Four Baltimore police officers are now at the center of criminal cases that cut straight to the heart of the city’s ongoing struggle over police accountability.
City prosecutors announced Monday that Officers Kevin Dugan, Kevin Hilton, Mordechai Mandelbaum, and Menachem Rosenbloom have been indicted on misdemeanor counts that include second-degree assault, false report, false statement, and misconduct in office. The allegations stem from three separate encounters in 2024 and 2025, and the cases are being handled by the State's Attorney's Public Trust & Police Integrity Unit, according to the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City.
Prosecutors say Dugan is charged with five counts of misconduct in office tied to a June 8, 2024, incident. Hilton is charged with second-degree assault and misconduct in office for a March 30, 2025, encounter. Mandelbaum and Rosenbloom face counts of false report, false statement, and multiple misconduct in office charges that prosecutors say arose from a June 26, 2025, response. Rosenbloom also faces a second-degree assault charge, according to the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City. The office stresses that an indictment is only an accusation and that all four officers are presumed innocent unless and until they are found guilty in court.
In Dugan's case, the state's account alleges that while working a Fells Point crowd-control detail, he used a wooden espantoon, performed a leg sweep that sent a juvenile to the pavement, and later sprayed another man with OC spray without providing medical aid. Prosecutors say Dugan then made false statements in his incident report and failed to complete required use-of-force documentation, allegations that were also reported by WBALTV.
Officials respond
The indictments quickly drew public comment from City Hall and police leadership. Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott said, "Nobody is above the law — especially those who are sworn to uphold it," underscoring the political stakes as the city continues to dig out from a long history of policing scandals. Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the department is aware of the charges and takes the allegations "extremely seriously," according to WBALTV.
State's Attorney Ivan Bates framed the cases as the product of methodical work by his office, calling the indictments the result of "months of careful and thorough investigation" by the Public Trust & Police Integrity Unit. City officials say they plan to monitor the court proceedings as the cases make their way through the system.
Charges and legal exposure
According to the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City, a conviction for second-degree assault can carry up to 10 years in prison and or a fine. False report and false statement charges each carry potential penalties of up to six months and or a $500 fine. Misconduct in office is a common law offense with no set statutory maximum, leaving sentencing largely to judicial discretion if there is a conviction.
Prosecutors say they will weigh those ranges when making sentencing recommendations and reiterate that the Public Trust & Police Integrity Unit will be responsible for prosecuting the cases. The office again emphasized that indictments are not findings of guilt and that the officers remain presumed innocent as the legal process unfolds.
Where this sits in Baltimore's policing oversight
These latest charges arrive in a city that has become something of a national case study in police oversight. Baltimore is still living with the fallout from the federal Gun Trace Task Force scandal, in which officers were convicted of sweeping corruption, as documented by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. Local indictments in more recent years, often sparked by viral videos and internal probes, have kept public attention fixed on how officers use their power and how quickly the system responds when something appears to go wrong.
Observers say the new cases against Dugan, Hilton, Mandelbaum, and Rosenbloom will be closely watched for what they signal about day-to-day practices inside the department and whether they move the needle on community trust that has been slow to rebuild.
Prosecutors say court scheduling will follow the usual route, with arraignments and hearings to be set in Baltimore courts. No trial dates have been announced. Coverage will be updated as new filings and court dates are posted.
