UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara H. Jackson announced Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, that a grand jury has indicted an off-duty county police officer in connection with a fatal DUI crash last summer in Brandywine that killed a retired law enforcement officer.
Anthony Coleman, 34, of Upper Marlboro, a Prince George’s County police corporal, was indicted on six charges, including negligent manslaughter involving a vehicle, criminally negligent manslaughter by vehicle, negligent homicide by auto while under the influence, homicide by motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol, driving while under the influence of alcohol and handgun transport under the influence of alcohol, prosecutors said.
The charges stem from a July 7, 2025 crash that occurred shortly before 8:40 p.m. on northbound Route 301 near Missouri Avenue, according to Maryland State Police.
Investigators said Carlton Herndon, 56, of Clinton, Maryland, was driving a Nissan Maxima and attempting to cross the highway when his vehicle was struck by a Ford F-250 truck driven by Coleman. Herndon was pronounced dead at the scene. Family members said he had retired from the Metropolitan Police Department after a long career as a detective and later served as a Prince George’s County District Court bailiff.
Coleman was off duty and driving his personal vehicle at the time of the collision, authorities said. Police have stated that speed and alcohol were contributing factors in the crash.
In a statement released after the indictment, the Prince George’s County Police Department said Coleman’s police powers were suspended immediately following the crash. Consistent with the Maryland Police Accountability Act, Coleman is now suspended without pay following the indictment. The department said an Internal Affairs Division administrative investigation remains ongoing.
Coleman joined the Prince George’s County Police Department in 2017.
At a press conference held shortly after the crash, Herndon’s mother, Iris Toyer, criticized the handling of the investigation and called for greater transparency and communication from authorities.
“As a police family, we believe a different level of care would have been extended to a fallen brother regardless of where he served,” Toyer said at the time.
The case is pending in Prince George’s County Circuit Court.
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