La Plata, MD – Every now and then a case comes to Charles County Circuit Court which leaves even the most hardened court veteran shaking their head in amazement.
Such instances occur when the defendant—a solid professional with an excellent career and a supporter of charitable causes—suddenly loses it and does something totally out of character.
That was the situation before Judge H. James West Monday, Feb. 29 when Dion Nicole Cunningham Bijou, 42 of Waldorf, was called to answer for an incident July 16, 2015 when she smashed a drinking glass into The Tinder Box owner’s face at the popular Waldorf business.
The victim was severely cut by the broken glass, causing psychological and permanent physical injury.
“I honestly don’t know where these actions came from,” said Defense Attorney Philip Gundlach. “She [Bijou] has never been a violent person.”
The incident came about when the owner confronted Bijou about having her underage daughter at a table in the portion of the establishment where drinks were being served.
She asked how old the young woman was, and told her she couldn’t be in that section because of the county’s alcohol laws.
Bijou’s daughter tried to restrain her mother when she became angry, but as Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeremy Widder pointed out in a video from the business he showed West, the woman reached over her daughter to fling the glass.
Attorney Hammad Matin, usually in court to represent defendants, spoke for the prosecution in this case. He said The Tinder Box is one local business he frequents a lot and had represented the owners before the Charles County Alcoholic Beverages Board.
There were approximately 20 patrons of the business who appeared in court supporting The Tinder Box.
“All these people love The Tinder Box,” Matin said. “They’re here to support the owners in this case.
“This was not only unprovoked,” he told the judge, “this was an unnecessary act of violence. This is not your typical barroom fight. It was the owner of an establishment protecting her business.”
The victim’s husband, co-owner Raj Sing, told the court that he and his wife bought the business Jan. 1, 2015 and had worked 12 to 14 hours a day to make it successful.
“This kind of took the wind out of our sails,” he said.
“My wife was scarred emotionally and physically,” Sing added. “This dug deep into my soul.”
“Her daughter had her arms around her mom,” Widder told the court. “And she still goes over the top.
“She’s got a good job, a good education, she hasn’t been in trouble before,” he added. “But the court needs to punish her for these actions.”
Widder said he wasn’t asking that the woman serve time in the Maryland House of Corrections, “but I don’t think probation is appropriate either,” he noted.
“You seem like a very nice lady with a very impressive background,” West told the defendant. “A glass can certainly be used as a weapon and any time a weapon is involved, we are where we are. The only thing I can do is come up with a sentence that I think is appropriate.”
West then sentenced Bijou to 10 years, but suspended all of that except for 240 days to be served in the Charles County Detention Center with five years of unsupervised probation to follow. The court will reserve on restitution for the victim.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com