In June I was falsely charged with a crime committed at my place of employment. What was so surprising to me was that I wasen't on the premises at the time of the incident.
I am a manager of a business in the area. One afternoon I was called by an employee stating money was missing from the property. My question to her was "what happed " the responce to me was "I don't know". I then instructed her to called the police.
I arrived 15 minutes later and met with Trooper Greenwell, who had already spoken to the employee. Trooper Greenwell was very hostile, and nasty to me. I tried to introduce myself and get his name, He cut me off with "where have you been!"
I was taken back a little by his attitude but figured he was having a bad day and excused his unprofessional behavior.
I introduced myself as the property manager and again tried to get his name when he said "where have you been!"
By this time I realized he was upset with me, why I did not know, but I soon found out.
The clerk told Trooper Greenwell she had been at the desk area all day. She claimed she haden't left the desk unattended, nor had she let anyone behind the desk. She stated the money was stolen from an area that is locked and the desk clerk has possession of the keys at all times. The only time she unlocked it was to let me get the large bills to make change at the bank around 12:30 in the afternoon.
I Then told the trooper the statement was untrue. I told him what time I left (10:45 am) and what time I came back (1:15pm)
and what I had done during the time I was gone.
He said someone was not telling the truth and he believed the clerk's story. I was appauled and outraged. I had been employeed with the company for 12 years and had never been suspected or involved with something like that. I handle thousands of dollar a day without a penny missing!
I advised the trooper of the survalence camears and offered to get the tape to prove what I said was true.
The trooper and I together retrived the tape and viewed it.
He attitude changed quickly, the clerk haden't been completely honest.
The tape indeed supported my claims. It also showed the clerk leaving the desk area an hour after I left to go outside with a guest. She was gone for about five minutes.
Seconds after the clerk left, a housekeeper went into my office, stayed a few minutes and departed. The behavior of the housekeeper was very suspicious.
The trooper questioned the housekeeper about what was viewed on the tape. The housekeeper told two different stories as to why he was in my office. Neither story supported his claim.
Trooper Greenwell then told me whom he belived stoled the money, the housekeeper. I pointed out that there were no signs of the lock being broken into, so how was he able to get the money whe the clerk already told you she keeps the keys in her possession at all times?
The trooper then said he would set up polygraph test for the two workers and asked if I would have a problem with taking one also, just to make the suspects believe he was unsure of who committed the crimes. The clerk quit the next day.
Later that day I received a call from my boss telling me I should not have pissed off the officer. I was unsure as to why he was telling me that, so I asked. My boss told me about the call he received from the trooper. The trooper claimed that I was uncooperative and refused to take the polygraph exam.
For several months I called the Maryland State Police to see when the test were going to be scheduled and how the case was coming along, the trooper was never available so I left messages. I never received a call back.
After waiting for so long I called again, the offcer manning the phones explained the case load was heavy and I should just schedule the test myself, which I did.
One week after taking the test, which I did not fail, I was served with criminal papers charging me with the crime of theft over $500. A felony with substancial jail time.
$1200.00 later the courts deemed my case to not be prosicuted.
Still being the manager of the property I asked the state to return the company property back (survalence tape) they refused.
Which leaves me with no proof of my calims, and no means of getting justice for the crime committed against me.
There are many cases of people the State of Maryland has tried railroad and throw in jail because the officer does not like people who stand up for themselves and fight back when the are unjustly accused, and if you are black (which I am) makes it even worse.
I feel its time for the black community of St. Mary's County Maryland to stop letting the system do the harm. Demand to be treated fairly and as equals.
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