Shawn Marshall Myers, 42, threw a large party at a home in Hughesville in March, according to the state's attorney's office.
A Maryland man has been sentenced Friday to one year in jail for throwing large parties, which violated the state's COVID-19 guidelines. Shawn Marshall Myers, 42, threw a large party at a home in Hughesville in March, according to the state's attorney's office.
Officers responded to a report of a large gathering at Myers’ residence in March and they say they found 50 people at the party. Cops said Myers was argumentative when told he was violating the governor’s strict mandate, according to the state attorney’s office. Myers agreed to disband the gathering but less than a week later, cops were called again to the home, where they said more than 50 people gathered for a party, according to authorities.
Large gatherings were strictly prohibited under Governor Larry Hogan's State of Emergency and Large Gathering Orders due to the COVID-19 shutdown. The executive order was put into effect on March 23 and amended on March 30.
"A person who knowingly and willfully violates this Order is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding one year or a fine not exceeding $5,000 or both," the executive order states.
Officers said they tried to reason with Myers again during the second incident, but he did not cooperate and was arrested.
Myers was convicted of two counts of failure to comply with an emergency order. On Friday, he was sentenced to one year in jail, plus a $5,000 fine. He also received three years unsupervised probation.
Maryland has reported more than 123,000 coronavirus cases and 3,790 deaths, according to the state's department of health.
RELATED STORIES
