A former Prince George’s County, Maryland, elementary school teacher who was arrested on assault charges in Virginia and indicted for allegedly attacking people with pepper spray in a D.C. park was found not guilty.

Years after Michael Thomas Pruden, 50, was hit with seven federal assault charges related to “bias-motivated assaults” on men from 2018 to 2021 in Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park, a jury of his peers in Washington D.C. acquitted him of all charges.

Initially, prosecutors argued before a grand jury that Pruden attacked victims because of their perceived sexual orientation, targeting a park known for cruising, or “a meeting place for men seeking consensual sex with other men,” according to charging documents.

The indictment identified a total of five victims who were assaulted during evening activities at the park in D.C., claiming Pruden pretended to be a member of law enforcement and attacked unsuspecting men.

“Before spraying the men, Pruden pretended to be a Park Police officer, shined a flashlight in the victims’ faces and gave the victims police-style directives,” the department said in a July 2022 press release.

Prosecutors also brought forth digital evidence from Pruden — “text or social media messages or profiles that reference ‘cruising,’ Meridian Hill Park or Malcolm X Park,” and social media activity on platforms like Jack’d and Grindr ahead of this week’s jury trial. Jurors began deliberation Thursday and reached their decision Friday afternoon.

Pruden’s acquittal comes more than two years after his arrest in Norfolk, Virginia, due in part to significant delays in the trial. Notable issues included changes in representation and motions to bifurcate the trial — separating the question of whether Pruden committed the offenses charged from deliberation on the reason being the victims’ espoused or assumed sexual orientation.

The jury’s decision also followed charges for attacks on two people at Daingerfield Island in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2021. The Alexandria case also concluded with Pruden being found not guilty verdict in both incidents.

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WASHINGTON – Are there fake Special Police Officers working in Washington, D.C.? 

FOX 5 has been checking with various officials on the matter after multiple whistleblowers and concerned community members raised these concerns with FOX 5.   

One whistleblower who asked not to be identified, spoke on camera, alleging they were hired to work security at the Columbia Heights Village apartment complex, and named two companies that are not legally licensed to operate in the District. 

The whistleblower named one company as “Off Duty Protection,” claiming this company was an alleged subsidiary of “USEA Protective Services, LLC.” The whistleblower says they left after learning of alleged legal issues.  

This whistleblower is an actual licensed SPO, who claims one of the owners was working as an armed SPO at the Columbia Height Village apartment complex and others without a legal SPO license.

“I saw a lot of unethical processes or procedures such as the use of excessive force – essentially kidnapping. Because if someone is not a law enforcement officer, and they’re processing arresting people, that is kidnapping,” the whistleblower said.

In the District, special police officers are essentially private officers hired to work security. They have similar powers to D.C. police, but those powers normally only extend to the property they’re protecting.

When FOX 5 reached out to management offices for the Columbia Heights Village apartment complex regarding the claims against both companies, we received this response from Spokesperson Ed Cafasso via email: 

“Columbia Heights Village became aware of the company’s licensing issues on April 23, 2024. Their contract to provide security to the community was terminated the next day, on April 24, 2024. Their contract to provide security on the property began November 20, 2023.”

Cafasso would not name the company Columbia Heights Village held the contract with. He did confirm that a fake insurance certificate was used to obtain the contract and that they are currently working with a new security company, now identified as, PChange Protective Services.

The whistleblower who went on record told FOX 5 they filed claims with the DC Office of the Attorney General, the FTC, and the Department of Labor – also alleging that more than one SPO performed the security work but was not paid for their services.

D.C. police tell FOX 5 they are still investigating serious allegations made.

USEA Protective Services, LLC last held a license with D.C. in 2017, according to a city license search.

The city’s Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection Spokesperson Charles Basham III wrote in one of multiple emails previously sent to FOX 5:  

“The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) aims to ensure all business entities in the District maintain accurate and up-to-date licenses. Off Duty Protection is currently not a registered or licensed agency in the District. On June 6, 2024, a complaint concerning Off Duty Protection was lodged with our agency; our policy is not to comment on matters under review.”

Since airing a September 27th report, FOX 5 was contacted by the man who claims to be the owner of “Off Duty Protection.” He says his company was never affiliated with USEA’s contract and is denying having any part with any of the allegations made involving Columbia Heights Village or their security contact.  

John Ayala, owner of Archangel Security and Training.

Separately, FOX 5 asked John Ayala, a long-time licensed D.C. SPO license and conceal carry instructor for the city, about the matter regarding concerns raised. 

Ayala responded that he was not surprised.

Ayala owns his own security company, Archangel Security and Training. 

He said there are likely more SPOs than current police officers working in D.C. and that he feels there needs to be more individual responsibility.

 “That’s concerning because if they go out here and make an arrest and hurt somebody, then the city might even get sued, besides that person. So we have to, the companies themselves have to make sure if they’re going to hire people, they have to make sure they’re fully licensed. You can’t just bring them in because they want a body – and that’s what happens a lot of time,” Ayala said in part of his conversation with FOX 5. 

Ayala says he warns his students to stay away from any security companies that require the SPO to have their own (personal) firearm because that’s not allowed in D.C.

Anyone can look up a license status on the District’s professional license search page here.

Whether there are any safeguards to prevent non-licensed contracts or non-licensed SPOs from operating, FOX 5 learned MPD has a very small branch that responds to SPO matters, when requested to do so. That branch is called the Security Officers Management Branch or SOMB.

D.C. police told FOX 5 there’s no real entity that patrols these issues – and that this is something they’re now working on with the city’s licensing department as the investigation into what happened at the Columbia Heights Village apartment complex continues.  

This is a developing story. Check back with FOX 5 for updates. 

Numerous computer dispatch outages, major staffing shortages and a criminal probe are hanging over D.C.’s 911 call center.

The agency has come under fire for at least the past year for several responses, including to the deadly flooding at District Dogs. More recently, questions have been raised after a 5-month-old baby died during a system outage.

The director of D.C.’s Office of Unified Communications told News4 on Friday the agency is making improvements to address and prevent failures.

The call center set a record for call volume last year, handling 1.8 million calls, up roughly a half-million from typical years. In that period, the 911 system has had 18 disruptions since December.

Local leaders and D.C. Council members have raised questions about whether the office is up to the challenge. Council member Brooke Pinto introduced legislation aimed at holding the agency more accountable, while Council member Charles Allen said the center was in crisis.

“This agency is not in crisis. This agency has been outpaced and is overtaxed, and we are trying to find ways to make improvements to keep up with that change, to make improvements to make the caller experience better. And it’s a holistic change. It’s about addressing staffing. It’s about addressing technology. It’s about addressing training,” Director Heather McGaffin said.

McGaffin told News4 when she took over the agency last year, they had 57 vacancies for call takers. That number is now down to 10.

“My goal is by January 2025 to have all of our positions filled, understanding that things happen and that might not be the case, but that remains my goal, especially for the call-taking side,” she said.

McGaffin pointed to another problem: Too many people are calling 911 when it’s not an emergency. She said hundreds of thousands of calls last year could have been handled by calling 311 or going online.

News4 asked what people should consider before dialing 911. McGaffin said to ask: “Is this life or death? Is this something that I need a police officer, a firefighter or a paramedic right in this moment for?”

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Last month, the agency began giving call takers and dispatchers $800 bonuses if they show up for all assigned shifts. So far, 94 employees have received the bonus.

Despite the bonus and increased hiring, OUC’s data shows it’s still understaffed. According to data obtained by the News4 I-Team, 49% of shifts in early September had less than ideal staffing.

The News4 I-Team confirmed a D.C. family says they called 911 Friday after discovering their 5-month-old wouldn’t wake up from a nap but told police they could not get through to 911. Investigative Reporter Ted Oberg has the latest on Friday’s outage.