Retiree Denied Bail for February Shooting

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A 61-year-old accused of a February non-fatal shooting was denied bail by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey M. Geller despite his attorney’s concerns regarding his competency.

Reginald Benbow is charged with four counts of firearm possession with a felony conviction, illegal possession of ammunition and firing a gun in Baltimore City for allegedly shooting his friend in the knee on Feb. 16.

During the July 16 bail docket, defense attorney Martin Cohen told Judge Geller that Benbow, who retired after working for McCormick & Company for 20 years, had been pre-approved for home detention.

Cohen asked Judge Geller to confine Benbow to home monitoring pending a competency evaluation that was recently requested.

Although there hasn’t been a diagnosis yet, Cohen said his client has an issue with “historical narratives” about his life, which could impede his defense.

The stand-in prosecutor countered by saying that though the charges of violent crime were previously dismissed in this case, Benbow still shot someone close to him. Likewise, if Benbow needs mental health care, he would likely not receive adequate care in home detention.

She asked the judge to keep Benbow incarcerated without bail.

An agent from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services’ Pretrial Services recounted Benbow’s prior convictions, the bulk of which were in the 1990s, with the latest conviction in 2011 for second-degree assault.

Benbow also had three failures to appear in court during the 1990s, the agent said. The agent recommended no bail considering Benbow’s prior criminal record.

Judge Geller said that though the victim was only shot in the knee, the victim could have easily been injured more severely. Due to his concerns about public safety, the judge ordered that Benbow be held without bail.