As the investigation into the death of an accused police killer found strangled in his jail cell heads to a second grand jury, a community hangs by an increasingly thin thread, activists said.
On Thursday, the clock expired on the Prince George’s County grand jury called to review the investigation into 19-year-old Ronnie White’s death, a law enforcement source close to the investigation said. The source spoke anonymously because grand jury proceedings are secret.
White was found with two broken bones in his neck less than 48 hours after he was arrested for running down police Cpl. Richard Findley with a stolen truck.
Typically, when a grand jury ends without filing charges, the opportunity for charges shrinks considerably, but, using federal and state legal provisions for certain circumstances, prosecutors will float the details to a new jury in search of an indictment, the source said.
“The investigation is continuing,” said State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey. “We’re waiting for additional information that we need access to.” He declined to release specifics on the information that was causing the holdup.
When the investigation is concluded, Ivey said he’ll release all documents he can legally make public, even if there isn’t an indictment.
But for some in the community, the lengthy investigation is cause for concern.
Zalee Harris, an activist working to form a new National Association for the Advancement of Colored People branch in Prince George’s, said members of the community are surprised by the months that have transpired since White’s death.
“It’s been six months and they have not been able to resolve the issue,” Harris said. “They suspended officers and we’ve heard nothing else.”
Two corrections officers, Ramon Davis and Anothony McIntosh, who had access to White’s cell the day he died and have been the focus of the investigation, have been on paid leave since September.
Since White was discovered dead in his cell, those guards have also changed their story. They first said they found White slumped against his bed, but now they say he was hanging from his bedsheet, despite the medical examiner ruling White’s death a homicide.
The change in stories has raised suspicion of a cover-up, community activists have said.
And now, Harris said, “If there’s another similar situation, the community is going to implode.”
