Calvert Man Apparently Drowned, Report Says

A Lusby man found dead in a lake three days after he ran from sheriff's deputies in May apparently drowned by accident, Maryland's chief medical examiner said Friday.

Demetris Hall, 26, fled into the woods of the Chesapeake Ranch Estate on May 2, after Calvert County sheriff's deputies had gone to a friend's house where Hall had been eating dinner. His body was recovered May 5 in Lake Lariat.

Hall owed about $9,500 in child support, which family members said might explain why he wanted to avoid the deputies.

David R. Fowler, Maryland's chief medical examiner, said he found no bruises or other evidence of physical trauma on Hall's body. Fowler said that although it is difficult to run tests to confirm drowning -- water that would have filled Hall's lungs, for example, would have been absorbed into his bloodstream over time -- he was able to eliminate other causes of death.

"There was nothing there that led us to believe anything else," Fowler said. "There was no natural disease, and we've got no injuries to him."

Hall's family members said they do not believe the medical examiner's conclusion, although they had not obtained a copy of the complete autopsy report. Geraldine Hall-Miles, Hall's aunt, said family members were planning to have the body exhumed for an independent examination.

"They're just trying to cover this mess up," Hall-Miles said. "There's just too much crookedness going on."

Hall-Miles said her nephew had broken a hand before the incident, something the medical examiner did not note. Fowler said he found no evidence of broken bones.

Family members also disputed the Sheriff's Office account of what happened before and after Calvert sheriff's deputies showed up at the Chesapeake Ranch Estates house. The account has changed slightly: Calvert Sheriff Mike Evans (R) initially said deputies chased Hall briefly before giving up. He now says that he misunderstood his deputies and that they never saw Hall.

According to the latest sheriff's account, deputies were dispatched to the house on Durango Drive at 9:22 p.m. May 2 after someone complained about a loud party there. When they arrived, they heard what sounded like someone walking or running in the woods behind the house. Residents told them that no one had run and that people frequently walk through that area.

"They lied to the police," Evans said. "It sort of led us to believe there was nothing to worry about."

The next day, Evans said, Hall's mother, Martha Tate-Hall, called authorities to report that her son was the person who had run from the house the night before and that he had not returned. Authorities launched a search for her son May 4 and recovered the body in Lake Lariat the next day, authorities said.

Hall's family members said that there was no loud party at the house where Hall had been eating and that deputies chased him into the woods. They said that Hall was a good swimmer and that they do not think his death was accidental. They said they think the officers got into an altercation with Hall that led to his death. Fowler said there was no physical evidence on Hall's body to indicate he was involved in a struggle.

Evans said officers initially thought Hall might have been using drugs that could have contributed to his death. A few weeks before the incident, Evans said, an undercover police officer bought drugs from Hall, but police did not make an arrest at that time. The toxicology examination revealed no unusual drugs in Hall's system except for a blood-alcohol concentration 0.06, which is not unusual for a decomposing body, Fowler said.

Evans said he could not speculate about what caused Hall to drown.

"Look, I'm sorry for the family's loss, but nothing the Calvert County Sheriff's Office did contributed to this man's demise," he said.

Family members said they would continue to fight for what they believe is a more complete account of what happened.

"I think they chased him, and I think they caught him," Hall's aunt said. "The Calvert County Sheriff's Office is not going to get away with this."