A nine-year veteran detective with the Baltimore Police Department is behind bars, charged with rape after DNA evidence connected him to the alleged sexual assault of a woman he was authorized to drive home to Edgewood in Harford County. Harford County Sheriff's Office detectives arrested Daniel Oxendine on Thursday with assistance from Baltimore police, capping an investigation that began nearly three months earlier when the woman reported the assault at a local hospital.
According to WBFF, Oxendine was on duty in Baltimore City handling a separate call when he encountered the woman, who asked him for a ride to her home in Edgewood. Investigators say his supervisor granted permission for him to drive her there — authorization that allowed the detective to travel roughly 21 miles outside Baltimore City limits while on duty, according to a distance cited in background reporting on the area. Once at her apartment, detectives allege, Oxendine entered and sexually assaulted her.
The woman underwent a sexual assault kit examination, and Harford County Sheriff's Office detectives opened their inquiry on June 3, per the station's report. DNA test results conclusively identified Oxendine as the alleged offender, investigators said, a process that took weeks to complete before detectives could seek an arrest warrant. The Baltimore Banner reports that Oxendine has served as a Baltimore City police officer since 2017 and was assigned as a detective in the Northeastern District at the time of the alleged assault.
Charges Include Rape and Officer-Specific Misconduct Counts
Oxendine faces two counts of first-degree rape, two counts of second-degree rape, burglary with intent to commit rape, and misconduct in office, the same report notes. He also faces two counts under a statute that specifically criminalizes a law enforcement officer engaging in a sexual act with a victim or witness of an investigation. That provision, Maryland Criminal Law Code § 3-314, was expanded by state legislation in 2021 to cover officers who exploit their position over people involved in investigations or seeking official assistance, according to the Maryland General Assembly.
A first-degree rape conviction in Maryland carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment under Criminal Law § 3-303. Detectives collected DNA evidence from the sexual assault kit and reviewed additional evidence tied to Oxendine before transporting him to the Harford County Detention Center following his arrest.
Transport Policy and Jurisdiction Questions
Baltimore Police Department Policy 503 governs how officers may transport non-custodial passengers in departmental vehicles, requiring supervisor authorization and dispatch notification. That approval is what allowed Oxendine to leave Baltimore City and drive the woman across county lines in the first place. Whether that authorization was properly documented, and how BPD's internal affairs process is handling the case, remain open questions.
Following his arrest, the Baltimore Police Department placed Oxendine on suspension without pay, after having placed him on administrative suspension earlier this summer once the Harford County investigation became known, per the Banner's reporting. BPD has operated under a federal consent decree since 2017 stemming from a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that mandated reforms to officer oversight, transportation protocols and misconduct tracking — a backdrop that has intensified scrutiny of how the department handled Oxendine's case internally.
Detectives Seek Other Possible Victims
Harford County Sheriff's Office detectives are coordinating with other agencies to determine whether Oxendine is tied to additional reports, saying further offenses could be connected to him. Anyone with information or prior contact with Oxendine is asked to call Detective Golden at 410-836-5430.
The case follows a string of regional police misconduct prosecutions. In October 2024, an Aberdeen Police officer was charged with rape in Cecil County, and Hoodline has covered other Maryland cases this year involving officers facing rape and related charges. Investigators have not said when the Harford County investigation into Oxendine might conclude.
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