Soft on criminals Judge El Amin lets politically connected repeat drunk driver escape real jail time

Gazette: County lobbyist gets probation for drunken driving; Official has history of DUI arrests

A prominent Prince George's County government lobbyist and husband of the county school board chairwoman was sentenced today to three years of probation for his most recent drunken driving arrest.
...
Jacobs' driving record includes seven counts of driving under the influence, prosecutors said. He had been on probation at the time of his April arrest, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors asked the judge on Tuesday to give Jacobs an additional 10 months in jail, noting his long record and evaluations that implied he did not consider his drinking to be a problem.

See also:

• Murder Suspect Released by Judge Is Missing
• POST: PG Judge Hassan A. El-Amin Defends Release of Murder Suspect who threatened witnesses

Recent News about Prince George's County (14 & 15 Mar 2009)

• PG_Discussion DC United Fans Trying to Overwhelm Delegation: BELOW IS THE MESSAGE DC UNITED IS SEND.. http://tinyurl.com/c85dr9 
• PG POLICE: Suspect Arrested in Homicide Resulting from Child Abuse http://tinyurl.com/ahqwsp
  
• Annapolis Capital: Guns, domestic violence clash [Quotes Del Niemann, Vallario] (Farrell) http://tinyurl.com/ca2fq9 
• POST: Pr. George's Youths and Police Team Up for Community Service Projects (Wan) http://tinyurl.com/cv3jqf 
• POST: Temple Hills Man Charged in Death of 2-Year-Old (Davis) http://tinyurl.com/cb8x38 
• POST: Md. Domestic Violence Bill Splits Female Lawmakers [Quotes Del. Levi & Ivey] (Helderman) http://tinyurl.com/dld8lu 
• POST: Castigated Judge [El-Amin] Known as Fair, Faithful Man; PG Jurist Criticized for Freeing Murder Defendant - http://tinyurl.com/dytw5q 
• PG-Politics DC United soliciting fans to rally in Annapolis 3/17/09: http://dcunited.mlsnet.com/t103/.. http://tinyurl.com/aclss7 

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(Posted 15 Mar 2009)

Recent News about Prince George's County (12 Mar 2009)

• PG-Politics Re: OUTRAGEOUS: PG Judge Hassan A. El-Amin Defends Release of Murder: *Murder Suspect Rel.. http://tinyurl.com/cwpwol 
• PG-Politics DVD Available - DC United Presentation to Council: The DC United presentation before the .. http://tinyurl.com/dn77yv 
• POST: Prosecutors Seek Defendant's Jailing, Describe Teen as Bloods : http://www.washingt.. http://tinyurl.com/b7sr45
• GAZETTE: Hylton aims to up safety at nightclubs; PG police requesting liquor license notification (McKeever) http://tinyurl.com/a9l28w 
• Baltimore Spokes: Prince George's County Bill Threatens Trail Easements http://tinyurl.com/dmkv7l about 3 hours ago
• POST: D.C. Resident Is Sentenced to 50 Years in Slaying (Castaneda) http://tinyurl.com/djdo76 
• GAZETTE: 2 men arrested in dbl. hom. knew victims; more arrests possibe - Jan. deaths in Upper Marlboro (McKeever) http://tinyurl.com/burqtn 
• POST: 2 Charged in Double Slaying in Upscale Enclave (Davis) http://tinyurl.com/c7v3ch 
• Washington Informer: Peace Rally Held in Wake of Recent Shooting (Clarke) http://tinyurl.com/cnzkct 
• Ghana News: Upper Marlboro Couple Knew Their Murderers http://tinyurl.com/bulqxq 
• Washington Informer: County Police Face Possible Layoffs Due to Budget Deficit (Ruffin) http://tinyurl.com/bd4mwx 

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(Posted 12 Mar  2009)

Murder Suspect Released by Judge Is Missing

Murder Suspect Released by Judge Is Missing.
wjla.com, 12 Mar 2009 (Bell).

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - The accused killer released to the custody of his mother by a Prince George's County judge [Hassan Ali El-Amin] is apparently missing, ABC 7 News has learned.

Sheriff's deputies seeking to serve 18-year-old Sean Sykes a summons have discovered that the address used by Sykes and his mother Wanda is bogus, a Sheriff's Department spokesperson confirmed Thursday.

Efforts to locate Sykes have been unsuccessful and the Sheriff's Department considers him a "wanted" man, the spokesperson said.

Sykes is accused of second-degree murder in the Feb. 24 stabbing death of 24-year-old Rene Belasco. He was beaten and stabbed to death, his body was then dragged and dumped in front of an Oxon Hill apartment building.

Sykes appeared before District Court Judge Hassan Ali El-Amin last on March 5. He told the judge he was a witness in the case and not the killer. The judge released him to the custody of his mother on personal recognizance.

Such pre-trial releases of accused murderers are almost never granted.

State's Attorney Glenn Ivey has filed a motion for re-arrest, claiming Sykes is a danger to the community and to those who witnesses the crime.

He's due in court Friday morning for a hearing to determine if he should be locked up.

Md. Man Arrested on Drug Charge After Being Freed in Murder Case.
Post, 13 Mar 2009 (Castaneda ).

An 18-year-old murder defendant who had been released without bond by a Prince George's County judge was taken into custody last night on an unrelated drug charge.

Sheriff's deputies and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Sean M. Sykes without incident in the District about 11 p.m., officials said. Sheriff's deputies had been unable to locate him to serve a summons in the case earlier in the day, and a judge then issued a warrant.

Sykes is charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 24 stabbing of Rene R. Belasco. Prosecutors said Sykes and another suspect threatened to kill a witness who saw them dragging Belasco's body from an apartment complex in Oxon Hill.
[***]
Based on the murder charge, prosecutors yesterday asked Circuit Court Judge C. Philip Nichols Jr. to resurrect the drug charge. Nichols did so, and sheriff's deputies went to Sykes's apartment to serve him with the summons.
[More]

Earlier: 

POST: PG Judge Hassan A. El-Amin Defends Release of Murder Suspect who threatened witnesses, 11 Mar 2009

Also see: 

• Re: OUTRAGEOUS: PG Judge Hassan A. El-Amin Defends Release of Murder Suspect by Andy Carruthers, 12 Mar 2009
  
• POST: Prosecutors Seek Defendant's Jailing, Describe Teen as Bloods by Andy Carruthers, 12 Mar 2009

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(Updated 13 Mar 2009)

Recent News about Prince George's County (11 Mar 2009)

• OurSports Central: D.C. United issues statement - Disputes Post account http://tinyurl.com/bv6kpl 
• GAZETTE: County Council questions financial risks of stadium proposal (Quotes 4 members) (Valentine) http://tinyurl.com/d9dkxr
  
• POST 2 Men Charged in PG Double Murder of Aidoo http://tinyurl.com/cnqxwl & Baah http://tinyurl.com/c7e7nj (Davis) http://tinyurl.com/c7v3ch 
• DCist: PG County May End Up Paying for D.C. United Stadium (Austermuhle) http://tinyurl.com/cmcq37 
• Various: Team asks PG to pay for stadium http://tinyurl.com/ap5nc7, http://tinyurl.com/cj2hfh, http://tinyurl.com/bcjhsr 
• PG-Politics OUTRAGEOUS: PG Judge Hassan A. El-Amin Defends Release of Murder Sus: Thank you to Diane .. http://tinyurl.com/cqh6rq 
• WTOP: [School] Bus drivers demand safety bill pass in Md. (Problems with students & parents in PG County) (Ryan) http://tinyurl.com/ch2trr 
• POST: Six Flags Reports Wider Fourth-Quarter Loss http://tinyurl.com/al2ptr
• SUN: Victim of domestic abuse urges House to reject expungement bill - but Del. Vallario supports bill (Bykowicz) http://tinyurl.com/bvmkux 
• POST: Team Now Asking Pr. George's to Pay Part - "$47 million in bonds ... a change of financing plans" (Wiggins) http://tinyurl.com/cboqnz 
• POST: House Rejects Bill on Expunging Domestic Violence Records (Quotes bill opponent Del. Niemann) (Helderman) http://tinyurl.com/bplohg
  
• POST: PG Judge Hassan A. El-Amin Defends Release of Murder Suspect who threatened witnesses (Castaneda) http://tinyurl.com/dlpq7m
• NEWS8: New Ways to Snitch on Suspects Unveiled in Prince George's County (using text messages) http://tinyurl.com/dfqedy 

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(Posted 11 Mar 2009)

Prince George's District Court Judge Hassan Ali El-Amin

From the Maryland Manual:

HASSAN ALI EL-AMIN, Associate Judge, District Court of Maryland, District 5, Prince George's County, since July 25, 2000. Member, Criminal Law and Procedure Committee, 2000-03, Maryland Judicial Conference.

Human Resource and Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist, U.S. Civil Service Commission, U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior, 1972-86. Born in Charleston, West Virginia, 1949. Attended Charleston public schools; Yale University, B.A. (french); University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., 1983. Admitted to Maryland Bar, 1983; District of Columbia Bar, 1986; U.S. Supreme Court. Member, J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association (president, 2006-07). Attorney, private practice, 1983-2000. Helped found African-American Reconstruction and Development Fund, 1979; Bilalian Economic Development Fund 1983; Chess Club, Crossland High School, 1997. Member, Maryland I Chapter, Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club.

Term expires in 2010.
Photo from Officer.com, "Courtesy of Judge Hassan El-Amin."

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(Posted 11 Mar 2009)

POST: PG Judge Hassan A. El-Amin Defends Release of Murder Suspect who threatened witnesses

Pr. George's Judge Defends Release of Murder Suspect.
Post, 11 Mar 2009 (Castaneda ).

According to police, Sean Sykes and an accomplice stabbed a man in Prince George's County last month and then threatened to kill a witness who saw them dragging the victim out of an apartment building. Sykes was arrested, charged with second-degree murder and held on $1.5 million bond.

But when Sykes, 18, appeared in court last week, a judge took an unusual step: He released Sykes to the custody of his mother.
[***]
Yesterday, District Court Judge Hassan A. El-Amin defended his decision and denounced the Maryland judicial system's method of determining whether and under what conditions defendants are released before trial. El-Amin said the vast majority of defendants, even those charged with murder and other serious crimes, appear at bond hearings without an attorney, as Sykes did.

"Our whole bond system is problematical," El-Amin said in an interview. "It's barely constitutional."
[***]
Sykes is charged in the slaying of Rene R. Belasco, 24.

Shortly before midnight Feb. 24, police went to an apartment building in the 1100 block of Kennebec Street in Oxon Hill. Police found Belasco on the sidewalk, suffering from stab wounds. He died at a hospital.

A witness identified Sykes as one of the two men who dragged Belasco from the apartment building, according to a charging document. The men threatened the life of the witness if the witness talked to police, according to the document.
[***]
The state public defender's office takes the position that staffing all bond hearings and earlier appearances, before court commissioners, would be a poor use of resources. The state's highest court is expected to rule this year on whether the right to counsel extends to those proceedings.
[Full story]

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(Posted 11 Mar 2009)