A former Prince George’s County police officer is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty of negligent vehicular manslaughter.
He was given several charges in a crash that led to the death of retired D.C. detective Carlton Herndon.
“If that young man was half the police officer that my son was, this would not have happened,” said Iris Toyer, Herndon’s mother.
In the midst of grief, Toyer shared her thoughts after learning former Prince George’s County police officer Anthony Coleman pled guilty to one of the several charges he faced from the fatal crash last year that claimed the life of her son.
Both speed and alcohol were contributing factors to the fatal collision, according to Maryland State Police.
“You can’t speed and do all of these things and probably write tickets or whatever if you catch someone doing that, and then you turn around and do the same thing,” Toyer said.
According to Maryland State Police, in July of last year while Herndon was heading back to his home in Clinton, he tried to cross Route 301 near Missouri Avenue when Coleman crashed his truck into Herndon’s car, killing Herndon instantly.
Shards of metal could still be seen at the crash site following the deadly collision, and the family said they were disturbed to find a large portion of Herndon’s car bumper at the scene with his license plate still intact.
At the time of the collision, Coleman was off-duty. Following the collision, he was placed on leave before he faced several charges, including driving while under the influence.
On Thursday, Coleman pled guilty to negligent manslaughter by motor vehicle, something the family says caught them by surprise after they believed that the case would be going to trial.
Toyer said for more than 30 years, her son worked as a D.C. police officer and detective, until his retirement — a move to spend more time with his family. Since his retirement, his family said he was working as a Prince George’s County Courthouse marshall.
Despite Coleman’s guilty plea, the family said they’re still devastated after losing their loved one.
“I have tried to be focused on getting justice for my son,” Toyer said. “… This has created a huge hole in our family. It is something that people never envision that it will happen to them.”
News4 reached out to the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office following the guilty plea and is still waiting for a response.
Coleman’s sentencing is set to happen on Feb. 5, 2027.
