Camp Springs Civic Association

Last week, police in Prince George’s County police investigated four stolen cars in one morning. The thefts all took place after the owners started them and then left them to warm up.

On Tuesday, it happened again.

In the morning, two more cars were stolen in the Kettering area, and two others were taken from homes with Bowie addresses.

Beulah Ade of Bowie was one of the victims. She says her husband started the car and then walked back into the family’s townhome to say goodbye. When he went back outside, the car was gone.

“It was so fast,” Ade said. “And I really think it was somebody who was monitoring [us] because it was so fast. It was less than two minutes, and the car was gone.”

Prince George’s County Police say that not only is abandoning your car to let it warm up a bad idea, it’s against the law. They say if you do it, you could receive a $70 ticket and one point on your license.

Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/01/cold-weather-draws-out-car-thieves-in-pg-county-98995.html#ixzz2qEZ7ctej

I would also like to share with you a victory for our office and our community. Today two brothers, Hakeem and Kindu Bell, were sentenced to a combined 582 years in prison for home invasion and sexual assault. These men were a serious threat to our community.

Hakeem Bell was sentenced to 161 years in prison for his role in a March 2012 home invasion.   His brother Kindu was sentenced to 181 years for his role in the same incident and was also sentenced to 240 years for a second home invasion in Bowie, in March 2012.

Kindu Bell invaded the home of a Bowie family, tied up the adult children, beat them over their heads with guns while a six-year-old child was forced to watch. This child and their family have not been able to sleep through the night since this horrible crime happened almost two years ago.

Criminals like Kindu Bell who commit violent crimes in front of children rob them of their innocence and expose them to situations that will follow them for life. This is exactly why I am lobbying for a bill in the Maryland General Assembly that would make it a crime to commit an act of violence in the presence of a minor. If the bill is passed, if someone is convicted of a violent crime, five years would be added onto whatever sentence they receive.

With the legislative session just getting underway we do not have a bill number yet, but I will keep you posted on our progress. Once we get a bill number, I will pass it along in case you would like to help.

I would again like to thank you all for your continued support and interest in the community. If you would like to receive regular updates about trials and business in the Office of the State’s Attorney, you can follow us on Twitter @PGStAtty.

Sincerely,

Angela D. Alsobrooks

State’s Attorney

As many of you may know,the trial of Kevon Neal, the man charged with motor vehicle manslaughter in the death of Prince George’s County Police Officer Adrian Morris, ended in a mistrial after a juror was nullified from continuing to serve.

During jury selection, potential jurors are asked a number of questions to determine their eligibility to hear a case. One of the questions routinely asked is whether or not anyone would be unable to serve due to their religion and in this case, this juror said nothing. Despite her participation for three days of the trial and several hours of deliberation, the juror sent the presiding judge a late-night email saying she could not judge Mr. Neal because of her religion.

Then, when questioned by the judge, the juror did not say anything about her religion, instead saying that she did not know the defendant and did not, “have a dog in the fight.”

This is a very serious matter in which a police officer lost his life and it appears this juror simply did not take their role seriously at all. The actions of this juror are a complete disgrace. A jury’s role is very powerful and significant. Our citizens deserve to have safe communities and one of the ways we ensure that happens is for them to sit as jurors and decide who they feel should or should not be allowed to walk our streets.

When mistrials occur due to a dishonest juror it is a tremendous waste of resources and time. It also delays closure for the families looking to move past a difficult time in their lives. So I implore you all to take your role seriously if you have the privilege to be called to serve our community as a juror.

Sincerely,

Angela D. Alsobrooks

State’s Attorney