Deputy Sheriff

The state prosecutor has begun an inquiry into Baltimore County Sheriff Norman M. Pepersack Jr. for releasing disciplinary records of a former deputy sheriff who is running against him, and for his potentially improper appearance in an amateur mystery movie."

In the Byzantine world of courthouse politics, nothing matches the race for Baltimore County sheriff this year.The Democratic candidate -- Anne K. Strasdauskas -- is a former deputy sheriff fired last year for failing to turn in her radio on time. Recently reinstated by court order, she resigned last week to spend the next month trying to unseat Republican Sheriff Norman M. Pepersack Jr., who fired her.As her former boss, Pepersack has access to his opponent's personnel files and has launched his first campaign assault by publicly unveiling 11 disciplinary accusations against Strasdauskas -- which she had not seen.

SINCE HIS 1990 election, Sheriff Norman M. Pepersack Jr.'s imperious management style has created lots of controversy in Baltimore County. That's why it is difficult to understand why the sheriff, unopposed in the Republican primary, does not face a tougher Democratic challenge.One Democratic candidate, L. John McClernan, is a lawyer and former deputy sheriff. But he also was found guilty of failure to pay child support last year, offering mental health problems as his defense.Another candidate, Charles D. Cuddy, was a sheriff's department officer assigned to court security until he transferred to become an emergency communications technician.

Deputy 1st Class John T. Brosseau Jr., an officer with the Harford County sheriff's office for seven years, died Thursday at University of Maryland Medical Center of complications after treatment for leukemia. The Belcamp resident was 31.Deputy Brosseau was well-liked by citizens and fellow officers, said Harford County Sheriff Joseph P. Meadows."He was one of those guys who didn't complain, who did his job and did it well," he said. "He was very good at community relations and problem-solving."

A Talbot County deputy sheriff has been released on a $25,000 unsecured bond after he was charged with rape, assault, false imprisonment and misconduct in office, a state police spokeswoman said yesterday.Sgt. Laura Lu Herman, the spokeswoman, said an investigation began in February after requests from the state's attorney's offices in Talbot and Caroline counties. The accuser is a Caroline County woman.Herman said Jimmy D. Hackett, 26, of Easton surrendered to state police Monday. She said the alleged incidents occurred between January 1997 and April, when Hackett was a deputy sheriff.

Sheriff John Brown, who vowed last month to recruit a posse to help at the crowded Carroll County jail, has signed his first and, no doubt, biggest volunteer -- Tony "Goose" Siragusa, the 6-foot-3, 335-pound Baltimore Ravens tackle.Brown said yesterday that swearing in Siragusa was no publicity stunt."I never met the man before, but he was a deputy sheriff in Indianapolis for seven years," Brown said.The Ravens' defensive stalwart said he learned about the sheriff's difficulties and decided to come to the Westminster detention center Tuesday to offer his services.

A federal jury has ordered former Anne Arundel County Sheriff Robert G. Pepersack and his top deputy to pay $31,100 to a female deputy for sexual harassment and gender discrimination.After a week of testimony, the jury in U.S. District Court in Baltimore found Pepersack and former Undersheriff J. Patrick Ogle liable Monday for treating Elizabeth E. "Beth" Smith in a demeaning way, retaliating against her, threatening her and refusing to promote her.The award was far below the more than $15 million sought in Smith's 1995 lawsuit, but "the issue was not the money," she said.

Arthur "Ducky" Holmes, 97, Balto. Co. deputy sheriffArthur "Ducky" Holmes, a lifelong Monkton resident and a former Baltimore County deputy sheriff, died of heart failure Saturday at the home where he had lived for nearly 60 of his 97 years.Known as "Ducky" since his days at the old Sparks Agriculture High School, Mr. Holmes was known throughout the community for his wit and friendliness."He would just walk up to people and start talking to them and make them laugh," said a daughter, Julia Boone of Cockeysville.

The Thomas brood has law enforcement in its blood.Two of Dale R. Thomas' brothers were Baltimore City police officers. His son, Michael, is a criminal justice major at Anne Arundel Community College. Mr. Thomas, a 25-year veteran of the Anne Arundel County Police Department, retired June 30 to the rustic peace of Centreville in Queen Anne's County.But he didn't stay away long.Yesterday, Circuit Court Clerk Robert P. Duckworth swore him in as the county's first chief deputy sheriff.Sheriff George F. Johnson IV created the position, which became effective July 1."

A Carroll County sheriff's deputy filed a $500,000 lawsuit yesterday against Sheriff John H. Brown, alleging that the sheriff unfairly demoted him in 1993 after he won a court-ordered reinstatement.Sgt. Paul F. Nolte Jr. alleges in the suit, filed in Anne Arundel Circuit Court, that he was fired March 27, 1992, after 19 years on the job in retaliation for backing the sheriff's opponent, Sam Sensabaugh, in the 1990 election.He filed suit July 16, 1992, in Carroll County Circuit Court to win his job back and was reinstated Feb. 19, 1993, in an order issued by Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Eugene M. Lerner after the suit was transferred to that county.