He Drove Away: Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty After Deadly 90-Mph Chase — Then Abandoned the Scene

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A former Anne Arundel County police officer who chased a motorcyclist at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour through three jurisdictions — without lights, sirens, or authorization — then watched the man crash fatally and simply turned around and drove away, pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.

Alexander Rodriguez, 31, entered the plea in Howard County Circuit Court. Under the agreement, he faces five years in prison with all but 120 days suspended, followed by two years of supervised probation, 100 hours of community service, and a binding promise never to seek a career in law enforcement again.

“No one who endangers lives and then abandons a crash that resulted in a man’s death on the side of the road should be allowed to wear a police uniform,” said Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown. “By accepting this plea agreement, Rodriguez will never again serve as a law enforcement officer in Maryland.”

The case dates back to Aug. 10, 2024, just before 4 a.m. Rodriguez, then on patrol in a marked Anne Arundel County police cruiser, followed a motorcycle ridden by Joshua Vanderziel into a gas station. According to prosecutors, Rodriguez tried to block the motorcycle at the pump. Vanderziel drove around the cruiser and left.

That’s when Rodriguez initiated an unauthorized pursuit.

For approximately 4.3 miles, Rodriguez chased Vanderziel through Anne Arundel County, then Prince George’s County, and finally into Howard County. Both vehicles hit speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour. At no point did Rodriguez activate his emergency lights or siren. He did not turn on his body-worn camera. He never notified dispatch or his supervisor to request permission for the pursuit, nor did he alert law enforcement in Laurel or Howard County that he had entered their jurisdictions.

In Howard County, Vanderziel crashed into a commercial flatbed truck that was turning left on Washington Boulevard. He was thrown from his motorcycle into the street.

Rodriguez slammed on his brakes, made a U-turn on Washington Boulevard — and headed back toward Anne Arundel County, driving away from the crash. He did not stop. He did not exit his cruiser. He did not render aid. He did not secure the scene.

Howard County emergency crews arrived and pronounced Vanderziel deceased.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, returned to his patrol duties without notifying any supervisor of what had happened.

“We cannot keep our communities safe if we do not hold people accountable when they break the law,” Brown said. “The outcome that our Office secured makes clear that no one is above the law, regardless of their career.”

Rodriguez resigned from the Anne Arundel County Police Department following the incident. His sentencing is scheduled for April 20, 2026, before Judge Maurice Frazier, who accepted the guilty plea.

The Guard Who Fed the Beast: Texas Prison Officer Gets 10 Years for Trafficking Meth Inside Federal Penitentiary

BEAUMONT, Texas — He was supposed to be keeping contraband out. Instead, 22-year-old correctional officer Martel Devante Gilliam was smuggling it in — meth, cocaine, synthetic marijuana, even a pistol — all while working inside a federal prison.

On Wednesday, Gilliam was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role as a “source of supply” for illegal drugs at the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Beaumont, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas.

The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone, caps a case that exposed a stunning betrayal of trust: a young officer sworn to secure the facility was instead trafficking narcotics to the very inmates he was paid to guard.

“According to information presented in court, in March 2024, Gilliam … was identified as a source of supply for illegal drugs at the prison,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

The unraveling began on March 8, 2024. Gilliam reported for work as usual. But during an open-air sniff, a canine alerted to the presence of narcotics on his vehicle. What followed was a search that peeled back the lid on a one-man smuggling operation.

Inside the car, investigators found:

Approximately 125 grams of methamphetamine
28 grams of cocaine
459 grams of synthetic marijuana
Vacuum-sealed packages of tobacco and marijuana
$5,700 in cash
A pistol

Gilliam pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. On March 11, 2026, Judge Crone handed down a 120-month federal prison sentence — a decade behind the walls of a system he once worked for.

“This case is part of Operation Take Back America,” the Justice Department noted — a nationwide initiative targeting cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and those who fuel violent crime from within.

For the inmates at FCC Beaumont, the news of a guard’s downfall may offer little comfort. But for a prison system fighting a relentless war against drugs, the message is clear: even the people holding the keys aren’t above the law.

Gilliam, now a convicted drug trafficker, will serve his time in a federal facility — this time, on the other side of the bars.