Hagerstown man gets time served, mental health treatment in case tied to 2021 shooting

A Hagerstown man received time served in a plea deal Monday related to a June 4, 2021, shooting on Jonathan Street.

Washington County Circuit Court Judge Brett R. Wilson ordered Carlton Hudson Jr., 47, to be on supervised probation for three years, including going after his Monday hearing to a Baltimore County, Md., mental health program.

Assistant Public Defender Robert Sheehan told Wilson that Hudson, all along, has wanted help and felt he needed it. Hudson has already started getting treatment, Sheehan said.

Hudson had most recently been held at the state's Clifton T. Perkins Hospital, a maximum-security forensic psychiatric hospital in Howard County, Md. He was evaluated to determine if he was competent to stand trial.

Hudson had been facing several charges, including attempted first-degree murder, for the 2021 shooting.

He was one of two men accused of shooting at each other around 3 p.m. that Friday.

Hudson was arrested without incident on June 11 outside a motel in Charlotte, N.C., by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, Hagerstown Police have said.

The other shooter, who was not hit, had not been identified, Hagerstown Police said back in June 2021.

When Wilson asked the prosecutor Monday if a victim in Hudson's case had ever come forward, Assistant State's Attorney Chris McCormack said, "No, your honor."

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Defendant in June 2021 Hagerstown shooting found competent to assist in his defense

Hudson was found incompetent to stand trial in October 2022 and November 2023, according to his case docket. Generally, that means that health officials determined he was not competent to assist in his defense.

During Monday's hearing, Wilson referred to forensic psychological evaluations of Hudson, including a state report stating Hudson is competent to stand trial. Wilson said there was a "heavy body of evidence" that Hudson was "malingering" or intentionally trying to frustrate the system.

Wilson said he found Hudson to be aware and capable of assisting in his defense.

Sheehan told Wilson that he believed "genuinely" that Hudson was not competent in the beginning.

Hudson told Wilson, "I really do need the help," and that he's been through a lot in life.

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Plea reached in June 2021 Hagerstown attempted murder case

McCormack and Sheehan reached a deal in which Hudson, in the June 2021 shooting case, pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm due to a disqualifying event in his background. Other charges in the case were dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Wilson sentenced Hudson to five years in state prison, suspending all but 784 days already served.

The work of both offices makes this the best outcome for the community and for Hudson, Wilson said.

"Things may have been different if the victim" had been involved in the prosecution, Wilson said.

As part of his supervised probation, Hudson must successfully complete the mental health program in Baltimore County, Wilson said.

Sheehan, after the hearing, said he was glad the case was resolved in a way that allows Hudson to get the help that "he needs and knows he needs."

Sheehan said he was grateful for the assistance of Kimberly Vocke, a licensed certified clinical social worker with the public defender's office.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown man pleads in case tied to Jonathan Street shooting in 2021