LA PLATA — Charles County’s proposed pretrial release program is headed to a public hearing after commissioners introduced a tighter version of the bill on Oct. 27, one that keeps people charged with a longer list of violent crimes out of the program.
The hearing on Bill 2026-13, Pretrial Release Program and Community Service, is set for Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. at the Charles County Government Building in La Plata. It will be held in a hybrid format, in person and online.
The program would let some defendants awaiting trial be supervised in the community instead of held in the county detention center. The changes respond to concerns commissioners raised at an Oct. 20 work session, which the Chronicle covered as the board asked for tighter exclusions and a redraft.
What changed
County Attorney Wes Adams said he revised the bill after last week’s work session with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, the State’s Attorney’s Office and a judge. The changes, highlighted for commissioners in BoardDocs, include:
- Screening first. The program administrator’s job now includes screening defendants for eligibility before their initial court appearance.
- No fee waivers. The court cannot waive the program fee, but it can give a participant up to 180 extra days to pay.
- Approved vendors. Participants will contract with third-party vendors for drug and alcohol services and ankle monitoring, choosing from a list the sheriff’s office approves.
- More excluded charges. People charged with robbery with a deadly weapon, carjacking or armed carjacking, or first-, second- or third-degree rape or sexual offense are not eligible.
- Domestic violence. Anyone charged with a crime of violence against a spouse, domestic partner, cohabitant or other intimate partner is excluded.
- Past violations. Anyone who has violated any pretrial release program in the past is excluded.
“Crime of violence” has a specific meaning in Maryland law. Section 14-101 of the Criminal Law Article lists offenses such as murder, rape, robbery, carjacking, first-degree assault, kidnapping and serious sexual offenses. Adams said combining that definition with the relationship between the parties was meant to capture the domestic violence concerns commissioners raised.
A question about minors
Commissioner Amanda M. Stewart asked how the bill’s exclusion for sexual abuse of a minor squares with Maryland’s age of consent of 16. Adams said cases involving victims under the legal age would also fall under the rape and sexual offense exclusions, so they are covered either way, and that the difference comes down mostly to how prosecutors choose to charge a case. Stewart said the bill’s added provisions work as a catch-all and that she saw no loophole.
Votes and what’s next
The three commissioners present, Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins II, Thomasina O. Coates and Stewart, voted to introduce the bill and to schedule the hearing. Commissioners Gilbert O. Bowling III and Ralph E. Patterson II were absent. A commissioner confirmed the 21 days before the hearing exceed the 14-day notice the county typically needs.
Residents can testify Nov. 17 in person or online. After the hearing, commissioners can vote on the bill, amend it or hold it for more work.
