An Anne Arundel County police lieutenant is facing serious criminal charges after an off-duty incident triggered both a state investigation and an internal review. Lt. Matthew Ploor has been served with criminal summonses on first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment and has been suspended without pay, according to the department. Both the criminal case and the administrative probe are still underway, and police have not released additional information about what allegedly happened.
Police statement and charges
As reported by Eye On Annapolis, the department’s Office of Professional Standards was alerted on Tuesday. That notification led the Criminal Investigation Division to seek charges through a District Court commissioner, who issued the criminal summonses on April 16. Eye On Annapolis reports that Ploor is a 20-year veteran of the department, currently assigned to the Bureau of Administration. Police say the Internal Affairs Section is handling the administrative investigation in parallel with the criminal case.
Charges and legal penalties
Under Maryland law, first-degree assault is a felony that can bring up to 25 years in prison. Second-degree assault can carry up to 10 years in prison and potential fines. Reckless endangerment is charged separately under the criminal code. The statutory language for those offenses appears in Maryland Code §3-202, §3-203, and §3-204, as published by Justia, FindLaw and Justia. Any penalties in this case will depend on what prosecutors choose to pursue and what they can prove in court, and Ploor, like any defendant, is presumed innocent unless and until he is convicted.
Internal review and the lieutenant's record
The Anne Arundel County Police Department says its Office of Professional Standards is overseeing the internal investigation while CID focuses on the criminal side. The department's directory on the Anne Arundel County Police Department site shows that the Office of Professional Standards is responsible for internal affairs. Public payroll records list Matthew Ploor as a lieutenant with the county police, confirming his rank, according to GovSalaries. The department says Ploor will remain suspended without pay while both the criminal and administrative processes play out.
What happens next
The criminal summons issued by a District Court commissioner moves the case into the Maryland court system, where the commissioner has already found probable cause to support the charges. District Court commissioners can issue either a summons or an arrest warrant after reviewing a complaint for probable cause, and cases that start there are typically handled first in District Court before any decision by the State's Attorney on how to proceed or whether to move the case to circuit court. Maryland Courts provides an overview of how commissioners fit into the charging process and what defendants can expect as a case moves forward.
