CHARLES COUNTY, Md. — A Hughesville, Maryland man was arrested Friday night for hosting a bonfire with 10 or more people, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office (CCSO).
Shawn Marshall Myers, 41, reportedly hosted nearly 60 people at his home and was asked multiple times to stop the large gathering before deputies arrested him.
A week ago deputies went to Myers home for another gathering, according to CCSO. When deputies warned him that time about the violation he ended the event.
The emergency order law put in place by Maryland's Gov. Larry Hogan forbids gatherings of 10 or more people is part of social distancing and is a recommended guideline by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help lower the curve on the numbers of coronavirus cases in the United States.
In the U.S., more than 1,000 people have died from the coronavirus. In the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, more than 2,000 positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported. 26 people have died in the DMV from the virus.
At this time, it is not known how many people have been arrested for having a gathering of 10 or more people. But, it is something that is illegal as well in D.C. and Virginia.
Ways to help enforce this rule in the DMV have included D.C. officials monitoring its city parks and enforcing attendance limits.