LEONARDTOWN, Md. – On Thursday, September 7, 2023 a panel of Maryland police officers came together to recommend the termination of Dep. John Fenwick from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.
Fenwick, who has been with the department since 2014, was found by the panel to have violated Standards of Conduct 319.5.8, which states, “failure to disclose or misrepresenting material facts or making any false or misleading statement on any application, examination form or other document, report or form, or during the course of any work-related investigation.”
In addition, Fenwick also admitted to committing a body camera violation.
The final decision on whether or not to terminate Fenwick now falls to St. Mary’s County Sheriff Steve Hall. This is a decision that Fenwick is not allowed to appeal.
The reason for this ruling stems from an incident that took place on February 3rd of this year.
According to an anonymous tip, two children had been left unattended in a vehicle parked in front of Planet Fitness at the Wildewood Shopping Center.
Fenwick spoke to the vehicle’s owner at around 9:00 PM that day. According to her, the children, ages 5 and 7, for only a few minutes. Fenwick informed her that they had actually been in there for more than 20 minutes.
Rather than filling out a report on the incident, Fenwick simply wrote five sentences onto his CAD (computer-aided dispatch system), one of which read “The female was with the children and dog leaving the parking lot.”
“This was clearly calculated to disguise the fact that this was child neglect,” said prosecutor Kevin Karpinski. “I think what the board has is a deputy who didn’t want to take the extra step.”
Karpinski also added that Fenwick had done the same thing in May 2022, when he failed to file a report involving an incident of sexual assault and burglary in a hotel.
Fenwick’s attorney, Shaun F. Owens, pleaded with the panel to let Fenwick keep his job.
“He needs to get his act together with his report writing and the details…I don’t think there’s always a need to go straight to termination.”
Fenwick refused to testify during the hearing.
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He failed to do the job he was hired to do at taxpayers’ expense. He should be fired for not performing the job for which he was sworn in to perform.
Did he just not know what to report and how? Send him back to the academy for that part of the process. Then again, there’s three incidents in this report, that’s a strike out. Sucks for anyone to lose their job, but I think he should be terminated. This is just three things found, wonder how many others have gone unnoticed?
What was his badge #?
Are you forgetting how things work down here?? Cue the good ole boy system! He’ll probably get promoted.
So we are going to terminate officers who exercise discretion and cut people a break.
Agreed. What harm came of the kids in the car? Sex crimes should be reported however, but what about the write-up s before the termination?
That is the problem. They let the people breaking laws get away with it so they can do it again. Guilty as charge when it come to parents that make decisions to break the law. Kids 5 and 7 don’t know it illegal to be left in a car.
A caring policeman who did a Humane function by giving the mother a warning since no harm was done to the children at that time and obviously the Officer was monitoring the children and the situation very well.
Somethings need to be left to Officers Discretion and best judgement based on the facts at that time in that instance.
Exactly! There was a time when kids were left in vehicles all the time.
Wonder how many more is doing the same thing?
complaints, any victims?
This is going to be one to watch. Officer discretion is the question. Did he break any department policy?
All the facts need to be evaluated. Everyone is quick judge another person. There could be a logical explaination. But whatever decision is made it is not our call. There is only one person who knows the trugh and it is not ua or the newspaper.
P.S. Please stop saying at the taxpayers expense. That is so lame. We taxpayers pay for a lot of things we shouldn’t have to. That is never going change.