A Maryland man has been sentenced to one year in jail for throwing a big party during lockdown.
Shawn Marshall Myers, 42, violated Maryland’s COVID-19 guidelines when he threw a huge party at his house in March.
According to the Charles County State’s Attorney Office, officers found 50 people at the house, and Myers argued with the cops when they told him to shut it down.
Myers eventually shut it down, but less than a week later, cops were called to his house again and found another party with over 50 people.
At the time, large gatherings were banned under Governor Larry Hogan’s State of Emergency and Large Gathering Orders.
When officers told Myers to shut the party down, he claimed he and his guests had the right to gather.
“Beyond being argumentative, Myers directed his guests to stay in defiance of Governor Hogan’s Orders and the officers’ lawful orders to disband the party,” the press release read. “Officers tried to reason with Myers and obtain his cooperation to no avail. Myers was then apprehended.”
Myers was convicted of two counts of failure to comply with an emergency order. He was sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. He also received 3 years unsupervised probation.
For a law to be a law, it has to be passed by both houses of the Maryland State Legislature and signed by the Governor. A governor cannot by himself pass a law.