Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates has committed to implementing reforms within his office following the wrongful arrest and prolonged house arrest of a Baltimore teen, Deryl Bright Jr., who spent seven months on an ankle monitor for an attempted carjacking he did not commit.

Bright, then 17 and a senior at Green Street Academy, was arrested in February after being identified by school administrators from a police video still related to a January 23 incident. Three teenagers assaulted a victim and attempted to steal his vehicle at a McDonald’s on Frederick Avenue. Despite being in class during the time of the crime, Bright was charged as an adult with carjacking, theft, and second-degree assault. His mother, Yinka Bryant, provided school attendance records and character references which showed he was at school as an alibi, but the State’s Attorney’s Office continued to pursue charges until they were dismissed on September 16.

Bates acknowledged mistakes within his office’s handling of the case, including failures to conduct comprehensive evidence reviews or fully consider alibi information provided directly by Bright’s family. He said his office had identified “holes” in their processes and planned to initiate several changes, such as instituting multiple checkpoints to better review evidence, ensuring all evidence submitted by defendants or their families is properly routed, and creating a part-time “felony screener” position to oversee cases and recommend dismissals where appropriate. Bates, a former defense attorney, expressed personal accountability for the errors and apologized to Bright and his family.

However, Bates also criticized the defense team, citing a lack of motions filed to challenge the evidence and trigger early review of Bright’s alibi. He noted the coordination between defense attorneys and prosecutors is essential given the volume of cases the office manages annually. The Baltimore District Public Defender, Marguerite Lanaux, disputed this assessment, asserting her office responded appropriately and engaged with prosecutors to provide exculpatory evidence. Lanaux emphasized that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution, and that it is incumbent upon them to investigate when presented with credible claims of mistaken identity.

Baltimore-based criminal defense attorney Brad MacFee also criticized the protracted nature of the case, stating that Bright’s defense should have been resolved within days or weeks. MacFee explained that steps such as obtaining affidavits from Bright’s teachers or requesting school security footage would have made the alibi clear early on. He suggested that the prosecution failed to adequately vet evidence before moving forward.

The case revealed multiple investigative shortcomings. Police did not verify Bright’s school attendance through security footage or bus records, nor did they attempt to confirm his phone’s location during the incident. Additionally, Bright’s physical description did not match that of the suspect, yet officers still arrested him. Baltimore Police spokeswoman Lindsay Eldridge said the department planned to meet with leadership to review the case.

Bright’s mother, Yinka Bryant, described the ordeal as a systemic failure and criticized both the prosecution and defense for not acting sooner. She praised Bates’ willingness to acknowledge responsibility and initiate reforms but expressed frustration that greater care and investigation were not exercised from the outset. “They should have never arrested him before doing more investigating,” she said.

Bates said the reforms are intended to prevent similar situations in the future and improve the accuracy and fairness of case processing. While Bryant called the steps “a start,” she underscored the importance of accountability and thorough investigation to protect innocent individuals from wrongful prosecution.