State Police Attorney General’s Office Investigating In-Custody Death In Queen Anne’s County

[newsBot]

(CENTREVILLE, MD) – Maryland State Police are working with the Independent Investigations Division of the Office of the Attorney General, which is investigating the death of a man in custody Friday night at the Maryland State Police Centreville Barrack.

At 7:36 p.m. on Friday, troopers from the Centreville Barrack conducted a traffic stop on a black Cadillac DTS sedan on U.S. 301 at McGinnes Road. The troopers arrested the driver for possession of a controlled substance and transported him back to the Centreville Barrack for processing. At the time of the arrest, he was conscious, cooperative and responsive to questions.

About two hours after arriving at the barracks, the driver, who was in a cell, began exhibiting signs of distress and became unresponsive. Troopers rendered aid, and immediately notified emergency medical services for assistance. EMS personnel transported him by ambulance to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 11:44 p.m.

During the 2021 Legislative Session, the Maryland General Assembly passed SB600, tasking the Office of Attorney General with conducting criminal investigations of all officer-involved fatalities beginning Oct. 1, 2021. These investigations are conducted by the office’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) in conjunction with the Maryland State Police.

Maryland State Police has issued a protocol for cases that involve state police personnel. Under those protocols, as soon as practicable after the department’s initial response, MSP will make every reasonable effort to staff the investigation with department personnel who are assigned to a different region of the state. Maryland State Police will also conduct a comprehensive inquiry to determine whether any MSP personnel involved in the investigation has a conflict of interest.

There is camera footage of some parts of the incident. According to state protocol, the IID will generally release camera footage within 14 days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 14 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to redact the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public. Further media inquiries will be handled by the Office of the Attorney General.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: https://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at https://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at https://so.md/expungeme.

 

[Editor]

Investigative Report Released for January 2022 In-Custody Death Investigation at Maryland State Police Centreville Barrack



BALTIMORE, MD (January 6, 2023)– The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Office of the Attorney General today released its investigative reportof the January 21, 2022, in-custody death investigation at Maryland State Police (MSP) Centreville Barrack.

On January 21, at 7:36 p.m., MSP troopers conducted a traffic stop on a black Cadillac sedan on U.S. 301 at McGinnes Road in Millington, Maryland. The troopers arrested the driver, 64-year-old Armar Womack of Delaware, under suspicion of driving while impaired and transported him to the MSP barrack in Centreville. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Womack was conscious and responsive to questions, although he showed some signs of impairment.

At the barrack, Mr. Womack showed further signs of impairment, including failing a field sobriety test, having rapid eye movements, and telling officers about recent drug usage. He was placed alone in a cell that was being monitored via video by troopers. About two hours after his arrest, Mr. Womack took a substance, later determined to be cocaine, out of his pocket and put it into his mouth. About 20 minutes later, Mr. Womack experienced the first of several seizures or tremors and fell to the floor of the cell. Over the next 18 minutes, Mr. Womack alternated between banging on the cell door and lying on the floor. Mr. Womack then experienced a large seizure, at which point troopers entered the cell and notified EMS, who arrived 16 minutes later and began treating Mr. Womack. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:44 p.m.

The IID concluded its investigation on November 10 and forwarded its investigative report to the Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office on November 15. The Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office notified the IID on December 7 of its decision not to prosecute the case.

The IID’s report contains detailed investigative findings and an analysis of relevant legal issues. Because the Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office—not the IID—retains prosecution authority in this case, the report does not make any recommendations as to whether any individual should or should not be charged.

By law, the IID’s report must remain confidential until any related prosecution is completed or the State’s Attorney’s Office declines to prosecute. If the local State’s Attorney decides to prosecute the matter, the IID will release the report, with appropriate redactions for confidentiality, within 30 days of a final judgment of all defendants in the case. If the local State’s Attorney declines to prosecute, the IID will release the report, with appropriate redactions for confidentiality, within 30 days of that determination.