The Monster Glow Dash 5K over the weekend at Summerseat Farm in Mechanicsville has turned into a nightmare for the organizers and has led to an online dispute between the parties involved. The 5k run was intended to benefit Heroes for the Homeland and Summerseat, yet now those non-profits are left holding the bag for unpaid bills of more than $10,000. The culprit: lower than anticipated participants.

Heroes for the Homeland was established in 2012 and is made up of law enforcement and emergency services personnel who aid communities devastated by natural or man-made disasters. They have responded to assist in the cleanups after Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey, and tornadoes in Oklahoma City and Washington, IL. Now the group’s president, Chris Johnson, a law enforcement officer in Maryland, says the organization is in danger of folding if monies aren’t raised to pay the small business vendors for the event.

Who is to blame for the situation depends on who is talking. Fingers are being pointed by Heroes for the Homeland at the event organizer, Lindsey Bradley, who in turn is blaming the organization for not helping more. Johnson admits there was no illegality on Bradley’s part. But he says throughout the entire time leading up to the event she told him everything was okay in spite of the low number of advanced registrations.

Things apparently came to a head during the event on Saturday when off duty St. Mary’s deputies, who were providing security, asked to be paid and there was no money for them. Johnson said he and his family paid them personally. Other local small business vendors, such as the tee-shirt provider and disk jockey, have not been paid. Johnson has personally asked for them to be patient.

Johnson’s wife Jennifer, a website developer, wrote in an appeal for donations to save the organization, “We trusted someone who claimed to want to help Heroes for the Homeland by organizing a 5K. This person made promises they could not keep, and lied to multiple people in order to accomplish their goal—to have their 5K no matter what.”

Mrs. Johnson went on to say that the actions “almost caused someone to be arrested” apparently referring to her husband’s confrontation with a sheriff’s department officer over the pay for security.

Bradley responded to the allegation on the Monster Glow Dash website, saying, she had a “falling out” with Mr. Johnson over the required payment to the deputies. She said she was “verbally assaulted” by Mr. Johnson, who then “pushed me in his rage.”
Bradley said that “Heroes for the Homeland” handled all of the money related to this event.” She said, “The whole thing is unfortunate because Monster Glow Dash was a very successful event last year and many thought it was a great event this year.” She said the organization provided “minimal help” this year. She concluded, “My biggest fault this year was not being able to get over 2,000 people registered.”

Mr. Johnson said Bradley insisted in holding the event over two days, which he claims led to its downfall. He blames Bradley for not keeping his organization informed of impending problems with the registrations. He said she said everything would be okay with walk-up registrations. Friday’s event was impacted by bad weather.

Bradley is former executive director of the Mediation Center of St. Mary’s. She wrote on the Monster Glow Dash website, “I gave Heroes for the Homeland five months’ worth of work and put in my own money to cover expenses right when Heroes took over the race and I guarantee that I will never see that money back.”

Mrs. Johnson and Bradley were high school classmates.

Mrs. Johnson said in her appeal that the organization has been put in “a very difficult financial situation that we’re not sure we can recover from without your help.” Mr. Johnson said a link to the appeal site for donations can be accessed through the organization’s Facebook page. Mr. Johnson said he believes that when all is said and done they will have to raise about $15,000 to make everyone whole or the non-profit organization will have to go out of business.

Mr. Johnson said the whole situation has been an emotional one for him. “I have never been more embarrassed in my life,” he proclaimed in an interview with the Bay Net. Johnson was a former member of the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division and was named Officer of the Year in 2010 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Maryland Department.

Heroes for the Homeland board members include not only police officers and firefighters, but also an assistant state’s attorney in Maryland.