 |
Local News |
|
|
| Robbery trial to resume next week |
|
| By Ryan Marshall, Times Staff Writer |
Friday, October 09, 2009 |
|
|
The trial of a Randallstown man is scheduled to resume next week after law enforcement officers testified Thursday about the man’s alleged connections to a gang in Maryland’s jails and prisons.
The prosecutor in J.W. Bennett’s robbery and witness intimidation trial rested her case Thursday, but the defense was unable to proceed because a key witness was ill. The trial is scheduled to resume Wednesday.
Carroll County Circuit Court Judge J. Barry Hughes is hearing the case instead of a jury.
Bennett, 27, faces charges including armed robbery, robbery, first-degree assault and felony retaliation against a witness in two cases which are being tried together.
Thursday, a Maryland State Police gang expert testified that Bennett tried to use his connections to a gang by the name of Dead Man Inc. to arrange a beating of the man Bennett is charged with robbing in December 2008.
Letters Bennett wrote to other suspected gang members from the Carroll County Detention Center after being arrested in January contained symbols and phrases consistent with a member of Dead Man Inc., said state police Sgt. Andy Eways.
Assistant State’s Attorney Kelley Galvin has alleged that Bennett called his sister from the Detention Center shortly after being arrested in January and told her to contact a man named Randy to arrange a hit on the man.
Eways said he believes Bennett was a member of DMI at the time of the call. A gang suppression officer from the Detention Center also testified about his suspicions of Bennett’s gang connections.
Before Eways’ testimony, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Detective Doug Epperson told defense attorney Joseph Lyons that Bennett told him after his arrest that he didn’t have a gun, as the alleged victim had said.
|
But Epperson said Bennett did admit to punching the man several times in order to get back money Bennett had given him, after Bennett was unsatisfied with the quality of marijuana he said the man had sold Bennett and his girlfriend.
Epperson testified that Bennett told him, “I know I didn’t pull a gun on him, but I did knock the [expletive] out of him. My hand still hurts.”
Reach staff writer Ryan Marshall at 410-857-7865 or ryan.marshall@carrollcountytimes.com.
|
Add Your Own Comment:
Please review the legal policies posted here before posting a comment. To report abuse click here.
|
|
|
| Online Poll |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
lilmommaof2 wrote on Oct 17, 2009 12:48 AM: