Former Baltimore Police sergeant sentenced to six months on home detention for misconduct
BALTIMORE - A former Baltimore Police sergeant who prosecutors said engaged in a "pattern and practice of harassment and intimidation" was sentenced to six months on home detention.
Ethan Newberg, 53, pleaded guilty last May to misconduct in office charge. He was also given two years probation.
The 20+-year veteran retired from the Baltimore Police Department on July 1.
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Assistant State's Attorney Steven Trostle argued for a sentence of three years in prison, according to our media partner The Baltimore Banner. However, Newberg's attorney, Joe Murtha, asked for a punishment that did not include incarceration.
Newberg was arrested in 2019 on assault and misconduct charges after grabbing a man in southwest Baltimore while another officer tackled the man to the ground.
Body camera footage showed Newberg was doing a warrant check on the 2300 block of Ashton Street when a passerby offered an opinion.
Newberg claimed the man was being aggressive, but then-police commissioner Michael Harrison said that body camera footage showed a different story.
He said it showed the man speaking to Newberg and walking calmly away after offering his opinion.
According to Harrison, the footage shows Newberg chasing the man, grabbing him and with the help of another officer, taking him to the ground and arresting him.
That incident led then-State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's office to conduct an in-depth investigation involving reviewing and analyzing Newberg's body-worn camera footage.
According to the Baltimore Banner, the State's Attorney's Office uncovered eight additional instances when he falsely arrested people.
The Board of Estimates recently approved a pair of $287,500 settlements to resolve lawsuits in U.S. District Court in Baltimore against Newberg, the Baltimore Banner reported.
Newberg is on the "Do Not Call" list of current and former police officers whom prosecutors will not summon to testify in any court proceedings, according to the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office.
