Federal charges were dropped Tuesday against the sheriff of Frederick County, Maryland, who had been accused in an alleged scheme to obtain machine guns.
Prosecutors requested a motion to dismiss the charges against Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, which a judge granted. It came after an alleged accomplice was acquitted by a jury last month.
At a news conference in Frederick, Jenkins was defiant and said there never was any evidence against him, in what he described as a political prosecution.
“This has been pure hell for myself and my entire family and even my friends. With almost 35 years in law enforcement, I have always believed in the justice system. But this ordeal has made me believe the people that are currently running the system are not the right people. I’ve never seen anyone experience anything like this in my entire career,” he said.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. >Sign up here.
The government claimed in its indictment that beginning in 2015 and continuing through May 2022, Jenkins entered into a conspiracy with Rob Krop, the owner of a gun range. The government claimed Jenkins obtained machine guns for what he said were demonstrations for the sheriff’s office but instead were used as rental guns for Krop’s business.
Jenkins said that never happened, he had only meet Krop twice and the government failed to produce evidence of a conspiracy. Krop was acquitted of all charges.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
The sheriff said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives failed to do its job and secretly recorded him in a conversation he thought was only between sworn law enforcement officers in his office. He said he believes the government was out to ruin his reputation.
The charges were dropped with prejudice, meaning the government cannot bring them again.
Jenkins initially took a leave of absence and returned without his service weapon and with his police powers revoked. He now has them back.
At the news conference Tuesday, a reporter asked Jenkins if he got back his service weapon. He stepped away from the podium, opened up his jacket and showed his weapon to applause.
