ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — Maryland state Sen. C. Anthony Muse returned to the pulpit Sunday, preaching publicly for the first time since a pair of incidents involving his luxury Land Rover in Annapolis drew viral attention and prompted an expanding examination of how police handled the encounter.
Nearly six weeks after Muse struck the mirror of a parked vehicle and later left his SUV partly on a sidewalk and against a tree during the General Assembly’s Aug. 3 special session, newly obtained police records continue to raise questions about what officers knew, what Muse told them and why a sobriety test discussed on body-camera footage never occurred.
Muse, a Prince George’s County Democrat and senior pastor of Ark of Safety Christian Church in Hyattsville, did not directly address the controversy during his sermon.
In the name of Jesus. I got a blank page,” Muse preached. “The next page is about turning it over.”
While Muse preached about overcoming challenges, Annapolis police defended how they handled his case days later.
Acting Police Chief Amy Miguez described Spotlight on Maryland’s requests for an interview as “a futile exercise,” writing that “if there had been a violation of law to enforce in this incident, we would have pursued it.”
A spokesperson for Annapolis Mayor Jared Littmann said the city’s leader could not be interviewed for this story until next Friday.
James Harrod, a Maryland State Police officer who also serves as the Maryland Senate’s sergeant-at-arms, left, shakes hands with Maryland Del. C. Anthony Muse, D-Prince George’s County, on Aug. 3, 2026, during an Annapolis police encounter involving the lawmaker hitting a stationary vehicle and then parking his car into a tree in Eastport. (Annapolis Police Department)
Senate President Bill Ferguson’s communications director, David Schuhlein, responded Wednesday to Spotlight on Maryland’s requests about what the legislative leader knew and when.
“When the Senate President was made aware via social media, he asked our legislative security to check on the welfare of our member,” Schuhlein said by phone.
We would do that for any member,” he added.
Sources not authorized to speak to the media on the matter identified the responding Maryland State Police officer as James Harrod, a veteran of the agency. Harrod also serves as the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms, according to the Maryland Manual.
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Meanwhile, Muse has stayed mum and has not answered Spotlight on Maryland’s numerous requests for an interview since August, when he emailed a statement acknowledging he was driving his SUV when he struck a parked vehicle.
Body-camera footage and dispatch recordings exclusively obtained by Spotlight on Maryland provide the most detailed account yet of the Aug. 3 encounter.
The owner of the vehicle Muse struck told police that its mirror was shattered and that Muse acknowledged he “might have” hit it after he saw a person resembling the driver walking in the street.
During a 911 call to Annapolis police, a woman associated with the damaged vehicle told dispatchers, “We are pretty sure he is intoxicated.”
Separate radio dispatch traffic showed that an Annapolis parking enforcement employee told dispatch that Muse had entered his SUV and expressed concern about Muse driving. Minutes later, the employee called back to report taking Muse’s keys.
I was able to get the keys from him,” the employee said.
Muse later told police he had consumed one drink. Records show officers did not administer field sobriety testing.
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD – DECEMBER 08: Senator C. Anthony Muse attends the MGM National Harbor Grand Opening Gala on December 8, 2016 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MGM National Harbor)
Instead, body-camera footage shows an officer explaining several possible ways to resolve the situation: another person could drive Muse’s Land Rover away, police could tow it and drive Muse to his hotel, or officers could conduct field sobriety tests and determine whether he could drive.
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Muse ultimately left in his Land Rover with another driver.
Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess told Spotlight on Maryland her office learned about the incident through news coverage.
Police later made an inquiry with prosecutors, she said, but they did not consult about filing charges.
Leitess declined to discuss Muse’s case specifically, citing ethical restrictions, but explained generally what investigators need in a suspected impaired-driving case.
FILE – In this Thursday, April, 4, 2019, file photo, Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess talks to reporters in Annapolis, Md., after a judge delayed the trial of a man charged with killing five people at the Capital Gazette newsroom from June to November. Opening statements are scheduled for Tuesday, June 29, 2021, in the second phase of a trial to determine whether Jarrod Ramos, who killed five people at the newspaper, was legally sane at the time of the mass shooting. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File)
Police would need evidence linking a person to the operation or physical control of the vehicle, she said, including witnessing the person driving, finding the person inside with access to the controls, or obtaining evidence from another witness.
Any lapse in the timeline is problematic,” Leitess said.
That timeline has become central to questions surrounding the encounter.
Body-camera footage shows Muse initially telling officers that his driver was responsible for parking the Land Rover.
“My driver actually parked here,” Muse said. “My driver parked the vehicle and left to go home.”
But surveillance video previously obtained by Spotlight on Maryland shows Muse maneuvering the Land Rover before exiting and walking away alone. Muse also acknowledged in an Aug. 6 statement to Spotlight that he had been driving when his mirror struck the parked vehicle.
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – AUGUST 21: The Maryland State House is seen on August 21, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland. The Maryland State House is the oldest U.S. State Capitol that is still in continuous legislative use in present days since 1772. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
On Aug. 3, Muse eventually told police the damaged vehicle’s owner had asked whether he was driving.
I said yes, I was,” Muse said.
Leitess, again speaking generally and not about Muse, said simply making an untrue statement to police does not necessarily constitute a crime. She said courts have focused on statements that materially divert police from an investigation.
RELATED | Maryland senator told police his driver parked SUV. Video shows otherwise.
Muse also told an officer, “I’m a former judge.”
Muse’s official Maryland General Assembly biography lists extensive legislative, ministerial and public-service experience but does not list service as a judge. The senator has not responded to Spotlight’s questions about why he said he was a former judge.
A Maryland State Police trooper connected to Senate security also arrived during the encounter. Annapolis body-camera footage shows an officer telling the state trooper that Annapolis police had initially planned to tow Muse’s Land Rover but decided against it after arranging for someone else to remove the vehicle.
I guess I’m a little bit more important than I thought,” Muse said upon seeing the state trooper arrive.
Maryland State Police has not publicly explained what prompted the trooper’s response, but the Senate president’s office confirmed he was sent by the top lawmaker to check on Muse’s well-being.
Annapolis Police Department on Friday, August 7, 2026. (David Linthicum/WBFF)
The incident follows a separate ethics dispute involving Muse. In December 2025, Maryland’s Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics ruled that Muse could not simultaneously serve in the Senate and hold his Prince George’s County government job. Muse disputed the committee’s interpretation and said he would challenge it.
Back at Ark of Safety on Sunday, his message looked forward.
“No matter what hell you’re in,” Muse preached, “just put one foot in front of the other and keep on walking.”
Do you have any tips or information related to this story? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com or contact Spotlight on Maryland’s hotline at (410) 467-4670.
Follow Gary Collins on X and Instagram. Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.
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