Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges in Broad Daylight Kidnapping and Assault
Defendant Abducted Girlfriend After High-Speed Chase

WASHINGTON—Christopher Devese, 22, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, has pled guilty to charges stemming from an incident in which he abducted his pregnant girlfriend from a gas station, robbed her, and then assaulted her, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen, Jr. announced today.

Devese pled guilty on July 9, 2013, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to charges of kidnapping, assault with a dangerous weapon, robbery, and felony contempt. The plea is contingent upon the approval of the Honorable John Ramsey Johnson, who scheduled sentencing for September 13, 2013. If the court accepts the plea at the time of sentencing, Devese will be sentenced to a period of incarceration between four and seven years.

According to the government’s evidence, on April 27, 2013, at about 12:30 p.m., Devese chased his girlfriend, the victim, in a car from Capitol Heights, Maryland, into the District of Columbia, as she sped through red lights trying to get away from him. The victim, who had called 911 for help while being pursued by Devese, was finally cornered in a gas station parking lot in the 4900 block of South Dakota Avenue NE. Devese smashed the car window to get into the car and pulled his girlfriend out. He then put her into his car and drove her to an unknown alley in the District of Columbia, where he repeatedly assaulted her, including beating her in the stomach with his casted fist. During the assault, he also robbed the victim of her cell phone, which police recovered from him when he was arrested. Devese then drove the victim back to Capitol Heights, Maryland, where he assaulted her again before his mother came to the victim’s aid.

In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit and the FBI/MPD Violent Crimes Task Force. He also praised those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson, Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key, and Intern Lucie Enns. Finally, he commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Mervin A. Bourne, Jr., who investigated and indicted the case.