LA PLATA, Md. — Authorities in Maryland charged a man with failing to comply with the state’s coronavirus emergency order after they found him with dozens of people around a bonfire.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that officers were called to a house in Hughesville around 11 p.m. Friday in response to reports of a large gathering.
The news release said that when officers arrived they saw about 60 people gathered around a bonfire and that it’s the second time they were called to the house since the emergency order went into effect.
The emergency order by Gov. Larry Hogan prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people in response to the covid-19 pandemic.
The sheriff’s office said that the first time they responded to the house, on March 22, the homeowner agreed to disperse the crowd.
NEW: Per @CCSOMD: 41 year old Shawn Marshall Myers was arrested at his Charles County home last night for hosting a bonfire with around 60 guests. Myers had been warned days earlier to break up a party he was hosting @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/gMotb7n8an
— Tom Lynch (@TomLynch_) March 29, 2020
However, the news release said that on the more recent visit, the homeowner refused multiple requests to comply with the order to disperse.
Shawn Marshall Myers, 41, was charged with failure to comply with the emergency order, according to the news release.
A sheriff’s office spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to an email asking if Myers has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
