A former Prince George's County police officer pleaded guilty Friday to criminally negligent manslaughter by motor vehicle in connection with a crash last year that killed a county District Court bailiff. Anthony Coleman, 35, of Upper Marlboro admitted guilt in the case stemming from the July 2025 collision on Route 301 that left bailiff Carlton Herndon dead.
According to WJLA, Coleman was off duty and driving his personal vehicle at the time of the crash, even though he was employed as a county police officer. Herndon, who worked as a bailiff for Prince George's County, was killed in the collision, the station reported. As reported by CBS Baltimore, Herndon was 56 years old.
Coleman is scheduled to be sentenced at 2 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2027. The station's report on his guilty plea did not detail the full terms of any plea agreement or how the remaining counts from his original indictment were resolved.
What Investigators Said About the Crash
Per Maryland State Police, a preliminary investigation found that Herndon, driving a Nissan Maxima, was attempting to cross Route 301 and entered the northbound travel lanes when his car was struck by a Ford F-250 truck. That account was described as part of an early, preliminary investigation.
Maryland State Police believed that speed and alcohol on the part of the off-duty officer contributed to the crash, according to NBC Washington, which reported on the family's search for answers after the crash. CBS Baltimore separately reported that Coleman refused medical attention at the scene and that Herndon was pronounced dead there.
Indictment Preceded Friday's Plea
Coleman was indicted on six charges relating to manslaughter, homicide, impaired driving, and transporting a handgun while under the influence of alcohol, per CBS Baltimore's reporting. The Prince George's County government had earlier confirmed the indictment of an off-duty law enforcement officer in connection with the fatal DUI crash, though the county's public announcement did not spell out the specific charges beyond that.
Coleman's age has been reported inconsistently across coverage: an earlier WJLA report on the crash investigation identified him as 34, while the station's more recent coverage of his guilty plea listed him as 35.
A Family and Community Still Grieving
Herndon's death left colleagues within the county court system mourning a longtime bailiff, while Coleman's case has drawn scrutiny as an instance of an off-duty officer facing the same criminal process as any other driver accused of a fatal, alcohol-involved crash. With sentencing now set for February, the case moves toward its next milestone more than a year after the crash on Route 301 upended both families.
