COURT NEWS Devonte Shubrooks Convicted of Felony Rape of 11-Year-Old Child

COURT NEWS Devonte Shubrooks Convicted of Felony Rape of 11-Year-Old Child

LEONARDTOWN, MD – A St. Mary’s County jury found career criminal Devonte Arnez Shubrooks, 29, (DOB 07/12/1993) of California, Maryland, guilty of Felony First-Degree Assault for the strangulation of an 11-year-old child on March 9, 2023. Shubrooks was charged with the rape of the child by St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Department Deputy James Ware on May 5, 2022.

On May 1, 2022, Detective Corporal James Bare responded to the 46000 block of Midway Drive in Lexington Park for the report of a sexual assault. The deputy determined that Shubrooks entered the residence and sexually assaulted an 11-year-old child.

Shubrooks was arrested and charged with: First-Degree Rape; Second-Degree Rape; Third-Degree Sexual Offense; Fourth-Degree Sexual Offense: Sexual Contact; First-Degree Assault; Second-Degree Assault, and Home Invasion.

Shubrooks has a lengthy criminal record, including a felony first-degree assault conviction in 2018.

Sarah Proctor, Special Victims Unit (SVU) Chief for the Office of the State’s Attorney for St. Mary’s County, prosecuted the case. She said, “Events of trauma to children are never easy for the child to re-tell, especially in a court setting; in this case, the child showed her strength.”

State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling said, “I want to extend appreciation to the jury members for their time and attention during the trial, to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office for their diligence and professionalism throughout the investigation of this case, and to SVU Chief Sarah Proctor for never shying away from prosecuting tough cases.”

The conviction carries a maximum penalty of 25 years of incarceration. Shubrooks is being held without bond in the St. Mary’s County Jail pending sentencing. When Shubrooks arrives in a Maryland prison for a term of perhaps twenty-five years, he will find he will be popular as a party favor with the lifers in that his size of being 5’6″ and 140 pounds, especially after they learned that he raped a child.

St. Mary’s Circuit Court Judge Joseph M. Stanalonis presided over the case.

Prior Shooting in Shopping Center

The St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Department issued an alert for the apprehension of Shubrooks when he was wanted for a shooting incident in the St. Mary’s Square Shopping Center in Lexington Park’s center on September 5, 2017.

 Deputies reported that the victim identified the suspect as Devonte Arnez Shubrooks, 24, who was in the shopping center and that Shubrooks became involved with the victim in a heated dispute.

The victim told police that Shubrooks entered a vehicle, and as the car pulled away, he began shooting at the victim but failed to make any bullets hit the victim. Based on the victim report, the Sheriff’s Department obtained warrants against Shubrooks for first-degree assault, a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm while in the commission of a crime of violence. The St. Mary’s County Circuit Court Grand Jury indicted Devonte Shubrooks on December 6, 2017, on two felony counts of first-degree assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Two misdemeanor charges were also charged for shooting from a car and using a gun. On March 30, 2018, Shubrooks entered guilty pleas to first-degree assault and shooting from a vehicle in the shopping center.

Failed to Register as Sex Offender for Sex Assault of Toddler

On Thursday, October 31, 2013, Detective Corporal Raddatz of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department, Criminal Investigation Division, charged Devonte Arnez Shubrooks, 20, of Lexington Park, with Failure to Register as a Tier III Sex Offender after he was ordered to do so by the Circuit Court for St. Mary’s County.

Shubrooks was arrested and transported to the St. Mary’s County Jail and charged with Failure to Register as required.

Maryland court records show that Shubrooks was convicted on July 21, 2008, of a sexual offense involving an underage minor. The crime was committed against someone under his care, authority, or supervision. Shubrooks knew the victim, and when the offense occurred, the victim was a toddler.

According to court documents, Shubrooks appeared before District Court Commissioner Roy Wetzel and was released on Personal Recognizance on October 31, 2013. On December 11, 2014, in front of District Court Judge Richard Cooper, St. Mary’s States Attorney Richard Fritz put the charge on the Stet Docket.