LEONARDTOWN, Md. — A man from Upper Marlboro was found guilty in St. Mary’s District Court for violating a final protective order by sending a series of late-night texts to his ex-wife, despite being prohibited from contacting her.
Court records indicate that 47-year-old Edward Lee Reynolds was sentenced on July 15, 2025, to six months in jail, with the sentence fully suspended. He will serve three years of unsupervised probation under the terms handed down by Judge James Tanavage.
The charges stemmed from an incident on April 3, 2025, when Reynolds allegedly sent four text messages between 12:19 a.m. and 12:23 a.m. to a woman who had previously secured a final protective order against him. The order, issued on Feb. 10, 2025, by Judge Tanavage, barred Reynolds from contacting the woman or her children by any means outside of strictly child-related matters and only by text.
Despite that condition, authorities say the content of Reynolds’ messages clearly veered outside the bounds of permitted communication. In the messages, Reynolds reportedly referenced her parents, made comments about her mental health and asked about unrelated individuals, including a person referred to by only an unknown surname.
One of the texts read: “I contacted your parents, I’m trying to get my belongings back. Why you did that is very weird. How are my kids?” A second message said, “Get some help… how is [name redacted].” Another read, “You’re crazy… how is [name redacted] doing,” and the final text reportedly stated, “How is Ms. [name redacted] doing. She kinda [fire emoji], are my kids okay.”
According to charging documents, investigators believed Reynolds was attempting to mask improper communication by tacking on a brief reference to the children, thereby appearing to comply with the terms of the order.
The court found Reynolds guilty on one count of violating the protective order. While he will not serve time behind bars for this offense, the court noted the violation on his record and emphasized that any future breach could carry stiffer penalties.
The case was prosecuted by the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.
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Finally, finally, finally a judge who takes abusive behavior seriously, knowing what it can lead to. Thank you Judge Tanavage.