Man Charged in Long Reach Fight Asks for Jury Trial

The 40-year-old man charged with assault related to a fight in March at  appeared in Howard County's District Court Friday.

Wearing a prison jumpsuit, Donnell Maurice Vannison, of Columbia, told the judge he's currently being treated for manic depression. He said he left school in the seventh grade.

Vannison  in March after he allegedly attempted to assault a 17-year-old at Long Reach High School while wearing a ski mask; he was  by the teen in a videotaped confrontation that went viral on the website WorldStarHipHop.com.

For the second-degree assault charge, the prosecutor asked the judge to sentence Vannison to five years, with all but 18 months suspended.

Judge Ricardo Zwaig asked Vannison multiple times if he'd like an attorney. Vannison had initially waived his right to an attorney, but after questions from the judge, opted for a jury trial and public defender.

"Mr. Vannison may have some issues that are of concern to his mental health," Zwaig told the prosecutor.

A group of Vannison's supporters, who had waved to him as he entered the courtroom, declined to comment on the case after the hearing.

School officials said at the time of the incident at Long Reach that it may have been related to a previous occurrence in which the male student involved in the confrontation reportedly threw french fries at a 15-year-old female. Vannison was friends with the female student's family. 

Vannison is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 27 for a settlement conference.

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