Former Prince George’s County, Maryland Detention Officer Indicted for Death of Ronnie White

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Greenbelt, Md., has indicted Anthony McIntosh, 48, a former corrections officer at the Prince George’s County Detention Center in Upper Marlboro, Md., on three charges related to the in-custody death of a pretrial detainee, Ronnie White, on June 29, 2008, and McIntosh’s subsequent attempts to cover-up his involvement in White’s death. Earlier today, McIntosh was arrested in New York City by the FBI.

McIntosh is charged with a federal civil rights violation for deprivation of rights under color of law in connection with the death of White. It is alleged in the indictment that McIntosh discovered White in his cell, unresponsive and in apparent need of emergency medical care, and walked away without providing medical care or notifying PGDOC personnel of the emergency, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to White.

McIntosh also is charged with two counts for destruction, alteration or falsification of records in a federal investigation, specifically for falsifying an incident report and a witness statement regarding White’s in-custody death.

McIntosh faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for the civil rights offense. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count of falsification of records in a federal investigation. The maximum fine for each count is $250,000.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by the Baltimore Division of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Forrest Christian and Trial Attorney Carroll McCabe of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.