Trial of Frederick County Council candidate postponed over missing police body-camera footage
The trial of Republican County Council District 1 nominee Frank Hollewa was delayed after prosecutors said additional Maryland State Police body-camera footage, including witness interviews, had not been provided.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW
Frank Hollewa is charged with failure to stop after a crash involving damage to an attended vehicle. The incident happened June 23 at Faith Baptist Church. The church was serving as a primary-election polling place. Police allege Hollewa’s Ford Explorer struck a Tesla. No apparent injuries were reported. Prosecutors said additional Maryland State Police body-camera footage had not been provided. The missing footage includes witness interviews. The defense did not object to postponement because it also needs the footage. A new trial date had not been set.
The trial of Frank Hollewa, the Republican nominee for Frederick County Council District 1, has been postponed after prosecutors said additional Maryland State Police body-camera footage had not been provided in the case.
Hollewa is charged with failure to stop after a crash involving damage to an attended vehicle stemming from a June 23 incident in the parking lot of Faith Baptist Church, which was being used as a primary-election polling place.
According to a Maryland State Police crash report summarized in the source material, Hollewa’s Ford Explorer allegedly struck a Tesla and left without an exchange of information.
Both vehicles reportedly sustained superficial damage, and no apparent injuries were reported.
The postponement was not a ruling on whether the underlying charge is valid.
Prosecutors said additional body-camera files, including witness interviews, had not been produced. The defense did not oppose postponement because it also needs access to that material before trial.
The source material identifies Hollewa as the Republican nominee for District 1 and says he is scheduled to face Democratic nominee Louisa Conklin in the Nov. 3 general election.
A new trial date had not been set at the time of the report.
The missing footage could matter because witness interviews may provide additional evidence about what happened in the church parking lot, but the source material does not establish what those recordings contain.
WHAT IT MEANS
The trial was delayed because both sides are waiting for evidence, not because the court made a finding about the charge itself.
The body-camera footage may become important to the case if the witness interviews contain information relevant to what happened in the parking lot.
Until that footage is reviewed and the case proceeds, the charge remains an allegation.
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