WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. - The Maryland Office of the Attorney General says it has completed its review of the investigative file from the 2005 death of Ronald Byler, a 37-year-old man who died after being restrained by a Maryland State Police trooper in Wicomico County, and determined there was not sufficient evidence to reopen his case for criminal prosecution.
This review prompted by a statewide audit was ordered last year to look at 41 police-custody deaths that happened between 2003 and 2019 that independent medical examiners determined should have been classified as homicides. The AG's office says since the audit's finding were released, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not changed the manner of cause of death certifications in any of the cases.
According to the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) in their guide for manner of death classification, a homicide classification on a death certification is not a legal term. They call it a "neutral" term that does not indicate criminal intent.
One of the 41 cases was the 2005 death of 37-year-old white man, Ronald Byler, in Wicomico County.
The Attorney General's Office says their information on Byler's death came from the investigative file created by law enforcement. They say on July 16, 2005, Wicomico County 911 received a call from a homeowner in Mardela Springs, reporting a pick-up truck had crashed into a tree in his front year. The caller said the male driver, later identified as Ronald Alan Byler, got out of the truck and started smashing the windows of the homeowner's vehicle parked nearby.
They say the Sharptown Fire Department arrived first and saw Byler's truck crashed into a tree. They say SFD members saw Byler hitting the windshield of the homeowner's vehicle with his bare hands and throwing items. Those members also reported Byler yelling obscenities, making threats, and attempting to hit them with objects, and hitting SFD members.
They say one SFD member used a tool to trip Byler, and once he was on the ground, three SFD members restrained him. As they waited for police to arrive, they say Byler continued to make threats and struggle against being restrained.
One of the SFD first responders reported that Byler grabbed a flashlight and hit him in the head. Then, an MSP trooper got to the scene and tried to handcuff Byler. According to one of the SFD members, Byler threatened to take the trooper's gun and shoot him. After Byler was handcuffed, they say he continued to struggle, and he was restrained on the ground for several minutes by the trooper and a firefighter while they waited for backup and EMS.
They say when EMS arrived and Byler was rolled over to be placed on a stretcher, Byler had stopped breathing. According to the Office of the Attorney General, the file says CPR was performed and Byler was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
On July 17, 2005, they say the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed Byler's autopsy and ruled his manner of death was "undetermined." The toxicology analysis found Byler had cocaine in his system at the time of his death. They say according to Byler's female passenger that day, he had taken drugs that evening, and began to act and drive erratically afterwards.
In March 2006, the State's Attorney's Office for Wicomico County declined to pursue criminal charges for Byler's death. Last year, the independent medical examiners reviewed the findings and said Byler's manner of death should have been homicide, but as of today, the OCME has not changed the original manner or cause of death for Byler, according to the Attorney General's Office.
The Office of the Attorney General says they agree with the decision made in 2006 by the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office to not criminally prosecute anyone involved in Byler's death.
The Office of the Attorney General says they will provide Byler’s family with an opportunity to review materials in the investigative file.
