Caught On Camera: Senator’s Wild Driver Lie

Body-worn camera attached to a high-visibility vest — Photo: John Gomez / Shutterstock

A Maryland state senator told police his driver parked his SUV on a sidewalk and rammed it into a tree, but surveillance video shows him behind the wheel alone.

Story Snapshot

Body camera and surveillance footage contradict Maryland Sen. C. Anthony Muse’s account of who was driving his Land Rover.
Muse told officers he had only “one drink,” but police did not run a sobriety test.
Officers let another licensed driver take the SUV from the scene instead of investigating further.
Newly obtained footage from Annapolis police raises questions about how officials handle incidents tied to elected leaders.

Senator’s Story Falls Apart On Camera

Maryland state Sen. C. Anthony Muse told Annapolis police his driver parked his Land Rover on a sidewalk and against a tree during last month’s special legislative session. He said the driver then left. Surveillance video tells a different story. It shows Muse himself behind the wheel before he got out of the car and walked away alone.

Body camera footage obtained by Spotlight on Maryland shows Muse repeating this claim directly to officers. “My driver actually parked here,” he said, adding later, “My driver parked the vehicle and left to go home”. The footage was released on September 15, 2026, weeks after the incident took place near a busy Annapolis neighborhood.

Neighbors in the Eastport area first raised alarms in August after Muse’s SUV was found parked against a tree, having reportedly struck another parked car nearby. Residents said police gave few details about what happened or why no clear investigation followed.

No Sobriety Test, No Deeper Investigation

Annapolis police confirmed that Muse told officers he had consumed just one drink when they asked about the incident. Despite that admission, officers did not pursue a broader investigation or perform a field sobriety test. Instead, they allowed another licensed driver to take the SUV away from the scene.

Maryland law lets police compel a driver to take a sobriety test when there is reason to suspect impairment. A refusal or a failed test can trigger license suspension. Officers at the scene did not use that authority here, even after hearing an admission of drinking tied to a vehicle that had just struck a parked car and ended up against a tree.

The Gateway Pundit reported that Muse told officers “the Governor will take care of it” during the exchange, a comment that has fueled criticism from residents who say elected officials get treated differently than ordinary drivers stopped under similar circumstances.

A Pattern Bigger Than One Senator

Legal researchers who study body camera footage say completeness and timing shape how the public judges these cases. One study found roughly one-third of body camera videos used in court do not capture an entire incident, and full recordings carry far more weight than partial ones when the truth is being sorted out. That gap between partial footage and public judgment is exactly what is playing out here.

For Muse, sticking to the “I wasn’t driving” story carries clear political upside. If true, it turns a possible drunken hit-and-run into a minor parking dispute. It also limits damage to his reputation at a time when trust in elected officials is already low among voters on both sides of the aisle.

Whether Annapolis police failed to properly investigate or simply made a routine judgment call, the footage now public raises a bigger question. Many Americans, regardless of party, already suspect that rules bend for the politically connected. A state senator’s SUV crashing into a tree, followed by an admission of drinking and no sobriety test, gives that suspicion fresh fuel.