PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — A 32-year-old Baltimore man has pleaded guilty to causing the death of a Lusby woman last December when he fled from a traffic stop and ran a red light in Prince Frederick.
Savon Quincy Samuel entered the guilty plea on June 22, 2026, in Calvert County Circuit Court to charges of manslaughter by motor vehicle and fleeing and eluding. Sentencing is scheduled for September 29 before Judge Mark S. Chandlee. Samuel faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The plea resolves the criminal case against Samuel for the Dec. 12, 2025, crash at the intersection of Stoakley Road and MD Route 4. According to investigative reports and court records, Samuel was driving a Nissan sedan southbound on MD Route 4 when a Calvert County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted a traffic stop near Prince Frederick Boulevard. Samuel did not stop and continued south for approximately one mile.
Samuel then entered the Stoakley Road intersection against a red light and struck a northbound Honda sedan driven by Servon Gatewood, 58, of Lusby. Gatewood was transported to CalvertHealth Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead from her injuries. A Kia SUV was also involved in a secondary collision; its driver and passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Samuel was taken into custody at the scene.
The incident triggered two separate reviews. The Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division assumed jurisdiction over the police response, as required under state law for all police-involved fatalities. Body-worn camera footage from the deputy was released publicly in January 2026. In March, the Attorney General’s office announced it would not pursue criminal charges against the deputy involved in the attempted traffic stop.
Samuel’s case moved forward through the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office on charges related to his decision to flee and the resulting fatal collision. By pleading guilty to manslaughter by motor vehicle, Samuel has accepted legal responsibility for Gatewood’s death. The fleeing and eluding charge addresses his refusal to comply with the deputy’s lawful order to stop.
The guilty plea brings the criminal proceedings against Samuel to a close, although sentencing is still several months away. No victim impact statement from Gatewood’s family was included in the materials released following the plea hearing.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy State’s Attorney Christopher J. Monte.
