A 31-year veteran sergeant with the Anne Arundel County Police Department has been charged with rape and sexual abuse of a minor following a Maryland State Police investigation, authorities announced.
James Brooke Shoults, 59, of Severna Park, was taken into custody Monday without incident and is being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center. He faces felony second-degree rape, sex abuse of a minor, second-degree child abuse, and four additional related charges — seven counts in total, according to court records. He was ordered held without bond, with a bail review hearing held Tuesday in Anne Arundel County District Court and a preliminary hearing set for Sept. 30.
Maryland State Police’s Criminal Enforcement Division, Central Region, opened the investigation July 7 after the alleged victim’s mother reported the allegations to police on June 30. Investigators said the alleged abuse of a 16-year-old girl occurred at Shoults’ home on Jan. 10. According to investigators, Shoults told them he had given the girl alcohol and that she became sick; investigators said digital evidence they gathered supported the timeline and details described during the girl’s forensic interview.
Shoults, assigned to the department’s Bureau of Patrol, was first identified to Anne Arundel County Police as the subject of the state investigation on July 20. He was initially placed on administrative suspension with pay. Following the Aug. 31 warrant and charges, the department changed his status to suspension without pay, pending the outcome of the criminal case and the conclusion of its own internal administrative investigation.
Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad addressed the case in a statement. “These are serious and disturbing allegations that, if true, are wholly inconsistent with the exemplary standards we expect from our police officers who are the keepers of public trust,” Awad said.
Second-degree rape, the most serious charge Shoults faces, is a felony under Maryland law carrying a maximum sentence of up to 20 years. Sex abuse of a minor carries a maximum of up to 25 years, and a conviction on that charge would require mandatory lifetime placement on Maryland’s sex offender registry.
Investigators are asking anyone with information related to the case to contact Senior Trooper Dustin Pope at dustin.pope@maryland.gov. Maryland State Police said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Shoults has not entered a plea and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
