RIDGELY, MD - The Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor has found no evidence of criminal activity after an investigation into Ridgely’s suspended police chief Jeff Eckrich.
The release of the redacted report comes months after the entire Ridgely Police Department (RPD) was suspended and law enforcement within the town was assumed in full by the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office.
PROSECUTOR’S FINDINGS
In a Report of Investigation, acquired by WBOC Tuesday, August 13th, the State Prosecutor gives a detailed timeline of events following the initial allegations against Eckrich.
According to the report, prosecutors began their investigation into allegations against Eckrich of perjury and misconduct in office on February 23rd, 2024. On March 11th, a former Ridgely Police Officer then appeared before Town Commissioners and accused Eckrich of falsifying payroll and firearms training documents, selling a Town-owned vehicle, poor management, and being under the influence of medications on duty.
On March 12th, the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search and seizure of the Ridgely Police Department. That same day, the State Prosecutor says Ridgely Commissioners suspended all six Ridgely police officers. Investigators note in the report that this was done without the guidance of the State Prosecutor’s office.
The Maryland State Prosecutor then began conducting interviews and acquiring evidence, including electronic devices from the Ridgely Police Department, Town of Ridgely accounting documentation, police records, and payroll history.
According to the report, on April 30th, an unnamed individual responsible for Ridgely payroll and human resources told investigators they had never noticed any issues with officer payrolls, and that the proceeds of Eckrich’s selling of an older town-owned vehicle were deposited in the Town’s account.
In another interview conducted on May 9th, a person responsible for approving RPD officers’ time and attendance had seen no issues in the records, save for unapproved overtime. The Office of the State Prosecutor further learned the alleged selling of police firearms was Eckrich allowing RPD officers to purchase their old service weapons at market price or turned into a gun dealer to offset the cost of new firearms. The report says a Ridgely Commissioner was also interested in purchasing a gun from the Department at one point.
At the end of May, the State Prosecutor met with and conducted an interview with Eckrich himself. Investigators also requested Eckrich’s history as a police officer in Prince George’s County.
Finally, on July 27th, the State Prosecutor concluded their investigation revealed no sufficient evidence of wrongdoing by Eckrich.
“OPS’s investigative findings did not disclose or surface sufficient evidence of criminal activity warranting further investigation or prosecution,” the prosecutor’s report reads. “Accordingly, this investigation is hereby closed.”
RIDGELY’S RESPONSE
On August 8th, the Town of Ridgely added the following statement to their website:
“In follow-up to Monday night’s Commissioners meeting, the Town has been made aware that the Office of the State Prosecutor (OSP) has concluded its investigation into the Ridgely Police Department and is not pursuing criminal charges. A more detailed statement will be made at the Commissioners’ September 9, 2024 meeting. However, the Commissioners wish to remind the public that there are limitations on the information that it can publicly share regarding confidential personnel matters. Additionally, the investigation was initiated and conducted by the OSP, not the Town, and the OSP provides very little information regarding its investigations. Thus, there is limited information that the Town can publicly disclose.”
Ahead of that September 9th meeting, it is currently unclear whether the Town will reinstate Eckrich or the rest of the department ahead of the September 9th meeting. WBOC reached out to the Town office on August 13th but were told no commissioners were available for comment.
DELAWARE BRADY LIST
In their response to a Public Information Act request by WBOC, the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor also included court documents from a 2023 Delaware lawsuit against the Delaware Department of Justice. The suit, filed by a former Milford Police officer, centered around his possible inclusion on a “Brady List.” Brady Lists, according to the ACLU, are maintained by prosecutors and name police officers whose histories would prevent them from being credible witnesses in a case. The International Association of Chiefs of Police say inclusion on a Brady List can also affect employment prospects for police officers.
That case against the Delaware Department of Justice was ultimately dismissed in late February, according to Delaware court records.
The question of whether or not a terminated Ridgely Police Officer was on the “Brady List in DE” is referenced multiple times in the redacted Maryland State Prosecutor’s Report of Investigation, and Prosecutors requested documents from the Milford Police Department as part of their investigation in Ridgely, according to the report.
Ultimately, the Prosecutor’s Office determined that a former Milford Police officer, later terminated from the Ridgely Police Department, was only confirmed to be on a Brady List only after he was fired from Ridgely PD, and that Eckrich was told the officer was not on the list during the hiring process.
The State Prosecutor’s Office also included the following text message they uncovered during their investigation. The message was sent shortly after a former Ridgely Police Officer’s termination but before the Ridgely Commissioner meeting on March 11 in which the allegations were first brought against Eckrich, according to the report.
“The town was already aware of the Brady stuff along with you. We discussed it in the interview. I’m hoping that you defended me to the town about Ridgely? If not I understand. I will tell you tho, I kind of feel like you have scrutinized every single thing in my life, which is fine, but definitely not a good feeling. I have told you things in confidence that I have not told anyone else and I have been up front about everything. Chief you and I both know this is not right what is happening to me. But if you don’t wanna hire me or the town doesn’t, I understand. But I’m going after Chief Eckrich and Ridgely. Your not going to destroy my life and just walk away from it.”
COMMUNITY INPUT
After finding out about this, people in the community are asking why the entire police department was suspended and when they'll be back.
"Where are our guys? Why haven't they just reinstated automatically? You know they made this deal with the Caroline County Sheriff for a year. So does this mean for the next year we're still not going to have local police? So it kind of bothers me," asked Ridgely resident Jennifer Mutter-Van Loo.
Other residents say they want their own police department back. David gray says, "The sheriff has been great for us. They've been doing patrols but I think it would be nice to have our police department back." Clyde Mcintyre added, "It's not like having your own police department here all the time. We need to rehire some police in this town."
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
