Maryland Police Officer Charged With Kidnapping & Perjury Over Illegal Traffic Stop
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Prince George's County grand jury last week indicted a Maryland police officer on several charges stemming from an illegal traffic stop, the Office of the State Prosecutor said Tuesday.
Phillip Dupree, a Fairmount Heights police officer, is the subject of a 13-count indictment charging him with multiple counts of kidnapping, perjury and misconduct in office related to the August 2019 traffic stop of Torrence Sinclair, according to a copy of the charging document reviewed by WJZ.
The indictment accuses Dupree of illegally pulling over Sinclair in Washington, D.C., on or around Aug. 3, 2019, and spraying him with Mace while he was handcuffed. He's accused of not seeking treatment for Sinclair and detaining him for hours before taking him to jail -- and then lying about it.
"Any law enforcement officer who abuses their power, and then intentionally provides false information regarding their actions, should be held accountable," State Prosecutor Charlton Howard said. "Our office will work to ensure individuals who abuse police powers are investigated and where appropriate, prosecuted."
In paperwork he filed about the traffic stop, Dupree reported pulling over Sinclair near D.C. and spraying him with pepper spray at some point during the stop. The officer said Sinclair was treated at the scene and taken to jail "without incident."
But, according to the indictment, Sinclair did not receive medical treatment for the pepper spray even though an ambulance was called to the scene.
The officer's report did not mention that he drove Sinclair to the Fairmount Heights Police Department, which does not have a holding cell, and left him alone and handcuffed for hours before bringing him to an Upper Marlboro jail.
Under Fairmount Heights Police Department policy, arrestees are supposed to be "transported without unnecessary delay to the nearest processing facility." Officers must use "the most direct and expeditious route of travel."
Besides accusing Dupree of kidnapping Sinclair and perjuring himself, the indictment says he "committed misconduct in office when he made factual misrepresentations, material omissions, and falsehoods regarding the incident."
Dupree was previously named in a federal indictment in August that accused him and five other officers of fraud. Among other things, that indictment alleges that Dupree withdrew cash from ATMs, filed false reports saying his bank cards was stolen and sought reimbursement from his bank.
