2 Baltimore Police officers plead guilty in unrelated reckless driving and overtime theft cases

Dylan Segelbaum

The Baltimore Banner

May 24, 2024

A Baltimore Police officer has been fined $2,000 for hitting a man on a motorcycle and causing life-threatening injuries while responding to a call after she failed to slow down at an intersection before going through a red light.

Officer Alexia Davis, 26, of Carrollton Ridge, a more than six-year veteran, pleaded guilty on Monday in Baltimore Circuit Court to reckless driving and failure to control speed to avoid a collision in the crash, which happened before noon at the intersection of Sinclair Lane and Moravia Road in Frankford on June 17, 2023.

Davis had her lights — but not sirens — on when she hit Dennis Freeman at 37 mph. Freeman lost his right leg and underwent multiple surgeries on his left leg, which he described as still not being in the best shape.

Freeman attended the Zoom hearing but was too emotional to address the court. His wife, Sarah, read a victim impact statement on his behalf.

“Miss Davis, you took my life from me,” Freeman wrote. “Although you did not stop my heart from beating, I will never live a normal life.”

Freeman said he can’t walk, shower or do activities that he loves without help. Every time he looks in the mirror, Freeman said, he feels self-conscious.

“Some days, I wish I had lost my life in that accident so I wouldn’t feel like such a burden to the people I love,” Freeman said. “I’m supposed to be a man. A father. A provider. A fixer. A problem solver.”

Freeman said his “smile isn’t a smile anymore.” Instead, he said, “it’s a mask that I wear for my three beautiful children and my wife.”

Davis, he said, forever changed his life with her careless actions. Freeman said he hoped that she has learned and grown from the experience but also that she is also “never put in a position where you are able to hurt anyone ever again.”

Circuit Judge Melissa K. Copeland asked the state about its reasons for extending the plea agreement, which called for a charge of misconduct in office to be dropped.

Assistant State’s Attorney Steven Trostle, chief of the Public Trust and Police Integrity Unit, said though prosecutors in good faith charged Davis with misconduct in office, the offense would have been difficult to prove at trial.

Davis would have to pay the maximum fines under the law and receive points on her driver’s license, Trostle said. The plea agreement, he said, also prevents Freeman from having to testify at trial.

Trostle noted that he consulted at length with Freeman and his attorney about the resolution.

“We just believe, at the end of the day, that, at its core, this incident is a traffic offense,” Trostle said. “We just believe that this is a fair and appropriate disposition.”

When Copeland asked Davis if she wanted to make a statement, she replied, “No thank you.”

She is performing administrative duties pending her case with the Administrative Charging Committee, Detective Vernon Davis, a spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department, said in an email.

Davis’ police powers, he said, are suspended.

In an unrelated case, former Detective June Hall pleaded guilty on Monday to theft and misconduct in office for probation before judgment. She must pay about $825 in restitution and perform 40 hours of community service.

On Nov. 11, 2022, Hall left her post at the Recruitment Unit for about 3 1/2 hours to go to a dentist appointment in Towson. She did not notify her supervisors or request medical leave. And she also submitted and received overtime pay for earlier in the day, Assistant State’s Attorney Kimberly Rothwell said.

Law enforcement, she said, put her under surveillance and uncovered instances during which Hall used departmental vehicles to run errands while on the job. She also clocked in on several occasions and requested overtime while at home.

Hall, 51, of Gwynn Oak, who had been on the job more than 27 years, declined to make a statement before sentencing. “Absolutely not,” she said.

Chaz Ball, an attorney who represented both Davis and Hall, declined to comment.

In a statement, Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said the convictions “underscores our dedication to upholding the rule of law.”

“Accountability and integrity are cornerstones of justice,” Bates said, “and these outcomes reinforce our commitment to ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their position, are held responsible for their actions.”