No Charges Filed Against Teens Accused Of Dragging Off-Duty Trooper By Car
DENTON, Md. (WJZ) -- No charges have been filed against three teens accused of dragging an off-duty trooper by car in Caroline County. The trooper is recovering at Shock Trauma.
Maryland State Police say the trooper apparently confronted three juveniles in a car in Denton on Wednesday evening when they appeared to be involved in some kind of vandalism.
It turns out, it may have all been a big misunderstanding.
Preliminary investigation reveals the teen driver and his two passengers spotted trash cans in the roadway as they traveled in the area of 7th Street and Market Street in Denton, at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday. The driver attempted to push a trash can out of the way with the car. Then, a passenger reached out and grabbed the can, attempting to move it further out of the path of the car.
When the off-duty trooper drove up behind this scene in his personal car, it appeared the three were tampering with the trash can and possibly moving it into the roadway or turning it over.
When the off-duty trooper approached the car, he was wearing plainclothes and was not displaying his badge or identification card.
Startled and unsure of whom the off-duty trooper was , the 17-year-old driver instinctively accelerated away out of concern for his safety.
The trooper, in contact with the car, was dragged down the street until he became dislodged.
The trooper was flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore, where his condition was upgraded from critical to serious.
After interviews by State Police investigators and a review of information by the Caroline County State's Attorney's Office, no charges are being filed at this time against the three teenagers, who were released after they were interviewed.
