FREDERICK, Md. — Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, who is under federal indictment, has placed himself back in charge of the agency.
Back on April 14, following his indictment, Jenkins took a voluntary administrative leave of absence.
He's accused of conspiring with a local gun dealer to illegally acquire machine guns under false pretenses.
Jenkins, whose been the elected sheriff in Frederick County since 2006, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
RELATED: Frederick County Sheriff indicted for scheme to illegally acquire machine guns
As part of his pre-trial release, a federal judge ordered Jenkins to surrender all firearms including his duty weapon.
Jenkins through a Sheriff's Office spokesperson released a statement explaining his decision to return to active duty.
“I’ve made the decision that it’s time to resume my full responsibilities and obligations as Sheriff of Frederick County,” said Jenkins. “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. 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. Maryland's constitution calls for an elected Sheriff for each county. 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.”
Colonel David Benjamin had been running the Sheriff's Office in Jenkins' absence.
