Eleven days after police said two teenagers attacked Rochelle “Rikki” Spector in her parking garage and tried to drive away with her car, the now-retired councilwoman sat in on one of their hearings in juvenile court.
According to WBAL-TV, Spector attended the detention review hearing for a 15-year-old boy accused of attacking her along with a 13-year-old accomplice. Outside the courtroom, she said she hugged it out with the teen’s family.
“I put myself in their place. If that had been my boy, son or grandson, I would want somebody to have a heart, to understand they truly didn’t want this to happen, sorry it did happen and will do everything in their power to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” she told the TV station. She mentioned that the boy’s family, football coach and lawyer are asking for a minimized punishment. He and the other boy face assault and attempted robbery charges.
According to the station, the 15-year-old whose hearing she attended had no prior charges and in currently in house detention before he goes to court next month. The 13-year-old, on the other hand, had an eventful year in which he was charged with carjacking, auto theft, robbery, assault and destruction of property. Spector said she plans to attend his hearing, too.
In one of her last days in office, Spector was attacked while getting into her car at her gated community off of Key Highway. Police said she was thrown to the ground and that the two teens took her car and tried to drive out of the gate, but were stopped by garage security. The 15-year-old was arrested on the spot, while the 13-year-old ran away and was caught several days later. Spector suffered bruises and was hospitalized as a result of the attack.
It seems she’s found some forgiveness in her heart and has taken a personal interest in juvenile justice following the incident. “The system isn’t working for the kids, not working for us. You can look at me and see that,” she told WBAL.
