Terpko
faces 2nd-degree assault
BY JAMES RADA, JR.
Thurmont News Editor
THURMONT,
Md. – Open or closed hand? The difference could decide
whether Thurmont Town Commissioner Ron Terpko is guilty of second-degree
assault in an incident arising from the arrest of his 13-year-old
son.
“Whether
he used a fist or a hand, that’s going to be the deciding
factor in this case,” said Frederick County State’s
Attorney Scott Rolle.
Terpko’s
son Brandon was arrested on June 14 along with two other juveniles
for smashing 13 mailboxes in the Thurmont area. Following
the arrest, Terpko left his work to pick up his son.
Thurmont
Police Officer Christopher McLoughlin wrote in his incident
report that upon arriving, Terpko “exited the vehicle
and walked towards our location. Mr. Terpko was not happy.
I approached Mr. Terpko and began to explain the situation
to him. He stated, ‘Chris, I don’t want to hear
it.’ I stated, ‘Ron, calm down and go talk to
Deputy (John) McQuain. Mr. Terpko walked towards Deputy McQuain’s
vehicle then changed direction and walked over towards his
son (blacked out) who was hand cuffed with his hands behind
his back and was standing with his back towards my patrol
car. On making contact with his son (blacked out), Mr. Terpko
struck him once in the face with his right fist.”
This
action caused McQuain to arrest Terpko.
Terpko
has said in previous statements to the media that he didn’t
realized his son was handcuffed and McLoughlin’s report
supports this by saying Brandon’s hands were behind
his back and his back was to the patrol car.
The assertion
that Terpko struck his son with a fist brought about the assault
charges.
Thurmont
Police Officer Mark Debord agreed with the first part of McLoughlin’s
report. He wrote in his report, “Mr. Terpko’s
arms were at his side, he was walking upright, and he did
not appear to be preparing for an assault. Before I could
react, Mr. Terpko slapped (blacked out) left cheek with an
open hand. Mr. Terpko then disengaged (blacked out), walked
toward his residence, and verbalized his frustration by screaming/yelling.”
McLoughlin
wrote, that Brandon “was dazed for a second; he began
to cry, and started to run down the hill. I chased after (blacked
out) got him to calm down, and brought him back to the scene.”
Terpko
was arrested and Debord took him to the county detention center.
He was charged with second-degree assault and child abuse.
Rolle decided to drop the child abuse charge on June 28.
“That
charge, no matter what version of the incident you believe,
doesn’t fit the definition,” Rolle said. “The
law says you need to prove intent to maim or cause physical
damage. This simply doesn’t fit.”
“It’s
a step in the right direction,” said Usiak. “I
hope the other charge is dismissed on the 13th.”
Terpko’s
preliminary hearing on the matter has been scheduled for July
13. By that time, Rolle said he intends to have sorted through
the conflicting testimony from the police officers to determine
whether Terpko struck his son with a fist or an open hand.
Editor's
Note: See related article
