T H E G AZ ET T E
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Man charged with abuse of 2-month-old son Baby was in critical condition at hospital; still on a respirator
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BY
ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER
A 24-year-old Silver Spring man accused of abusing his infant son has been charged with attempted murder, Montgomery County police said Friday. Adou Louis Kouadio, of Dilston Road, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree child abuse. Police said he abused his son so badly, the boy might have to be on a respirator for the rest of his life. According to police, the abuse appears to have been a case of “shaken baby syndrome.”
“It’s very, very unfortunate and sad,” said Montgomery County Police Capt. Marcus Jones, chief of the department’s Major Crimes Division. On Feb. 4, police learned that the boy, Amir ImanKouadio — who was born on Dec. 14 — was in Children’s National Medical Center Kouadio in Washington, D.C., in critical condition. The boy didn’t have a pulse and wasn’t breathing, police said. A police news release said doctors discovered that the boy had head trauma, bleeding from his brain, and fractured ribs. The injuries were so severe, doctors told police that the boy would have to be
on a ventilator the rest of his life if he survived, according to Montgomery County Police Officer Janelle Smith. The boy is still on a respirator, Jones said. Investigators said Iman-Kouadio’s mother put the boy to bed at about 9 p.m. on Feb. 3. Early the next day, at around 2 a.m., the baby woke up crying. Kouadio cared for the boy and put him back to bed. According to Smith, that time frame is when the alleged abuse is believed to have taken place. Police would not say what the alleged abuse was. A short time after putting the boy back to bed, Kouadio checked on the baby and found blood coming from his nose, according to the news release. Police are waiting to learn more from doctors about exactly what happened, Jones said.
“Whenever we have child abuse cases — unless we have confessions about exactly what happened — it’s based on doctors’ findings,” Jones said. “We don’t have anything that suggests this was longstanding — from our point of view,” he said. Kouadio told the boy’s mother what was happening and the parents called 911, according to police. Police obtained an arrest warrant for Kouadio on Thursday. Kouadio turned himself in Friday. He was being held on $500,000 bail, according to online court records. His next court date is scheduled for March 21. A lawyer was not listed online. Calls to his home and to other family members were not answered Monday afternoon. sjbsmith@gazette.net
InBrief ‘Smart’ meters coming to Bethesda No quarters? No worries. Starting this week, Montgomery County started replacing 840 on-street parking meters in Bethesda with solar-powered meters that accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards. Parkers will still be able to pay with coins or by cellphone. The changeover is expected to take about a week, weather permitting, according to a county news release. The new meters have real-time communication capabilities, allowing Web-based identification of broken meters and secure processing of credit card transactions. Information in the meter window displays parking rates, hours and days when payment is required, and notes parking restrictions. Later this year, in-pavement sensors will be installed that will work with the new meters so customers can use a smartphone app to find unoccupied, on-street parking spaces in Bethesda. Cash keys will not be accepted by the new meters, but will continue to be an option in parking lots and garages that now accept them. Residents who will no longer need the keys can cash them in at the Bethesda Parking Store at 4720 Cheltenham Drive. The county expects to eventually install the new meters in its three other parking districts in Silver Spring, Wheaton and Montgomery Hills.
County seeks a couple of willing farmers Montgomery County is seeking two county farmers to serve on its seven-member Rustic Roads Advisory Committee. The committee’s duties include promoting public awareness of the Rustic Roads Program, plus reviewing and commenting on the classification of rustic roads; development proposals that affect rustic roads; and executive regulations and policies that may affect the program, according to a county news release. To be eligible, candidates must be owneroperators of commercial farmland in the county, earning at least of their income from farming. One must be a representative of the county’s Agricultural Advisory Committee. Members serve three-year terms without compensation, but can be reimbursed for travel and dependent care for meetings attended. The committee meets at least six times a year; usually on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Executive Office Building in Rockville.
POLICE BLOTTER
Complete report at www.gazette.net The following is a summary of incidents in the Potomac area to which Montgomery County police responded recently. The words “arrested” and “charged” do not imply guilt. This information was provided by the county. PHOTOS BY BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
(From left) Sharon Lettman-Hicks, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition; Caryn York, policy associate for the Jobs Opportunities Task Force; and Ronnie Galvin, executive director of Impact Silver Spring, lead a discussion, “Addressing Our Social Justice Concerns,” at the African-American Democratic Club of Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Young Democrats annual forum on the “State of Black Montgomery” on Saturday in Silver Spring.
Forum addresses issues of blacks in county n
Economic opportunity, social justice, youth engagement among topics discussed BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Supporters of a bill that would change Maryland law to hide convictions for some nonviolent offenses believe it could be a way to help minorities in Montgomery County. A bill sponsored by Montgomery Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring would allow people convicted of nonviolent offenses such as disorderly conduct, trespassing or misdemeanor theft to ask a court to shield their record from public view three years after they complete their sentence. The legislation was discussed at a Saturday forum on the “State of Black Montgomery” in Silver Spring. The event was organized by the African-American Democratic Club of Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Young Democrats. The forum included panels on topics such as increasing business
opportunities for blacks, empowering and engaging black youth and increasing political participation among blacks. The permanency of a criminal record is a major barrier to people transitioning from jail back into society, said Caryn York, a policy associate with the Baltimore-based Job Opportunities Task Force who spoke on one of the panels at the event. After a certain period of time, a person should be able to have their record removed from public view, York said. Under Raskin’s bill, which has a hearing scheduled for March 4 in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, someone may ask a judge to shield all court and police records relating to a conviction for a shieldable offense committed before the person was 26 years old. Raskin said Monday that his bill speaks to a profound value in American society that people should be given an opportunity to get back on their feet after they’ve made a mistake. It would only apply to nonviolent misdemeanors, he said. The state and the country have too many people who aren’t able to find their way back into the work
Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr. of Kensington speaks at the African-American Democratic Club of Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Young Democrats annual forum on the “State of Black Montgomery” on Saturday. force with a nonviolent conviction on their record, he said. That is tragic for those individuals, but there’s also a danger for society from the creation of a permanent under-class who can’t get back into the legitimate economy, he said.
The bill would not apply to convictions for domestic crimes. Even if shielded, the information would remain visible to police and other law enforcement as well as employers who are legally or contractually required to conduct criminal background checks for employees. A conviction would be unable to be shielded if the person applying for it is convicted of a new crime during the waiting period, unless the new conviction also becomes eligible for shielding. U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington said changes to criminal justice policy may be coming from the federal government as well. There’s a growing consensus among both liberals and conservatives in Congress that the criminal justice system is broken and needs to be reformed, Van Hollen said. One of the potential areas for reform is getting rid of mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders, he said. Van Hollen said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and other conservatives have expressed an interest in working on the problem. rmarshall@gazette.net
Armed Robbery • On Jan. 27 at 9:30 p.m. in the 7900 block of Tuckerman Lane, Rockville. The subject threatened the victim with a weapon and took property. • On Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. near 7-Eleven, 5402 Randolph Road, North Bethesda. The subjects threatened the victim with a weapon and took property. • On Jan. 30 at 10 p.m. in the 300 block of Edmonston Road, Rockville. The subject threatened the victim with a weapon and took property. • On Feb. 10 at 11:30 p.m. in the 11700 block of Old Georgetown Road, Rockville. The subjects are known to the victim. • On Feb. 11 in the 3400 block of University Boulevard, Kensington. The subjects assaulted the victim with a weapon and took property. Auto Theft • On Feb. 2 or 3 in the 8800 block of Fairfax Road, Bethesda. A key was left in the vehicle. Sexual Offense • On Feb. 2 at 10 p.m. at Clyde’s, 2 Preserve Parkway, Rockville. The subject is known to the victim. Strong-Arm Robbery • On Jan. 28 at 4:20 p.m. at Elmcroft Boulevard and Marsh Hollow Place, Rockville. The subjects assaulted the victim and took property. • On Feb. 7 between 2:30 and 2:36 p.m. in the 10900 block of Bells Ridge Drive, Rockville. The subjects assaulted the victims and took property. Aggravated Assault • On Feb. 1 at 12:22 p.m. in the 7800 block of White Cliff Terrace, Rockville. The subject is known to the victim. • On Feb. 9 at 9:20 a.m. in the 1700 block of East West Highway, Silver Spring. The subject is known to the victim. Commercial Burglary • On Jan. 30 at 1:28 a.m. at Subway, 1020 Rockville Pike, Rockville. Forced entry, took property. • On Feb. 6 at 2 a.m. at Radio Shack, 5456 Westbard Ave., Bethesda. Forced entry, took property. • On Feb. 7 between midnight and 8 a.m. at Chipotle, 7600 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda. Forced entry, took property. Residential Burglary • 11800 block of Milbern Drive, Rockville, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Jan. 27. Forced entry, took property.
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