Maryland Criminal Defense Lawyers Help Officers, Others Accused of Serious Crimes

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A number of newspapers and media outlets recently published reports regarding a Washington, DC police officer who has been indicted on a charge of attempted murder after he allegedly tried to kill his wife with a metal light fixture and threatened to kill her with knives in their Maryland home.

The indictment, handed down in December, against 45-year-old Samson Edwards Lawrence III is the third instance in which criminal charges have been filed in almost as many weeks against a local police officer. Lawrence’s indictment contains extremely grave accusations, including two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault, and two counts of possessing a dangerous weapon with intent to injure. The indictment stems from an incident that occurred in the Prince George’s County home the 23-year law enforcement veteran shared with his wife. Lawrence, who was assigned to the School Safety Division, was placed on “no-contact status,” which bars him from interacting with the public, following the indictment. He was placed on administrative leave with pay immediately following his Nov. 25 arrest.

According to court documents, Lawrence and his wife had argued extensively on Nov. 24th. At one point he asked his wife to make lunch and then followed her into the kitchen, where he allegedly taunted her and threatened to kill her, according to media reports citing court documents. Lawrence’s wife tried to break free but Lawrence pushed her to the ground and hit her over the head about five or six times with a metal light fixture and said, “I’m going to finish it right now,” court papers state. She eventually escaped and ran into another room to call 911, but Lawrence grabbed her and shoved her against a wall where he allegedly held two large knives to her throat.

Lawrence’s wife was issued a protective order against her husband which bars him from entering their home and her place of work. Additionally, Price George’s police have filed a separate child abuse charge against Lawrence stemming from a physical altercation he had with his 16-year-old daughter about a month earlier. In that incident, Lawrence is accused of shoving his daughter into a wall and causing her to fall down a staircase as she tried to flee. Lawrence then allegedly pulled his daughter’s hair and began choking her, according to police records.

In addition to Lawrence’s arrest, Officer Linwood Barnhill Jr. has been accused of running an underage prostitution ring out of his apartment and is currently awaiting trial in custody. Officer Marc Washington was charged with taking semi-nude pictures of a teenage runaway and died after being pulled from the Washington Channel, a day after he was freed from jail pending trial. His cause of death is pending.

Lawrence and Barnhill both have more than 20 years on the force and were hired at a time when DC police were forced to lower hiring standards to bring in 1,500 officers to bolster their ranks, according to authorities. Police officials say current standards are more rigorous and that many officers hired in the late 1980s and early 1990s would not be hired now.

Though their cases involve serious charges, and their status as police officers may make them seem particularly egregious, it is important to remember that the officers are like any other defendant facing a criminal charge and must therefore be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. They are also entitled to the services of a dedicated criminal defense lawyer. If you or someone you love has been charged or is under investigation for similar crimes in Maryland or the District of Columbia, contact criminal defense attorneys here. For those who are facing charges in Virginia, our team of lawyers here can help.