The State’s Attorney’s Office has released the names of four additional people who have had riot-related charges dropped, including one university student and one graduate.
Sophomore William Wang and alumnus Christopher Booze will no longer face charges, joining junior John McKenna and sophomore Ben Donat. Roberto Valladares, 24, and Henry Barillas, 24, who are unaffiliated with the university, have also seen their charges dropped.
Those involved in the students’ cases said that some Prince George’s County Police officers did not appear in court, making it easier for students to beat their charges.
Sharon Weidenfeld, a private investigator working with attorneys Chris Griffiths and Terrell N. Roberts III on the students’ cases, said the officers’ failure to show up in court supports student claims of police brutality, acts of which have been documented in student videos and witness testimony.
“The claims students made of excessive force on the night of the celebration are validated by many aspects of this case, including the fact that many of the [Prince George’s] County officers who were listed as complainants and witnesses did not show up in court for the trials of the students that were charged,” she said.
One of the four suspended officers, Officer Sean McAleavey, who signed the charging documents in McKenna’s case, was among officers who missed their court dates, according to the defense team. The charging documents, which alleged that McKenna assaulted officers and Maryland-National Capital Park Police horses, were widely invalidated by a student video showing McKenna being beaten — apparently without provocation — by county police.
County police spokesman Maj. Andy Ellis reported earlier this week that no witnesses were summoned in Valladares’ case, but a witnessing officer is listed in the court documents, according to the state judiciary case file. Ellis said he is looking into why he was told otherwise.
Weidenfeld added that in the cases of McKenna and Donat, two park police officers who were summoned showed up to the hearing. They were the only officers who appeared in court as witnesses, although multiple county police officers were summoned.
Griffiths spotted another pattern after conducting interviews with witnesses and arrestees: Some students who were issued citations have not yet been notified of their court dates, unlike those who faced charging documents.
Ellis said it takes several months for citations for make their way through the system, noting that charging documents are entered directly into the system after they are issued.
Booze, 21, who was issued a citation, saw his charges dropped last week.
Students who were issued citations and have yet to receive their court dates should be hearing from the court within the next 30 days, Ellis said.
As for any officers who did not respond to court summons, Ellis said departmental sanctions — ranging from a written notice to fines — could follow.
“Maybe there was a misunderstanding,” he said.
present@umdbk.com
