Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s calling for reforms in the criminal justice system after four teens were charged with killing a Baltimore County Police officer Monday.
Dawnta Harris, 16, was supposed to be on house arrest at his mom’s when police said he ran over officer Amy Caprio with a stolen Jeep.
“These juveniles should not have been on the street, and it’s a real serious issue that has to be addressed with our criminal justice system, particularly in Baltimore City,” Hogan said.
Harris was arrested in connection with car thefts but was released from juvenile detention May 10 and given an ankle bracelet monitor. He was still wearing the bracelet when he ran away from his mom’s house May 14 according to authorities. Sam Abed, the Maryland Secretary of Juvenile Services, said they tried unsuccessfully to contact him.
The state had been pushing to put Harris behind bars according to Hogan, but the judges continually refused to do so.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about for a long time, lenient judges in Baltimore City, a system where repeat offenders don’t ever do jail time, and it needs to get fixed,” Hogan said.
The governor will speak at Caprio’s funeral Friday.
Harris and three other teens were charged as adults with first-degree murder. Harris was ordered held without bond Tuesday. Darrell Ward, 15 and Derrick Matthews, 16 are being held in an adult lock up after waiving their right to appear in court Wednesday.
A judge agreed to postpone a hearing Wednesday for Eugene Robert Genius IV, 17, because his lawyer couldn’t attend.
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