District Heights Mayor James L. Walls, also an associate minister at a local church, will keep his jobs, for now, after being charged with soliciting a male prostitute in the District of Columbia early Thursday morning, his colleagues said.
The 30-year-old fast-rising black political star — he holds positions with nationwide civic groups and the local NAACP chapter, among others — has been charged with solicitation for lewd and immoral purposes after he allegedly attempted to pick up an undercover District officer who was posing as a male prostitute around 12:30 a.m. at Sixth and F streets NW, police said.
He faces up to six months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.
“I’m shocked,” said Nathaniel Thomas, pastor at the Forestville New Redeemer Baptist Church where Walls is an associate minister, adding that Walls won’t be removed from the post until proven guilty. “This doesn’t fit with his character. … I’m feeling this is a mistaken situation,” he said, adding that confusion could have come from Walls’ close work with “derelicts of the worst kind” and his joking personality.
In 2006, Walls became the youngest mayor in District Heights history and his term extends through 2010. He’s a young, single guy with a bright future, Thomas said. Walls, an ordained minister, is on the board of directors for the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, he founded the Maryland Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and he sits on a number of state and national commissions.
The city’s commissioners said in a news release that they’re waiting for additional information before taking any action.
Vice Mayor Eddie Martin said he spoke with Walls on Thursday afternoon. “He’s not a happy camper,” Martin said, adding that Walls told him he didn’t approach anyone. The rest of the details, he said, will come out in court.
Thomas said Walls has always stood out from the crowd. “Every time you listen to a young black male he’s digging on being in jail or doing something crazy, and this young man has been doing nothing but positive.”
