Frederick County traffic stop draws scrutiny after 0.00 BAC arrest and $1 million claim notice
A March 2025 traffic stop involving Levi Trumbull ended in a DUI arrest, a 0.00 breath test and later-dismissed citations. Public reports say he has since issued a notice of intent to sue seeking about $1 million.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW
Levi Trumbull was stopped in Frederick County on March 29, 2025. Deputy Christian Roush said he suspected impairment based on observations made during the stop. Trumbull declined roadside field sobriety exercises. He was arrested and later recorded a 0.00 BAC on a chemical breath test. No DUI charge was ultimately filed. Two traffic citations were dismissed on May 8, 2025 after the deputy failed to appear in court. Reports say Trumbull issued a notice of intent to sue seeking about $1 million. As of the latest public reporting I found, that notice had not yet become a formally filed civil lawsuit.
A 2025 traffic stop in Frederick County is drawing renewed attention after video of the encounter circulated online and reports emerged that the driver has issued a notice of intent to sue the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for approximately $1 million.
The incident began on March 29, 2025, when Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Christian Roush stopped Levi Trumbull near Route 355 and Lowes Lane after alleging that Trumbull had run a red light. According to the sheriff’s incident report, Roush said he observed several behaviors he believed could indicate impairment, including shaking, bloodshot eyes and jaw clenching.
Trumbull did not have his physical driver’s license with him but provided registration information and confirmed his identity.
The encounter escalated when Roush asked Trumbull to perform standardized field sobriety tests. Trumbull declined.
Online analysis of the body-camera footage has focused heavily on the deputy’s statements about whether refusing those roadside exercises could provide grounds for arrest. Maryland’s implied-consent rules apply to certain chemical testing, while roadside field sobriety exercises are treated differently. Public legal analyses of the case have questioned whether the deputy’s explanation accurately reflected Maryland law.
Roush ultimately arrested Trumbull on suspicion of impaired driving and had his vehicle impounded.
After being taken into custody, Trumbull submitted to a chemical breath test and reportedly registered a 0.00 blood alcohol concentration. No DUI charge was ultimately filed, according to multiple reports.
The two traffic citations tied to the stop — involving the alleged red-light violation and failure to present a physical driver’s license — were later dismissed on May 8, 2025, after Roush did not appear for the scheduled court hearing.
The incident subsequently became a subject of online legal commentary and public-records disputes.
Reports also state that the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office conducted an internal review of the encounter and brought administrative charges against Roush related to conduct during the stop. The materials provided by the user identify those allegations as discourtesy, unbecoming conduct and failure to identify himself; I was not able to independently verify the full administrative findings from an official sheriff’s office source.
The civil side of the matter is also important to describe precisely.
Despite some online headlines referring to a “$1 million lawsuit,” recent reporting indicates that, as of August 2026, no formal civil lawsuit had been publicly confirmed as filed. Instead, Trumbull had reportedly issued a notice of intent to sue seeking approximately $1 million in damages. A notice of intent is a pre-litigation step and is not the same as an active lawsuit.
If a lawsuit is eventually filed, potential issues could include whether there was sufficient probable cause for the arrest and whether Trumbull’s Fourth Amendment rights were violated. Those claims have not yet been adjudicated by a court.
The case has continued to attract attention because of the combination of body-camera footage, the 0.00 breath-test result, the dismissal of the traffic citations and the possibility of future civil litigation.
WHAT IT MEANS
The biggest legal question is whether the deputy had sufficient probable cause to arrest Trumbull at the time of the stop, based on everything the deputy observed before the later 0.00 breath result.
The 0.00 BAC result and dismissal of the traffic citations are significant facts, but neither one by itself establishes civil liability. If Trumbull files a lawsuit, a court would have to examine the body-camera footage, incident report and other evidence to determine whether the arrest violated his constitutional rights.
Original reporting referenced by Everything Frederick:
MotorBiscuit — Reporting by Rahaan Mazumder →Want more Frederick updates like this?
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