Trial Postponed After Attempted Murder Defendant Takes Drugs in Jail

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A 23-year-old attempted murder defendant could not be transported to his Aug. 7 trial because he took drugs before the proceeding.

Jesse Freels is charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, firearm use in a felony violent crime, reckless endangerment, firearm possession with a felony conviction, having a handgun on his person, having a handgun within 100 yards of the public, illegal possession of ammunition and firing a gun in Baltimore City for a Jan. 24, 2023, shooting on the 200 block of North Eutaw Street.

After Freels’ case was called, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Paul E. Alpert said he had received a call earlier that morning saying that Freels did not want to come to trial.

Then, the judge received another call explaining that because Freels had taken drugs, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services would not transport him to court.

Because Judge Alpert is a retired senior judge and did not have the ability to look into the situation directly, he sent the prosecutor and Freels’ defense attorneys, Lewyn S. Garrett and Karyn Meriwether, to reception court before Judge Melissa K. Copeland.

During that hearing, Judge Copeland tried to see if Freels could call in to the Zoom meeting, but he was unable. She asked counsel to see her on Monday, Aug. 12, so Freels can be present.

According to documents from the District Court of Maryland, Freels was seen on camera wearing a jacket with a Space Jam logo —identified as the same jacket the suspect in the Jan. 24, 2023, shooting was seen wearing before fleeing the scene. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to his right arm.

When Freels was taken into custody, Baltimore Police Department officers allegedly found he had a handgun, which forensic experts later said were likely a match to the shell casings found on the scene.