LA PLATA, Md. — The Charles County Sheriff’s Office recognized 23 retirees who collectively served 490 years and honored 27 individuals for acts of bravery, life-saving interventions, and exceptional service during its annual retirement and awards banquet held recently at the Greater Waldorf Jaycees.
Sheriff Troy D. Berry presided over the ceremony that celebrated both the career achievements of departing personnel and the extraordinary actions of officers, civilian staff, and one community member who demonstrated heroism in critical situations throughout 2024 and early 2025.
“Tonight, we are honoring retirees who provided a combined 490 years of service to Charles County,” Berry said during the ceremony. “We are proud of their contributions to this community and our Agency and thankful for their service. To those receiving awards, thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty, for saving lives, and for your superior service.”
The event featured NBC News 4 Anchor and Reporter Joseph Olmo as Master of Ceremonies. Event Co-Chairs Captain Louis “Chris” Schmidt, III, and Julie Barrows coordinated the ceremony with Award Chairman Captain Harry Ivers. The CCSO Honor Guard presented the Colors, while the St. Charles High School Spartones performed the National Anthem. Chaplains Steve Davis and Larry Palmer delivered the invocation and benediction.
Decades of Service Recognized
Among the retirees, Master Sergeant Stuart Myers led with 41 years of service to the agency. Deputy Director Gerald Duffield, Captain Robert Kiesel, Major William Edge, and Major Michael Almassy each completed 31 years. Lieutenant Benjamin Voorhaar and Captain Charles Baker both served 30 years.
Executive Assistant Carolyn West received special recognition for an extraordinary 50 years of service to the CCSO, marking half a century of dedication to the agency. The ceremony also honored the memory of CID Technical Specialist Maria Ammons, who served eight years before her passing in March 2025.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office, established in 1658, operates as one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States and the largest full-service sheriff’s office in Maryland. With more than 600 sworn, corrections and civilian employees and an annual budget of 70 million dollars, the agency serves a county that has grown substantially from its origins when Sheriff Nicholas Gwyther served as the sole law enforcement officer for both Charles and St. Mary’s counties.
Life-Saving Actions Honored
Multiple officers received Life Saving Awards for quick interventions that prevented deaths in medical emergencies and critical incidents.
Corporal Darin Behm and Police First Class Matthew Neel responded to a medical emergency at Waldorf Chevrolet on Oct. 27, 2024, where a man had collapsed and stopped breathing. Their immediate CPR and use of an automated external defibrillator revived the patient, who made a full recovery.
Police Officer II George Leonard earned recognition for responding to a call on Aug. 21, 2025, involving a four-year-old child who had stopped breathing. Leonard immediately began CPR, and within minutes the child regained consciousness and breathing, making a full recovery.
On Sept. 12, 2024, Corporal Sheila Rollins, PFC Hazel Ptack, PFC Brian Padgett, and PFC Jesse Halterman responded to a critical incident involving a suspect with a gunshot wound. Using trauma kits and their medical training, they controlled bleeding, stabilized the suspect, and ensured rapid transport to a hospital, saving his life.
PFC Matthew Neel received a second Life Saving Award for his off-duty response on Feb. 26, 2025, when he took over CPR from a bystander for an 84-year-old man who was not breathing. Neel continued compressions until EMS arrived, helping the patient regain a pulse and make a full recovery.
Bronze Medals of Valor Awarded for High-Risk Incident
Sergeant Charles “Pat” McCue, Corporal Brian Rash, PFC Matthew McCuen, and PFC Emily Stalnaker received Bronze Medals of Valor for their response to a dangerous incident in White Plains on Dec. 20, 2024.
Officers responded to a call from someone reporting they had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted, with the suspect inside the location armed with a gun. Upon arrival, officers encountered the subject wearing a mask. Despite the subject’s refusal to comply and threats to shoot officers with an object believed to be a gun, the officers focused on de-escalation and the safety of potential victims. They managed the high-risk situation with professionalism and restraint, taking decisive action to stop the suspect only when lives were in immediate danger.
Community Member Prevents Child Abduction
Laura Schierlmann, a Charles County resident, received the Heroism Award for preventing a child kidnapping on Dec. 19, 2024, in Bryans Road.
At approximately 8:59 a.m., Schierlmann glanced out her window on Chapmans Landing Road and noticed a vehicle stopped in the roadway with a woman and small child standing outside. Sensing something was wrong, she immediately called authorities and approached the pair before officers arrived.
The child clung to Schierlmann, crying, and indicated he did not know the woman. When Corporal Bottorf and other officers arrived, they determined the woman had kidnapped the child from a bus stop and had no relation to him. Within approximately 10 minutes of the kidnapping, the child was unharmed and safely reunited with his parents, and the suspect was arrested.
Sheriff’s Awards Recognize Innovation and Leadership
Sergeant Christina Gilroy earned a Sheriff’s Award for her multi-year legislative effort that resulted in the passage of House Bill 1283, titled “Charles County – Off-Highway Recreational Vehicles – Regulation and Enforcement.”
Since 2022, Gilroy recognized the dangers and community impact of illegal off-highway vehicle use and led efforts to address the issue through legislation. She represented the Sheriff’s Office before County Commissioners, the Maryland General Assembly, and local community leaders, engaging in numerous meetings and building coalitions to foster bipartisan support. She worked closely with legislative staff to carry the bill through to success while maintaining her regular responsibilities within the agency.
Master Corporal Ryan Johnson and Corporal Andrea Worley received Sheriff’s Awards for establishing the Technical Investigations Function within the CCSO. Over nearly a decade, they mastered complex cell phone mapping techniques, developed official policies and procedures, and trained fellow officers through a highly praised four-day Basic Cell Phone Investigations class. Their work has directly aided prosecutions in major cases, assisted in searches for missing persons, and supported fugitive apprehensions, making TIF a permanent vital asset that keeps CCSO at the forefront of technology-driven policing.
Forensic Chemist Joshua Smith was honored for his pivotal role in developing the Lower Confidence Bounds for Seized Material Sampling application, created with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Maryland State Police CDS Unit. Since the project began in 2018, Smith translated complex statistical concepts into a user-friendly tool that allows analysts to make statistically sound statements about large populations of seized drug evidence. The application has been recognized nationally and adopted by the Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs, with implementation in forensic laboratories across the country.
Administrative Drug Analyst Sharon Newcomb earned a Sheriff’s Award for her exceptional initiative in identifying regional crime patterns and bridging communication gaps between multiple law enforcement agencies. Since September 2024, Newcomb organized and analyzed intelligence bulletins at local, tri-county, and regional levels, contributing to over 104 cases and helping identify more than 40 suspects or vehicles across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. Her work has supported investigations ranging from burglary and auto theft to armed robbery, sexual assault, and cold case homicides.
Meritorious Service and Tactical Response Recognized
PFC Brian Moore received a Meritorious Service Award for his response to an armed robbery call in the Bannister neighborhood on Aug. 26, 2025. While on a part-time assignment at P.D. Brown Library, Moore used his knowledge of the area to track a suspect who fled behind the library, commanded him to stop when the suspect made a threatening move toward his waistband, and safely arrested him. A handgun was recovered.
Lieutenant Katlin Goddard, Sergeant Jesse Garner, PCS Tonya Thompson, Corporal Nathan Bledsoe, PFC Cole Nelsen, POII Christopher Truss, PO1 Chloe Hart, PCOII Kayla Shafer, and PSC Dispatcher Kendall Bittner earned Meritorious Service Awards for their coordinated response to a domestic incident in Bryantown on March 8, 2025.
The incident involved an armed suspect with a rifle. Communications personnel maintained constant contact with the victim, relaying updates and safety instructions, while officers established a tactical perimeter in an exposed area to protect the family. Officers safely evacuated the victim and children from a vehicle behind the residence. POII Truss used the public address system to issue calm commands that led to the suspect’s surrender and arrest, with an AR-15 recovered from the home. Lieutenant Goddard provided command and coordination throughout the operation.
Commendations for Innovation and Quick Thinking
In a separate presentation, Berry awarded commendations to multiple employees for exceptional service and innovation.
Crime Analysts Luis Rodriguez and Matthew Bowie created the Daily Crime Bulletin, an agency-wide tool that has improved situational awareness and deployment decisions. Civil Process Server Kimberly Brewer identified the need for and independently developed a Field Training Program for Civil Process Servers, now in use within the section.
Corrections personnel including Sergeant Amber Hancock, Sergeant Robert Padgett, Sergeant Andrew Hunt, Corporal Janice Leukhardt, CFC Charles Watley, CFC Isaiah Woody, CFC Davon Smith, and CFC Gissell Garrido-Bautista responded quickly to a fire inside a patrol vehicle while an arrestee was inside, ensuring the person’s safety and limiting vehicle damage.
PFC William Halt conducted an extensive review of Child Support warrants, identifying and coordinating the recall of more than 100 outdated warrants and updating the system. Police Station Supervisor Kristi Jackson and Police Station Technician Danielle Auth provided calm, steady support to a juvenile caller trapped inside a home during a dangerous domestic incident involving a firearm, with their guidance helping officers safely resolve the situation.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office earned accreditation from the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies in 2001 and received Flagship Status in 2011, designating it as one of the best among accredited agencies worldwide. The agency maintains compliance with more than 400 CALEA standards and operates three district stations serving La Plata, Bryans Road, and Waldorf.
