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Matthew Dwight Tingler, 37, of Elkton, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted first-degree murder for attack Cpl. Michael Vesek in the Harford County Detention Center on Nov. 20, 2022, the state’s attorney’s office announced.
The vicious assault happened when Vesek, a Correctional Deputy at the detention center for more than two decades, was supervising Tingler during a phone call at the facility, during which he became enraged and went after the corporal when he thought his fiancé went rogue.
Tingler used the phone to hit Vesek in the face, then violently fought him to the ground. He then strangled him with his hands before wrapping the phone cord around his neck multiple times to choke him out.
More foreign objects came into play, and Tingler again used the phone’s receiver, a tape dispenser, and portable radio during the attack on Vesek, who lost consciousness amid the assault.
Other deputies heard Vesek during the struggle and found Tingler continuing his assault on the corporal, who was bleeding profusely, according to prosecutors.
Officers were able to subdue Tingler and removed the cord from around Vesek’s neck. He had to be rushed to Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital for treatment and evaluation and later recovered and was a key part of the state's attorney's investigation.
“Today, I sat in the courtroom as a man accused of trying to kill one of our Harford County Sheriff’s Office Correctional Deputies accepted a guilty plea,” Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. “Members of my Command Staff sat together with Cpl. Vesek to listen to the outcome of this horrific incident.
"While, I cannot begin to imagine a punishment severe enough, I am immensely appreciative of the efforts put forth by the Office of the State’s Attorney to ensure an appropriate punishment and penalty was handed down."
Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey said that in an interview following the brutal assault that Tingler stated he became upset on the phone because he believed his fiancé was with another man.
“I commend Cpl. Vesek for his bravery in both enduring this brutal attack and for his willingness to testify in this trial, which he was fully prepared to do in the coming days,” Healey stated. “I also thank him for his nearly 25 years of service to Harford County as a Correctional Deputy.”
At the time of the assault, Tingler was being held on charges of assault, robbery, and other various offenses.
Tingler is facing a minimum prison term of 30 years and a max of life behind bars for the assault, which is being recommended by the state’s attorney’s office.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
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