By Bethany Hooper

Associate Editor

A Worcester County Circuit Court judge last week denied a protective order as well as sanctions against legal counsel representing Tyler Mailloux, the man accused in a hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of 14-year-old Gavin Knupp.

During a hearing last Thursday, Worcester County Circuit Court judge Brett Wilson ruled against the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office’s motion seeking a protective order to shield discovery materials as well as sanctions against Mailloux’s legal representation. All other motions in the case, he said, would be deferred, with a status hearing now set for Dec. 5.

“This is a case where emotions run high …,” he said. “I believe as the case has matured, some of the issues at the time no longer exist.”

While the state’s motion for a protective order and sanctions against the defense counsel has been shielded – a legal move that State’s Attorney Kris Heiser said is used to protect sensitive information, including medical information and information about juveniles – Mailloux’s attorney, George Psoras, argued the request should be denied. In his response to the motion, Psoras said the state’s attorney’s office accused the defense of disclosing certain protected health and identifying information about the juvenile victim and releasing discovery materials to the public.

“The State has made these inappropriate allegations in an attempt to sully the Defendant, his counsel, and his family, and to further inflame the community against the Defendant …,” the response reads. “Defense counsel affirmatively states that he has never made any statements to the media unlike the state’s agency.”

In court last week, Wilson denied the state’s motion. All other remaining motions, have been postponed.

“All other motions I have will be deferred for further proceedings by this court,” the judge concluded.

Mailloux, 24, faces 17 traffic charges in the death of Knupp, a 14-year-old Ocean Pines resident who was struck and killed by a motorist in a black Mercedes while crossing Grays Corner Road on the night of July 11, 2022. Knupp was reportedly returning to a vehicle driven by his older sister and died from injuries sustained in the collision. Mailloux is accused of fleeing the scene and not returning, according to charges filed.

Since charges were filed in April of 2023, the case has worked its way through the legal system, starting with a motions hearing last August. At that hearing, Wilson granted the defense’s motion to dismiss, opining that the district court had “exclusive and original” jurisdiction. From there, the prosecution appealed the ruling to the Appellate Court of Maryland, which heard oral arguments earlier this year. When the circuit court ruling was reversed, Mailloux then petitioned the Supreme Court of Maryland to review the decision.

In June, the state’s highest court denied the petition, opining that “there has been no showing that review by certiorari is desirable and in the public interest.” The ruling essentially meant that the decision handed down by the Appellate Court of Maryland would be upheld and that all charges against Mailloux would be tried in Worcester County Circuit Court.

A 13-day trial is scheduled to begin March 3, 2025.