Green, 34, is a Washington resident with a long criminal record. In April he was charged with possession of a handgun without a license and one of the terms of his release was he was required to wear a GPS ankle bracelet. He was also ordered not to leave his apartment.
On May 14, Dana Hamilton, 44, was shot to death on a Washington street. Six days later, a witness came forward and identified Green as the shooter. But police said that could not be. After checking the records of the GPS tracker for the relevant days, police determined Green was complying with his house arrest. Not only had he not left his apartment, he did not appear to have moved at all. Green had an alibi.
But surveillance video near the scene of the killing showed a man that appeared to be Green, walking with a limp.
In what has been described as an “unprecedented incident,” the technician who fitted Green with tracker put it on his prosthetic leg. While removing or even tampering with the GPS device alerts authorities, it is alleged Green simply took the prosthesis off, put on a spare, and left his apartment. Police executed a search warrant at Green’s residence and found the prosthetic leg with the GPS tracker intact in a box.
Green was arrested last Friday and charged with murder.
In Washington, those who are released while facing charges are monitored by the Pre-trial Services Agency for the District of Columbia. The agency’s director, Cliff Keenan, said it was human error that the tracker was put on the prosthesis.
The Pre-trial Services Agencies contracts out the fitting of ankle bracelets to Sentinel Services of California. Keenan said during the last three years, GPS devices were placed on over 5,000 people without a problem. The agency is waiting to hear back from Sentinel about exactly what happened in this case.
The District of Columbia has essentially done away with releasing suspects on bond. They are either released on their own recognizance or must wear a GPS device.
The DC Police Union was none to happy with what happened, complaining police put their lives on the line to protect people and then something like this happens. The union’s chief steward noted these devices should be touching the skin. In Green’s case, it was attached to a sock and the technician obviously did not realize his leg was a prosthesis.
Police do not yet have a motive for Hamilton’s killing.
