Milton Orellana Sentenced for 2015 Murder and Rape

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FREDERICK- This afternoon, the Honorable Judge Julie Solt sentenced Milton Arnoldo Orellana, age 26, of Frederick to 70 years for 1st degree rape, 30 years concurrent for 2nd degree murder, and concurrent to his 30 year attempted murder sentence in another case, which he is already serving. In her remarks, Judge Solt spoke to the family of the victim, Gloria Watson, stating, “The court feels your pain, it feels your sorrow.”

Police were called to the apartment of Gloria Watson on June 3, 2015 after her son and grandson found her deceased in the apartment. Family members had become concerned when they had not heard from her for several days, and her son stopped to check on her. He found his mother dead with substantial injuries to her body. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as homicide, and there was evidence of sexual assault. DNA evidence was recovered from the scene but no match was found in the database, although the DNA did match that of another unsolved crime being investigated by the Frederick Police Department. The victim in the other case identified her assailant as a Hispanic male, and Ms. Watson had several friends who were Hispanic. These friends cooperated with the investigation, and their DNA did not match that of the suspect. However, one of those friends knew of another Hispanic male who knew Ms. Watson and had been to her home, and that was the defendant, Milton Orellana. Police interviewed Mr. Orellana, who admitted he had last seen the victim around May 31, 2015, and he had visited her in her home that date. He claimed they were just friends and they had not engaged in any sexual contact. He voluntarily provided a DNA sample, which matched that of the suspect in this case. He was subsequently charged.

In the transcript of his interview with the police, Mr. Orellana indicated he and Gloria Watson had argued about money, but he did not remember much because he was drunk. He stated she pushed him, and he fell on top of some things, and the wall. He did not know why he killed her, because he lost consciousness.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith responded to the sentence, “This was a tragedy for that family and neighborhood. However, I am glad the family has the certainty in knowing that the defendant will be in prison for a very, very long time. The prosecutors worked very hard at coming to this resolution, and it’s one that the family is pleased with.”

The State was represented by Deputy State’s Attorney Kirsten Brown, Chief Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Moore, and Assistant State’s Attorney Kyle Kane.

Prosecutor Lindy Angel Retires After Nearly 30 Years

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Frederick– Today marks the final day at the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office for longtime prosecutor Lindy Angel. Born in Hollywood, California, she moved east to Maryland. In 1975, Angel worked as a high school intern for the SAO. Thanks to her positive experience, she was recruited by a commissioner to interview for a Frederick District Court Clerk job. She worked hard as a Clerk, pairing a full-time day job with a demanding law school schedule driving to Baltimore at night. In May 1988, she graduated in the top 10% of her class at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Following her graduation, she worked as a judicial clerk for Judge William W. Wenner in the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland.

June of 1990 proved to be a turning point in Lindy’s career. She was hired as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Frederick County by former State’s Attorney Lawrence Dorsey. As a District Court prosecutor, she worked hard to handle the demanding dockets for misdemeanor and motor vehicle cases. It was when Angel was promoted to the Circuit Court Child Abuse Unit that she found her calling. Defending victims of child abuse, sexual assault, and family violence became a personal and passionate mission in her life.

In reflecting on her time at the State’s Attorney’s Office, Angel commented, “ There are so many people that have influenced my career as a prosecutor, I learned so much from so many just watching and soaking it all in. Judge Wenner stands out as having shaped my lawyering the most. Being a prosecutor is without question the best job ever. It carries tremendous responsibility, and I can say that the job gave back to me all that I gave the job, and more. The best part is the children that our office and agency colleagues have helped. So many faces I will never forget.”

Lindy is grateful to State’s Attorney Charlie Smith for his leadership and example in helping to construct her courtroom presentation. “Charlie is a really good trial attorney, and a really good cross-examiner. Watching him is how I honed my cross-examine skills,” Angel reflected.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith expressed his gratitude for Lindy’s hard work in pursuing justice for victims stating, “Lindy is one of the most accomplished family violence prosecutors in the State. She leaves a legacy of knowledge, passion and tenacity, and has set the bar for prosecutors to come. The Office will surely miss her friendship, experience, and knowledge.”

 

Lindy is looking forward to continuing her public service in Frederick County. She will start a new job as a District Court Commissioner at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center in two weeks.

 

The State’s Attorney’s Office would like to thank Lindy Angel for her dedication to public safety over the past 30 years. We are grateful for the sacrifices that our staff members make in the pursuit of justice and defense of victims.

 

 

J. Charles Smith III

State’s Attorney for Frederick County, Maryland

 

Emmitsburg Man Sentenced for Rape

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FREDERICK-  This morning, the Honorable Judge Scott Rolle sentenced John Warren Compton, 37, of Emmitsburg, MD to 30 years in prison, suspending all but 10 years. The sentence comes after the defendant entered an Alford plea, acknowledging that the State had sufficient evidence to convict him. The plea agreement is for two counts of 3rd degree sex offense, and one count of sexual solicitation of a minor. Judge Rolle imposed additional conditions upon Compton’s release from prison. He must register as a Tier 2 sex offender for 25 years, 5 years supervised probation, have no contact with the victim or minor females under age 16, as well as undergo psychosexual evaluation, testing, and monitoring.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith reacted to the plea stating, “It’s guys like this that we would like to put in jail forever. However, we have to balance the interest and well-being of the victim and her parents. Having to testify at trial and endure a possible appeal can often be very difficult. Notwithstanding that, we must seek a substantial prison sentence for these offenders.”

According to charging documents, Compton met the victim on Snapchat in July 2018. The defendant told the 12-year-old female victim that he was only two years older than she was. In August 2018, an arrangement was made for Compton to pick up the victim from her grandparents address in Gettysburg. The victim believed based on his stated age that he would be driven there by his parents. He subsequently took the victim back to his home in Emmitsburg and had sexual intercourse with the victim.

The State was represented by Assistant State’s Attorney Tammy Leache. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police.

 

John Warren Compton

Frederick County Creates New Mental Health Court

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FREDERICK- On July 8th, 2019, the Maryland Court of Appeals approved the creation of the Frederick County District Mental Health Court. The new Problem Solving Court will serve defendants affected by mental health issues. It will be one of only a handful of Mental Health Courts in the State of Maryland. Currently, Frederick County also has a Drug Treatment Court. Creating innovative solutions to work with offenders has been a top priority for Frederick County State’s Attorney Charlie Smith.

 

Smith commented, “This has been a passion of mine for many years. Unfortunately, previous attempts were unsuccessful. We now have all of the pieces in place to launch what I consider a legacy program in Frederick County.” One of the greatest challenges facing the criminal justice system has always been recidivism rates. Smith added, “The revolving door involving these offenders was quite frankly frustrating. We would prosecute them, incarcerate them, and they would be back out on the streets doing the same offenses. I consider this crime fighting and an improvement to our public safety.”

 

Following the closure of many state mental hospitals in the 1980s, jurisdictions around the country struggled with mentally ill offenders. Starting in the 1990s, the criminal justice system found few alternatives to incarceration. With only a small number of mental health facilities in operation, the hope was offenders would get some form of therapy or medication while behind bars. In reality, the system was unable to provide that level of treatment. Problem Solving Courts are designed to provide treatment and accountability, so offenders can be rehabilitated while in our community.

 

The Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office has observed high recidivism with defendants with mental illness repeatedly arrested for low-level offenses such as shoplifting, trespassing, vandalism or disorderly conduct. Our case management system calculated 845 individual cases between 36 defendants over the last three years, averaging of 23 cases per individual.

 

State’s Attorney Smith believes these Problem Solving Courts not only aid offenders in getting their life back on track, but it helps the taxpayers as well. The goal is simple, treat mental health and substance abuse issues so that offenders have the necessary resources to return to our community as productive law-abiding citizens.

 

Joyce King, Smith’s Chief Counsel, was instrumental in getting the proposal submitted to the Judicial Council Committee on Specialty Courts. Following the approval, the State of Maryland awarded $100,000 for the first fiscal year of operations to fund a full-time Mental Health Court Coordinator and Clinician, as well as a part-time panel Public Defender. All of this could not have been possible without the assistance and cooperation of the Hon. Judge Dino Flores, Hon. Judge Earl Bartgis, Mary Riley of the Maryland Public Defenders Office, Hilari Young of Parole and Probation, Andrea Walker of the Local Behavioral Health Authority, and all partners of the Mental Health Public Safety Collaborative Committee.

 

The Frederick County Mental Health Court hopes to be operational by Fall 2019 after the positions are filled by Behavioral Health Services Division/Local Behavioral Health Authority of the Frederick County Health Department.

Samantha Guthrie Held Without Bond

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