FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 6, 2022

Ref:     3/18/22 Officer-Involved Shooting in a/o of 6970 Rooks Court, Frederick, MD 21701

The Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office has reviewed body-worn camera footage, witness statements, and other evidence collected in the March 18, 2022 police-involved shooting involving DFC Christian Lucente in the area of 6970 Rooks Court.  After reviewing all evidence and consulting with the investigators assigned to this incident, my office has concluded that the use of deadly force by DFC Christian Lucente against Lookman-Khalil Bello was necessary and proportional.  Therefore, it was legally justified under Maryland law given the standard set by the United States Supreme Court case of Graham v. Connor.   As a result, it is our opinion that DFC Lucente did not commit a crime and therefore no charges will be placed against DFC Lucente.  We do not opine on lesser conduct and this opinion does not preclude any administrative actions that may be taken by Internal Affairs.

As Lookman-Khalil Bello has pending criminal charges against him, it is the policy of the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office not to release any evidence, including the body worn camera footage, nor provide further comment at this time.  The decision to not release evidence, including any verbal or non-verbal statements therein, being used against the Defendant at trial is governed by the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 19-303.6 and Rule 19-303.8 (e), which state in part:

(e) except for statements that are necessary to inform the public of the nature and extent of the prosecutor’s action and that serve a legitimate law enforcement purpose, [prosecutors shall] refrain from making extrajudicial comments that have a substantial likelihood of heightening public condemnation of the accused and exercise reasonable care to prevent an employee or other person under the control of the prosecutor in a criminal case from making an extrajudicial statement that the prosecutor would be prohibited from making under Rule 19-303.6.

A prosecutor has the responsibility of a minister of justice and not simply that of an advocate. This responsibility carries with it specific obligations to see that the defendant is accorded procedural justice and that guilt is decided upon the basis of sufficient evidence.  The potential impact of pretrial publicity on a pending prosecution must be balanced against the public’s interest in transparency and police accountability.  It is our duty to consider the due process rights of the accused when deciding whether to release, or to advise police departments to release, body-worn camera footage pre-trial.  With that said, the existing rules and law prioritize the functioning of our justice system over the public’s right and demand to immediately see and hear the evidence in any case.

This decision to not release certain evidence at this time is merely temporary.  In all police-involved shootings a full declination report disclosing and detailing all the evidence, including body worn camera footage, and the decision-making process as it relates to the use of force will be released by our office upon the conclusion of the pending criminal prosecution.

Respectfully,

J. Charles Smith III

State’s Attorney

FREDERICK, MD –    This afternoon in Frederick County Circuit Court, Thomas Anthony Lehan, age 39, of Middletown, MD was sentenced to life suspend all but fifty (50) years in the Division of Corrections for first-degree murder. Following Lehan’s guilty plea, Judge Julia A. Martz-Fisher sentenced Lehan according to the terms agreed upon between the State and defense.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith commented, “Domestic violence homicides are heinous enough on their own, but when you add that it was committed in front of a child it is particularly egregious.  Justice was served by this 50-year sentence. But more importantly, the family now has peace and certainty in the outcome and they were extremely relieved.”

On March 22, 2020, deputies with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 200 block of Broad Street in Middletown for a missing persons report. The defendant initially told investigators that his wife, Kathleen (Katie) Lehan, had left their home because she “needed air” and walked out the front door. He stated that he took their young son in the car to search remote places in the area for her. He finally contacted 911 at the advice of family. Over the course of the week of March 22, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office searched for Katie Lehan in the days she was reported missing and conducted interviews and investigation of the Defendant. On March 26, 2020, the defendant confessed to his father-in-law that he had strangled his wife. Later that day, Lehan told investigators the location of the victim’s body. Lehan admitted to strangling Katie Lehan inside their residence on Sunday, March 22, 2020. The defendant also admitted to leaving the victim’s body along Lambs Knoll Road and returning on March 23^rd to move the body to a creek bed in an area between Burkittsville and Brunswick in Frederick County.

The State was represented by State’s Attorney Charlie Smith and Chief Assistant State’s Attorney Rebecca Clinton.

Thomas Anthony Lehan

FREDERICK, MD – This morning in Frederick County Circuit Court, Richard Eugene Cartnail III, age 18, of Frederick was sentenced to life plus twenty (20) years in prison for the June 2020 murder of 17 year-old Ty’Kerria Katherine Dawson. Cartnail received two concurrent life sentences for 1^st Degree Murder and Conspiracy to Commit 1^st degree murder. He also received a consecutive twenty (20) year sentence for Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. Finally, he received a concurrent five (5) year sentence for Minor in Possession of a Regulated Firearm. Judge Scott Rolle ordered that Cartnail be transferred to the Division of Corrections immediately. A Frederick jury found the defendant guilty of those offenses in a December 2021 trial.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith commented, “The Defendant acted senselessly and has an utter lack of remorse. He deserves this sentence. This was a cold and calculated murder, and the manipulation of individuals around him was also egregious. This sentence sends a message that those who commit horrific acts of violence will be removed from the public for a long, long time.”

At approximately 5:10 PM on June 27th, 2020, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a wooded area at the end of Briargrove Court in Frederick for the report of a deceased person. Officials found 17-year-old Ty’Kerria Katherine Dawson of Hagerstown, MD deceased near a creek bed. First responders received a 911 call from a local resident who was out for a walk in the wooded area and discovered the victim’s body. During the course of the investigation, detectives found several .45 caliber shell casings at the scene and clothing later tested for DNA, among other physical evidence. Investigators learned that Cartnail and the victim had been in a relationship and that Cartnail had detailed a plan to kill Dawson. Dawson travelled to Cartnail’s residence in the late hours of June 26, 2020. Shortly after her arrival, she and the defendant walked from Cartnail’s residence to a nearby wooded area where a female juvenile co-defendant was waiting with a bag containing a handgun and a change of clothes. Cartnail retrieved the gun from the bag and shortly thereafter shot the victim three times in the head.

The State was represented by Chief Assistant State’s Attorneys Laura Wilt and Rebecca Clinton.

Richard Eugene Cartnail III

FREDERICK, MD –   The State’s Attorney’s Office is proud to announce that the Frederick County Department of Social Services, Office of Child Support, in cooperation with the Child Support Division of the State’s Attorney’s Office have earned the Maryland State Child Support Administration’s Silver Award for outstanding performance in fiscal year 2021.  The Silver Award is given to the counties who exceed their goals for the fiscal year in at least three of the four performance measures set for that county for the fiscal year (Support Orders Established, Paternity Established, Current Support Collections and Cases Paying on Arrears).  Frederick County was one of only eight counties in the state to achieve this standard and were commended by Kevin Guistwite, Executive Director of the Child Support Administration when the awards were announced on December 10, 2021: “This level of success during the second year of the unprecedented COVID-19 Pandemic is an achievement for which all are to be proud.”

The State’s Attorney’s Office has been fortunate to have a working relationship under a Cooperative Reimbursement Agreement with the Department of Social Services Child Support Division for more than 20 years.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith added, “our joint effort, hard work and cooperation has led to this great success, and we also acknowledge and thank Debbie Marini, Director, Tiffany Gregoire, Assistant Director and the entire Child Support Staff at DSS for this long term and successful partnership.”