A 15-year-old murder suspect will stay put in the Howard County Detention Center, partly because he racked up an armed robbery charge just a week after the alleged killing.
“He is a threat to public safety,” Howard County Circuit Court Judge Louis Becker said after denying a motion Wednesday to move Monti Mantrice Fleming to a juvenile facility pending trial.
Fleming, who will turn 16 next week, is charged with the murder of 18-year-old Shawn Edward Powell on Aug. 27 and the attempted murder of Mark Frederick Golston the previous week.
At the detention center, Fleming is being “warehoused” and denied access to juvenile counseling and school lessons, said JoeMurtha, his defense attorney.
“Since he?s 15 years of age and there is a presumption of innocence … I think there is a better opportunity to provide a more structured environment,” he said.
But at a juvenile facility, Fleming would pose a threat to other young prisoners, considering the violent nature of his offenses and the additional armed robbery charge, Assistant State?s Attorney James Dietrich said.
The murder charge stems from a fight in the Barnside community of Columbia, where witnesses told police Fleming fired a shot at Powell as he tried to leave.
Galston told police Fleming shot him in the leg after a fight in the front yard of his home on Nightmist Drive in Columbia.
Information on the alleged armed robbery was not available because the case is being tried in juvenile court.
A reverse waiver hearing is planned for March 12. Murtha plans to argue to have the murder and attempted murder cases tried in juvenile court.
Fleming is currently being held without bail at the Howard County Detention Center.
