Ex-Taneytown police chief pleads guilty to gun crime
Former Taneytown police Chief William Tyler pleaded guilty Tuesday at a hearing in the U.S. District Court of Maryland to one count of possessing and transferring a machine gun. “[Tyler] apologizes to the community and its hard-working citizens who he served for many years,” Tyler’s attorney Robert Biddle said in a written statement. Tyler entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander. The former police chief will be sentenced on June 14. Tyler illegally possessed and transferred two .223 caliber Ruger KAC556 model machine guns between Nov. 8, 2017, and Jan. 15 “in the District of Maryland and elsewhere,” and initially lied to federal agents that he had never fired the machine gun found at his residence and that he didn’t know it was an automatic rifle, according to a statement of facts prepared by the U.S. attorney’s office. Tyler recanted when he spoke again with federal agents, this time with his attorney present. “These two machine guns were registered to the [Taneytown Police Department] and were restricted to Government entities or export in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record,” according to the statement of facts. Tyler, who agreed to the facts outlined in the statement by pleading guilty, transferred one of the machine guns to himself for personal use on Nov. 8, 2017, and the other machine gun to “Officer1” for their personal use on Nov. 13, 2017. “[Tyler] did not attempt to report the transfers of machine guns or his possession of the machine gun to the National Firearms Act Branch,” the statement details. Federal agents found one machine gun at Tyler’s residence in Fairfield, Pa., and the other machine gun at “Officer1’s” residence when they executed sealed search warrants at the Taneytown Police Department and the two police officials’ residences on Jan. 15 in Fairfield. Taneytown police Sgt. Brian Jestes lives on Mile Trail in Fairfield, according to the Adams County Tax Services Department, where FBI activity was reported on Jan. 15. According to a 2019 Taneytown police roster, obtained by the through a Public Information Act request, Tyler and Jestes were the only police officials who have listed addresses in Fairfield. Tyler was released on his own recognizance before his sentencing hearing June12, but he must report on a regular basis to a pretrial supervision facility in Harrisburg, Pa. black colleges and universities that applied for the grant. African Americans make up 5 percent of the science and engineering workforce. The grant will be used to build a liquid-fuel rocketry lab, as well as recruit new faculty to the program. The grant will be used to build a liquid-fuel rocketry lab, as well as recruit new faculty to the program. Morgan said in a statement that it is hoping to launch a rocket that reaches 150,000 feet by 2022.
Lawmakers consider expanding hate crime law
Similar to the rest of the nation, Maryland has seen an increase in reported hate crimes and incidents since the 2016 presidential campaign. Police in Maryland reported 693 hate crimes and incidents in 2016 and 2017, nearly double the number from the previous two years. Hate crimes are misdemeanors such as assault or vandalism that were committed based on race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, disability, national origin, or homelessness. As incidents have mounted, Rosenberg said he and other lawmakers “became aware that the hate crime law would not cover a threat.” The proposed legislation calls for imposing a punishment of up to three years and a maximum $5,000 fine for threatening or attempting to commit a hate crime. It proposed to increase the punishment for committing a hate crime to up to five years and a $10,000 penalty. Penalties are more severe when hate crimes are committed during a felony.The language in the bill, which would take effect Oct. 1 if passed, states that its provisions do not violate the protected free speech. “Nothing in the hate crimes statutes may be construed to infringe on the speech of a religious leader or other individual during peaceable activity intended to express the leader’s or individual’s religious beliefs or convictions,” the draft bill states.