Cop Easton was convicted of committing sexual acts with teenagers in a patrol car

A former Easton police officer was convicted Friday of having sexual contact with two teenage girls while on duty, conduct that a judge called “beyond embarrassment.”

Judge C. Carey Deeley Jr. sentenced Sgt. Jason Dyott, 38, was sentenced in Talbot County Court to four years in prison. He will serve only six months, and the rest of the time – conditionally. He will also be on probation for three years.

Dyott, a 16-year veteran of the Easton police force, was convicted in September of two counts of misconduct in office for two incidents that took place in 2022. according to court documents. In the first, Dyott had sex with a recent high school graduate he picked up from her friend’s house. Two days later, he kissed a 16-year-old high school girl in a Target parking lot.

Both incidents occurred in a Dyott police cruiser. The age of consent in Maryland is 16, with exceptions.

According to charging documents, Dyott frequently used his department-issued cell phone to arrange sex and send explicit Snapchat messages to teenagers and students at local high schools in Talbot County.

After learning he was under investigation, Dyott searched the Internet on his phone for phrases such as “legal age of consent in Maryland,” “Penalties for child pornography in Maryland,” and “Maryland teen sex laws.” – the indictment documents say.

A lawyer for Dyott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

New sentencing guidelines aimed at tougher penalties for police misconduct came into force on the same day as Dyott’s hearing. State prosecutors argued that those stricter guidelines should apply in Dyott’s case and sought a prison sentence for him.

Deeley ruled that regardless of what guidelines were in place, Dyott’s crimes warranted a prison sentence. According to A., he called Dayott’s behavior “terrible.” news release from the Maryland State Attorney’s Office.

State’s Attorney Charlton Howard III said in a release that “law enforcement officers in positions of trust must be held accountable for their wrongdoing so that public faith in their agencies and government can be preserved.”

In a statement posted on Facebook, Easton Police Chief Alan Lowry said Dyott is no longer with the department. Dyott has been with the military since June 2008 and became a sergeant around July 2020.

Police confirmed Dyott resigned on Thursday ahead of his sentencing.