A Lancaster woman was convicted Tuesday of helping a man charged with shooting a child avoid police for months after the May 2015 shooting.
Lancaster County President Judge Dennis Reinaker found Monea A. Mitchell guilty of felony hindering apprehension, following a day-long, non-jury trial.
Reinaker then sentenced Mitchell to five years of supervision - three months on house-arrest, followed by two months of intensive supervision, with the remainder served on traditional probation.
Assistant District Attorney Kevin McGarry said in court that Mitchell helped Justin Lamar Davis avoid being arrested for one of “the most serious charges” in our criminal justice system.
Davis was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and related counts for shooting into an occupied vehicle on May 6, 2015, on Locust Street. A 2-year-old boy was shot in the foot.
McGarry presented witnesses and testimony that showed Mitchell signed Davis, her boyfriend at the time, into hotels – using an alias - and provided him transportation while intentionally misleading police.
McGarry asked for “some restriction of liberty” in Mitchell’s sentence.
“For the better part of two months, (she was) moving him and hiding him. She did lie to the police,” McGarry said. “This wasn’t (after) a bar fight; this is shooting into a car-full of people.”
While ordering sentence, President Judge Reinaker lamented over individuals who refuse to cooperate with police, and in some instances, work against them.
“They are criticized routinely for not being able to solve crimes,” Reinaker said. “Yet, people in communities aren’t willing to step forward and assist them in doing so.”
President Judge Reinaker asked Mitchell for an explanation.
“I’ve never been in a situation like this in my life. I didn’t know what my position was supposed to be,” Mitchell said. “I know that a kid being hurt is serious. I just didn’t know really what was going on.”
Mitchell was not at the shooting scene.
Davis was arrested on July 5, 2015. He pleaded guilty last year to aggravated assault and related counts and is serving 5 to 12 years in prison.
Lancaster city police Detective Captain Michael Winters filed charges against Mitchell and Davis.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright