Kenith Delonte Mitchell
La Plata, MD – It took Charles County Public Defender John Getz most of the morning wrangling back and forth with Kenith Delonte Mitchell, 24 of Washington, D.C., before finally getting his client to accept a plea offer from Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney John Stackhouse.
Mitchell was facing 15 counts ranging from robbery, second-degree assault, theft of $1,000 to $10,000 from Sept. 5, 2014.
At first, it was an on again, off again type situation.
Mitchell was in Charles County Circuit Court before Judge H. James West Wednesday, March 23 for a criminal jury trial.
The jury was sent home when Mitchell appeared ready to enter a plea. But when he got before West, the defendant backtracked.
“They had an agreement, but now it looks like they may not have an agreement,” West noted.
Stackhouse told West the case was originally assigned to Judge Helen I. Harrington but Mitchell failed to appear Oct. 8, 2015.
“It turns out he was serving a sentence in West Virginia,” Stackhouse said.
Stackhouse said the defendant was charged in three different robberies, targeting business owners as they went to make bank deposits. The defendant would rush up to the victim, snatch their bank bag with money for deposit, then flee in a silver car.
Mitchell was hemming and hawing about whether or not he wanted to accept the state’s offer.
At one point West began clearing a court date for a new trial. Stackhouse noted there are three different cases.
“Why don’t we try them back to back to back?” he asked the judge.
“Why not?” West answered.
“The deal is still on the table,” Stackhouse stated. “If he pleads to conspiracy to commit robbery he’ll get three years active time. He’ll still have to pay the three businesses restitution in the amount of $9,635.32.”
In the end, after deliberating with his public defender, Mitchell accepted the state’s deal.
West’s final sentence was 10 years for count three, conspiracy to commit theft, but suspended all but three years. For count eight, theft $1,000 to $10,000, he received another 10 year sentence with all of that time suspended, and for count 14, conspiracy to commit robbery, he tacked on another 15 years, suspended but concurrent to any other sentence.
The judge did give Mitchell 167 days credit for time served.
There was some discussion about what to do with Mitchell’s federal charges for which he just finished serving time in West Virginia.
“Right now, you’re going to the Maryland Department of Corrections,” West told the defendant.
“The man standing to the left of me is still a young man,” Stackhouse said. “It’s really up to him what he wants to do with the rest of his life.”
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com
