A Maryland police officer is facing charges of attempted murder and assault in Charles County and is under investigation for second-degree assault in St. Mary’s County.
Cpl. David Arthur Hardester, 42, of Mechanicsville, is suspended without pay from the Prince George’s County Police Department, which he joined in 2005, according to a news release.
Hardester was arrested Friday in Newburg, after officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Crain Highway at 1:30 a.m. A man, who Prince George’s County police said Hardester was “acquainted” with, called 911, according to the sheriff’s office.
Hardester, who was off-duty, fired his service weapon once at the man at a nearby parking lot. The sheriff’s office said the victim was not struck by the gunfire.
That led to the man following Hardester in his vehicle and telling officers where they could locate him.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office said Hardester faces “attempted murder, first-degree assault, and other related charges.” He’s also being investigated for second-degree assault in connection with a domestic incident hours earlier at his home in St. Mary’s County, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office told WTOP.
Hardester is being held at the Charles County Detention Center, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. He is due in Charles County Circuit Court on Monday morning.
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