No Bail For Former Bel Air Bank Teller Charged In Home Invasion

BEL AIR, MD — The man charged in a home invasion in Bel Air Monday night will be held without bail. Harford County District Court Judge Mimi Cooper said there were no circumstances in which public safety could be ensured if the former bank teller were released.

Nathan Michael Newell, 19, is charged with home invasion, robbery, two counts of second-degree assault and one count of first-degree assault. He appeared in the courtroom on a video monitor and has been held at the Harford County Detention Center since his arrest Wednesday.

A lifelong resident of Harford County, Newell had been working two jobs, one at Freedom Federal Credit Union and another at Wegmans, his attorney said, later adding Newell no longer works for the bank.

Related:

• Bel Air Bank Teller Charged In Home Invasion: Sheriff
• Bel Air Home Invasion Injures 2, Official Says

Newell is accused of following a bank customer home after the man withdrew a large sum of cash. Two residents were injured, including one who was in the intensive care days later, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors described the allegations in the case and the injuries that resulted as "egregious."

Deputies responded to the 1800 block of Still Pond Way at 8:25 p.m. Monday for a reported home invasion. According to law enforcement officials, Newell rang the doorbell, then pushed his way into the home and assaulted the 78-year-old man who answered the door.

"He started punching the victim in the face," the prosecutor said, adding Newell reportedly knocked the man to the floor and strangled him for about 20 seconds.

The man's stepdaughter appeared with a gun that was unloaded, the prosecutor said.

"That did not phase the defendant," she said. "He continued the assault on both victims."

Authorities said both the 78-year-old man and 57-year-old woman were hurt. The woman was treated at the scene, and her stepfather was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

The man was in the intensive care unit as of Wednesday, the prosecutor said at Friday's hearing. She said he had suffered a broken leg, badly bruised eye socket, two loose teeth and heart issues as a result of the attack. His step-daughter had a cut on the right side of her face, she said.

"We believe that he is a substantial danger to the public," she said of Newell, requesting he remain behind bars.

Steven Levine, the public defender representing Newell for his initial appearance, asked the judge to set bond and allow for mental health provisions.

"He had a couple of traumatic events that have occurred in his life," Levine said. Last year, the teen's father killed himself; and when Newell was 7, his older brother, who was 15 at the time, also took his own life, according to Levine.

"That probably contributes in terms of some of the mental health issues in this case," Levine said.

"I would ask that bond be set in this matter and perhaps maybe some pretrial arrangements could be made in terms of some mental health facility," Levine added.

In Cooper’s ruling, she did not address mental health. Patch has reached out to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the Harford County Detention Center, for comment on what services are available at the detention center for those awaiting trial.

Newell's mother, who had been seated in the courtroom with her hands clasped, began to cry upon hearing her son was denied bail. By her side were his girlfriend and grandmother. All declined to comment.

Newell lived with his grandparents and girlfriend, graduated from Edgewood High School, was taking classes at Harford Community College and recently purchased a car, according to his attorney.

"He’s been supporting himself financially significantly," Levine said.

During the hearing, when the judge asked Newell whether he would like to say anything on his behalf about whether he was a flight risk or a danger to the public — the factors at issue in a bail review — the video monitor froze.

The court would have to call back, she said. When he reappeared, the judge did not repeat the question or ask him to speak on his behalf but instead summarized the two sides of the case in her opinion.

As far as being a flight risk, Cooper said Newell was employed, had no criminal history, had a place to live and did not have a history of failing to appear.

"On the other side, the facts in this case indicate that the defendant was in a position of trust and that he took very serious advantage of that trust and victimized somebody who was very vulnerable [and] in fact suffered significant injuries based on the crime that occurred," Cooper said. Because of that, she said: "I don’t believe...that there are any pretrial release conditions that would ensure public safety."

Newell will be held without bail pending trial.