A Baltimore
County grand jury has indicted a county police officer for the death of
17-year-old Christopher Brown earlier this month.
The grand
jury indicted James Laboard on two forms of murder, manslaughter and
involuntary manslaughter.
Laboard is
charged in an incident on June 13. Police say Brown was part of a group of
teens who were throwing rocks at Laboard's Randallstown home. Police say
Laboard, who was off duty at the time, chased the teens and started beating
Brown. Laboard was off duty at the time of the incident.
Baltimore
County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger would not comment on the indictment
beyond a news release issued from his office.
The
statement says the two charges are different means of proving illegal conduct.
Both charges are felonies. Each carries a maximum 10 year prison term.
Brown's
mother had been critical of prosecutors in recent days for not filing charges
sooner.
She told
WBAL News today that she feels the charges are too lenient.
"I said
it loud and clear, I'm looking for a murder conviction," Chris Brown told
WBAL News.
"He
murdered my son, and I want all of the evidence they have in the death of my
son."
Officer
James Laboard has been arrested, processed, and released on his own
recognizance.
Statement from Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office
On Wednesday, June 27, 2012, the Grand Jury for Baltimore
County indicted James David Laboard in the death of Christopher Brown. Brown
died on June 13, 2012 in the Randallstown area of Baltimore County after an
altercation with Mr. Laboard.
The two count Indictment charges Laboard with two forms
of murder: one count of Manslaughter and one count of Involuntary Manslaughter.
While there was only one death, the two separate counts of manslaughter involve
different means to prove the illegal conduct. Both charges are classified as
Felonies with a maximum penalty of ten years in jail. The Indictment resulted
in a bench warrant being issued, and Laboard will be arrested and processed.
An Indictment is not a finding of guilt, and individuals
charged by indictment are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in
criminal proceedings. Mr. Laboard will be arraigned in the next 30-60 days at
which time a trial date will be set.
"Once again, I want to assure everyone that this
case was treated as any other case of this type would have been," said
State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger. "The fact that Mr. Laboard was an
off- duty police officer had no bearing on the time that it took to evaluate
the evidence and move this case forward to the Grand Jury."
"This is a difficult day for the Baltimore County
Police Department, and a tragic one for everyone involved," said Chief
James Johnson. "The job of police officers is one of the most difficult
there is; we ask them every day to make split-second, life-and-death decisions,
including decisions about when to use force. They are not above the laws they
are empowered to enforce."
In this case, Johnson said, "the evidence shows that
at a moment during this altercation, Officer Laboard stepped beyond the scope
of his employment. He, as well as the Brown family, deserved a thorough
investigation of the facts, which we have conducted. Now, Officer Laboard
deserves due process under the law, the same as any other citizen."
Under Baltimore County Police regulations, officers
facing felony charges are suspended without pay.
Statement By Atty Russell Neverdon on behalf of Chris Brown
"We are greatly saddened that the State's Attorney Office denied the judicial process to work as it is designed. The preliminary facts are more than sufficient that the seeking of charges to include second degree murder was appropriate. We believe that he is entitled to a fair & impartial trial & a jury of his peers should have been afforded an opportunity to determine whether 2nd degree murder was appropriate or was there such mitigation that warranted the lesser included offenses of manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. We believe that there were ample facts that should have been considered by a grand jury for 2nd degree murder charges.
It is with hope that an independent agency can re-evaluate this matter. If all the evidence consistently is reviewed in that they derive to the same determination, then we cannot ask for anything more. We strongly want the community to know this is not about revenge but justice in allowing the judicial process to fairly & impartially work thru as it was designed for both the accused & the victim."