Second Teen Killer Of John Weed Gets Off With Probation After Being Tried As Juvenile

The second of two teen brothers charged after a man died at the Great Frederick Fair last year was placed on probation Wednesday and ordered to complete an anger management program, among other commitments.

The older of the brothers, who was 16 years old at the time of the Sept. 20 assault, was initially charged with two counts of second-degree assault related to the attack that killed 59-year-old Mount Airy resident John Marvin Weed.

Of those charges, one count was for the teen reportedly spitting on Weed after he had fallen to the ground, which was the charge the teen pleaded guilty to July 8 during a hearing in Frederick County Circuit Court. The second assault charge was dropped per a plea agreement reached between prosecutors and Stacey Steinmetz, an attorney representing the teen.

A reporter for The Frederick News-Post was asked to leave the courtroom Wednesday after Steinmetz asked that hearing be closed to the public. Judge Julie Stevenson Solt agreed, saying that much about the case that would be discussed, especially regarding the teen's past and other details, would be too sensitive to be shared in open court.

Solt ultimately ordered the older teen be placed on probation and that he complete an anger management program, among other conditions, according to a press release issued after Wednesday's hearing by the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office. The juvenile court maintains jurisdiction over a case until the the case is closed or until the respondent ages out of juvenile court, meaning the maximum term of probation the teen could serve in this case would be until he reaches 21, according to Steinmetz.

Solt scheduled a follow-up disposition hearing for sometime in the fall to determine whether the teen has complied with the terms of his probation, the release states. If the teen is found non-compliant, the judge may consider removing him from the community for placement in a juvenile facility.

Prosecutors had argued in favor of Solt ordering the teen be placed in a committed juvenile treatment facility rather than allowing the teen to fulfill his rehabilitation in the community, according to State's Attorney Charlie Smith, who said he was nevertheless not surprised by Solt's decision.

[...] Prosecutors had argued from the outset of the case that both teens should be tried as adults, filing motions to move each case to adult court. In the end the court denied both motions, keeping the teens in juvenile court, which has different priorities from the adult system.