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By
Claire Schreiber
, Tomas Coles - January 17, 2025
Court
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Suspects
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An 18-year-old assault case resurfaced in Baltimore City Circuit Court on Jan. 17 as Dontae Yates, 44, appeared in reception court before Judge Melissa Copeland. Yates, who currently lacks legal representation, is being charged with multiple assault counts and a weapon discharge offense from an incident that occurred in 2007.
He is accused of assault in the first and second-degree, as well as shooting and discharging an unknown caliber handgun. These charges were originally filed in July. 6, 2007, but the case was reopened in 2024.
A plea offer could not be extended at this time, according to the prosecutor because the state is still searching for the defendant’s case file from the incident–the delay in part could be related to the defendant’s not having counsel. Judge Copeland advised the defendant of his Constitutional right to have legal representation.
The judge also issued a summons for Yates to reappear in court on Jan. 31. This date coincides with the two-week period the plaintiff’s attorney requested in order to locate the missing case file, which the court approved.