Charges dropped against state delegate
Charges have been dropped against a freshman state delegate who was accused of assault and burglary.
Del. Jeffrie Long (D-Calvert and Prince George’s) was scheduled to appear Friday in a Calvert County District courtroom to face charges stemming from an April 4 incident involving a family member.
The St. Mary’s County state’s attorney’s office, which handled the case at the request of Calvert County prosecutors, dropped those charges.
“I’m very happy that the charges against Delegate Long were dismissed by the prosecutor this afternoon,” said Michael Adams, one of Long’s attorneys. “The allegations were false and Jeffrie has finally been vindicated.”
Long was also represented by C.T. Willson, a state delegate from Charles County who chairs the House Economic Matters Committee and is a criminal defense attorney.
Long initially faced charges of home invasion and first-degree felony assault related to the April 4 incident.
The charges were later downgraded to second-degree assault and fourth-degree burglary charges during a May 31 court appearance. Both charges are misdemeanors.
Long was accused of going to a home in the 1000 block of Stephen Reid Road in Huntingtown around 10 p.m. that night. While there, Long allegedly threatened a woman with a pipe, according to a statement of charges.
The woman who filed the charges is Long’s aunt.
In April, she voluntarily dismissed a protective order filed against Long.
Long, 26, was elected to his first term in November and is the second youngest member in the House of Delegates. He serves on the House Environment and Transportation Committee.
“Today brought about a long-awaited vindication as I was forced to deal with several false accusations,” Long said. “Since day 1, I have always maintained my innocence, and I would like to thank those that stood with me during this process.”
Bryan P. Sears
Reporter
Bryan Sears covers the governor and General Assembly, state politics and transportation for Maryland Matters. He has covered the Maryland State House for the last two decades at the Baltimore Sun Media Group, Patch.com and most recently, The Daily Record. Sears has won multiple state and national awards for police and crime reporting, local and state government coverage and investigative reporting that resulted in a guilty plea by a government official for stealing from his own campaign account. He’s a frequent radio and television contributor.
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