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Jenkins, 66, temporarily stepped down in April after he was implicated in a machine gun purchasing scheme, which he has steadfastly denied since the accusations were made involving Machine Gun Nest owner Justin Krop.
Initially, Jenkins had planned to remain active in office as the legal proceedings played out, but on Wednesday, April 12, after his arraignment, Jenkins agreed to take a temporary leave of absence, effective two days later.
Jenkins was accused of conspiring with the gun shop owner to unlawfully purchase machine guns and falsifying documents on official Frederick County Sheriff’s Office letterhead between August 2015 and May 2022.
On Monday, Aug. 28, Jenkins declared that he would be returning to office, ending the administrative leave that he voluntarily entered. He will be back in charge of the sheriff’s office, including oversight and management of day-to-day operations as of Monday morning.
“The leave of absence was self-imposed and there is no reason not to return to full duty at this point. My routine duties include the management of day-to-day operations, all administrative and management functions, and signatory obligations as the head of the agency,” he announced.
He made note that his sheriff’s office is the chief law enforcement office in the county, and reminded the community that he was elected to that lofty position.
“As a reminder, the Office of the Sheriff, is the only law enforcement officer mentioned in our state constitution and is the chief law enforcement office of the county,” he added.
“Maryland's constitution calls for an elected Sheriff for each county,” the reinstated sheriff continued. “As it stands, I am still the elected Sheriff of Frederick County, and I am the only law enforcement officer directly accountable to the voting public.”
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