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Man sues Elkton police for excessive force, wrongful arrest
//April 3, 2020
An Elkton man has filed suit against the town’s police department and two officers, alleging he was forcefully arrested without cause at his home in 2018.
Darryl T. Wilson claims Officers Enos Detweiler and Jakob Brown came to his home for a report of a disturbance in October 2018 though no disturbance had occurred, according to the complaint, filed April 1 in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
The officers told Wilson they had a protective order to serve on him and ordered him to show his identification, which was in his vehicle, according to the complaint. Wilson claims he was told that if he left the home, which he owned, he could not go back inside because of the protective order.
The county sheriff, not the Elkton Police Department, serves protective orders, according to the complaint.
When Wilson told the officers that he would get his identification and that they could not prevent him from reentering his home, the officers allegedly grabbed him, took him to the floor and handcuffed him, placing him under arrest. Wilson’s neck and shoulder were injured during the arrest, according to the complaint.
Wilson was detained for several hours and charged with failure to obey, resisting arrest, and obstructing and hindering. At a trial in Cecil County District Court in March 2019, Wilson was found not guilty of the charges by a judge.
“As a result of Defendant Detweiler’s and Defendant Brown’s acts and omissions, Plaintiff suffered physical, emotional, mental and financial injuries, including, but not limited to, emotional trauma, pain and suffering, mental anguish, humiliation, disgrace, loss of dignity, costs and expenses of medical and legal proceedings, lost wages, and other expenses,” according to the complaint.
The lawsuit alleges a violation of Wilson’s state and federal constitutional rights, as well as malicious prosecution, battery, false arrest and false imprisonment.
Wilson is represented by Joseph E. Spicer of Cohen Harris LLC in Baltimore. Spicer did not respond to a request for comment Friday. An attorney for the town of Elkton did not respond to a request for comment.
The case is Darryl T. Wilson v. Officer Enos Detweiler et al., 1:20-cv-00869.
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