On Friday, November 10, 2022, The Daily Record reported that Worcester County Circuit Judge Mary Margaret “Peggy” Kent was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in September 2022.
Driving under the influence of alcohol and operating a vehicle while impaired are among the citations that Judge Kent faces.
A state police spokesperson said that Kent, 67, was operating a white Honda CRV on September 16 at about 10:30 p.m. when a Maryland State Police Trooper pulled her over, and upon the trooper’s on-scene investigation, Kent was arrested for DUI and other traffic charges including failure to stop at a stop sign line, failure to drive a vehicle on the right half of the roadway, failure to obey traffic control device instructions, negligent driving, and reckless driving.
According to court records, the stop took place in Worcester County at the intersection of Maryland Route 611 and Antique Road.
State police declined to provide charging details as the case involves traffic citations.
The Daily Record report stated that:
“Kent declined to comment through her lawyer, William C. Brennan Jr., of Brennan, McKenna & Lawlor, Chtd., in Greenbelt. Bradley Tanner, a spokesperson for the Maryland Judiciary, also declined to comment.”
Kristin Heiser, the State’s Attorney for Worcester County requested not to handle Kent’s case to avoid “any conflict of interest or appearance of impropriety” for her office. Court documents revealed that a judge approved Heiser’s request, and Lance G. Richardson of Queen Anne’s County Attorney will handle the case instead.
Kent’s case trial will start on March 2023 in the District County for Worcester County in Snow Hill.
In December 2017, Kent was appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan to fill a vacancy on the Worcester County Circuit. She was the first female judge to serve on the court.
Kent was a domestic relation and juvenile causes magistrate for the First Judicial Circuit since 1996, prior to her appointment to the bench.
Source: The Daily Record
Full story here.
