BALTIMORE (WBFF) — An employee with the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services was released Sunday after his arrest in Florida in connection to a group of teens allegedly stealing from a convenience store.
Malik Harvey, 27, is accused of lying to law enforcement in Central Florida following the arrest of several teens he was supervising. He works at the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center in Prince George’s County, though his trip to Florida with the basketball team was not related to his work with DJS.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened around 4 a.m. on July 23 at a 7-Eleven in Central Florida, where surveillance video shows a group of teenagers grabbing chips, candy, a Slurpee and other items before running out of the store without paying.
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Authorities said the teens were from the Washington, D.C., area and were in Florida for a basketball tournament. Five teenagers were arrested and charged with offenses including theft, tampering with evidence and violating the county’s juvenile curfew ordinance.
“I don’t know what you do in Washington, D.C., but it must be crazy,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a video posted to social media. “You’re not going to come from all around the country and steal in this county without going to jail. That’s a promise from the sheriff.”
According to Sheriff Judd, deputies initially arrested only three of the five players involved and asked Harvey to identify the remaining two, but he did not.
“Coach Harvey was shown pictures of all five of the thieves that were stealing,” Sheriff Judd said. “He denied knowing who the other two were. He lied to us.”
Investigators said another coach later identified all five players, including one who Sheriff Judd said was her own son.
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“She cooperated. She was as mortified and upset as was appropriate,” Judd said. “But not Coach Harvey. So, we arrested Coach Harvey.”
Harvey is charged with child neglect, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, accessory after the fact and resisting an officer without violence.
He works in the criminal justice system and he lied to us, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
DJS confirmed Harvey’s employment with the agency, but declined to answer other questions, including how long Harvey has worked for DJS, his job title and description at Cheltenham, whether he’s been placed on leave or if he’s still being paid.
“While the agency conducts its own investigation, we will not speak about personnel matters or litigation,” an agency spokesperson said via email.
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The agency said it “takes criminal incidents seriously and will take action as needed in accordance with its Standards of Conduct policy.”
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Harvey posted his $6,000 bond Sunday afternoon and was released from custody.
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