GREENSBORO, Md.- The former police chief of a Caroline County town where a black teenager died in custody has been sentenced in an unrelated case.
Maryland's Office of the State Prosecutor says that while chief of the Greensboro Police Department between December 2017 and February 2019, Michael Petyo made factual misrepresentations in an application for certification, which he filed on behalf of Thomas Webster. That application is reviewed to certify police officers for duty across the state.
On Friday, Petyo pleaded guilty to malfeasance in office, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to two years in jail, all suspended. He was additionally sentenced to three years supervised probation.
Petyo was police chief in Greensboro in September 2018 when 19-year-old Anton Black struggled with officers, became unresponsive and died. A medical examiner said a congenital heart condition and stress from the struggle likely contributed to his death.
Petyo is currently a lieutenant with the Camden, Del. Police Department. He was placed on leave last year while the town conducted an investigation following his indictment.