Three weeks after a Baltimore judge denied bail for a man accused of shooting at his girlfriend in Charles Village earlier this year, the court ruled on April 27 that the state failed to meet their burden of proof in arresting the defendant, 28-year-old Omar Williams, and agreed to dismiss all charges against him.
Williams was initially charged with two counts of second-degree assault and three gun offenses after authorities believed he shot at his girlfriend following a dispute on Jan. 17.
According to charging documents, Williams’ girlfriend told law enforcement that the defendant became physical with her after suspecting her of swapping his marijuana out with a weaker strain. She alleged Williams chased her and grabbed at her phone, and that she heard a loud bang before she saw him return a firearm to his waistband.
Officers observed, however, that Williams’ girlfriend was under the influence of alcohol at the time of her report, and that she gave multiple differing narratives of how the incident unfolded. Surveillance footage failed to capture either a firearm or a shooting, and investigators were unable to locate a casing while canvassing the scene.
During Williams’ April 8 bail hearing, the lack of evidence in the case became the center of defense attorney Alex Leikus’ argument that his client be released on bail and home detention pending trial. Leikus added during the hearing that the victim displayed no visible injuries when police responded to the scene and questioned her.
Despite Leikus’ argument, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Dana M. Middleton ordered that Williams be held without bail, siding with the state’s disclosure that the victim had cited concerns for her personal safety.
Though Williams was initially set to receive a trial date on April 27, his case was ultimately dismissed following a ruling by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey M. Geller.
