary source of income for his family. He has asthma. Pretrial recommends home detention. The ASA recites the cops’ story as facts. State is seeking HWOB.
The man is present by videoconference and tells the judge he wants to see his kids. Judge Sampson tells him “you don’t know me but I dislike it when people tell me about their kids when they’re involved in criminality.”
He says “you didn’t care enough about your kids” not to get arrested and “don’t ever mention your kids to me again.” Orders HWOB.
We note the cops and the state didn’t care about this man’s kids and we further note that Sampson is a monster.
CASE 9: a young man who won’t even be indicted for several months. His family has arranged for private home detention if the judge approves it. Pretrial recommends HWOB.
The ASA recites as fact the cops’ tale of their traffic stop, including an allegation that he made “furtive movements.” State is seeking HWOB. Judge Sampson orders HWOB.
CASE 10: a man who has serious underlying health problems that put him at risk for COVID. He is being held at Central Booking, where cases are quickly increasing.
There are some indications that the complaining witness may actually be the one (or one of the people) who committed the offense, which the man who has been charged denies involvement with.
Pretrial recommends HWOB. The state once again failed to provide a statement of charges to the court ahead of time. The ASA recites allegations as facts. State is seeking HWOB.
Judge Sampson orders HWOB.
CASE 11: a young man with a young child at home. He is alleged to have violated his probation via an arrest for a very minor property offense that he is not being held on. Pretrial recommends ROR.
The ASA recites allegations as facts. State will agree to ROR with probation agent supervision. Judge Sampson orders same.
CASE 12: case has been removed from the docket because it was already resolved.
CASE 13: a young man whose April habeas petition was denied. He has since contracted COVID in jail and has spent a month in the jail hospital. Meanwhile the state has dropped the top count which his atty says was the only serious charge.
The stop that resulted in these charges was initiated because he was misidentified as being involved in a case in another jurisdiction. He was cleared of those charges thru video that places him many miles away from that incident.
Judge Sampson asks the ASA if he was aware of what defense counsel is saying, the ASA claims he doesn’t. Defense atty points out it was in the petition that was served on the state. Judge Sampson wants to give the state time to get up to speed and holds it over until tomorrow.
CASE 14: a man who is being held on an alleged VOP. He was released to home detention on the underlying charge by Judge Vittoria last week. There are witness ID issues in the underlying case. He is on the medically vulnerable list at the jail.
There isn’t even an arraignment date in the underlying case yet, so it won’t be tried until next year, and the VOP will be heard after that.
State will agree to home detention on the VOP since Vittoria released him on the underlying charge. Pretrial recommends home detention. Judge Sampson orders private home detention/monitoring.
That’s the end of the docket.
