January 17, 2020: Greensboro Police Chief Pleads Guilty to Misconduct in Office
GREENSBORO POLICE CHIEF PLEADS GUILTY TO MISCONDUCT IN OFFICE
Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton Howard announced today that Michael Petyo, former Police Chief of the Greensboro Police Department in Caroline County, Maryland, pleaded guilty on January 17, 2020, to one count of misconduct in office for making factual misrepresentations in an Application for Certification, which he filed on behalf of one of his police officers.
An Application for Certification is filed with the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission to certify police officers throughout the State of Maryland. Officers must be certified to be allowed to carry out their duties.
According to the Statement of Facts read at the guilty plea, Petyo, while serving as Greensboro Police Chief, submitted an Application of Certification on behalf of Thomas Webster to the Commission for certification as a Greensboro police officer. In his submission, Petyo made several intentional misrepresentations and factual omissions to the Commission.
Petyo was sentenced to a period of two years’ incarceration, all suspended, with three years’ supervised probation by The Honorable Paul M. Bowman.
“Honest and thorough reporting to the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission is an essential responsibility of Police Chiefs throughout the State of Maryland to ensure that individuals who apply for certification, and are consequently employed as law enforcement officers, are properly screened and evaluated,” said Howard. “I commend the investigators and attorneys at the Office of the State Prosecutor for their outstanding work on this case.”
The Office of State Prosecutor would like to thank the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission and the Delaware Department of Justice with their assistance in this investigation.