Talbot County Sheriff's Office

08/24/2026

Hope to see you this evening for "Understanding Public Safety in Talbot County" at 6:00pm.

Join us on Monday, August 24th at 6:00 p.m. for "Understanding Public Safety in Talbot County", which invites community members to join Sheriff Joe Gamble and Easton Police Chief Alan Lowrey as they explore the partnerships, coordination, and shared responsibilities that support public safety throughout Talbot County. Pizza will be served! Learn more at tcfl.org! Look for more Community Works programs coming soon.

08/24/2026

TCSO SRO's for the School Year 2026-2027

The Talbot County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer (SRO) Unit is ready for another great school year in partnership with Talbot County Public Schools.

Our SROs are looking forward to welcoming students and staff back to school, continuing to build positive relationships, and helping provide safe and supportive learning environments throughout Talbot County.

Sgt. Kevin Parks – Easton High School

Sgt. Parks will return to Easton High School for his seventh year and will continue to serve as the supervisor of the TCSO SRO Unit. Beginning his 21st year in law enforcement, Sgt. Parks says interacting with students and their families has been one of the most rewarding parts of his career.

An Easton High School alumnus and Talbot County native, Sgt. Parks enjoys spending much of his free time outdoors with his family.

Cpl. Timothy Connors – St. Michaels

Cpl. Connors is beginning his 29th year in law enforcement and his third year serving the students and staff of St. Michaels Elementary, Middle, and High Schools.

Cpl. Connors has two children, Amanda and Christopher, and enjoys traveling with his wife, Lisa. He is looking forward to getting back to school and seeing all the students again.
GO SAINTS!

DFC Ryan Andrew – Tilghman Elementary School

DFC Andrew has served with the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office for 13 years and is excited to return to Tilghman Elementary School for his fourth year as the SRO.

When he is off duty, DFC Andrew enjoys serving as a Maryland Hunter Education instructor, sailing, and working on his photography skills. He is looking forward to another terrific Tiger school year!

DFC Emily LeCompte – Chapel District Elementary School / DARE

DFC LeCompte will return to Chapel District Elementary School for her third year as the SRO. She also provides DARE instruction to fifth-grade students at several schools throughout Talbot County.

One of the things DFC LeCompte looks forward to most each year is teaching the DARE program. She believes the program provides an opportunity to build positive relationships, encourage students to make good choices, and help them grow into confident and responsible young people.

Here’s to another amazing year filled with learning, positive relationships, and making a difference!

LET’S GO CHAPEL CHEETAHS!

DFC William Parker – Easton Middle School

DFC Parker will return to Easton Middle School for his third year as the SRO. DFC Parker has served in law enforcement for 10 years, including six years as an SRO, with several years at other Maryland Law Enforcement Agencies.

DFC Parker enjoys working with the students and staff at Easton Middle School and takes pride in helping provide a safe environment for everyone at the school.

Outside of work, DFC Parker enjoys spending time with his seven-year-old daughter, drag racing, deer hunting, going to the gym, and spending time with family and friends.

DFC Robert Horseman – Easton Elementary School

DFC Horseman will return to Easton Elementary School for his third year as the SRO. DFC Horseman has served in law enforcement for 20 years and is looking forward to returning to school and seeing everyone again.

In his free time, DFC Horseman enjoys spending time with his family, camping, hiking, and running.

DFC Lilian Lone – White Marsh Elementary School

DFC Lone is excited to return to White Marsh Elementary School for her third year as the SRO! She looks forward to continuing to build positive relationships with students, staff, families, and the entire school community.

DFC Lone was recognized as the 2025–2026 School Resource Officer of the Year by the Maryland Center for School Safety for her continued efforts to engage with students, teachers, and families while helping provide a safe and secure learning environment.

DFC John Coleman – DARE

DFC Coleman will begin his final year in law enforcement after nearly 40 years of service and will continue providing DARE instruction to students throughout Talbot County Public Schools.

DFC Coleman looks forward to another great year teaching students how to make safe and responsible decisions. He will continue working in four of Talbot County’s eight schools while also assisting with the training and observation of other DARE officers and supporting SROs who also serve as DARE instructors.

Throughout his career, community outreach and relationship building have remained among the most rewarding aspects of law enforcement for DFC Coleman. After nearly four decades of service, he continues to value the opportunity to build rapport with students and be a positive presence in the schools and community.

The Talbot County Sheriff’s Office is proud of the experience, dedication, and commitment our SROs bring to Talbot County Public Schools. We look forward to another year of building relationships with our students, staff, families, and school communities.

Have a safe and successful 2026–2027 school year!

(Pictured Left to Right: Corporal Connors, DFC. Horseman, DFC. Coleman, DFC. Parker, DFC. Lone, DFC. LeCompte, DFC. Andrew, Sgt. Parks, 1st/Sgt. Aita)

08/20/2026

A special Thank You to the wonderful team at Hearthstone Health + Fitness! The Management Team and the amazing members generously donated school supplies to our Student Resource Officer, DFC Emily LeCompte, to share with local elementary schools in Easton. We are grateful for the opportunity to help steward this thoughtful gift on behalf of Hearthstone Health + Fitness.

08/20/2026

I read a Facebook post calling on citizens to boycott Gay’s Seafood, and I felt compelled to respond.
I have known Rennie Gay for many years and speak with him regularly. I’m guessing you have never had any meaningful interaction with him, although that is only a guess on my part. With that in mind, I thought I would share some of what I know about the man behind the local business you are encouraging people to destroy.
Before becoming Sheriff, I spent 28 years with the Maryland State Police. For most of that career, I served as an investigator and supervisor and ultimately commanded the Statewide Homicide Unit. During those years, my teams investigated hundreds of homicides and more than 100 police-involved shootings across Maryland.
One very cold and windy night in 2014, I was called to Route 50 near Hog Neck Golf Course. A Maryland State Trooper had attempted to stop a vehicle, and a short pursuit followed. The driver abandoned the vehicle and ran onto the golf course. As the trooper pursued him on foot, the suspect fired a gun at the trooper. Thankfully, the trooper was not struck.
The suspect escaped into the darkness toward the Gannon Farm area. As you can imagine, a massive manhunt followed, involving nearly 100 Maryland State Troopers, Talbot County Sheriff’s Deputies, and Easton Police Officers. Members of the Easton Volunteer Fire Department stood for hours in freezing temperatures, assisting my homicide team by providing lighting so we could process the crime scene.
Approximately 12 hours into the search, a citizen called 911 and reported seeing a man matching the suspect’s description on Villa Road. Another call came in indicating that a citizen might have the suspect at gunpoint.
Detective Sergeant John Hall and I were the closest law enforcement officers and arrived first. We saw a short, stocky man behind an oak tree, pointing a shotgun toward a large patch of phragmites. John dropped me off and drove to the other side of the marsh. I ran down the hill and took a position near the same oak tree.
That is when I realized the man with the shotgun standing between an armed suspect and his community was Rennie Gay.
I knew it was Rennie as he repeatedly shouted commands toward whoever was hiding in the marsh. Rennie’s voice is very distinctive, and his high pitch tone made me realize very quickly that he was just a little stressed.
Rennie isn’t a police officer, just a man who was not going to let the suspect hurt anyone in his community. He could have called us and drove away, he didn’t. He risked his life for the rest of us. As more troopers arrived, Rennie continued to stand his ground. I even commented to a young trooper that Rennie was probably a better shot than him. We eventually relieved Rennie and a short time later the suspect emerged from the marsh and was taken into custody
During my 38 years in law enforcement, I have witnessed incredible acts of courage by police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, and ordinary citizens. Some of the most remarkable acts of courage I have seen have come from people who had no obligation to put themselves in harm’s way but chose to do so anyway.
That day, Rennie Gay put himself between an armed and dangerous man and his community. That is the character of the man you are targeting.
But that is not the only thing I know about Rennie.
Without going into personal details, Rennie and his family experienced a devastating accident. Rather than allowing that tragedy to consume him, Rennie and his family turned it into an opportunity to help others. He began an annual fundraiser that raises money for Critchlow Adkins Children's Centers, helping provide swimming instruction to hundreds of children in our community who might otherwise never have the opportunity to learn this important life-saving skill.
Rennie’s businesses also support dozens of local families. Hard-working watermen sell their crabs to him. Employees depend on Gay’s Seafood for their livelihoods. His hunting business brings hundreds of visitors into our community from across the country, people who rent hotel rooms, eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, and contribute to our local economy.
So, I have a question for you:
Why would you support driving a local business out of business?
I doubt that the members of the “Talbot Team” would support destroying a local business. In fact, I personally have known four of the five members of that group for several years. They are good people who care about this community, just as I believe the five people on the other side of the political aisle care about this community.
Do they have different ideas? Absolutely.
But disagreement over politics should not turn neighbors against one another or result in an effort to destroy someone's livelihood.
I also noticed that you are a member of Rotary. I find that interesting because Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self.”
That principle seems particularly appropriate here.
I’ll be having lunch at Gay’s Seafood today—and probably every day next week. I would much rather sit down with people with whom I disagree and have a conversation than try to destroy them or their livelihoods.
So, I would like to extend an invitation to you, and to the ten people running for County Council, to join me at Gay’s Seafood on Monday, August 24, 2026, at noon.
Let’s talk about how we can improve the lives of the people who live here, work here, own businesses here, and visit our community.
We may not agree on everything. But I believe we can disagree without destroying one another.
Sincerely,
Sheriff Joe Gamble

08/19/2026

On August 18, 2026, the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office accepted a generous donation by the Easton Lions Club. Mel Newell and Jim DePrima presented our office with a $1,000.00 donation for the purchase of the required DARE workbooks. Donations from clubs and private citizens enable our DARE instructors to purchase additional rewards for deserving students of Talbot County participating in the DARE programs through their schools. DFC’s Coleman, LeCompte and Andrew teach this curriculum to all public and private schools in Talbot County.

DARE is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

Sheriff Gamble has always been supportive of the DARE program, increasing our pool of instructors to three deputies. Sheriff Gamble stated; “Families build the foundation of our youth, and I see DARE as a corner stone in that development.”

08/15/2026

THEFT INVESTIGATION — INFORMATION REQUESTED

****UPDATE****

This has been located. Thank you for your assistance.

*********************************************************
The Talbot County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft of the pictured kayak from a disabled vehicle in the area of Dover Bridge near Easton, Maryland.

The kayak is believed to have been stolen on August 15, 2026, between midnight and 9:00 a.m. It is green and gray and has several distinctive decals, including a shark-mouth design near the seat.

Anyone with information regarding this incident or the kayak’s location is asked to contact DFC Twine of the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office at (410) 822-1020 or via email at [email protected].

08/13/2026

Save the date, August 31, for the upcoming Talbot Goes Purple - Festival of Hope! Event will be held at Anchor Church in Easton from 6-8pm. Help us spread the word!

08/11/2026

08/09/2026

As a reminder. We are still receiving calls about this.