Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Steven Salant issued his controversial ruling Thursday morning following nearly seven hours of court proceedings Tuesday. The juvenile suspect was born in South Africa but came of age in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where, like Wortman, people quickly noticed his abnormal level of agitation and unrest.
In , the juvenile suspect immigrated to the U. They settled in a Clarksburg, Md. The family is of Christian faith and values education. The suspect's mother is currently taking college courses, while his older sister was recently accepted into Penn State University. Nightly FaceTime calls and bi-annual trips to the U.
During their multiple counseling sessions, Wortman claimed the suspect was polite, and even opened the door for his mother. He also expressed remorse for his actions. The suspect told Wortman that he has forever felt inferior to his twin sister. It affects his self-esteem terribly Wortman prescribed the suspect 40 milligrams of Vyvanse, which she stated has improved his GPA, behavior and overall mood.
Wortman explained that the suspect mother was previously against giving her son prescription medicine for fear he might become addicted. The evidence shows the defendant was part of a similar attack earlier in the year. The Department of Juvenile Services issued him a warning. The felony case was ultimately dropped. Almost immediately, the then year-old began to misbehave. By the time police arrested him in the pending broomstick case β some four years later β MCPS had given the suspect 11 suspensions, 61 disciplinary referrals and sent communications home regarding poor conduct.
The transgressions included sexual comments, inappropriate touching, threatening remarks, fights, and chronic class cutting. A letter home noted this was not the first incident of its kind.
