Following a thorough investigation by the Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division, it was announced that no charges will be filed against the Carroll County Sheriff's Deputy involved in the fatal collision that occurred on Liberty Road in April. Attorney General Anthony G. Brown confirmed that the officer in question, identified as Deputy Kyle Hessler, acted within the bounds of Maryland law during the events leading up to the tragic incident, as reported by Fox Baltimore.
In the late hours of April 20, Deputy Hessler initiated what would quickly escalate into a fatal pursuit. Upon noticing a vehicle driving at an excessive speed, Hessler attempted to perform a traffic stop. However, the driver, Jamal Steele, chose not to comply and instead fled the scene. Roughly 40 seconds after the initial engagement, Hessler, losing sight of the vehicle, decided to judiciously turn off his lights and sirens, as reported by Fox Baltimore.
The chase concluded with Steele crossing into oncoming traffic and colliding head-on with an SUV. The collision fatally wounded the SUV's driver, Kayla Rodriguez-Garcia, and left a passenger with serious, yet non-life-threatening injuries. Steele himself suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was afterward transported to the hospital, according to information provided by the Attorney General's Office and reported by WMAR-2 News.
Findings were concluded by July 29 and despite the sequence of events there, the Deputy was found not to have committed a prosecutable action. The report firmly backed AG Brown's decision not to bring charges against Deputy Hessler.
