Laboard Not Guilty In Death of Randallstown Teen

By Bryan P. Sears

A jury Thursday found Baltimore County police officer James Laboard innocent of manslaughter in the choking death of a Randallstown teen.

The jury deliberated for less than a day after a two-day trial in Baltimore County Circuit Court in Towson.

Laboard faced both voluntary and involuntary manslaughter charges. Both charges are felonies and carry maximum prison sentences of 10 years. The jury acquitted him of both charges.

Prosecutors argued that Laboard used a choke hold to restrain Christopher Brown, 17, after police said the teen and group he was with threw a paving stone at the officer's Randallstown home.

The prosecution called more than a dozen witnesses but none testified to seeing Laboard place Brown in the hold.

In one 911 call played by the prosecution, Dorothy Paul, 79, can be heard telling the dispatcher that Laboard was laying on top of the teen in an attempt to detain him. An officer who arrived on the scene soon after testified that Laboard was holding the teen to the ground with his hand and a knee on Brown's shoulder or arm.

Laboard's attorneys argued that the officer acted within the scope of his authority and training as a police officer.

An expert witness called by the defense testified that Brown's injuries were consistent with compression injuries and said the asphyxiation was a result of those injuries, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Laboard has been suspended without pay since the incident last last June.

He "returns to paid status immediately," according to a tweet Thursday afternoon by Baltimore County police.

The department issued the following statement Thursday afternoon: "The Baltimore County Police Department respects the decision of the jury in this case. Officers of the law are entitled to the same due process as any other citizen. In this case, a jury has found Officer Laboard not guilty on all charges, and as a result he will return to a paid status effective immediately. Officer Laboard will remain suspended pending the outcome of the department's review of this case and will be assigned to administrative duties."

The statement said that the department would make no additional comment on Laboard's case.

Editor Janet Metzner contributed to this story.

Read more:

• Prosecutors Rest In Case Of Officer Accused Of Choking Teen
• Trial Begins For Police Officer Accused of Killing Randallstown Teen
• Police Continue to Investigate Randallstown Teen Killed by Off-Duty Cop
• Officer Indicted in Death of Randallstown Teen
• Officer Indicted In Teen's Death Released Without Bail
• Family of Christopher Brown Calls For Federal Investigation