Westminster, MD – A Montgomery County man accused of stalking the current Miss Maryland this past summer has had all three charges filed against him dropped, court records stated. An attorney for the accused, Valencio Pires, sent a press release to various media outlets, including The BayNet, announcing that the District Court for Carroll County had decided not to prosecute Valencio for stalking, harassment course of conduct and electric mail harassment.
In late August the Maryland State Police (MSP) sent out a press release statewide reporting that Pires, 51 of Germantown, was arrested at his home without incident Friday, Aug. 19 and was being held without bond at the Carroll County Detention Center. Police identified the victim as Hannah Brewer, 19 of Carroll County, who was holding the title of Miss Maryland when the alleged actions reportedly occurred.
According to court records, Pires was released from the detention center Sept. 27.
“Today, Oct. 18, 2016, the state’s attorney’s office dismissed all charges thanks to the efforts of defense attorney Matt Williamson and Mr. Pires’s personal lawyer Francis Alexander Malofiy of the law firm Francis Alexander LLC,” a press release from the law firm stated. “To be clear, this was not a plea deal. This was a case where the state’s attorney had no evidence or underlying facts to support the charges against Mr. Pires. A great injustice has been visited upon Mr. Pires, who did nothing more than send a single fan message to a public figure that was in no way lewd or inappropriate, but simply congratulatory and supportive in nature.
“As a result of Ms. Brewer’s false accusations and as a result of the authorities’ failure to conduct an adequate investigation, Mr. Pires was arrested and denied bail. Due to Miss Maryland’s pageant schedule, Mr. Pires’s court date was delayed while Mr. Pires languished in prison unable to see his family, friends and children—or work to support himself. Mr. Pires has had his name dragged through the mud in the public and media, despite the fact that there never was any evidence that justified imprisoning Mr. Pires and forever tarnishing his reputation.”
The law firm indicated their client is “considering all avenues going forward.” The potential actions include filing a complaint that “false statements” were “apparently made to the police.” A civil suit for “false imprisonment/malicious prosecution” may also be filed, the law firm missive stated.
The original MSP press release may be found here.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com