Prosecutor: Maryland Needs Tougher Laws for Violent Threats

Does Maryland need tougher laws to deal with threats of violence? Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks thinks so. 

Yesterday, after a Prince George's County Circuit Court judge dismissed telephone misuse charges brought against Crofton resident Neill Prescott in relation to statements he made last summer to a co-worker which were perceived by his boss as a threat to go on a workplace shooting spree, Alsobrooks' office issued a press release which noted that "Maryland was one of only seven states that does not have a statute dealing with threats of mass violence or terrorism."

During the 2013 General Assembly session in Annapolis, according to the release, Alsobrooks lobbied for just such a law, but her efforts died on the floor of the Maryland senate. 

Last summer, when the charges against Prescott were first revealed, Alsobrooks said that Maryland's telephone misuse law was the only state law under which Prescott could have been charged because the state does not have a law against making threats by phone. The charge of telephone misuse, which is a misdemeanor in the state, carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $500 fine.

"The laws that we need to deal with this type of crime don't exist yet," said a statement in yesterday's press release attributed to Prince George's County Police Chief Mark Magaw.