Hard to believe that court officials in Prince George's County still refuse to protect domestic violence victims while letting killers go free, but that's exactly what happened - again.
Last November, a District Court commissioner denied 37-year-old Doreen McClendon's third request for a protective order against live-in boyfriend Kevin Tinsley, a violent felon listed on Maryland's sex offender registry. Hours later, the University of Maryland secretary and mother of four was stabbed to death outside her Greenbelt apartment, allegedly by Tinsley. The system failed McClendon by not automatically issuing her a protective order when she begged for one at 2:25 a.m. after telling the commissioner that Tinsley threatened her when she tried to evict him from her apartment.
The system likewise failed 31-year-old Yvette Cade, who was granted a restraining order against estranged husband Roger Hargrave in July. But even that admittedly flimsy protection was dismissed - against her wishes - by a Prince George's District Court judge three months later, despite Hargrave's previous robbery and narcotics convictions. An audio recording of Cade's Sept. 19 hearing has her pleading with Judge Richard Palumbo not to lift the restraining order. He did anyway, ignoring her chilling description of Hargrave's out-of-control behavior. Instead of ordering Hargrave to stay away, the judge condescendingly told Cade, "Just get a lawyer and get a divorce." But she was in his courtroom for protection, not legal advice.
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