HARFORD COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A Harford County 911 dispatcher was sentenced to 45 days in prison on Thursday for driving while under the influence of alcohol (DUI) as well as fleeing and eluding by failing to stop for deputies last year, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Nadene Smith, 42, of Reisterstown, entered a plea agreement on Jan. 21.
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On Nov. 16, 2025, deputies saw a dark-colored SUV traveling east on Philadelphia Road, driving over the double solid yellow lines and then reversing in the middle of a roundabout after driving in the wrong direction, according to the facts presented in support of the plea.
Deputy Kanner put himself behind the vehicle to attempt a traffic stop; however, the SUV continued to drive through the center of the roundabout. A chase started as the vehicle continued driving down Philadelphia Rd., into another roundabout, lost control, traveled off the road and came to a stop in a grassy area, disabling the SUV, officials said.
The vehicle’s driver was identified as the defendant, Nadene Smith. She was ordered to exit the SUV and deputies reported seeing her stumble and fall upon her exit before being detained. Deputies also observed Smith’s eyes were red and glassy and her speech was slurred, according to officials.
When Smith was asked where she was coming from, she originally declined to answer, but then eventually stated she was a 911 dispatcher coming from a co-worker’s bonfire where she drank two drinks that were 16% alcohol by volume. She consented to standardized field sobriety testing, where officials said several observations indicated she was impaired.
Following the tests, Smith refused to submit to a breath test to measure her blood alcohol levels.
Smith was then arrested as a result of her testing and observations deputies made.
After she was arrested, Smith became “belligerent” with deputies, which was captured on the in-car camera footage, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office. On Jan. 29, the footage was also posted by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office on social media.
Despite Smith’s lack of a criminal record and this incident being her first offense, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Melissa Moloney advocated for the defendant to be incarcerated. The Honorable Judge Donald Walter agreed and sentenced Smith to two years, all suspended but 45 days to serve.
“Driving Under the Influence is a criminal offense that puts innocent victims at risk and one that my office always takes seriously. Some, but not all, first-time offenses result in probationary findings with conditions for treatment. However, when you couple that dangerous behavior with fleeing and eluding and mistreatment and threats directed toward our county’s law enforcement, incarceration becomes the only acceptable consequence, despite the Defendant’s lack of record,” State’s Attorney Alison Healey said via press release. “The Defendant’s behavior in this case was egregious, and we are grateful that Judge Walter agreed with us in imposing his sentence. I also thank Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Melissa Moloney for her pursuit of justice and advocacy in this case and extend my sincere gratitude to our incredible law enforcement who put their lives on the line each day to protect the citizens of this county and show enormous levels of professionalism when dealing with the challenges of criminal behavior on our streets.”
On April 16, Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler released the following statement on Facebook: “I’m grateful to live in a county where judges recognize the danger posed by DUI offenders who run from the police. Smith’s sentence appropriately reflects the seriousness of her conduct including her threats and racist remarks toward deputies and ensures she is held fully accountable for her actions. Even if the County Executive failed to appreciate the gravity of this case, the court did, and justice was served.”
Back on Jan. 29, County Executive Bob Cassilly posted the following statement:
“Earlier today one of our county employees was publicly attacked in a news release laden with falsehoods, issued by Gerald Eaton, president of the Harford County Deputy Sheriff’s Union. Mr. Eaton called for our employee’s immediate termination without due process and falsely and recklessly asserted a risk to public safety from her continued employment.
I can assure our community that despite this desperate and politically motivated attack, public safety is not at risk. This employee does not, and never has, dispatched police – a fact that is well-known to Mr. Eaton.
The employee in question was arrested in November during off-duty hours and pled guilty to a DUI and failure to stop for police. Following her arrest, she placed herself on leave for six weeks. Her case was heard on January 21 and she is awaiting sentencing.
My administration sets high standards for county employees, and every employee is entitled to due process. Upon learning of the arrest in this case, we immediately began an investigation and repeatedly requested from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office the body cam evidence of her alleged incendiary comments to police. Such evidence has been withheld from the county to this day. Instead, we now have a smear campaign attempting to derail our ongoing Human Resources investigation.
Furthermore, it is highly hypocritical that Mr. Eaton, who just a month ago publicly advocated for greater protections for county employees, is now trampling on due process when it suits his political agenda.”
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