MORGANTOWN — A man indicted for allegedly sexually abusing clerks during two robberies at the same hotel and a 67-year-old charged in a 20-year cold case turned hot were among those arraigned in front of Judge Russell Clawges in Monongalia County Circuit Court.
Tuesday was the first of three days of arraignments for those indicted by the September 2018 term of the Monongalia County grand jury, which returned 121 indictments.
Thirty-six people were scheduled to appear before Clawges and 31, including 10 inmates, showed up. Everyone pleaded not guilty to the charges in their indictments.
Four people who did not appear have until noon Friday to schedule a hearing or a warrant for their arrest will be issued. Leonard Baker Jr., Pamela Rogers, Harry Martin and Jason Braun were given the extension by Clawges.
One person who did not appear, Manuell Bendana, is in jail in Pennsylvania, his attorney said.
Raymond Wise was among those arraigned. Clawges entered a guilty plea on behalf of Wise after the 67-year-old had trouble telling Clawges his name for the record. Wise also could not remember his age when asked.
Craig Erhard, his attorney, said Wise had a stroke. Clawges suggested Erhard file a competency evaluation for his client, if he thought one was needed.
Wise is charged with second-degree sexual assault. He faces 10-25 years in prison or may be fined $1,000-$10,000 and imprisoned, if convicted.
The Dominion Post previously reported the female victim was collecting cans on Chestnut Street on July 2, 1995, when she was approached by a man who told her she could find cans in the city parking garage at the corner of University and Walnut.
When she went to the garage, the man grabbed her from behind and sexually assaulted her.
The case went cold, but all evidence was maintained. In 2005, new DNA extraction techniques were used by the West Virginia State Police crime lab to retrieve DNA from the evidence.
At the time, there was no match in convicted offender and casework databases. But in 2017, a match was found during a search of the FBI’s National DNA Index Systems.
The match led police to Wise whose DNA had been entered into the system in Wisconsin. According to online court records, Wise pleaded guilty to fourth-degree sexual assault in 2017 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Wise is being held in North Central Regional Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond.
Tommie E. Hamlet-Mitchell, 46, pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
Matthew Brock, Mitchell’s attorney, asked Clawges about reducing Mitchell’s bond from $70,000 to a personal recognizance bond with home confinement. Brock also said his client would be able to post a $20,000 surety bond. A hearing on that request will be held later this week.
The Dominion Post previously reported law enforcement responded to a robbery May 2 at the Quality Inn. The victim reported that a man dressed in black wearing a white mask who spoke with an accent was waiting at the front desk when she returned from the bathroom. The suspect was later identified as Mitchell.
She reported the suspect had an unidentified object in his hand and forced her to give him money from the cash register. The clerk was then forced into a side office, where money from her purse and personal laptop were stolen.
Mitchell then removed the clerk’s pants and underwear, fondled her butt, ordered her to the floor and had her count while he left.
On April 10, the Quality Inn was robbed by a suspect who matched the description of this robbery. In the April robbery, a clerk was held-up with a paring knife that law enforcement recovered at the scene, a criminal complaint stated. After his arrest, law enforcement believed Mitchell was responsible for the April robbery as well.
During the first robbery, the clerk was also forced into the side office, where her pants were removed. The suspect also touched her vagina before forcing the clerk to the ground to count while he fled.
First-degree robbery is a felony that carries a 10-year prison sentence and first-degree sexual abuse is punishable by one to five years in prison or not more than a $10,000 fine with one to five years in prison.
Tweet Will Dean @WillDean_DP; wdean@domininionpost.com
