Maryland sheriff on leave after machine gun scheme indictment
Misty Severi
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Frederick County Sheriff Charles “Chuck” Jenkins announced a leave of absence Wednesday after being indicted by a grand jury for an alleged machine gun operation last week.
The leave of absence, which will start on Friday and last for the remainder of his trial, comes after the Maryland sheriff pleaded “not guilty” in his initial court appearance on Wednesday. He faces five federal charges of conspiracy and false statements to acquire machine guns illegally.
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“Out of respect for the men and women of this agency, and not to interfere with the effective operations, I am going to take a leave of absence, effective end of business, Friday, April 14, through the end of this judicial process,” Jenkins said in a statement.
“I have full confidence in the system, and I know that my innocence will prevail at the end of all of this and that I will be found not guilty,” he added.
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Jenkins will not be held in prison before his trial, but he was required to surrender his firearms.
Jenkins and 36-year-old Robert Justin Krop, who was also indicted, allegedly engaged in a fraudulent operation for seven years. Krop, who owns a gun range, allegedly falsified documents under the sheriff’s letterhead, saying the machine guns would be used for demonstrations at Jenkins’s office.
Jenkins then signed the documents, even though he knew there would be no demonstration, according to the indictment. Investigators said the guns were actually rented to Krop’s customers instead.
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Krop’s business also endorsed Jenkins for sheriff in recognition of his support for the business, the indictment said.
Chief Deputy David Benjamin will be the acting sheriff in Jenkins’s place. Jenkins has been the sheriff of Frederick County since 2006 and was most recently reelected in 2022.