Man gets 1 year in jail for holding large parties against COVID-19 rules

Charles County Sheriff's OfficeBy EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News

(HUGHESVILLE, Md.) -- A Maryland man has been sentenced to one year in jail after he hosted two parties against the governor's COVID-19 large gathering orders, prosecutors said.

Following a bench trial, Shawn Marshall Myers, 42, was convicted of two counts of failure to comply with an emergency order, according to a Friday statement from the Charles County State’s Attorney's Office.

On March 22, officers responded to Myers' home in Hughesville for a report of a large party violating Gov. Larry Hogan's state of emergency and large gathering orders, prosecutors said.

Officers found about 50 people at Myers' home and they told Myers that his party violated the current rules, prosecutors said.

Myers allegedly argued with the officers, but he "eventually agreed to disband his party," prosecutors said.

Days later, on March 27, officers again responded to Myers' home for another report of a party with more than 50 people.

"Officers told Myers to disband the party, but again he was argumentative claiming he and his guests had the right to congregate," according to prosecutors.

Myers also allegedly told "his guests to stay in defiance of Governor Hogan’s Orders and the officers’ lawful orders to disband the party," prosecutors said.

"Officers tried to reason with Myers and obtain his cooperation to no avail," prosecutors said.

Myers was then arrested.

After Myers is released from jail, he will be on unsupervised probation for three years, prosecutors said.

Over 122,000 people in Maryland have been diagnosed with COVID-19, including at least 3,772 people who have died, according to state data.

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