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The victim fought the man and was able to escape.

At trial, the State introduced DNA evidence linking the defendant to the bat. The defendant admitted on cross-examination that he had intended to kidnap the victim, take her to a remote location, force her to perform oral sex, and then dump her on the side of the road.

 

John Robert Lay, 51, of Fairfax County, Va., was convicted on Feb. 4, 2008, of Attempted First-Degree Rape and other charges after a jury trial before the Honorable David Boynton. On April 10, Judge Boynton sentenced Lay to two consecutive life terms plus forty years.

On Sept. 8, 2005, at 10:40 p.m. Lay approached the victim, a 24-year-old Hispanic woman, as she was walking home after work. Lay identified himself as a police officer, showed her a badge, and demanded to see identification.  When the woman said she did not have identification, Lay told her she was under arrest. Lay then placed the victim in his vehicle, handcuffed her, and drove to an abandoned parking lot at the 12700 block of Twinbrook Pkwy. in Rockville.  Lay then forced the victim to perform fellatio, fondled her breasts, and attempted vaginal intercourse.

The victim immediately reported the crime to the police, who were able to locate semen on the pavement. The semen recovered from the parking lot yielded a DNA hit that matched Lay’s DNA. 

Lay had been convicted in 2006 of sexually assaulting another Hispanic woman in Fairfax County in 2001.  In that case, Lay admitted to police that he often targeted Hispanic women because he thought it was likely they were illegal and wouldn’t report the sexual assault to the police. He was serving a prison sentence in Virginia for that crime when he was indicted by the Montgomery County Grand Jury.

 

Rohan Campbell, 28, of Hyattsville, Md., was convicted on March 27, 2008, of Second-Degree Murder and four other counts after a jury trial in front of the Honorable Michael Mason. On June 25, Judge Mason sentenced Campbell to 50 years in prison.

On Aug. 24, 2007, at 11:16 p.m., Montgomery County Police received a call that a shooting had just occurred in front of the Silver Spring Towers apartment building. When officers arrived, they found the victim, Mark Ray, lying on the sidewalk, suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.  Ray was transported to Washington Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A witness told police that the victim got into an argument with a man who arrived at the apartment building in a cab.  During the argument, the man pulled out a gun, shot Ray, and then fled in the cab. Later that evening, a cab driver came forward and told the police that the shooter jumped into his cab, pointed the gun at his head, and forced him to drive to Washington, D.C., where the killer got out.  Investigators reviewed the cab company’s phone records and learned Campbell had used his cell phone to call for the cab the night of the murder. Campbell was arrested the following day in a Washington, D.C. motel in possession of the cell phone.

Teen Court is an innovative program in which teenage volunteers determine sanctions for teenage offenders.  Attorneys from the SAO and the community volunteer to teach teens from grades 9-12 from Montgomery County schools about the laws and the judicial system. Hundreds of youth have been trained and participated as youth attorneys, jurors, clerks and bailiffs. They learn about the judicial system and improve leadership roles. They receive student service hours for attending.

The respondent and the volunteers appear in a Circuit courtroom in front of a real judge. The judges, including Circuit, District, and Special Appeals judges, volunteer their time. The judges are present to answer legal questions and set the tone for the courtroom, but the teens decide sanctions after listening to mitigating and aggravating factors. Community service hours and jury duty are mandatory sanctions.

Jury duty, in which respondents return on another Teen Court evening and sit on the jury themselves, gives them an interesting perspective. Community service is also effective. Teen Court respondents have completed over 85,000 hours of community service.

As of 2008, 2,843 teens have come to court and, of those, 89% completed their sanctions. Teens between the ages of 12 and 17 were referred to teen court for various offenses, including theft, alcohol violations, destruction of property, fourth-degree burglary, driving offenses, and possession of marijuana.  Most of the referrals come directly from the police department. Young offenders who complete Teen Court will not have a permanent record.

We are seeking volunteers in grades 9-12 who live or attend school in Montgomery County. Teen Court is held the second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 4:30-7:30 p.m. For more information, please contact program coordinator Georgine DeBord.

Teen Court