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EDITORIAL
Domestic Violence:
How does it affect you?
Prince George’s County Maryland - Domestic violence calls in Prince George’s County gradually will become the responsibility of the Sheriff’s Office over the next three months, Sheriff Michael A. Jackson announced Wednesday.
The switch, along with increased victim advocacy programs, will move deputies from a reactive to a proactive role in fighting domestic crime from the initial incident through to the courtroom, Jackson said.
“We will be there for these victims,” Jackson said. “We will enforce the law, make no mistake about that.”
Beginning Sunday, sheriff’s deputies, rather than county police officers, will respond to domestic violence calls in District III, a region that includes Forestville, Kentland, Landover, Palmer Park and Suitland. District III was chosen to launch the initiative, Jackson said, because it generates the most domestic violence calls among the county’s six districts. After 90 days, deputies will expand coverage to the entire county.
Jackson and others also announced an array of grants to fund support programs they said will help the Sheriff’s Office become a full-service destination for domestic violence victims. There, victims will be able to file a report, connect with a courthouse-based advocate, find a peer support group or receive one of the 100 wireless phones with free minutes donated Wednesday by Verizon’s HopeLine program, among other services.
Lisa Spicknall is one of six planned domestic violence victim advocates who will support the county’s victims by answering questions and accompanying them to court dates. Spicknall said Wednesday that she worried six years ago whether anyone would remember her children, 3-year-old Destiny and 2-year-old Richie, who were shot and killed by their father in September 1999. “This is a common fear of victims,” Spicknall said. “Who will remember my loved ones? Who will care?”
Sheriff’s deputies have served and enforced peace and protection orders since 1993, Jackson said, but now his office will provide victims a program of complete coverage to bring offenders to justice. “There are only a few people who do extreme things,” Jackson said. “They will be held accountable.”
Domestic violence resources in Prince George’s County
» Call 911 if you have a domestic violence emergency.
» Call 301-731-1203, a 24-hour hot line, for Family Crisis Center services such as counseling, emergency shelter, and legal information and representation for families affected by domestic violence.
» Call 301-952-4303 to reach The House of Ruth, which provides legal assistance for domestic violence victims at county courthouses in Upper Marlboro and Hyattsville.
ejacobson@dcexaminer.com
Woman Denied Court Protection Twice Is Killed by Boyfriend
By Ruben Castaneda
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 5, 2006; Page B06
A Fort Washington woman was shot to death by her boyfriend late Tuesday, six weeks after a Prince George's County judge twice denied her application for a court order against the man, according to court records.
The boyfriend, Arthur Comer, 57, shot himself to death after killing Jackie M. Lewis, 57, police said.The killings occurred almost a year after a highly publicized attack in which a man set his estranged wife on fire about three weeks after a Prince George's judge dismissed a temporary protective order she had obtained against her husband. That case set off a firestorm of criticism of the judge, who retired in July.
The shootings Tuesday occurred in Lewis's house in the 1300 block of Chalfont Avenue, where Comer had lived with her since 1998, according to her application for a protective order. Comer had ignored multiple requests by Lewis to leave her home, according to petitions she filed in court.
In one of two petitions she filed, Lewis wrote, "He make me feel unsafe; I can't sleep because I don't know what he will do next."
Shortly before midnight Tuesday, Comer called 911 and told a police dispatcher he had killed his girlfriend and was going to kill himself, said a law enforcement source, who asked not to be identified because the investigation was not complete. The 911 dispatcher heard a gunshot as officers were arriving.
Comer told the dispatcher that he could not provide economic support or psychological comfort to Lewis and that she didn't deserve to be killed, the source said. Comer then turned the .357 magnum he had apparently used to kill Lewis on himself, the source said.
Lewis's application for a protective order was denied by District Court Judge Crystal D. Mittelstaedt on Aug. 22, according to District Court records.
Lewis had obtained a temporary peace order Aug. 15, according to court records. When he granted the temporary order, District Court Judge Hassan A. El-Amin wrote that Comer was "to be removed from [Lewis's] home forthwith!"
El-Amin found there was probable cause, after hearing from Lewis, that Comer had been harassing her and trespassing. He scheduled a final hearing for Aug. 22.
Copies of the court records of what happened Aug. 22 were provided by the District Court clerk's office yesterday. They show that Mittelstaedt rejected Lewis's applications for a peace order and a protective order.
According to a temporary protective/peace order document signed by Mittelstaedt, she denied Lewis's application for a court order, writing: "No eligibility under statute. Living together for more than 90 days." The judge did not specify whether she was denying a request for a peace order or a protective order.
Sheriff’s Office to handle domestic violence calls
Prince George's County Maryland
Jackie Lewis to the left, is seen with her daughter.
American Red Cross
Department of Defense
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The violence that you face will only exist if it is not made known. YOU MUST TELL SOMEONE.
It doesn't always have to start with the authorites (Police). The truth in this matter is that you both need help. The Abuser must get counseling!
We understand that you have invested time, effort, love and finances into your relationship and don't want to see harm come to the abuser. But it is no longer a relationship if we have to refer to your "Significant Other" as the abuser.
It is extremely hard and difficult starting over, but starting over is exactly what has to happen. You must re-establish your self-worth, confidence and independence.
Retaliation and control is always factors that fuel the abuser but with early intervention, violence can cease and the reconstruction of lives can begin. We all have fears that we must some day face. Fears are meant to be conquered.
Constable Services can help.
