Teen sent off for behavior counseling in stabbing case

Man injured at speedway

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009

The injured man's parents said at last Wednesday's court hearing that their main concern was for the 15-year-old Calvert County boy to receive rehabilitation. Their son, 21-year-old Adam Edward Layman of White Hall, also was there, having recovered from a knife wound to his chest.

"I'm lucky to be here," Layman said, concurring with his parents' recommendation. "We all make mistakes," he said.

The juvenile suspect from Chesapeake Beach was detained after his arrest by authorities alleging he stabbed Layman at Potomac Speedway's camping site. Layman was released from a hospital two days after he was flown there by a helicopter.

The teenage suspect was freed last month from custody after the judge was told that a psychological examination has determined that the youth was not a danger to the community, and that he had attained the highest level of privileges during a month at the Cheltenham Youth Facility.

St. Mary's Assistant State's Attorney Julie White asked last week that the boy be placed in the behavioral modification program in light of "several issues raised about [his] impulse control," and to help him continue his rehabilitative progress.

Defense lawyer John McKenna requested that his client be allowed to remain with his parents and receive counseling as he continues going to school.

"He accepts responsibility for what he did. He has been remorseful," the lawyer said. "He was clearly reckless. He was drinking. He took possession of the knife [that] was handed to him."

The lawyer said the teenager tried to pull away another juvenile who was fighting with Layman, before Layman was injured with the knife.

"I don't think he knows as he sits here today how he stabbed Mr. Layman," the lawyer said.

The teenager said, "I'm sorry for the Layman family for everything that I caused."

The boy's father said he should have kept his son with the family in their motor home that night in the speedway's camping area, but St. Mary's Judge Michael J. Stamm said the boy's parents had done their job.

"You were doing what a parent does," Stamm said. "You were allowing him to make his own way, and he didn't do that."

The judge told the teenager that he had instead let other people at the camping site lead him into misconduct.

"You allowed two people to cause you to be here," Stamm said.

The judge praised the Laymans for coming to court with "forgiveness in their hearts," and he told the teenager that he was "extremely fortunate" that his conduct had not resulted in a charge of manslaughter or murder.

The boy was released to his parents to await placement in Cheltenham's reduced security Re-Direct program.

"It's going to give you skills to choose your friends wisely," Stamm said.

The prosecutor said $4,542 in restitution has been requested.

After the Aug. 21 incident, Layman was charged with second-degree assault through another Calvert County teenager's charging application alleging Layman threatened and punched him earlier that night at the speedway.

Prosecutors dismissed the charge against Layman earlier this month. A family member of the youth filing the charges application wrote last week that prosecutors did not consider witnesses supporting the boy's account of that incident.

jwharton@somdnews.com