Only one case of interest from a local (read: West Chester) perspective was heard today and a drug dealer was less than impressed with his defense counsel (surprise, surprise), highlighting a fairly slow docket brought upon by the upcoming 4th of July holiday...
In the matter of Commonwealth vs. Melvin Scott Rose (CP-15-CR-0000820-2007), 31, of Wilmington, Delaware, the defendant and his uncle, Dwayne Allen Rose (CP-15-CR-0001064-2007), 36, were pulled over on a traffic stop by WCPD at East Barnard and South Walnut Streets on Febuary 9 at around 22:55. In a search incident to arrest, officers recovered 13 cartons of cigarettes that were reported stolen from a store in Delaware.
Dwayne Rose was identified as the driver of the vehicle while Melvin Rose was the passenger. Melvin Rose pled guilty to one count of Recieving Stolen Property and one count of Conspiracy. In an unususal sentencing proceeding, Melvin Rose was sentenced to time served to 23 months in prison, thus being granted immediate parole and placed on one year probation to be served consecutive to his parole. The interesting part is that Melvin Rose has different plans which should keep him out of trouble. He plans to enlist in the United States Navy...
During the plea and sentencing hearing, defense counsel Laurence Harmelin brought in a Navy recruiter to assure Judge William P. Mahon that Melvin Rose was prepared to enter a commitment to the military, though the Commonwealth did raise concerns brought forth by the Adult Probation Office about the difficulty of APO's ability to supervise a defendant while serving our country. In the end, Judge Mahon agreed to the unusual arrangement, by allowing Melvin Rose's supervision to be unsupervised as long as proof was provided that he had enlisted in the Navy and that he provide truthful testimony against his co-defendant, Dwayne Rose.
Speaking of the aforementioned elder Rose, he was also scheduled to appear for trial on charges of Recieving Stolen Property, Conspiracy, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, DUI, Possession of Drug Paraphanalia, Driving a Motor Vehicle Without a License, Driving a Motor Vehicle the Wrong Way, and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. There was one slight little problem, though... Dwayne Rose failed to appear for his court date.
In open court, about an hour after he was supposed to appear, Dwayne Rose finally got around to contacting the court, claiming that he was unable to appear due to family related issues. That didn't seem to impress the judge, seeing as the call was made an hour after his court case was called. A bench warrant was issued for Dwayne Rose's arrest, and I doubt he'll be able to talk his way out of a jail term...
And then, there's the matter of Jacobi Crawford, 20, of Philadelphia, who had 8 separate drug cases pending in court on this day (CP-15-CR-0005306-2006, CP-15-CR-0005308-2006, CP-15-CR-0005309-2006, CP-15-CR-0005310-2006, CP-15-CR-0005323-2006, CP-15-CR-0005324-2006, CP-15-CR-0005325-2006, and CP-15-CR-0005326-2006), all cases filed by PSP Narcotics investigators from the Avondale and Embreeville barracks stemming from investiations in Coatesville (all cases were initially filed in Coatesville District Court). In a contentious plea and sentencing hearing, Crawford was sentenced to 6-to-12 years at a State Correctional Institution.
Throughout the hearing, Crawford repeatedly expressed displeasure over the way his defense attorney handled his case and still had questions as to whether or not he wanted to proceed with a jury trial. In fact, Judge Mahon was hesistant enough to accept the plea, he had instructed his tipstaff to bring prospective jurors up to prepare for trial. In the end, though, Crawford accepted his plea, and was sent off to CCP to begin his "vacation" courtesy of the taxpayers of the Commonwealth...
Tomorrow should be a fairly smooth day at 15-1-01 for the weekly Criminal Day procedings, but then again, one never knows how many hearings will take place in front of Judge Bruno. After that, it's an off day for the courts for the 4th of July, and a potentially short docket at Goshen District Court.
All in all, a slow week in the courts can be expected...
No comments:
Post a Comment