Court records show Jamal Washington’s 2019 criminal case for attacking LaVetta Sparks-Wade was delayed Friday after a judge opted to take more time to review the case.
Washington, 49, of Merrillville, a former Lake County councilman, pleaded guilty July 9 to criminal confinement, a Level 6 felony, and domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor.
The plea deal calls for him to avoid prison.
Under the terms, he would serve 2.5 years probation and complete a batterer’s intervention program. Down the line, he could petition to knock the Level 6 felony down to a misdemeanor.
Court filings show instead of sentencing him, Judge Natalie Bokota took the plea under advisement after hearing a victim impact statement. The sentencing hearing was reset for Aug. 30.
Sparks-Wade, a former Gary city councilwoman, a former mayoral candidate and current city parks department head, could not be immediately reached.
Police were called the morning of Jan. 30, 2019, to Sparks-Wade’s home on Martin Luther King Drive in Gary for a welfare check, a probable cause affidavit states. Sparks-Wade told police the two had been arguing on Jan. 29, including when she told Washington that she was going to make another person her campaign manager, according to the affidavit.
Washington “started to strike her in her back, arm and head areas with his fists,” and threw her cellphone at her, “striking her in the mouth,” according to the affidavit.
Washington threatened to “knock her out” and “kill her,” according to the affidavit, and Sparks-Wade said “she feared for her life.”
On the morning of Jan. 30, Sparks-Wade was able to text somebody and police were called to the house, according to the affidavit.
Washington’s former political career was overshadowed by a trail of domestic-related criminal charges.
At the time, fellow council members and the county’s Democratic Party chairman called for him to resign. In 2018, Washington lost a primary bid to unseat Lake County Commissioner Kyle Allen, D-1st.
In December 2017, Washington was charged with counts of intimidation, criminal confinement, battery and interference with the reporting of a crime.
Washington allegedly choked the woman and threw her down twice and broke her phone, as well as threatened to hit her with a mallet, according to court documents. She contacted police the next day but later recanted her statement.
He got time served after he was convicted of lower charges – misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor interference with the reporting of a crime.
Washington was charged in 2015 with strangulation and domestic battery.
When police arrived at Washington’s home on Dec. 3, 2015, a woman told police that Washington is her boss and that she had been reprimanded at work. The second woman told police she could hear Washington yelling at the first woman over the work incident and the sound of her being struck, followed by the woman crying, court records state. The woman said Washington struck her twice with a piece of wooden trim and bit her on the nose after he put his hands around her neck, the probable cause affidavit states.
He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and got probation.
In the 2019 case, Jessica Arnold and Arturo Balcazar are the deputy prosecutors, while lawyer Darnail Lyles represents Washington.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
mcolias@post-trib.com
