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Judge denies motion to dismiss in Riverdale domestic‑violence case after officer body‑cam played
Summary
State Court Judge Tammy Long Hayward denied a defense motion to dismiss charges against Tanisha Keandria Goodman after the state introduced an officers body‑worn camera and the alleged victim recanted in a sworn affidavit; the case remains on the trial calendar.
State Court Judge Tammy Long Hayward on a motions calendar hearing denied a motion to dismiss filed on behalf of Tanisha Keandria Goodman in a domestic‑violence prosecution after the state introduced an officer's body‑worn camera recording and the arresting officer testified. The judge also admitted the video as State's Exhibit 1 and left scheduling for further proceedings on the court calendar.
The motion, argued by defense attorney Tiffany Wright, asked the court to dismiss charges on grounds advanced in an affidavit the alleged victim filed with the clerk and by testimony that he now says he was not injured by Goodman. Prosecutor Charles Brooks responded that the officer's contemporaneous investigation, including a body‑worn camera recording and observed injuries, gave the state probable cause to pursue the case.
Why it matters: The hearing turned on competing contemporaneous evidence — the officer's on‑scene observations and video versus the alleged victim's later written affidavit recanting his earlier statements. The ruling preserves the state's ability to try the case and signals the court's deference to on‑scene investigative evidence when probable cause is asserted.
Judge Hayward heard testimony from Officer James McGriff, who said he arrived at 11:53 a.m. on Feb. 11, 2024, and observed what he described as a visible bruise on the right side of the alleged victims hip and other injuries he believed supported a battery, family‑violence charge. McGriff testified that his body‑worn camera was recording during the encounter and the state played the recording in court. After the video was played, the court called the alleged victim, Cordero Clayton, who testified that he had written and notarized a statement saying the accusations were not true: "I wrote a statement saying that the, accusations was not true. I don't live at her address," Clayton testified.
Wright told the court she had not been given a copy of the video in discovery and objected to its admission on that basis; Brooks pointed to a discovery notice that, he said, listed body‑worn camera footage as available on July 16, 2025. Hayward overruled Wright's objection and admitted the video, finding the showing sufficiently authenticated for the motion hearing.
The court distinguished between the officer's on‑scene probable‑cause assessment and the later recantation by Clayton. Hayward warned Clayton about the risk of inconsistent statements under oath and said the court must weigh contemporaneous investigative evidence. Hayward denied the defense motion to dismiss but directed that the recording remain available and that the officer be held in reserve for possible rebuttal.
Next steps: Goodman remains set on the court's calendar; the court noted the defendant is scheduled for a future calendar call. The judge urged defense counsel to review the full recording before trial and reminded the parties that discovery practice requires defense counsel to request and review video evidence in advance.
Ending: The denial leaves the state free to pursue trial on the battery/family‑violence charge. The judge said the prosecutors office and defense should confer on pretrial logistics, and she cautioned the alleged victim about testifying inconsistently with earlier recorded statements.
