Former Maryland Department of Health Police Captain sentenced for misconduct in office

MARYLAND (WBFF) — Former Maryland Department of Health Police Captain Astarte Hunt has been sentenced to one year of incarceration, suspend all but 30 days, followed by one year of supervised probation for two counts of misconduct in office, Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III announced Thursday.

According to the statement of facts read at the plea hearing on Nov. 5, Hunt, who began serving as captain in 2022, was attending college courses at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) during her scheduled shifts from January to May of this year. Hunt submitted timesheets showing that she was working with the Maryland Department of Health Police Department while she was actually attending classes at UMBC, doing schoolwork and meeting with professors.

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Hunt was also assigned a state-owned vehicle to use for business only. In March 2023, she was reprimanded for using the vehicle off-duty and was told not to use the vehicle for personal reasons; however, Hunt continued to drive the state-owned vehicle after work, on weekends and to drive to and from her UMBC classes. According to officials, she then entered false information on a mileage log completed by her at the end of each day and submitted to the state at the end of each month.

On a Friday and Saturday in April, while Hunt was off duty, she drove the vehicle nearly 80 miles, getting back to her home after midnight. Hunt then submitted a mileage log, falsely saying the vehicle didn’t move over the weekend, and instead included the 80-mile change on the following Monday’s odometer reading.

While sentencing Hunt, Judge Garret P. Glennon Jr. said his sentence reflected, “The repetitive course of conduct, the breach of trust, and the breach of the position of authority [Hunt] was in.”

When the public’s trust in law enforcement is violated, the integrity of our entire justice system is put at risk. Our office remains firmly committed to ensuring that any public official who abuses their authority is held accountable for their actions.”

Howard thanked and commended Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Abigail Ticse and Senior Special Agent Daniel Bralove for their work on this case.

You can view Hunt’s charging documents below: