Attorney General’s Office Investigating In-Custody Death In Queen Anne’s County

CENTREVILLE, MD – Maryland State Police are working with the Independent Investigations Division of the Office of the Attorney General, which is investigating the death of a man in custody Friday night at the Maryland State Police Centreville Barrack.

At 7:36 p.m. on Friday, troopers from the Centreville Barrack conducted a traffic stop on a black Cadillac DTS sedan on U.S. 301 at McGinnes Road. The troopers arrested the driver for possession of a controlled substance and transported him back to the Centreville Barrack for processing. At the time of the arrest, he was conscious, cooperative and responsive to questions.

About two hours after arriving at the barracks, the driver, who was in a cell, began exhibiting signs of distress and became unresponsive. Troopers rendered aid, and immediately notified emergency medical services for assistance. EMS personnel transported him by ambulance to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 11:44 p.m.

During the 2021 Legislative Session, the Maryland General Assembly passed SB600, tasking the Office of Attorney General with conducting criminal investigations of all officer-involved fatalities beginning October 1, 2021. These investigations are conducted by the office’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) in conjunction with the Maryland State Police.

Maryland State Police has issued a protocol for cases that involve state police personnel. Under those protocols, as soon as practicable after the department’s initial response, MSP will make every reasonable effort to staff the investigation with department personnel who are assigned to a different region of the state. Maryland State Police will also conduct a comprehensive inquiry to determine whether any MSP personnel involved in the investigation has a conflict of interest.

There is camera footage of some parts of the incident. According to state protocol, the IID will generally release camera footage within 14 days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 14 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to redact the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public. Further media inquiries will be handled by the Office of the Attorney General.