RIDGELY, Md. - Several former Ridgely police officers, including the former chief, have filed a lawsuit against multiple defendants claiming their department had been dissolved and their names mired in an orchestrated takeover by town and county officials.
The suit claims the Town of Ridgely, the Caroline County Sheriff, and ex-Ridgely officer James Joles, among others, were all part of what the former department refers to as a “coup.”
Ridgely Police Department Suspended
The federal lawsuit comes over a year after the Town of Ridgely disbanded the police department, citing a pending investigation by the Maryland State Prosecutor in March 2024. Initially, town commissioners said a whistleblower, later identified as Joles, had alleged the police department was improperly disposing of equipment such as guns and police vehicles. Joles accused Eckrich of perjury and official misconduct, according to court documents, as well as falsifying payroll records and being under the influence of medication while on duty.
On March 12, 2024, the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search and seizure of the Ridgely Police Department and Ridgely Commissioners suspended all six officers that day. The Maryland State Prosecutor’s office would later note the dissolution of the department was done without their guidance.
In lieu of a police force, the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office then entered an agreement with the town to ensure public safety services went uninterrupted. In May of 2024, a new MOU between Caroline County and Ridgely was signed dedicating three sheriff’s deputies to Ridgely full time. Sheriff Baker told WBOC the town would reimburse the county for the sheriff’s department’s services for just under $475,000 a year under the MOU.
Maryland State Prosecutor’s Findings
In August of 2024, WBOC obtained the findings of the Maryland State Prosecutor’s investigation into the Ridgely Police Department. After analyzing evidence collected from electronic devices, police records, and payroll history, prosecutors said they found no evidence of wrongdoing.
“OPS’s investigative findings did not disclose or surface sufficient evidence of criminal activity warranting further investigation or prosecution,” the prosecutor’s report reads. “Accordingly, this investigation is hereby closed.”
Despite the findings of the investigation, Ridgely officials told WBOC in September of 2024 that the Ridgely Police Department was unlikely to return and that the town would continue the contract with the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office. Former Ridgely Police Chief Jeff Eckrich declined to comment at the time, citing pending litigation.
Eckrich files lawsuit
On Aug. 13, 2025, Eckrich, joined by several former Ridgely officers and police department employees, filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Maryland, the Town of Ridgely, Sheriff Baker, and several Ridgely officials.
The suit alleges that Joles, a reportedly disgruntled ex-Ridgely police officer, approached Sheriff Baker to devise a plan to eliminate the Ridgely Police Department and “allow the Sheriff’s Office to assume responsibility for law enforcement in the Town of Ridgely.”
Eckrich and the former Ridgely officers go on to allege they were removed from their positions without ever receiving notice of the charges made against them or without being given an opportunity to defend themselves.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, brings a total of 13 counts against the defendants, including violating the 14th Amendment, defamation, civil conspiracy, and wrongful discharge.
In addition to monetary damages, the plaintiffs ask the federal court to require the Town of Ridgely to reinstate the police department and to nullify the agreement between the town and the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office. Eckrich and the other former Ridgely police request a trial by jury in their suit.
Caroline County Sheriff Baker did not immediately respond to WBOC's requests for comment Tuesday. The Town of Ridgely referred us to their attorney but we did not receive a response Tuesday upon reaching out to his office.