BALTIMORE — Baltimore prosecutors have dropped the charges against 25 state correctional officers accused in 2019 of using excessive force against inmates and functioning as a criminal enterprise in jails around the city.
Several defense attorneys representing the officers, all of whom were part of a specialized tactical unit, questioned how the officers were charged under the state’s gang statute in the first place. The lawyers told The Baltimore Sun their clients’ lives were upended because of allegations that wouldn’t stand up in court.
“It’s a case that never should’ve been charged in the first place. It never should have gotten this far. It was beyond a stretch to suggest these guards were working in a gang together,” said defense attorney Tyler Mann, who represented Sgt. Gerald Solomon. “If they thought that certain guards were assaulting people, they should’ve charged them with assault within the applicable time frame.”
