Cecil County Sheriff’s Office employees, allegedly caught on tape making sexually graphic and lewd comments about a former county official, are still on the job — and the official feels unsafe.
Although Danielle Robinson, formerly Hornberger, has called for the men to be removed from duty during a state police investigation into the 2023 recording in which they discussed sexually “brutalizing her,” the sheriff’s office has so far declined to do so.
The Baltimore Sun broke the story of the recording Feb. 4. As of Feb. 13, three of those identified on the recording remain on active duty, even though state law allows the office to suspend them before the investigation is complete. According to local paper the Cecil Whig, the fourth individual retired before the audio came to light.
“I’m very uncomfortable with these guys having the power of the badge, their guns and their police vehicles,” said Robinson, who served as county executive from 2020 – 2024. “The police are supposed to protect us from individuals who make threats of sexual violence. Not protect the ones who made the threats and allow them to have guns and authority.
“It’s scary,” she said.
“This recording of senior leaders in the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, seemingly while on duty, talking casually about raping and brutalizing me is more than disturbing,” Robinson said.
Robinson said she will file a complaint with the county’s police accountability board, which meets quarterly to address civilian complaints of police misconduct by local law enforcement. Members are chosen by the county executive and must exclude current law enforcement professionals or their friends and family.
She has not yet decided if she will file a civil suit, she told The Sun.
“Nothing is off the table,” she said.
Despite Robinson’s concern for her safety, a local representative told The Sun the office was handling the investigation appropriately.
“It is important to allow the Maryland State Police investigation to proceed fully and fairly before any final conclusions or personnel decisions are made,” said Maryland Senator Jason Gallion, a Republican who represents Cecil County in the state legislature.
A graphic discussion
A recording of a 2023 voicemail accidentally left by a Sheriff’s office employee who “butt-dialed” another employee was posted early February to social media by a law group and a local blog, Cecil County News. While their names have been posted to social media, The Sun cannot verify the authenticity of the recording and has decided not to name the employees at this time.
According to the social media posts, four high-ranking Sheriff’s Office employees were involved in the conversation, including at least one member of the office’s internal affairs and the Fraternal Order of Police union.
In the conversation, the employees discussed sexually “brutalizing” Robinson.
Three identified as being on the recording have been reassigned to the administrative unit, sources within the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office have told The Sun.
The Sun has decided not to use the sources’ names as they are not authorized to speak on the record.
The current sheriff, Scott Adams, plans to retire this year, he previously told The Baltimore Sun. (Cecil County News blog owner Vincent Sammons, is campaign treasurer for and neighbor to a candidate running in the upcoming election for sheriff, he told The Sun.)
Sammons told The Sun his goal was “to report to authorities and then use public exposure to force them to do something.”
The Maryland State Police have taken on the investigation. According to state law, the sheriff’s office has the ability to remove employees suspected of inappropriate behavior from duty if it is appropriate.
“Pending an investigatory, administrative charging committee, and trial board process, the chief may impose an emergency suspension with or without pay if the chief determines that such a suspension is in the best interest of the public,” Maryland Code, Public Safety, § 3-107(a)(1) reads.
County officials declined to answer questions about the officers’ status.
“The Cecil County Sheriff’s Office takes all complaints seriously and is dedicated to fair, thorough, and impartial investigations involving members of the agency,” a social media statement by the Sheriff’s Office read. “The Cecil County Sheriff’s Office will cooperate fully with this investigation.”
County Executive Adam Streight’s office provided a statement in response to questions from The Sun.
“Streight, having been made aware of disturbing and unprofessional comments alleged to have been made by several sheriff’s deputies regarding the former County Executive, agrees with the Sheriff that an independent investigation by an outside agency is appropriate and will have no further comment pending its conclusion.”
His office declined to answer further questions.
Streight himself worked at the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office from 1999 to Nov. 2024, when voters elected him county executive.
Public calls for accountability: ‘don’t hide the dirt’
More than 250 members of the public commented on the Sheriff’s Office’s post. Many of them called for the employees to be pulled from active duty, and questioned why they had not been.
“You don’t hide the dirt when you really want a clean house,” one person commented. “For MSP to determine an investigation is warranted, there must be some credibility, which means the deputies reported need to be relieved of duty unless/until cleared in the interest of public trust [and] safety.”
Adams did not respond to questions posed by The Sun by text or email.
However, Gallion told The Sun in a statement that he believed Adams had taken appropriate steps by requesting an outside investigator and reassigning the employees under investigation.
“The comments that have been publicly reported are wildly inappropriate and do not reflect the standards of professionalism or conduct we expect from public officials,” Gallion said in the statement.
While the investigation proceeds, “assigning individuals to administrative duties during an active investigation is a common practice,” Gallion said. “The appropriate next steps should be guided by the findings of that review.”
Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams speaks at a news conference on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Chief Deputy Gerald Widdoes is standing left. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)
‘We’re going to …. brutalize you’
In the five-minute recording The Sun reviewed, several men discuss Robinson in graphic detail.
“Danielle, I want you to come down to the lodge, and we’re going to f****** brutalize you,” one said. A source identified this speaker to The Sun as an employee within the office’s internal affairs unit and a ranking member of the union.
Robinson, a Republican, lost a bid for reelection in 2024, losing by less than 1,000 votes in the primary. While in office under the name Hornberger, she was a strong supporter of law enforcement and publicly accused the city council of defunding the police after the council voted not to fund certain bonuses and pay adjustments in 2022.
Contact journalist Kate Cimini at 443-842-2621 or kcimini@baltsun.com.