NORTH EAST — An officer filed several criminal charges against a man claiming to be “president of the United States of America” after the suspect allegedly resisted arrest in North East during a prolonged incident, according to Cecil County District Court records.
Court records allege that the accused, John Roy Hardiman, 31, of Elkton, also maintained that he was an undercover Maryland State Police trooper at one point while interacting with the arresting officer and that the officer had broken his spine — a claim that was refuted by physicians who examined Hardiman at ChristianaCare’s Union Hospital in Elkton and found no injuries. Authorities transported Hardiman from the Cecil County Detention Center to the hospital after he made that accusation.
The incident started at approximately 9:40 p.m. on Friday when Officer Austin Lee of the North East Police Department spotted Hardiman standing on a sidewalk, waiting to walk across West Pulaski Highway (Route 40), and stopped him because he knew that Hardiman was wanted on two active arrest warrants, one through the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office and the other through the Elkton Police Department, police reported.
Lee told Hardiman about the open warrants and ordered him to put his hands behind his back, so he could be handcuffed, prompting Hardiman to maintain that the officer had the wrong man.
“Hardiman stated, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong. I do not have a warrant, and he said he is the president of the United States of America,” according to the charging document.
When Lee attempted to handcuff him, Hardiman allegedly “tensed his body and refused to comply” with the officer’s orders, court records show.
Hardiman allegedly was combative while ignoring the officer’s commands at several spots during the incident, including at the initial arrest scene; then outside and inside the officer’s patrol vehicle; then inside and outside the Cecil County District Courthouse in Elkton, where the officer had escorted the suspect to the Court Commissioner’s Office; and then at the county jail, where Hardiman made his false injury claim that led to his in-custody trip to the hospital, police reported.
During the incident, according to the charging document, Hardiman allegedly kicked the officer; yelled profanities; refused to get into the patrol vehicle; and stiffened his body, locked his legs and dragged his feet when the officer was trying to escort him from spot to spot. At one point, an Elkton Police Department officer had to assist Lee in placing Hardiman back into the patrol vehicle outside the courthouse, court records allege.
Hardiman also alluded to a lawsuit when Lee held the suspect’s arms while escorting him to the patrol car and commented to the officer, “You touching me is an assault, the highest . . . assault on this planet,” court records allege.
Court records indicate that Hardiman reiterated that he was the president of the United States during the incident. After the officer informed Hardiman that he was driving him back to jail, after leaving the hospital, Hardiman replied, “I need to call the White House and have them fly down to get me,” according to the charging document.
Hardiman is facing six criminal charges, including resisting arrest, second-degree escape, disorderly conduct and two counts of second-degree assault, court records show.
He remained in the Cecil County Detention Center on no bond Tuesday night, one day after his bail review hearing, according to court records, which show that Cecil County District Court Judge Clara E. Campbell presided over that proceeding.
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