Domestic violence case dismissed by judge over address snafu
DETROIT, (WJBK) - Tradrec Hill is angry that she has to head back to court next week. Judge Patricia Jefferson at 36 District Court dismissed her domestic violence complaint last week based on insufficient evidence about where the incident took place.
"As we were getting ready to go to trial, the jurors were lined up ready to come in, I had an advocate come out and ask me about my address," Hill said. "I said to her that I lived in Detroit. She stated since Redford was on my paperwork that the Judge stated the case was going to be dismissed because I lived in Redford."
Although the police report, the court documents, even tax property information all state the home Hill and her child used to live in on Five Points is located in the city of Detroit, the judge improperly dismissed the case.
The assistant prosecutor for Wayne County, Maria Miller confirms what happened in court, but doesn't know why Judge Jefferson made the decision to dismiss the case or understand why there appeared to have been a lack of evidence for the location.
"This whole side of the street is Detroit. That side is Redford," she said. "They have different garbage days, they have different bulk days. Everything is completely different. Regardless of what the mail system says, this is Detroit, that is Redford, same zip code and everything."
This whole situation goes back to July of last year, when Javier Madison, the father of Hill's child came to the house and got into a verbal argument for Hill sitting on the porch with another guy.
Hill claims Madison left, then came back, and caused damage to the property after she locked her doors.
"He started banging on the kitchen window," she said. "That was too thick for him to break, so he started kicking in the screen door."
Hill also claims Madison continue to make threats on the phone after he left once more, and police arrived.
"The police actually stood out here and heard him say 'I'm going to kill you for having someone around my baby,'" she said.
After the mistake last week, the Wayne County prosecutor's office quickly clarified with the Judge, and now the pretrial is scheduled for next week.
"We have to start the process all over again from the beginning because she dismissed the case."
The judge returned our call on Friday and stands by the prosecutor did not provide the right evidence to prove where the incident took place in Detroit. She also said the case was dismissed without prejudice.
“The zip code on the police report that was a Detroit zip code, was crossed out and another zip code was entered in, which was a Redford Township zip code,” said Judge Jefferson.
Hill says she is frustrated because this is a misdemeanor case that's been ongoing since last year.
"She keeps adjourning the case for him and I have no idea why," she said.
Madison was arraigned on Monday after the mix up, and released on a $5,000 personal bond. There is a court order for him to stay away from Hill.