DUTIES: The State’s Attorney prosecutes any cases in Calvert County in which the State may be interested. Calvert County State’s Attorney Office has four Divisions: Circuit Court: Criminal Division, Circuit Court: Child Support Division, Circuit Court: Juvenile Division, and District Court Division.SALARY: $131,700 TERM: Four (4) years. *Must be a member of the Maryland State Bar Association.HOW ELECTED: Every four (4) years by county-wide election.
Campaign Phone
443-532-4363
I have served as Calvert County State's Attorney since 2020. During that time, Calvert has had one of the lowest, if not the lowest, crime rates in the State. I ran for office in 2022 and was elected by the voters. I have over 40 years of criminal trial experience and have successfully managed the largest law firm in Calvert County.
Due to reforms in our bail laws, incarceration in Calvert County is already at an all time low. Individuals who have been charged with a crime must be detained if they pose an identifiable threat to themselves or others or present a risk of flight. My primary responsibility is public safety.
The juvenile justice system is broken. Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services suffers from chronic understaffing, lack of secure facilities, and ineffective programming. We need a substance abuse treatment facility for juveniles and a secure long-term facility for youthful violent offenders modeled on the adult program for youthful offenders at Patuxent Institution. The focus must be on holding juveniles accountable for their actions, while putting programs in place for rehabilitation.
I am a strong proponent of the Circuit Court Adult Treatment Program (drug court) which has graduated 72 individuals over the past 3 years. An attorney from my office serves on the case review committee that meets every week. In the District Court, I support the mental health docket which provides services for individuals with psychological issues. At my request, this docket was recently expanded to include military veterans and their families.
My office has a specialized unit devoted to the prosecution of DV cases, consisting of 2 attorneys, 2 victim advocates, and an investigator. We are proactive in our handling of these cases, frequently conducting our own investigation into the allegations, independent of the police. Our goal is to stop the cycle of domestic violence. I favor the elimination of the spousal privilege law so that all victims will be able to testify in court.
The State's Attorney has a role to play in educating law enforcement officers as to what practices are lawful and what practices are not. My staff and I regularly lecture at the Southern Maryland Police Academy and provide training to all rookie classes at the Sheriff's Office. My office reviews all complaints of police misconduct in conjunction with the Police Accountability Board. When laws have been broken, we have initiated appropriate criminal charges.
I do not believe that District Court Commissioners should have the authority to issue criminal charges for felonies based solely upon a citizen complaint. Such complaints should be referred to law enforcement for investigation. Currently, my office has an investigator assigned to review all citizen complaints forwarded to the courts by Commissioners to insure that sufficient evidence exists to move forward with the prosecution.
1. Promote a fair and just criminal justice system for all individuals so that our laws are upheld and the rights of criminal defendants and the rights of crime victims are respected. 2. Insure that individuals who are found to have violated the law are held accountable for their actions. 3. Preserve and protect public safety by insuring that my office has the resources to carry-out our constitutional responsibility to prosecute criminal and serious motor vehicle cases in Calvert County.
