State v. Tanesha Renea Williams, C-08-CR-21-000161
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier sentenced Tanesha Renea Williams, 26, of Waldorf, to 40 years, 283 days, with all but 4 years and 100 days suspended. Williams will serve her time in jail for 18 months, followed by 2 years on home detention. Williams will then be on supervised probation for 5 years.
On October 4, 2021, Williams plead guilty to one count of First-Degree Assault, four counts of Second-Degree Assault, and one count of Malicious Destruction of Property. For those counts, the defendant was subject to a maximum sentence of 68 years incarceration.
On March 31, 2021, officers responded to the Taco Bell located at 91 Smallwood Drive in Waldorf for the report of a disorderly subject at the drive-thru window. Upon arrival, officers discovered that the front entrance doors to the Taco Bell were shattered. Officers also contacted multiple victims who were struck by a vehicle. Victims reported that the suspect, later determined to be Williams, fled in a silver Hyundai Sonata.
An investigation, which included the gathering of video of the incident, revealed that Williams, a customer at the Taco Bell, was in her vehicle at the drive-thru lane ordering position when she became involved in an argument with a Taco Bell employee. Prior to driving up to the drive-thru window, Williams exited her vehicle and approached the drive-thru window on foot and assaulted the Taco Bell employee. Shortly after the assault at the drive-thru window, Williams returned to her vehicle and drove to the front of the Taco Bell.
While at the front of the restaurant, but still in her vehicle, Williams argued with numerous Taco Bell employees who had exited the store and were on foot, standing near the front entrance. Williams was fully stopped in her vehicle. At one point, Williams revved her engine and drove forward towards the group as if to strike them with her vehicle but stopped. She then backed her vehicle up. Instead of exiting the parking lot at that time, Williams again drove her car forward but, this time, she did not stop and drove into and through the group of employees. After striking the employees, Williams continued forward through the front doors of the Taco Bell, destroying property. Williams then backed out of the Taco Bell building and fled the scene in her car. At no time during the altercation was Williams blocked in or prevented from leaving Taco Bell property.
The prosecutor for the case said during sentencing, “This incident was totally unnecessary and egregious. The defendant could have more seriously hurt or killed [the victims]. – The whole thing is about food, a dispute over whether you can order through the drive-thru or the app. It goes to show how senseless the situation is.”
Because one of the victims has not completed medical treatment due to injuries caused by Williams, the Court will hold a restitution hearing at a future date to determine the amount of restitution to be paid by Williams.
Sentence
Count 13
- Malicious Destruction of Property
- 60 days
- Credit for time served
Count 12
- Second-Degree Assault
- 223 days
- Credit for time served
- Consecutive to count 13
Count 1
- First-Degree Assault
- 10 years, suspend all but 18 months at Charles County Detention Center
- Consecutive to counts 13 and 12
Count 4
- Second-Degree Assault
- 10 years, all suspended
- Consecutive to counts 13, 12, 1, 6, and 9
Count 6
- Second-Degree Assault
- 10 years, suspend all but 1 year to be served on home detention
- Consecutive to 13, 12, and 1
Count 9
- Second-Degree Assault
- 10 years, suspend all but 1 year to be served on home detention
- Consecutive to counts 13, 12, 1, and 6
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