Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland granted a postponement in a January shooting case on June 24 after new evidence was introduced and the defendant moved to dismiss his attorney..
The defendant, 45-year-old William Wilhelm, is charged with reckless endangerment, illegal possession of ammunition, having a handgun on his person and discharging a gun in Baltimore City.
Court records indicate that at approximately 2 p.m. on Jan. 14, deputies with the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office were conducting a package theft initiative on the 100 block of N. Montford Avenue and surrounding areas in southeast Baltimore. While near the intersection of E. Fayette Street and N. Milton Avenue, they observed two individuals running toward their location. The first individual was identified as a construction worker employee and the second was identified as the defendant.
When the deputies came out of their vehicle and attempted to stop Wilhelm, he continued to flee, leading to a foot chase. An officer soon found Wilhelm allegedly trying to conceal himself behind a cinderblock wall.
He was detained, and reportedly stated that he was fleeing because two men shot at him and his girlfriend. He stated further that he did not have a gun. Further investigation revealed that Wilhelm allegedly had a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson in pistol his defendant possession.
Surveillance footage located on the 100 block of N. Milton Avenue showed that an individual identified as the defendant was holding what appeared to be a firearm and discharged it once.
At the hearing, Wilhelm was initially scheduled to proceed to trial before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Anthony F. Vittoria. However, the case faced delays with the introduction of new jail calls and body-worn camera footage, as well as Wilhelm’s desire to dismiss his public defender in lieu of a private attorney.
In response, Judge Vittoria stressed that dismissing his attorney may delay proceedings further and require that he represent himself at trial. The case was then transferred to reception court for a postponement hearing.
Judge Copeland ultimately found good cause to postpone the case, acknowledging Wilhelm’s request for further time to review the new evidence.
Wilhelm’s trial has been rescheduled to proceed on Aug 25.
