OFFICER GOODBAR: Prosecutor says Easton Police Sgt. Jason Dyott sent penis pics on his phone to high school girls, used his police car for sex trysts.

POPULAR WITH HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS EASTON POLICE SGT. JASON DYOTT – State Prosecutor says Dyott was involved with students at Talbot High Schools, had sex in his police cruiser, and sent penis pics on Snapchat, then did online searches for Maryland law about age of consent.

Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble was requested to explain why his agency didn’t arrest Jason Dyott and instead passed the investigation off to the Office of the Maryland Prosecutor.  When Sheriff Gamble provides a reply, this article will be updated to include his response.

STATEMENT FROM THE EASTON POLICE DEPARTMENT:

“The Easton Police Department is aware of the charges against Jason Dyott. We acknowledge that this was the result of a time-consuming investigation led by the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office and the Special Prosecutors Office of Maryland. Every member of the police department is disheartened and very disappointed in the allegations and the resulting charges. However, we want to assure everyone that the actions of Jason Dyott do not reflect the standards and commitment toward public safety and service by the other men and women of this agency. Jason Dyott’s employment status remains as suspended while the police department complies with the processes set forth by the Police Accountability Act.”

News Analysis by KEN ROSSIGNOL

The charges against Sgt. Jason Dyott, who is still employed as an Easton Police Officer but has been placed on leave in accordance with the Administrative Charging requirements that the Maryland General Assembly enacted, includes the following two counts of criminal conduct, one of kissing and the other of participating in a sex act, both such transgressions taking place in his taxpayer-provided patrol vehicle while on duty.  

The charges of misconduct instead of a custodial person taking advantage of a minor were placed, according to one law enforcement source, due to the ages of those involved, the new laws put in place by the Maryland General Assembly, and the possibility of others in the Easton Police Department failing to take action against Dyott.  

Corruption and misconduct have been on the rise in the Eastern Shore, with Caroline County Circuit Judge Jonathan Newell taking his own life when he was surrounded by a task force of cops and federal agents at his home following his being charged with child pornography and videoing teen boys in his fishing cabin as they took showers. 

A prior Caroline County State’s Attorney, Robert John Greenleaf, was convicted of soliciting sex from a minor while using a Maryland Judiciary computer in his job as Deputy Clerk to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. On March 8, 2010, Sgt. Louis Gary Yamin of the Baltimore Police Department was working undercover for the Cyber and Electronic Crimes Unit. Sgt. Yamin created a Yahoo messenger account with the alias of “ravens_girl2003” which was connected to a female profile with the name of “Beth”. On March 8, 2010, as “Beth”, Sgt. Yamin entered a Yahoo chat room entitled “Maryland Romance” and made contact with a person with the username “delmarvan199901”.  “Beth” sent a message “14/f/blato.md” which court records describe as internet shorthand for a fourteen-year-old female in the Baltimore area.

Court records indicate that Greenleaf, using the moniker “delmarvan19901” began discussing sexual topics and photos were exchanged between the two.

Court records reveal that emails were exchanged between the undercover cop-minor child and Greenleaf and examination of the IP address showed that Greenleaf was using a computer set up on the Maryland Judiciary.

Sgt. Yamin then matched up the photos sent by Greenleaf to the cop-child with the photo on Greenleaf’s Maryland drivers permit.

Court records show that even after he was exposed, Greenleaf attempted to spin his sleazy conduct using a State of Maryland Court of Appeals computer as being conducted with an adult.

Trappe Police Chief George Ball, a repeat candidate for Talbot Sheriff, was convicted of concealing evidence of a crime in the police department office safe in order to protect a friend.

The entire Ridgely Police Department was recently suspended, while two Denton Police officers have been charged with misconduct and publicly disciplined.

CORRUPTLY MISCONDUCT IN OFFICE

The charges against Sgt. Jason Dyott, who is still employed as an Easton Police Officer but has been placed on leave in accordance with the Administrative Charging requirements that the Maryland General Assembly enacted in the Police Accountability Act, includes the following two counts of criminal conduct, one of kissing and the other of participating in a sex act, both such transgressions taking place in his taxpayer-provided patrol vehicle while on duty.

COUNT ONE

On or before November 13, 2022, at Talbot County, Maryland, JASON DYOTT, in violation and perversion of his duties as a sworn law enforcement officer, did corruptly commit misconduct in office by knowingly, willfully, and intentionally acting in his official capacity as a law enforcement officer and meeting with TEENAGE VICTIM # 1 in his police department-issued vehicle, while wearing his police uniform and engaging in kissing while on duty and in the course of his official duties, in violation of the Common Law of Maryland and against the peace, government, and dignity of the State.

COUNT TWO

On or about November 11, 2022, at Talbot County, Maryland, JASON DYOTT, in violation and perversion of his duties as a sworn law enforcement officer, did corruptly commit misconduct in office by knowingly, willfully, and intentionally acting in his official capacity as a law enforcement officer and meeting with TEENAGE VICTIM # 2, in his police department issued vehicle, and engaging in sexual intercourse in his patrol vehicle, in violation of the Common Law of Maryland and against the peace, government, and dignity of the State.

TIMELINE:

February 28, 2022, Investigators seized Jason Dyott’s personal and police-issued cell phones and, with search warrants, gleaned all of the data in the phones, learning that Sgt. Jason Michael Dyott, on February 21, 2022, had conducted GOOGLE searches for the legal age of consent in Maryland, laws regarding statutory rape, and penalties for child pornography.

{On or about February 28, 2022, DYOTT’s personal cellular telephone and departmental cellular telephone were seized and later searched pursuant to valid search warrants. Execution of the search warrants revealed that DYOTT conducted the following internet searches on his personal cellular telephone, after learning about the investigation:

• 2/21/23 11:15:21 legal consent sex age in md – Google search

• 2/21/23 11:15:22 legal consent sex age in md

• 2/21/23 11:18:51 Maryland Statutory Rape Lawyer |MD Romeo and Juliet Laws

• 2/22/23 Maryland Child Pornography Penalties

• 2/23/23 Explicit pics sent law in md – Google search

• 2/23/23 Teen sexting Laws in MD | Criminal Defense lawyer.com

• 2/23/23 Salisbury Sex Offense Attorney’s | Experienced Defense Attorney’s}

(EDITORS NOTE: The possibility that the date shown on the charging document for the search of SGT. DYOTT’S cell phones should be FEBRUARY 23, 2023, instead of 2022, was reported by THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY to Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III. Howard said his office would examine the charging documents to confirm the dates are correct.)

March 15, 2022: Trustees Elizabeth C. Jones and Richard R. Goldsmith filed foreclosure proceedings in Talbot County Circuit Court against Easton Police Sgt. Jason M. Dyott and Easton Police Cpl. Ashley M. Bayne for the property they owned at 5022 Miles Creek Lane, Trappe, Md. On August 29, 2022, the Plaintiffs filed a motion in the Circuit Court to dismiss the proceedings without prejudice.

Cambridge Police Officer Jason Drake purchased the home of Easton Police Officers Jason M. Dyott and Ashley Bayne, located at 5022 Miles Creek Lane, Trappe, Md., on August 25, 2022.  Court records show the transaction between Jason M Dyott and Ashley M. Bayne, sellers, and Jason J. Drake and Courtney B. Drake, buyers, for the sum of $334,750.  Dyott and Bayne bought the same property for $375,000 on December 18, 2019. Maryland land records show that the house is the principal residence of the Drakes. Officer Drake was formerly a Talbot County Sheriff Deputy.

November 11, 2022: Charging documents state in Count Two that SGT. JASON DYOTT was assigned to patrol the Waterfowl Festival, which is held annually in November.

TEENAGE VICTIM # 2

20. TEENAGE VICTIM # 2 was a student who graduated from a Talbot County High School in 2022.
21. In or around November 2022, DYOTT began communicating with TEENAGE VICTIM # 2 on Snapchat and via his departmental cellular telephone.
22. In or around November 2022, DYOTT sent TEENAGE VICTIM # 2 photographs of himself posed in his EPD police uniform on Snapchat.
23. On Friday, November 11, 2022, DYOTT was on duty as a sworn law enforcement officer with EPD from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
24. On or about Friday, November 11 2022, DYOTT was assigned to patrol the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland. Held annually each November, the Waterfowl festival is a three-day festival celebrating local Eastern Shore wildlife, art, heritage, and food. The 2022 Waterfowl festival was held Friday, November 11, 2022 through Sunday, November 13, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
25. While working and on duty on November 11, 2022, DYOTT sent TEENAGE VICTIM # 2 text messages in order to coordinate picking TEENAGE VICTIM # 2 up from her friend’s residence. In the evening hours, DYOTT picked up TEENAGE VICTIM # 2 in his patrol vehicle and engaged in sexual intercourse with TEENAGE VICTIM # 2 inside of his patrol vehicle.

November 13, 2022: Charging documents allege that SGT. JASON DYOTT, while parked at the Target store in Easton, Maryland, while on duty and in uniform, and in his Easton Police Department patrol unit, and in uniform, engaged in kissing with TEENAGE VICTIM #1.

December 2022: Charges allege that SGT. JASON DYOTT shared a photo with TEENAGE VICTIM #1 that depicted his erect penis. The charges do not elaborate on whether he was on duty, in his police car, or at the Easton Police Department headquarters. During this time period, Dyott allegedly solicited sexually explicit photos from the TEENAGE VICTIM #1.  The charges state that SGT. DYOTT received a sexually explicit photo of her taken when she was supposedly the age of sixteen, and he then used his cell phone to take a photo of that image from his other cellphone.

November 2022 to February 2023: the intense, intimate electronic photo sharing and romance resulted in SGT. DYOTT engaging in sexual intercourse with TEENAGE VICTIM #1 on two occasions.

Easton Police Sgt. Jason Dyott got wind of a secret investigation by the Talbot Sheriff’s Department into his alleged activities of seeking sex in all the wrong places. The Maryland State Prosecutor states that Sgt. Dyott consulted GOOGLE to learn what the Maryland law is on having sex with high school girls…see below: