FREDERICK COUNTY SEES 88.57% DUI CONVICTION RATE IN 2017

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FREDERICK, MD – Frederick County ranked #4 out of all Maryland counties for highest conviction rate of DUI cases in 2017, according to newly released statistics from the National Study Center of the University of Maryland. State’s Attorney Charlie Smith reacted, “These numbers show the importance we place on making our roads safe in Frederick County. Far too many people lose loved ones to drunk driving. Our prosecutors remain committed to aggressively pursuing these cases.” The study found that in 88.57% of cases, the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office succeeded in gaining a conviction. This latest achievement follows four previous years in which the conviction rates were 85.25, 86.20, 86.32 and 87.64. In state-wide rankings, Frederick was tied for 4th in 2017, 7th, 9th, 8th and 3rd respectively. In all, 905 people were arrested for impaired driving in Frederick County during calendar year 2017. Of those, 109 cases were either still open for one reason or another or were Abated by Death. That left a total number of net cases disposed of at 796  out of the original 905. Of the 796, there were 174 Guilty findings and an additional 531 PBJ’s for a total of 705 “positive” outcomes. For statistical purposes, a “Probation Before Judgement” was considered a conviction.

Mongolian Delegation Visits SAO

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The Frederick State’s Attorney’s Office was honored to host a delegation from Mongolia today. The group came as part of the IJET program. The International Justice Sector Education and Training (IJET) Fellowship is a program that brings small groups of justice sector professionals to the U.S. for month long programs to empower them to become agents of change in their countries. State’s Attorney Charlie Smith and Chief Counsel Joyce King covered many topics including specialty courts, sentencing guidelines, plea negotiations, and structure of a State’s Attorney’s office.

Computer-Generated Child Pornography Bill Signed

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Yesterday in Annapolis, Gov. Larry Hogan signed SB 736/HB1027. The new legislation is a “prohibition against possessing, distributing, and creating child pornography; prohibiting a person from knowingly possessing and intentionally retaining a certain representation showing a computer-generated image that is indistinguishable from an actual and identifiable child under the age of 16 years portrayed in a certain manner; defining “indistinguishable from an actual child”; and applying certain penalties. The new legislation expands the current child porn laws to include the prohibition of child erotica.

This bill was formulated as a direct response to the growing issue of computer-generated child pornography in recent years.

Chief Counsel for the Frederick SAO, Joyce King, played an integral role in helping to shape this piece of legislation. She joined legislators yesterday for the bill signing.

Photo Courtesy: Executive Office of the Governor