A Baltimore police officer whose wife tried to pawn jewels he had recovered from an armed robbery at a Harford County store will not face criminal charges after agreeing to resign and testify against the men to be tried in the holdup, according to prosecutors in Baltimore and Harford counties.
The deal has angered the owner of a Baltimore County store robbed nine days after the holdup of J&M Jewelers in Bel Air, allegedly by the same man. Michael Bromwell of Bromwell Jewelers in Timonium said that the robbery of his store could have been averted had the officer handled the seized jewels appropriately.
Officer David A. Williamson found the jewels during a routine traffic stop of Brian O'Neal Hodge, according to charging documents. He arrested Hodge on a misdemeanor gun charge, but prosecutors say he took the jewels instead of putting them in the department's evidence control, where they could have been linked to the holdup in Bel Air.
Hodge, 39, posted bail on the gun charge and a little more than a week later, police said he was one of three suspects who stole $200,000 in jewels from Bromwell Jewelers and tied up owner Michael Bromwell and another employee in a back room.
"If he did his job when he originally had Hodge arrested, I never get held up," Bromwell said in an interview.
Hodge and Corey R. Cooper, 26, both of Gwynn Oak in Baltimore County, now face numerous charges related to the November armed robberies of the two stores that netted nearly $1 million in gems and jewelry.
Investigators said they were led to Hodge after Williamson's wife pawned some of the stolen goods. According to charging documents, Williamson's attorney told police that the officer had recovered the items during a traffic stop of Hodge on Nov. 17.
Williamson, who had been suspended with pay, resigned Jan. 26, according to city police spokesman Matt Jablow. Baltimore County prosecutors said the resignation was the result of an agreement in which he would testify in the Harford County case.
"Our goal in negotiating this agreement with Williamson is that we do nothing to jeopardize the successful prosecution of Hodge and his co-defendant in Baltimore County and Harford County," said Baltimore County Deputy State's Attorney Stephen Bailey. "At the same time, we're able to ensure that he will never be a police officer again. We received a written admission of his wrongdoing. Should he breach any of the provisions we've reached, we're free to prosecute him."
