– Both Admit to Carrying Out Broad Daylight Home Invasion –
WASHINGTON, DC – March 29, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Jaquan Bragg and Tavon Barber, both 16 and both from Washington, D.C., have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a recent burglary in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Bragg and Barber, who were charged as adults, pled guilty on March 23, 2011 to a burglary charge. Bragg also pled guilty to an additional attempted burglary. The defendants are to be sentenced June 17, 2011 by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the government’s evidence, on February 21, 2011, at 11 a.m., Bragg and Barber walked around the neighborhood near the 100 block of Adams Street NW, attempting to find a home to burglarize. They entered a home in the 100 block of Adams Street through an open window, and once inside, they looked for items of value to steal.
Barber went into an upstairs bedroom and encountered the homeowners. The male homeowner chased Barber downstairs, where he saw Bragg going through his property. He ordered the burglars to leave, and they fled through the same window they used to get into the house. One of the suspects carried away a laptop computer that was taken from the home.
Undeterred by the confrontation, Bragg proceeded to find another home to burglarize. This time, he entered a home near the 100 block of W Street NW, also through an open window. The owners were not home. Bragg stole a laptop computer and two watches from the residence. He and Barber then met in a nearby graveyard, their prearranged meeting location.
Unexpectedly, uniformed officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) drove up in a marked vehicle. As the officers approached, they saw several bags near Bragg and Barber. Bragg and Barber fled the area on foot and ignored commands to stop.
Officers eventually stopped and detained both teenagers. MPD officers retrieved the bags that were seen near Bragg and Barber in the graveyard. They contained the items that had been stolen in the two break-ins.
In announcing the guilty pleas, U.S. Attorney Machen commended Lead Detective Tony Walls of the Fifth District Criminal Investigation Division, as well as Detectives Randal Parker, Charles Fultz, John Hamer, Doug Reynolds, Jamell Stallings, Sargeant Terry Thorne, and MPD Officers Shuntae Lamont Brown, Duriel Barnes, Tasha Bryant, William Clarke, Xavier Greene, Eric Hairston, Michael Little John, Venson Wytch and Crime Scene Technician James A. Fields. Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed his appreciation to Paralegal Kalisha Johnson-Clark, who prepared the case for indictment, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Terry Eaton, who conducted the pre-indictment investigation.
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