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Sheriff says Fritz pursues drug dealers in St. Mary's County
IT'S ALL POLITICAL
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009
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A state's attorney candidate's comments last week about St. Mary's lawmen turning to federal prosecutors to go after drug dealers brought a quick response from the county sheriff.
Local prosecutors handle the bulk of the drug distribution cases in the county, Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron (R) said Thursday, and they take part in referring specific cases to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"The decision to take a case to the federal authorities is based on a number of things, [and] is done in concert with the state's attorney," Cameron said at his office in Leonardtown. "Federal authorities have resources beyond anything that we have locally and [court] sentencing guidelines beyond anything that we have locally."
Cameron added, "The state's attorney's office continues to prosecute local cases every day and they continue to successfully … obtain significant sentences."
Federal prosecutors visited St. Mary's last month to take part with Cameron and other regional law-enforcement officials to announce that 12 people had been indicted on drug charges through a three-year investigation involving 11 pounds of cocaine, and a response by 200 lawmen.
Early last week, Leonardtown lawyer John A. Mattingly Jr., a Democratic candidate for state's attorney, questioned why drug cases were being handled federally instead of by Richard D. Fritz, the Republican incumbent in the state's attorney's office.
"We can do this here," Mattingly said. "After all, that's why he's getting paid."
Eleven people indicted by St. Mary's grand jurors on drug charges had bond hearings last week at the local circuit court in Leonardtown. Charges ranged from alleged cocaine distribution last winter in Great Mills to an alleged marijuana-distribution conspiracy discovered in April at the county jail.
Cameron noted that local taxpayers also fund the salaries of federal authorities, and that he and Fritz are using "every resource [and] every asset at our disposal, whether it's a state, local or federal asset."
The sheriff said, "The role of prosecuting drug traffickers has not shifted away from our local state's attorney. I'm going to get every law-enforcement agency I can get to help me, and State's Attorney Fritz feels the same way."
