The trial of Metropolitan Police Department Officer, Samson Lawrence, is scheduled to get underway July 22, 2014. He was indicted for attempted first and second degree murder and related charges after allegedly attacking his wife with a metal lamp post in November 2013.
Mr. Lawrence was attempting to hang a projection TV in his house when he allegedly became angry with his wife because she did not know where the screws to hang the projector were. Mr. Lawrence then allegedly grabbed a can of Lysol and began spraying it his wife’s face every time she said something, and when his wife refused to make him something to eat, he allegedly began pushing her.
She attempted to call 911, but Mr. Lawrence allegedly grabbed the phone from her and would not let her make the call. She then tried to leave the house, but he followed her and allegedly pushed her to the floor in their living room, picked up a metal light post and began to hit her in the head while she lay on the floor.
Mr. Lawrence’s wife was able to get free and tried to leave the house again, but he followed her and allegedly cornered her and held two knives by her face and throat and threatened to cut her. Once again, Mr. Lawrence’s wife was able to get free and this time she was able to leave the house and went to a neighbor’s house to call 911.
These are very serious allegations and our prosecutors will fight for justice in this case and as always, I encourage you to attend.
MICHAEL BROCHU
I also wanted to share with you a recent courtroom victory that will certainly help keep the children of Prince George’s County safer. On Wednesday, a jury found 54-year-old Michael Brochu guilty of three counts of a third degree sex offense for abusing a young boy at a Bowie community pool in 2011. This is Mr. Brochu’s third conviction for this type of offense and he has proven that he is a dangerous sexual predator.
In his most recent acts, Mr. Brochu molested the young boy from June through August 2011 in the Whitehall Community Pool approximately seven times.
In June 2013, Mr. Brochu was sentenced to 41 years after he was convicted of molesting a young boy in Bowie and he was also sentenced in November 2013 to 40 years for molesting another victim. He will be sentenced in the most recent case, September 9, 2014 and he is facing a maximum of 30 years.
RANDY MCRAE
Community activist and former County Executive candidate, Randy McRae will be sentenced on August 1, 2014 after being convicted of three counts of theft, one count of forgery and related charges for an incident in which he stole $25,000 from the county government and another $25,000 from his friend.
He faces up to 65 years in prison and I believe he should face prison time, because community leaders must be held to the highest standard. Mr. McRae was appointed General Council for the Central Prince George’s County Community Development Corporation (CDC), a nonprofit set up to collect tax dollars generated from parking at FedEx Field. Those dollars were then supposed to be put back into the community to support the impact areas around the stadium.
Without the CDC board members’ knowledge, Mr. McRae applied to become eligible to collect funds from a county reimbursement fund that helps nonprofits, like the CDC, receive limited reimbursements for operating expenses. Because this is a reimbursement fund through Prince George’s County, Mr. McRae stole $25,000 from his friend, under the guise of an investment deal, and used the money to begin submitting false invoices of supposed operating expenses using false bank accounts with names similar to the CDC.
After a four day trial, a jury convicted Mr. McRae after just two hours. I hope this sends the message that those who try to defraud the government will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
TRAVON BENNETT
I thought you would be interested to know the Markel Ross murder trial will begin August 4, 2013. Travon Bennett will be on trial for the September 2012 shooting death of Ross.
As you may recall, Ross was walking to Central High School in Capitol Heights when he was killed. Passers-by found him on the ground, with a gunshot wound to the chest. Bennett was arrested more than a month later on unrelated charges, and he was eventually charged with the first degree murder of Ross.
It is important we get violent criminals off the streets and keep them behind bars for the safety of our community. I hope that concerned and involved citizens like you come out and watch the trial unfold and support the Ross family during this difficult time.
JOHNNIE RILEY
I told you the story of former District Heights police officer, Johnnie Riley, last month in our newsletter. He will be sentenced August 28, 2014 after being convicted of first and second degree assault, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence and misconduct in office. During a traffic stop, Mr. Riley shot, Kalvin Kyle, a handcuffed, barefoot, fleeing suspect in the back after he managed to escape Mr. Riley’s police cruiser and begin to run. Mr. Kyle is now paralyzed from the waist down.
We strongly believed this officer used excessive force in the line of duty and a Prince George’s County jury agreed.
So I invite you all to attend the upcoming trial and sentences because your presence will be felt in the courtroom. 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://www.flickr.com/photos/
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 adalsobrooks@co.pg.md.us , 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
State’s Attorney
The trial of Metropolitan Police Department Officer, Samson Lawrence, is scheduled to get underway July 22, 2014. He was indicted for attempted first and second degree murder and related charges after allegedly attacking his wife with a metal lamp post in November 2013. Mr. Lawrence was attempting to hang a projection TV in his house when he allegedly became angry with his wife because she did not know where the screws to hang the projector were. Mr. Lawrence then allegedly grabbed a can of Lysol and began spraying it his wife's face every time she said something, and when his wife refused to make him something to eat, he allegedly began pushing her. She attempted to call 911, but Mr. Lawrence allegedly grabbed the phone from her and would not let her make the call. She then tried to leave the house, but he followed her and allegedly pushed her to the floor in their living room, picked up a metal light post and began to hit her in the head while she lay on the floor.
