Frederick's Free Talk

 
 
 
 
No Charges Against Deputies Involved In The In-Custody Death Of New Market Man
Friday, March 22, 2013    
Share Email Bookmark

A grand jury has decided not to indict three Maryland sheriff's deputies in the death of a man with Down Syndrome.

State's Attorney Charles Smith said Friday that Lt. Scott Jewell, Sgt. Rich Rochford and Deputy First Class James Harris would not face criminal charges.

Twenty-six-year-old Robert Ethan Saylor, of New Market, suffocated to death Jan. 12 at the Westview Stadium 16 Cinema, in Frederick.

The Frederick County Sheriff's Office says the deputies were moonlighting as mall security officers when they were called because Saylor refused to leave the theater. The agency says they handcuffed Saylor and forced him to the ground after he resisted arrest.

The deputies were placed on administrative leave with pay six weeks later pending the outcome of the grand jury probe and an internal investigation.