Maryland man charged after throwing 60-person bonfire party
Police say Shawn Marshall Myers, 41, of Hughesville, is accused of violating Gov. Hogan's social distancing order after his bonfire party Friday night.
HUGHESVILLE, Md. - A Charles County man is charged with violating Gov. Larry Hogan's social distancing order after police say he threw a bonfire party with more than 60 people.
Police say 41-year-old Shawn Marshall Myers of Hughesville "refused multiple requests" to comply with Gov. Hogan's order to keep social gatherings to less than 10 people after police crashed the party Friday night in the 15000 block of Lukes Lane.
Police say they also responded to similar large crowd complaints at Myers' home last Sunday, March 22.
Gov. Hogan issued the order in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus.
There are now more than 1,200 reported coronavirus cases in Maryland, along with 10 deaths.
While penalties for breaking the order can include up to a year in prison and a $5,000 fine, the sheriff’s office did not immediately say whether Myers was facing such consequences.
Myers' criminal history includes a conviction for carnal knowledge/indecent liberties in Virginia in 2001, according to Maryland’s sex offender registry.
In 2011, he was indicted on a first-degree murder charge for the 2004 Thanksgiving shooting of a 23-year-old man, The Washington Post reported at the time. Myers took a plea deal in exchange for his testimony against the other suspect, who was ultimately convicted, and received a 15-year suspended sentence for conspiracy to commit robbery.
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Fox News contributed to this report