MESSAGE FROM THE STATES ATTORNEY: 11TH ANNUAL CRIME VICTIMS FUND RUN/WALK/ROLL & UPCOMING CASES Friends and neighbors- Our community is facing a growing crisis as instances of domestic violence are increasing at alarming rates. Last year, nine of the 56 homicides in Prince Georges County were domestic related and of the 40 homicides we have seen this year, 14 have been domestic related and more than half involved family violence. It is time for our community members to come together to put an end to this trend. On Saturday October 18, 2014, the States Attorneys Office will host our 11th Annual Crime Victims Fund Run/Walk/Roll with an emphasis on Domestic Violence. Our theme this year is Family Strong and I am reaching out to all of you to help in the fight to strengthen our community by strengthening our family structure. This year, the Crime Victims Fund Run/Walk/Roll is free to the public and we would like to encourage you to participate by organizing a team of co-workers, friends and family members to run (5K) or walk (1K) and stand with us as a united front against domestic violence. While the event is free, donations will be greatly appreciated as all proceeds will go to The Family Crisis Center/ House of Ruth, Still I Rise, Inc. and the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center. All of these organizations provide necessary and crucial resources to victims of crime and domestic violence. The race will be held at Paint Branch Park Trail in College Park, MD. To find out more about the 5K, you can go to familystrong5k. SONYA SPOON As we discuss the need to address domestic and family violence in our community, it is with great sadness that I share with you the recent indictment of 24-year-old Sonya Spoon, who is being held without bond after being charged with the murder of her two children early Sunday morning. Spoon allegedly killed her children, ages one and three, by placing duct tape around their faces and plastic bags over their heads. She is charged with two counts of first degree murder, two counts of first degree assault and two counts of second degree assault. Her preliminary hearing is currently set for October 3, 2014. Again, this is another example of how important it is to come together as a community to strengthen our families and reach out to one another in hopes of preventing future tragedies. UPCOMING CASE: ARTURO HARRIS Finally, I would like to share with you a recent case in which former Prince Georges County school bus driver, Arturo Harris, left four children on a school bus to use the restroom at High Point High School. The bus subsequently rolled down a hill towards children waiting at an elementary school bus stop and struck a six-year-old child. For the April 2014 incident, Harris plead guilty to one count of leaving an unattended child, three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of failing to curb the wheels of an unattended vehicle. We are pleased that Mr. Harris admitted his guilt in this situation, because it is clear that he exercised poor judgment by leaving those children alone on an unsecured bus. Thankfully the children on the bus were not injured and the six-year-old who was struck sustained minor injuries. Our prosecutors are asking that Mr. Harris be sentenced to 15 years, suspend all but 30 days- which can be served on weekends- and three years of supervised probation. His sentencing is scheduled for Friday, November 7, 2014 and as always, I encourage all of you to come to the courthouse and support our legal process. For any updates or changes, you can follow us on Twitter @PG_SAO. I would also just like to remind you to check out our office Flickr page. We have lots of pictures from events all over the county and if you happen to see yourself in one of our photos, please feel free to download it and keep it for yourself. You can access the website at https://flickr/photos/pgsao. Finally, I truly do enjoy being out in the community so if you would like me or a member of our office to attend an event in the community simply send an email request to [email protected] , we would love to hear from you! As always, I would like to thank you all for your continued support and for taking an interest in our wonderful county Sincerely, Angela D. Alsobrooks States Attorney
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 17:14:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015