Details Sparse in Assault Case Against Howard County Police Officer

Lawrence Cameron Cook, a seven-year veteran of the Howard County Police Department, is charged with second-degree assault, is scheduled for arraignment on August 2 and is currently on "no-duty" status while collecting a paycheck.

That much is known.

What's not known: Who he's charged with assaulting, why, where exactly it took place and any other circumstances included in the indictment.

The mystery case against him does not include a public police report, the prosecutor won't comment, and a police spokesperson has directed all questions about the case to the Howard County state's attorney's office.

A spokesperson for the state's attorney's office said the only information available about the case is in the case file, which did not include a police report or any other information about where or why the incident happened.

The prosecutor handling the case, Claude De Vastey Jones, is not able to comment on the case until it is settled in court, according to the spokesperson.

Cook was indicted on a second-degree assault charge July 3, after police affiliated him with a March 18 incident in Columbia.  He was off-duty at the time of the incident, according to police. 

Cook is currently on "no-duty" status with the department, with pay, but his police powers have been suspended, according to a statement from Police Chief William J. McMahon.

In that statement, McMahon said, "As the prosecution is now pending, I am unable to comment on the details of this case." He added that the police investigation was shared with the Howard County State's Attorney, who presented it to the grand jury, which resulted in the indictment.

Cook who is listed at 6-feet, 200 pounds with blond hair, resides in the 4900 block of Dorsey Hall Drive in Ellicott City, according to court records. He was born in 1982, according to records.

Editor's Note: Correction - The original version of this article stated the officer's name was James Cameron Cook, in fact his name is Lawrence Cameron Cook. We regret the error.