PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — Two hours and five witnesses later, the case regarding the First Friday assault in North Beach remains open. The trial, which took place on Friday, Aug. 22, will continue with additional witnesses on Thursday, Sept. 11.
The defendant, Devane Wright, entered a not guilty plea at the start of the proceedings. Her lawyers then requested two key motions: a motion to disqualify the Calvert County Office of the State’s Attorney, and a motion to dismiss the charges for selective enforcement of the law.
Wright’s defense argued that instead of proving her guilt or innocence in the traditional sense, their focus was on showing she should not have been charged at all. Her lawyers claimed that the State’s Attorney’s Office has a conflict of interest due to connections with the Calvert Republican Party and the Sheriff’s Office. They alleged that political pressure and bias influenced the investigation, leading to what they argued were unfounded charges and a case of mistaken identity.
Both Wright and her attorneys declined to comment outside the courtroom since the trial is still ongoing.
The defense called Sheriff Ricky Cox, Deputy Dara Baxter, Sgt. James Norton, Pheng “Jonse” Sutana-Shomo and Jason Scaggs to testify. Through their questioning, Wright’s attorneys attempted to show that the sheriff’s department only pursued Wright after communication with members of the Calvert Republican Party. According to court documents, Deputy Baxter was the lead investigator on the case.
Testimony revealed that Sheriff Cox corresponded with members of the Republican Central Committee during the investigation on his personal phone and was involved in writing the organization’s May 7 Facebook post. On the stand, Jason Scaggs testified that Committee Chair Josh Johnson had access to the Committee’s Facebook page, previewed at least the May 7 post and had communicated with Cox about a different post that has since been deleted.
Scaggs was less clear about where Wright’s photo and name originated, citing a woman who had “recently moved to Florida,” but whose name he did not remember. He testified that he had communicated with the woman through Facebook but no longer had access to those messages.
Both Scaggs and Sutana-Shomo also testified that they had resigned from the Calvert Republican Central Committee in recent months. Neither provided reasons, but both said Johnson had access to the Committee’s social media pages and final authority over posts, despite his earlier claims to the contrary.
Johnson’s name surfaced repeatedly throughout testimony, but he did not appear in court. He had been subpoenaed but was later excused due to a conflict he disclosed in advance. His testimony is scheduled for the Sept. 11 continuation.
One of the more notable points of testimony came from Sgt. Norton, who said he, not Deputy Baxter, had reviewed Wright’s neighbor’s Ring camera footage. Wright has argued that the video would have shown she did not leave her house on the evening of May 2. Norton testified that he did not see Wright on the footage and chose not to preserve it, saying he saw “no evidentiary benefit.”
That footage is no longer available, having been automatically deleted after 30 days. Norton also testified that his body-worn camera was activated at the time but was not pointed at the phone that displayed the Ring footage.
Prosecutors countered that Ring cameras do not record continuously but only when triggered by motion, meaning gaps in coverage could exist.
Cox denied having conflicts of interest or accepting donations from the Calvert Republican Central Committee. “I’m the sheriff, I serve everybody,” he said emphatically during his testimony.
Judge Michelle Saunders has not yet ruled on the motions. The next phase of the trial is scheduled for Sept. 11 at the courthouse in Prince Frederick.
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Failed to mention in the article that they showed the victim 3 different photos of the same women, hardly a procedural line up. This case should have already been thrown out.
Sloppy AF. Case dismissed is my bet.