WASHINGTON (AP) — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed her frustration on Monday with a Superior Court judge’s decision to release a 15-year-old carjacking suspect instead of keeping her in a secure facility pending trial on robbery charges. The judge’s ruling allowed the teenager to go home, but shortly after, she was allegedly involved in a carjacking that resulted in a fatal crash.

Bowser criticized the judge’s decision, stating that the teenager had been arrested seven times for carjacking and should have been placed in secure detention. The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services does not make the decision on where the suspect is held; that responsibility lies with the judges. Bowser emphasized the need for consequences, stating that a secure environment could provide the necessary services for young offenders.

The details of the case and the teenager’s previous carjacking arrests remain sealed, but the court confirmed robbery charges from April and armed carjacking charges from the recent incident. The suspect’s attorney argued that she was not guilty and may not have been involved in the carjacking.

The judge had initially ordered the teenager to be held in a secure house while awaiting trial. However, when a suitable placement couldn’t be found, the judge allowed her to go home with a GPS monitor. Just six days later, the teenager allegedly participated in the carjacking, with her GPS monitor reportedly dead and no record of reporting for supervision or attending school.

Issues with finding secure placements for minors have been cited as a persistent problem by the judge. Meanwhile, the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services faced a $2.3 million budget cut in the 2024 fiscal year amid a surge in juvenile crime.

The case is scheduled for another hearing on November 13. D.C.’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services emphasized the need for considering the safety of the public when making pre-trial detention decisions and called for the passage of Mayor Bowser’s proposed Safer Stronger Amendment Act to address the risks associated with youth involved in violent or dangerous crimes.

Overall, the incident raises questions about the handling of juvenile offenders and the need for a secure environment that provides necessary services while ensuring public safety.