A Baltimore judge ruled Friday that a firearm recovered during a search of a Northwest Baltimore residence must be suppressed in the case against 54-year-old Erainia Jenkins, who is accused of threatening a homeowner with a gun during a dispute last fall.
The ruling came during a March 6 hearing at approximately 2 p.m., when the court considered a defense motion to suppress the firearm police said they recovered after the incident. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy determined the search did not meet the legal standard for exigent circumstances and ordered the evidence excluded.
According to charging documents and a Baltimore Police report, officers responded on Sept. 29, 2025 to the 3700 block of Nortonia Road for a report of an aggravated assault.
The property’s homeowner, who had been renting the residence, told police he arrived at the house to check on plumbing issues. The residence was occupied by an unnamed tenant and Jenkins.
The homeowner told officers that he and the tenant went to the bathroom to inspect the problem when Jenkins intervened, saying the bathtub needed to be redone. He told her to “mind her business,” according to the report, stating that she did not live there.
Police say the situation escalated when Jenkins allegedly became aggressive. The victim told officers he pushed Jenkins back, and she swung at him, striking him.
Jenkins then allegedly said she was “going to get her gun.” According to the report, she later returned with what appeared to be a 9mm handgun, pointed it at the victim and said, “You are going to die, b*tch.” The homeowner fled the residence and called 911.
Responding officers later located Jenkins at the home. Police noted there was no evidence that a firearm had been discharged.
Jenkins acknowledged that an altercation occurred but denied ever pulling a gun, telling officers she had only been holding a TV remote.
During the suppression hearing, the court examined how the firearm was recovered. Testimony established that Jenkins had already been detained and placed in handcuffs outside the residence when officers conducted a search of the property.
Judge Handy ruled that once Jenkins was secured, officers were no longer operating under exigent circumstances that would justify a warrantless search.
The court also determined the firearm was not in plain view. Officers located the weapon after opening a grill outside the residence.
“It shouldn’t have been recovered,” Judge Handy said from the bench while granting the motion to suppress.
As a result of the ruling, the firearm will not be admitted into evidence at Jenkins’ trial, which is set to proceed March 18 before Judge Yvette M. Bryant.
