A man who was arrested for allegedly kidnapping a woman he knew and engaging in a standoff with police on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda on Friday will remain in jail following a bond hearing Monday afternoon in Montgomery County District Court.
District Court Judge Rand Lewis Gelber ordered Robert Deeter, 31, of Bethesda, to remain held without bond on charges of kidnapping, first-degree assault, stalking, harassment and multiple handgun charges related to Friday’s incident. Since his Friday evening arrest, Deeter has been held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Boyds, according to online records.
At the hearing in Rockville on Monday, Deeter’s attorney, Robert Bonsib, requested to waive Deeter’s right to a bail review, alluding to an anticipated high bail because of the severity of the charges. Bonsib declined to comment to Bethesda Today following the hearing.
Donna Fenton, an attorney for the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, said at Monday’s hearing that the woman Deeter allegedly kidnapped on Friday was his ex-girlfriend’s sister. She also noted that his alleged actions on Friday violated his current probation for a harassment charge.
“The victims are absolutely terrified,” the attorney told District Court Judge Rand Lewis Gelber.
According to digital court records, the harassment charge stems from a May 2023 incident for which Deeter received three years of supervised probation that would end July 2027.
Deeter is expected to return to the District Court on May 16 for a preliminary hearing, digital court records indicate.
The incident
Just after 2:30 p.m. on Friday, the county’s emergency communications center received a call regarding the kidnapping, Chief of Patrol Darren Francke told Bethesda Today on Friday evening. The caller was the woman’s sister and she reported that the woman had been kidnapped by Deeter and that he had a gun held to her head.
Police officers responded to the 10300 block of Old Georgetown Road and spoke with the caller, according to a Friday police press release. Officers then gathered information about the incident and determined the report was a “credible” threat, Francke said, determining that Deeter was driving the woman in a red Toyota RAV4 SUV.
“We pulled in multiple units, including undercover units and also dispatched [mobile] drones in case we couldn’t find the people,” Francke said. A Maryland State Police helicopter was also deployed.
Just before 4 p.m., undercover officers spotted the Toyota in the 7000 block of Democracy Boulevard, according to police.
The officers then followed the vehicle southbound on I-270. As they followed, they saw the woman jump out of the moving SUV as it exited onto Rockledge Drive, Francke said.
“There were undercover officers there to ensure her safety and verify a crime occurred,” Francke said. “The rest of the tactical team went down the road and a short time later stopped the vehicle here on Old Georgetown Road.”
According to Francke, the vehicle stopped near Wyngate Road.
There, the officers and Deeter were in a standoff for about 30 minutes, according to Francke. The department’s Emergency Response Team were also on scene, according to police.
Meanwhile, several streets near Old Georgetown Road were shut down, police posted on social media, saying officers were dealing with a barricaded person in the area of Old Georgetown Road and Beech Avenue.
“He was refusing to come out the vehicle,” Francke said, adding that a police negotiator made contact with Deeter and spoke with him until he exited the vehicle around 5:05 p.m.
Francke said Deeter was taken into custody without incident and a firearm was recovered from the vehicle. No injuries reported. Francke noted the woman may have scratches from diving out of the vehicle.
“She’s shaken up but she’s good,” Francke said.
