Maryland has revoked the operational license of a home detention monitoring company, saying it failed to notify authorities about violations, according to a letter from the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).

According to the letter from Secretary of DPSCS Carolyn J. Scruggs, the state ordered  (ASAP) to return its license to the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards, cease monitoring Marylanders, and provide personal information for those under its supervision.

The letter said that ASAP has 30 days to submit a written request for a hearing challenging the actions proposed on Tuesday.

Teen charged with murder while on ankle monitor

The move to revoke ASAP's license comes after the arrest of 18-year-old Emmetson Zeah, who was charged in a shooting that occurred while he was supposed to be on home detention and wearing an ankle monitor. 

The shooting happened Feb. 22 outside The Mall in Columbia, and 15-year-old Blake McCray and 16-year-old Michael Robertson were killed.

In December, Zeah was released on a $50,000 bond and ordered to serve home detention after he was charged with home invasion and attempted murder in December 2024. 

A letter from ASAP on Feb. 21, one day before the mall shooting, detailed several pre-trial detention infractions by Zeah that week. He should have been at home, but instead was on local school grounds, at other people's homes, at the mall, and at other businesses. 

It also tracked him to the scene of another shooting in Columbia on Feb. 14 on Twin Rivers Rd.

Zeah's ankle monitor tracked him at the mall on the day of the shooting.

He was denied bail in the deadly double shooting, after Howard County District Court Judge Allison Sayers argued there was evidence that he was a danger to the public. Zeah is due back in court in August.

What is ASAP Inc. accused of?

The letter from DPSCS accuses ASAP of failing to notify the state about Zeah's violations promptly, jeopardizing public safety.

According to Maryland law, home detention monitoring agencies must notify the Division of Parole and Probation of any violations by offenders, with a $1,000 fine for the first day the agency does not provide notice, and $250 for each subsequent day.

ASAP was ordered to pay $1,000 for not alerting officials about Zeah on Feb. 13, and $250 for each of the six days after that, according to the letter.

A total of 232 individuals were under supervision by ASAP in April. In total, 883 were on private home detention monitoring, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services said. 

This only includes state-licensed agencies and does not account for individuals assigned to local jurisdictions or the Central Home Detention Unit (CHDU).

DPSCS officials said the process of phasing out ASAP services would likely occur in court, where judges can reassign individuals to be supervised by another agency. 

Remembering Blake McCray

McCray's mother, Marshay Eaddy, told WJZ's Tara Lynch in an exclusive interview in April that her son didn't know Zeah, and she believes he was an innocent bystander.

He was at the mall with friends, and by dinnertime, Eaddy's 12-year-old son rushed to tell her McCray was shot. Eaddy said her son was at the bus stop trying to leave the mall, abiding by its curfew, and heading home.

"In 10 minutes, my son would have been home," Eaddy said. "I gave my son permission to go to the mall. We tell our kids to be good, live good, do right. Then, you don't have to worry about these types of things. He got his life took by someone that he doesn't even know, just from being outside and just trying to be a kid."

Eaddy says her son was responsible, always picking up household chores and being a good role model for his two younger brothers. She never thought something like this would happen.

The system isn't working properly

The state contracts with private companies for at-home monitoring in specific cases. 

With the contract, the companies are supposed to have enough staff to watch over the people assigned to them by the court. This monitoring should be live with 24/7 oversight, according to Dr. Tyrone Powers, who owns The Powers Consulting Group and is a former Maryland State Trooper and FBI Special Agent.

"It is set up to work perfectly. It's just that when we become complacent, then people get hurt," Dr. Powers said. "The state is supposed to monitor the monitors, but often that doesn't take place until we have a tragic incident like this. We don't seem to address it in a way that we should have early on."

Powers says he believes every home detention company is now under the spotlight with the state.

"I guarantee you, not only is this going on, but there's audits going on," Dr. Powers said. "There are enough companies to get it done. It's just that the companies have become lax, because the people who were supposed to monitor the companies have become lax."

He says ASAP's license was likely revoked because of the attention Zeah's case received.

"As sad and tragic as it is, it is saying to the agencies responsible for this, we must do a better job. I think they've already begun that process….Even today, the citizens of Howard County and the state of Maryland are in a better place," Dr. Powers said.

Statewide review ongoing

A spokesperson in the governor's office says a statewide review of pre-trial and home monitoring is underway. 

The Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy is co-chairing a group with the Maryland Judiciary that is working on a top-to-bottom look at the policies and procedures.

The governor's office said in a statement that ASAP failed to meet its standards.

"The Moore-Miller Administration will continue to work with the Judiciary, the Maryland General Assembly, state agencies, local jurisdictions, advocates, and all invested stakeholders to address the long-standing systemic problems and to promote accountability in our criminal justice system, building upon the results we are continuing to see across Maryland."

Other lawmakers are also weighing in, including Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott, who stated on social media, "Too often, I've arrived on the scene of a crime in our city, only to find the victim or perpetrator wearing an ankle monitor. We're finally changing that—and hopefully saving lives in the process."