A 16-year-old Bowie teen was indicted on charges he tried to solicit the murder of a Prince George’s County judge who presided over his court case, prosecutors said Thursday.
Garrett Alexander Bailey has been charged as an adult and could face life in prison if found guilty of making the threats, which police say were posted on the teen’s online Facebook and Twitter accounts.
In court documents filed in the county’s circuit court, police said Mr. Bailey made threats against Prince George’s County Circuit Judge Herman C. Dawson, asking on his Twitter account if anyone wanted $1,000 to kill the judge.
The online threats were made on Feb. 2, three weeks after Mr. Bailey pleaded “involved” to fourth-degree burglary and theft under $1,000 in juvenile court before Judge Dawson, according to the court documents. In juvenile court, pleading involved is the equivalent to pleading guilty as an adult.
Officers from the Bowie Police Department sought out Mr. Bailey’s social-media accounts after they were tipped off anonymously about the online threats.
Quoting from Mr. Bailey’s Twitter account, which was riddled with profanities and spelling and grammatical errors, police said the teen wrote angrily about Judge Dawson and implied he had a gun.
“My strapp has a body on it already someones goin down,” police quoted Mr. Bailey as writing.
Police also said Mr. Bailey’s social-media accounts contain photos of him carrying a gun in his waistband.
Mr. Bailey was indicted on one count of solicitation to commit murder, four counts of threatening a state official, two counts of misuse of email, one count of witness intimidation and one count of obstruction of justice. He is being held without bond at the Cheltenham Youth detention center and is due in court for an arraignment in April.
Neither an attorney listed in court documents as representing Mr. Bailey nor Judge Dawson could be reached Thursday evening.
In court records, police said Judge Dawson requested extra security for himself until the matter was resolved.
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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