Trooper Indicted in Harford County Assault

BEL AIR, MD – A state trooper has been indicted on multiple charges of assault and misconduct in office related to his actions following a vehicle pursuit in Harford County last fall, Maryland State Police reported.

As authorities were arresting a driver who had fled from police, Trooper Matin Dunlap, 25, allegedly hit him with his baton and injured a fellow trooper in the process, according to police.

Multiple officers reportedly lodged complaints against Dunlap afterward.

Police said the incident began when Dunlap, who was on patrol, tried to check on the driver of a car parked on the shoulder of I-95 north near White Marsh around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 22, at which point the driver of the Chevrolet Captiva took off.

Dunlap followed the Captiva and was joined by other troopers in pursuing the vehicle, which had no lights on and was not speeding, police reported.

During the pursuit, officials said the SUV collided with a marked police car belonging to a JFK Barrack supervisor.

After officers deployed stop sticks that deflated its tires, the fleeing vehicle stopped on I-95 north before Belcamp, where troopers tried to arrest the driver, identified as Dennis M. D. Donoghue, 55, of Riverdale, police said.

Donoghue was not fighting officers, but police reported he was passively resisting arrest, which means he was not cooperating fully with orders, and they were unable to handcuff him right away.

As a trooper and corporal had the driver face-down on the ground and were trying to handcuff him, Dunlap allegedly came over and began jabbing Donoghue in the abdomen and side with an expandable metal baton, striking and injuring the hand of a fellow officer in the process.

Despite a corporal grabbing the baton in attempt to stop Dunlap, the trooper continued the behavior until a police sergeant arrived and "forcibly pushed Trooper Dunlap away from Donoghue and ended the assault," police said in a statement.

"Troopers who witnessed the actions of Trooper Dunlap reported what they saw to barrack command staff that night and the criminal investigation began the next morning," the statement said. "Dunlap was suspended with pay and assigned to administrative duties when the criminal investigation began."

After a grand jury indicted Dunlap Tuesday, April 26, on one count of first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree assault and two counts of misconduct in office, he turned himself in to the Bel Air Barrack, police said.

Upon surrendering before 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, Dunlap was arrested and released on $1,000 bond, according to police.

The trooper, who has been with the agency since July 2013 and is assigned to the JFK Barrack, was suspended without pay after his arrest, Maryland State Police reported.

The police department's internal affairs division is also investigating.

Pictured, Trooper Matin Dunlap. Photo Credit: Maryland State Police.