Former MD sheriff’s deputy pleads guilty to misconduct in office

Listen to this article

A former Cecil County sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty on Wednesday to misconduct in office for using law enforcement databases to look up information about seven people, including his wife, romantic partners and others.

Dontae Odom, who was charged with 45 counts in August, pleaded guilty in Cecil County Circuit Court to just seven: four for misconduct in office and three for unauthorized access to a computer.

The confidential databases to which Odom had access are only supposed to be used for legitimate law enforcement purposes. In addition to his wife and romantic partners, he also looked up his romantic partners’ relatives, a hotel employee and a woman who worked in his office building, according to a statement of facts provided by the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor.

Odom also admitted to recording a conversation with one of those seven people without her knowledge or consent — despite being ordered months earlier not to have any contact with her.

“When law enforcement officers break the very laws they are sworn to enforce, they violate the public trust and undermine the integrity of our justice system,” Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton Howard III stated in a press release.

“Our office remains committed to thoroughly investigating — and when warranted, prosecuting — any instance where an officer may have misused their power and betrayed the public they are sworn to serve.”

Odom, who resigned from his job days before he was charged in August, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 19. He was represented by Madeline Spencer and Chaz Ball of Schlachman, Belsky, Weiner & Davy. Spencer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.