D.A. drops all charges against Kito Lockwood

Gun-related charges against Kito Lockwood, Malverne High School’s varsity football coach, were dropped this past Friday.

“There was insufficient evidence to support the allegations that he had committed any crime,” Frederick Brewington, Lockwood’s lawyer, said on Monday. “That’s important, because it required the system to say, essentially, that they made a mistake.”

Lockwood, who was raised in Lakeview and has coached at Malverne High for 15 years, faced three counts of criminal possession of a firearm and three counts of criminal possession of a weapon. DA office announced his indictment on Sept. 14 during a Nassau County Police Department raid of an alleged drug trafficking ring in West Hempstead. Lockwood was not charged with any drug-related offenses.

“Based upon our continued investigation and information obtained after this defendant was indicted, we now believe that only one single individual had dominion and control over the firearms, that individual not being this defendant,” a spokesperson for the Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement. “As a result of this newly discovered information, we believe that dismissal is appropriate in the interest of justice.”

Donnelly’s office initially wanted to drop the charges against Lockwood “in the interest of justice,” according to Brewington — though in that case, he explained, the legal record would not have noted Lockwood’s innocence. To Brewington and Lockwood, that was not enough. It was important to them to unequivocally prove that was no basis for charging Lockwood with a crime.

Ultimately the D.A.’s office dismissed the charges, Brewington said, because it was unable to prove the case against him, and in the interest of justice.

“That dismissal is something you don’t hear all the time, especially at this level,” Brewington said. “That’s important, because that is an admission that the charges themselves didn’t hold water.”

Lockwood had not responded to the Herald’s request for comment as the Herald went to press on Monday.

The dismissal is huge for members of the Lakeview and Malverne community, who have voiced their support for Lockwood since he was charged. Soon after his indictment more than 60 neighbors — including several former and current Malverne High football players — gathered in Harold Walker Memorial Park to stand in solidarity with Lockwood.

“It’s about: we love each other, we know each other,” the Rev. Latesha Tucker, of the Power of Prayer Evangelical Ministries Church, in West Hempstead, on Sunday. “If it wasn’t for love, who’s to say that people would show up to support him?”

People at the September rally spoke of Lockwood’s character, sharing stories of how he kept kids out of trouble, taught them respect and compassion, and served as a father figure for those who needed it. It was evident, the community seemed to agree, that Lockwood had nothing to do with the alleged drug ring’s activity.

“I think this has historic impact for the community,” Brewington said of the charges being dropped. “It was their belief, to the bone, that Kito Lockwood was worth them standing up, was worth them voicing their support.”

The Malverne school district also stood behind Lockwood. Superintendent Lorna Lewis did not suspend Lockwood from his coaching position — a nearly unprecedented move for a faculty member facing criminal charges.

“There is an opportunity here for everyone to see how easily, potentially, it could have been to ruin Mr. Lockwood’s life,” Brewington said. “If the school district didn’t stand behind him, he could have lost his job or been suspended. He may have missed this entire season with the young men he had been working with and helped to bring them to a level of success.”

Lockwood’s exoneration meant a lot to the kids he coaches, Tucker said. “To see the relief from my son’s face,” she said of her son, who is a sophomore at the high school and plays football, “now I can say that he still has his coach by his side for the next couple of years as he’s here in this school.”

Lockwood not only led the Mules to the county semifinals this season, but remained a source of support to kids who needed him — including one student who had lost his father. Thanks to Lakeview’s and Malverne’s support, Brewington said, Lockwood was able to continue cultivating a sense of family on the football team that players relied on.

“That’s the type of leadership that was provided during the year, but also was only allowed to be provided because the community stood with him,” Brewington said.

“Internally, this has been gnawing at this guy,” he added of Lockwood, “but he stood firmly, never put his head down, and proclaimed his innocence.”