Updated: Feds drop case against sheriff; Jenkins compares prosecution to ‘assassination attempt’
A federal judge on Tuesday granted the government’s motion to dismiss the criminal charges against Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins in a case Jenkins characterized as a “malicious” and “political persecution.”
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Jenkins compared the government’s case to “an assassination attempt,” similar to one carried out against President-elect Donald Trump during his campaign.
“It was a near miss. I was injured and I was bloodied, but I didn’t give up the fight,” Jenkins said. “If you’re truly not guilty of a crime, never give in, never give up, and never plead guilty to something you’re not guilty of.”
Jenkins had been charged with one count of conspiracy to interfere with government functions and to violate federal law regulating machine guns and three counts of making false statements. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
On Tuesday — the deadline by which federal prosecutors were ordered to provide a status update in Jenkins’ case — Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Goo moved to dismiss both the original April 2023 indictment and a revised February 2024 indictment. Jenkins’ attorneys consented to the motion.
At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher entered an order dismissing the case against Jenkins with prejudice, declaring all pending motions in the case moot and vacating all deadlines and court dates previously set.
A dismissal with prejudice renders the case against Jenkins permanently closed and prevents the federal government from filing a new case based on the same charged offenses.
Angelina Thompson, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, declined to comment on the dismissal in an email on Tuesday.
The dismissal comes three weeks after a jury found Robert Krop — an owner of The Machine Gun Nest who was named as Jenkins’ co-conspirator — not guilty of the conspiracy charge, three counts of making false statements and one count of illegally possessing machine guns.
The government alleged that Jenkins, in his official capacity as the Frederick County sheriff, signed a series of letters that were sent by Krop to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with applications to have federally regulated machine guns transferred to The Machine Gun Nest.
The ATF approved some of those applications, according to the government, based on statements Jenkins made about the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office’s need to see demonstrations of the weapons for evaluation and possible purchase.
In fact, the government alleged, no demonstrations were planned and the machine guns were rented out to customers at The Machine Gun Nest.
Asked on Tuesday if he would have done anything differently with regard to the letters, Jenkins said he felt he did “nothing wrong, except I failed to pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, are the guns here?’”
Jenkins noted that Krop also did not call the Sheriff’s Office to notify the agency that the guns had been received.
Andrea Smith, one of Jenkins’ attorneys, said during the press conference that in her experience as a prosecutor, “there was just never a case” against the sheriff.
“There was no evidence of a conspiracy. The sheriff and Mr. Krop didn’t know each other,” Smith said. “There was no evidence that the sheriff ever knowingly did anything with the intent to break the law, which is what the government was required to prove.”
Immediately after Gallagher granted the government’s motion to dismiss, Smith called the U.S. District Court in Baltimore to ask that Jenkins be allowed to carry his service weapon again.
Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater had no comment on the development in Jenkins’ case, according to spokesperson Vivian Laxton.
