Maryland man arrested for hosting bonfire party with 60 guests and breaking coronavirus lockdown order
HUGHESVILLE, MARYLAND: A Maryland man has been arrested as he defied the state’s coronavirus order and hosted a bonfire party with 60 people on March 27 night.
Shawn Marshall Myers, 41, has reportedly twice violated Gov. Larry Hogan’s order against gatherings of more than 10 people. According to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, when officers arrived at the location, they found approximately 60 people at the bonfire. This was the second time officers have responded to this house for a large gathering.
Myers is also a registered sex offender who was also indicted as a murder accomplice. Police had earlier arrived at the 15000 block of Lukes Lane in Hughesville after a complaint stating a large crowd at Myers’ home on March 22. That time he was not arrested and advised about the governor’s order after which he agreed to break up the gathering.
However, deputies were called to Myers’s place a second time on March 27 shortly before 11 pm as he violated the rule again and was seen with around 60 people enjoying the bonfire party. As he refused to comply multiple times with the governor’s command, he has been charged with violating the COVID-19 emergency order.
Penalties for breaking the coronavirus emergency order can include up to a year in prison and a $5,000 fine. However, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office has not confirmed immediately whether Myers, who is a recorded criminal, was facing such consequences.
Myers was earlier convicted for carnal knowledge/indecent liberties in Virginia in 2001, as per Maryland’s sex offender registry. In 2011, he was also indicted on a first-degree murder charge for the 2004 Thanksgiving shooting of a 23-year-old man.
According to a Washinton Post report of that time, Myers opted for 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.
COVID-19 has terrorized several countries around the world with over 700,000 confirmed cases of people infected with the virus. The USA has the most number of confirmed cases ahead of Italy and China.
According to Maryland’s health department, the state alone has 1,413 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 15 deaths as of March 30. President Trump has taken several measures, including lockdowns in major cities, to help prevent the further spread of the deadly virus.
However, recently he was slammed by writer Stephen King for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic as the author said his response is "almost impossible to comprehend". King also took a dig at the POTUS as he thinks Trump is very indecisive at a time when the country is grappling with the pandemic.
"It’s almost impossible to comprehend. I remember back in the 1970s when Republicans laughed at Jimmy Carter as being indecisive and wishy-washy. The President we have now, and [Republican governor] Rob DeSantis here in Florida, these are supposed to be go-to-it guys, the guys you want in charge when something really goes wrong because they don’t waffle, they don’t wishy-washy,” King said.