Man sentenced to a year in jail after holding large parties in Maryland against orders

Police lights(Getty Images/iStockphoto/Stelsone)

A man who violated executive orders against holding large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic was sentenced Friday to jail time, according to the State’s Attorney for Charles County.

Shawn Marshall Myers, 42, was convicted on two counts of failure to comply with an emergency order after refusing to break up large parties at his Maryland house.

After a bench trial before a district court judge, Myers was sentenced to one year of incarceration at the Charles County Detention Center. He must also pay a $5,000 fine.

After his release, he will be on unsupervised probation for three years. The convictions stem from two incidents in late March.

On March 22, multiple officers responded to his house in Hughesville for the report of a large party violating Gov. Larry Hogan’s orders prohibiting large gatherings.

Police said Myers was argumentative but eventually agreed to end the party.

Less than a week later, on March 27, officers responded again to his home for reports of another party exceeding 50 people. Police said Myers directed his guests to stay in defiance of the Hogan’s order, and he was arrested.


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Valerie Bonk

Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas. 

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