Hampstead police cited for drug and vehicle-crime cases; three officers sworn or promoted

The Hampstead Police Department and Town Council used the Oct. 14 meeting to recognize several department actions and to swear in and promote officers.

The police chief (unnamed in the record) presented a unit citation for a multi-jurisdictional drug investigation that began with an overdose response on Sept. 20, 2024. The chief said officers identified a suspect, and a Sept. 21 traffic stop led to the recovery of a quantity of counterfeit Xanax pills and a polymer 9 mm “ghost gun.” Follow-up work — including search warrants for electronic devices and cooperation with Maryland State Police, Baltimore City Police, Frederick City Police, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office — resulted in the seizure of a total of 684 counterfeit pills and, according to the chief, a July sentence of five years for the defendant after a guilty plea.

Detective Casey Mann received a commendation of merit for leading an investigation into the June 17, 2025 theft of a truck and attached RV from a local repair facility. The chief said Mann located video evidence, identified suspects, coordinated with Delaware law enforcement to recover the stolen vehicle and secured an arrest and extradition. The chief reported the suspect received a five‑year sentence in Carroll County.

The council also recognized the military service of Officer Matthew K. Bachman, a captain in the Pennsylvania National Guard who was deployed overseas from September 2024 through July 2025. The mayor and chief presented a certificate of recognition for Bachman’s service and his contributions to the department.

Promotions and swearing-in: the department promoted Detective Casey Mann to detective in a short badge-and-oath ceremony; Kimberly Williams was sworn in as a police officer (the chief said Williams serves in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and has a B.A. in natural resources and campus security experience); Jonathan Granshaw was promoted to sergeant after the chief summarized his record, which includes accident-reconstruction training, work as a drug-recognition expert and actions the chief credited with saving a resident’s life during a medical emergency. Each took the oath of office during the meeting.

Why it matters: the recognitions highlight coordinated enforcement across jurisdictions, follow-through on overdose and drug-sale leads, and ongoing personnel changes in Hampstead’s small department. The chief emphasized that many investigations required coordination with multiple outside agencies and that the department’s investigative work produced criminal sentences and returned stolen property.

Details and context: the chief listed the officers and units involved in the drug investigation, naming the responding officer at the overdose, the patrol officers who conducted the stop and detectives who led follow-up work. Several award citations that the chief read at the meeting are entered into the public record and were recited during the ceremony.