La Plata, MD – The jury trial of Maurice Deshonte Mackall, 38 of Brandywine, was set to begin before Charles County Circuit Court Judge Helen I. Harrington Monday, Aug. 24, when the defendant ended up in the courtroom of Judge Amy J. Bragunier.
Charles County Assistant Public Defender Chris Stuart told Bragunier that his client was asking for a continuance to retain private counsel.
“We have differing opinions about how to proceed on this case,” Stuart said. “He wants to take this case in a different direction than I want to take,” he added.
“He is being held without bond,” Stuart noted. “He’s going to stay in jail if this case in continued.”
Mackall is facing seven counts from a Dec. 23, 2014 incident including first-degree assault, use of a firearm while committing a felony, second-degree assault, firearm possession with a felony conviction, possessing a shotgun/rifle with a felony conviction, possessing or selling an assault weapon and illegally possessing ammunition.
“I was prepared to go to trial today,” Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie told Bragunier.
“He does have the right to a continuance and to retain private counsel if he can afford it,” Stuart countered. “I was given this case fairly recently. I hadn’t dug deep into the facts of the case until recently. I am prepared to go to trial, but Mr. Mackall isn’t comfortable with that. A continuance hurts no one,” he added. “It’s his trial, it’s his right. It’s a bit of an annoyance, but that’s it. It’s neither here nor there.
“I will not get out of the case until Mr. Mackall has new counsel,” he said.
Beattie said he did tender a plea offer but Stuart noted his client rejected that offer.
“I’m not happy at doing this,” Bragunier noted. “It is sort of last minute.”
After granting the continuance, the principal players moved back to Harrington’s courtroom, where the judge said a motions hearing in the case would take place Dec. 11 with the trial rescheduled for Jan. 5.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com