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Man Sentenced 15 Years for Child Abuse of 5-Month-Old, Resulting in a Skull Fracture

State v. Delontre James Austin, C-08-CR-18-000315

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, May 9, 2019, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier sentenced Delontre James Austin, 23, to 15 years in prison and an additional 5 years of suspended time for Second Degree Child Abuse and Neglect of a Minor. Upon release, Austin will be on supervised probation for a period of 5 years.

On January 15, 2019, Austin entered a guilty plea to the aforementioned charges in Charles County Circuit Court.

On March 28, 2018, officers responded to Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. after receiving a report of suspected abuse of a 5-month-old victim. Upon arrival, officers learned that the baby was being treated for life-threatening injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, and suffered a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, swelling, and bruising. Thankfully, the victim survived, however, with severe, lasting injuries. Officers also made contact with Austin in the hospital and the mother of the child. During their communications, Austin eventually told officers that he tossed the baby in a pack ‘n play.

An investigation revealed that during the morning hours of March 27, 2018, Austin was alone with the victim and another child. Austin was awakened to the victim crying. When the victim continued crying, Austin became frustrated and reportedly tossed the victim to the bottom of her pack ‘n play. Austin did not call for help and eventually went to work when the mother of the victim returned home. A call was later placed to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for concern over the condition of the victim. EMS then responded to the 4100 block of Falcon Place in Waldorf and transported the victim to the hospital.

Austin was apprehended on March 29, 2018, following a court hearing.

During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Freeman addressed the Court, “This is an above guidelines case. There is no excuse for the amount of force; there is no excuse for the amount of injury to a 5-month-old child because [she] was crying, and the defendant should definitely be sentenced accordingly.”

Before sentencing Austin above guidelines, Judge Bragunier told him, “I know it’s not easy to live with yourself. I do agree that you are not a public safety threat, but only to an innocent 5-month-old baby who was annoying you and crying. You snapped. The injuries [the victim] endured were caused by anger [and] force beyond comprehension.”

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Co-Defendant in Home Invasion Leaving Victim Unconscious, Doused with Gasoline Sentenced to 12 Years

State v. Ijaaz Butler, C-08-CR-18-000353

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Monday, April 29, 2019, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier sentenced Ijaaz Butler, 26, to 12 years in prison for Home Invasion and Conspiracy to Commit Home Invasion. The sentence imposed today in Charles County Circuit Court will run consecutive to a 12-year sentence previously imposed for a similar crime in Calvert County, for a total of 24 years in prison.

On October 10, 2018, Butler entered a guilty plea to the above-mentioned charges.

On March 19, 2018, officers responded to the 2800 block of Homette Place in Waldorf for the report of a home invasion. Upon arrival, officers spoke with victim Melissa Lewis, who had visible injuries. Lewis stated that two male suspects forced entry into her home, assaulted her, and demanded money.

A further investigation revealed that Lewis received a large sum of money prior to the home invasion. On the day of the incident, the victim was asleep on a couch in her home when Butler and the other male suspect, who the victim later identified as co-defendant William Gary Edwards, entered with their faces partially covered. Butler and Edwards physically assaulted the victim and asked her where the money was located; however, the victim refused to reveal where it was. The victim’s three young children were also present inside of the residence. While ransacking the home, Butler banged on the door of the children’s rooms while the victim was being held down by Edwards.

After a few minutes inside the residence, Butler and Edwards dragged the victim outside to search her vehicle. While outside, they assaulted the victim – to include dousing her with gasoline – until she was unconscious. Butler and Edwards then fled in a getaway vehicle operated by co-defendant Brandy Lynn Deluca.

Shortly after leaving, Deluca hit a mailbox and was stopped by an officer for a traffic violation. It was discovered during the stop that the occupants of the vehicle were involved in the home invasion. All three suspects, including Butler, were subsequently apprehended.

During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney John A. Stackhouse, asking for the maximum consecutive sentence, told the judge that he hopes the victim “can feel safe again in her own home with her kids” after the terrifying incident.

On Wednesday, January 30, 2019, co-defendant Brandy Deluca was sentenced by Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West to 7 years in prison.

On Thursday, February 21, 2019, co-defendant William Gary Edwards was also sentenced by Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West to 10 years in prison, consecutive to a 2-year sentence previously imposed for a similar crime in Calvert County, for a total of 12 years in prison.

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Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Multiple Store Robberies

State v. Ja’ron Anthony Bowen, C-08-CR-18-000111

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, April 25, 2019, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier sentenced Ja’ron Anthony Bowen, 20 of Indian Head, to 10 years in prison and 5 years of supervised probation for Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, 3 counts of Robbery, and Theft Less Than $100. Bowen also faces 40 years back up time for the aforementioned charges.

On August 20, 2018, Bowen entered a guilty plea to the above charges in Charles County Circuit Court.

On January 23, 2018, officers responded to Subway located in the 4600 block of Indian Head Highway in Indian Head for the report of an armed robbery. When officers arrived at the scene, an employee reported that the suspect jumped over the counter armed with a knife and demanded to have the money in the cash register. The suspect left the business after retrieving the money.

That same day, officers received another report of an armed robbery at Westlake Dash In, located in the 2000 block of Smallwood Drive West in Waldorf. When officers arrived, an employee stated that the suspect was armed with a knife, walked behind the cashier’s counter, and removed money from the register. During the robbery, one of the employees was cut in the face and another employee was cut on the hand.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the suspect matched the size and description of a suspect from previous robberies of Dollar General on January 20, 2018, and Goodies on January 21, 2018, both located in Indian Head.

Bowen was developed as a suspect and was identified in a photographic line up by an employee from one of the robberies.

A search and seizure warrant was conducted at Bowen’s residence, revealing evidence related to the robberies. Bowen also confessed to robbing the four businesses.

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Local legal figures convene traffic stop advice panel

Local legal figures convene traffic stop advice panel
Charles County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Devine, far right, speaks to the crowd gathered for the “So You’ve Been Pulled Over” event at the Waldorf West branch of the library about best practices for one’s day in court following a traffic stop. From left to right next to Devine are Cpl. Steve Bryant of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, public defender Michael Beach and Assistant State’s Attorney Andre Bruce.
(MD Independent) Staff photo by LINDSAY RENNER-WOOD

In the moment, a traffic stop can be an unnerving experience. If the stop results in a ticket, the ensuing trip through the court system can be just as harrowing and confusing for those inexperienced with or uninformed about the legal system and their rights. Last Tuesday in Waldorf, a group of local legal experts convened at the Waldorf West branch of the Charles County Public Library to demystify the process and make it less scary.

In her introductory remarks before the discussion began, law librarian Mary Jo Lazun of the Charles County Public Law Library said she frequently answers questions from the people who come to avail themselves of the library’s services. One of the most common statements she hears before someone asks their questions, she said, is “So, I got pulled over.” On the basis of the frequency, Lazun said she decided to organize a panel that would be able to let Charles County’s citizens know what their rights and responsibilities are in traffic stops, and what to expect if the stop ends with a ticket or court date.

Cpl. Steve Bryant of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office went first, providing a step-by-step breakdown of how most traffic stops proceed. First and foremost, Bryant said, the officers “try to make [the traffic stop process] easier for you.”

When one notices the officer signaling for them to pull over, he said, it’s best to pull over to the righthand shoulder, away from traffic. He advised that one should keep their hands visible and wait, rather than trying to prepare ahead of time — for their own safety.

“From the back, when we see people digging around … it’s a sign to us that things could be going south,” Bryant said. He also advised the crowd to not argue with the officer during the stop, and to “save it for court,” offering that someone providing an explanation of the circumstances to the officer is not necessarily arguing.

Bryant also reviewed different rights individuals may not know they have during a traffic stop. For example, he said, K9 scans of the vehicle aren’t considered searches by the court, and so people have the right to refuse the K9 and ask for the officer to do it instead. As driving under the influence goes, courts do not admit field breathalyzer tests as evidence, Bryant said, but just having a Maryland driver’s license means you have legally already consented to undergoing sobriety testing at the police station.

Bryant also urged citizens to “comply and complain,” or, obey the officer for the duration of the traffic stop, but afterward file a report if one feels their rights have been violated and do so as soon as possible.

“We want that too,” Bryant said. “If we have officers who aren’t doing the right thing, we want to know.”

Public defender Michael Beach told the crowd that while it’s far from out of the realm of possibility that a traffic stop might be unjustified, one should “absolutely cooperate” during the course of it. “You gain nothing from being uncooperative,” Beach said.

Beach also urged the attendees to never consent to a K9 scan, or to a search, adding that K9 scans aren’t considered searches and there’s “no advantage to saying yes” to such scans.

“If they want to go in your car, they can go in your car,” Beach said. “That’s something to fight in court another day. But if you’ve consented to a search, unless that consent was coerced in some way, you’re pretty much out of luck.”

Beach told the crowd that while it’s important and necessary to be respectful of the officer during the stop, if they start asking questions about destination or the like, one is free to ask for a lawyer or refuse answers under Miranda rights. Respect, however, is crucial: “Respect will always look way better than you getting into it with the officer. … That always gets better results than being confrontational.”

Beach also echoed Bryant’s remarks about filing complaints when one has been treated unfairly by the responding officer, and to remember that the sheriff and state’s attorney are elected officials.

“If you have bad experience, give feedback. If you have a good experience, give feedback,” Beach said. “We all want the officers who are doing everything right — and there’s plenty of them — to be recognized.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Andre Bruce said the first thing, when examining the case, is to make sure there was a valid reason for the stop, and if it’s found to be valid were the circumstances around a search valid as well. Invalid stops, Bruce said, can result in the court dismissing the case entirely.

Bruce and Judge Patrick J. Devine also emphasized the previous remarks on the importance of respect at all points.

“The right time to make a challenge is in court,” Bruce said.

“If you confront the officer, that video may show up in court,” Devine said, adding that a traffic stop is “the wrong time to go off” and that a positive disposition can “neutralize” potential threats.

“You’ve got discretion there. Do that and use it,” Devine said. “Even though the officer is in charge, you have a tremendous amount of control over whether this ends poorly.”

 

Originally Posted on the Maryland Independent: 

https://www.somdnews.com/independent/news/local/local-legal-figures-convene-traffic-stop-advice-panel/article_611e4e96-8abc-5bdf-ae70-fb1ddf621843.html

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Former Substitute Teacher Found Guilty of Child Sexual Abuse

State v. Keith Allan Krikstan, C-08-CR-18-000694

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, after five days of trial, a Charles County jury convicted Keith Allan Krikstan, 31 of Waldorf, of Sexual Abuse of a Minor.

On January 11, 2018, a detective with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office met with the then 12-year-old victim, who stated that she had been in communication with Krikstan, her substitute teacher at John Hanson Middle School, through Snapchat, Facetime, and text message. She further stated that during those communications, Krikstan showed her part of his genitalia and asked her to send him inappropriate pictures.

An investigation revealed that from October 2017 through January 2018, Krikstan developed an inappropriate relationship with the victim and on multiple occasions requested and received pictures of the victim’s private areas. Krikstan, being the victim’s substitute teacher, on one occasion held the victim back after class to talk about the status of their relationship. He then gave her a pass so that she could enter her next class late.

A classmate of the victim learned the nature of the relationship and notified a school resource officer at the school.

Cell phone downloads from both the victim’s and defendant’s phones corroborated the inappropriate nature of their relationship. Krikstan also admitted to communicating with the victim through text and social media, as well as deleting messages.

During closing argument, Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Freeman told the jury, “[the defendant] took advantage of [the victim] for his own benefit. He knows this is wrong, yet he [continued] because his needs were more important [to him] than doing what’s right.”

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Krikstan guilty of child sex abuse

The trial of a Waldorf man and former substitute teacher accused of sexually abusing one of his charges resulted in a guilty verdict on Tuesday.

Keith Allan Krikstan, 31, was found guilty of sex abuse of a minor for sending suggestive messages to a former student of his. Krikstan’s trial began last Monday. The jury was released to deliberate around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday and returned the verdict in just three hours.

In her closing arguments Tuesday morning, Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Freeman told the jury that Krikstan’s actions with the girl constituted exploitation, as he made requests of her for his own benefit. Specifically, Freeman said, soliciting the girl for pictures of herself both clothed and unclothed was for his sexual gratification and therefore to his benefit.

Freeman’s closing walked the jury back through the evidence presented in the trial, including reading through message exchanges between Krikstan and the victim, who was 12 at the time of their relationship. In one of the messages, Krikstan told the girl “God, I should stop talking to you, I am so corrupting you.” Another, in which he said she could send him pictures “if you ever shave” seemed to be referring to her genitals: “You’ll say I have a tiny [expletive], I already know that,” she responded. Pictures of the girl’s rear end sent to him, both clothed and naked, were also found in the search, along with others of her posed suggestively in front of a mirror.

Much of their communication was conducted over Snapchat, which Freeman said was an intentional choice on Krikstan’s part, as messages sent over that platform disappear after the app is closed unless the user takes measures to preserve them. No pictures were found on the victim’s phone, but the search of Krikstan’s phone revealed he’d taken screenshots of portions of Snapchat conversations and saved others on the app.

In the defense’s closing, attorney Makeba Gibbs put the onus more on the victim, and said the state’s evidence was “manufactured.”

“This case is about a girl seeking attention, who’d do anything including lying to get it,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs went on to say the victim was “obsessing” over Krikstan, as well as another adult male, and unreliable as she’d lied previously. The pictures, she said, were an act of desperation on the victim’s part to keep Krikstan’s interest.

“She got it in her mind that she needed to be with him and she sent those to keep it going,” Gibbs said. She also maintained there was no conclusive evidence Krikstan was the person the victim was communicating with on Snapchat.

Freeman took exception to the notion the victim was “playing games” with Krikstan in her response to Gibbs’ closing arguments.

“He’s the one playing games with a 12-year-old,” Freeman said. “How is this a game for [the victim] when she’s not the one who reported it?”

Krikstan is facing two more trials on April 29 and June 3 on unrelated charges in two separate cases. A sentencing date for Krikstan will be set on April 22.

 

Originally posted on The Maryland Independent:

https://www.somdnews.com/breaking/krikstan-guilty-of-child-sex-abuse/article_60ef2df1-77d7-5ccf-a631-2ff84a7c01d8.html

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Former Md. correctional officer enters guilty plea year after gruesome attack on wife

A former correctional officer pleaded guilty Monday in connection to a gruesome attack last March in which he stabbed his wife 23 times and handcuffed her to the basement of their Charles County, Maryland, home.

Armando Quispe Rodriguez, 46, of Bryans Road, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder in Charles County Circuit Court, the State’s Attorney’s office announced on Monday. He faces life in prison.

According to the police investigation, Keyia Rodriguez was asleep in their home in the 2500 block of Archway Lane in Bryans Road the morning of March 23. Her husband began hitting and stabbing her. She struggled with him and tried to escape but was unable to do so.

Armando handcuffed Keyia to a railing in the basement and bound her ankles, according to police. They say he continuously assaulted and threatened her before stabbing her 23 times. He also put a plastic bag over her face and put a belt around her neck to suffocate her.

Armando eventually called 911 and unlocked the handcuffs but kept Keyia’s ankles bound, police say.

When officers arrived at the scene, Armando was in front of the residence with several lacerations on his hands, according to the news release.

Officers searched the home and discovered Keyia incoherent and bound to the basement stairs, with several stab wounds to her upper body and a pool of blood around her. The walls of the basement were covered with blood and a pair of handcuffs was also nearby, police say.

Keyia was transported to an area trauma center for treatment and survived.

Armando told officers he was responsible for her injuries and told them where the knife he used could be located.

Sentencing is set for Aug. 8 before Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier.

 

Originally posted on WTOP:

Former Md. correctional officer enters guilty plea year after gruesome attack on wife

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Former Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Attempted First-Degree Murder After Ruthless Attack on Wife

State v. Armando Quispe Rodriguez, C-08-CR-18-000289

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on April 15, 2019, Armando Quispe Rodriguez, 46 of Bryans Road, entered a guilty plea in Charles County Circuit Court, in front of the Honorable Judge Amy J. Bragunier, to the Attempted First-Degree Murder of Keyia Rodriguez.

On March 23, 2018, officers responded to a residence in the 2500 block of Archway Lane in Bryans Road for the report of a stabbing. Upon arrival, officers made contact with defendant Rodriguez, who had several lacerations on both of his hands, in front of the residence. During a search of the residence, officers discovered the victim incoherent and bound to the basement stairs, with several stab wounds to her upper body. The victim had a pool of blood around her and the walls of the basement were also covered with blood. Officers located handcuffs near the victim as well. Due to the grave nature of her injuries, the victim was transported to an area trauma center for treatment. Fortunately, she survived.

An investigation revealed that the victim was asleep the morning of March 23rd when Rodriguez began hitting and stabbing her. She struggled with him and tried to escape, however, was unable. Rodriguez then handcuffed the victim to a railing in the basement and bound the victim’s ankles. Rodriguez continuously assaulted and threatened the victim over an extended duration of time. In addition to hitting the victim and stabbing her, Rodriguez put a plastic bag over her face, as well as put a belt around her neck in order to suffocate her. He eventually called 911 and unlocked the handcuffs but kept the victim’s ankles bound.

During the horrific ordeal, the victim was stabbed approximately 23 times.

Rodriguez told officers that it was a domestic situation and admitted that he was responsible for the victim’s injuries. He also told officers where the knife used to stab the victim could be located.
Sentencing is set for August 8, 2019 before Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier. Rodriguez faces Life in prison.

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Murder trial draws mixed verdict for accused

The weeklong trial for a Waldorf man accused of a January 2016 murder resulted in a partial conviction on some charges and a hung jury on the others, including first-degree murder, on Wednesday.

Miguel Angel Santana, 28, was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit the same, illegal firearms possession and other weapons charges for the murder of Lydell “Mookie” Wood. Santana was found guilty of the conspiracy charge and a weapons charge, but they returned a hung jury on the first-degree murder charge as well as the other charges.

Santana is also currently serving a life sentence for another murder, the March 2016 shooting of Thomas Elijah-Isaih “Tyson” Tibbs. An alleged co-defendant of Santana’s, 23-year-old Rashaad Jovonni Brawner of Waldorf, has not yet stood trial for his charges in relation to Tibbs’ death. In closing arguments for the case of Wood’s death, Brawner was identified as a critical witness for the state, as well as a point of contention for the defense.

In her closing arguments in court Monday, Assistant State’s Attorney Constance Kopelman recounted for the jury the day Wood died. Wood and other men had come into conflict with Santana earlier in the day on Jan. 6, 2016. That initial conflict resulted in one of the men in Wood’s group shooting at Santana, who wasn’t injured. Following that encounter, Santana contacted his brother-in-law and co-defendant, 24-year-old Antonio Ka-Juan Owens of Suitland, to help him retaliate, according to Kopelman. The two men, the prosecutor said, were driven down to Piney Church Road by Brawner, where they fired test shots to ensure their guns were working, before returning to the 2000 block of Rooks Head Place to seek out the man who had shot at Santana. Once they spotted the group again, including Wood, a chase ensued. Wood was killed by a single gunshot that broke his clavicle, which severed major arteries and caused internal bleeding.

“If this isn’t first-degree murder, I don’t know what is,” Kopelman said to the jury.

Santana’s attorney, Kevin Collins, said in his closing arguments that the evidence presented by the state didn’t implicate his client at all. Specifically, Collins took the most umbrage with Brawner’s credibility as a witness.

Kopelman had said in her statements that Brawner was “not an angel, and that’s absolutely true, but on at least one occasion he was on the side of justice.”

On Tuesday in the defense’s closing, Collins urged the jury to consider whether someone in a position like Brawner’s, can truly be believed to the legal standard with no reservation. “He cannot, and to think otherwise is absurd,” Collins said. “He is the most critical witness, and is not a good, credible one.” Brawner is facing “hundreds of years” in prison, Collins said, and therefore “human nature” would cause him to have no qualms about lying. “He’s potentially dying in jail,” Collins said, “and the state wants you to believe he has no motive to lie? Please.”

In the state’s response, Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie doubled down on the veracity of Brawner’s testimony.

“It’s not Rashaad Brawner standing next to a frozen lake, telling you the ice is thin,” Beattie said. “The sun is out, and there’s a sign that says it, too. It’s corroborated.”

Beattie also addressed the subject of a fur-trimmed black jacket that multiple eyewitnesses said they’d seen on a man fleeing the scene of the crime. Collins said the jacket described is a fairly common item, and the one presented as evidence in court he noted had not been tested for evidence. The jacket, Beattie reminded the jury, was uncovered nearly six months after the shooting, meaning DNA testing would have likely been inconclusive. Beattie also showed the jury multiple photographs of Santana wearing the jacket, indicating it was his.

Owens was convicted on all charges related to Wood’s murder in 2018 and sentenced to life without parole. A sentencing date for Santana has not been set.

 

 

Originally Posted on the The Maryland Independent:

https://www.somdnews.com/independent/news/local/murder-trial-draws-mixed-verdict-for-accused/article_ce98f217-8e93-5ada-8ae8-8604753673e6.html