State Police Arrest Dorchester Co. Man In 2001 Cold Case Involving The Murder Of A Correctional Officer

(VIENNA, Md.) — Maryland State Police homicide investigators arrested a Dorchester County man today in connection with a 2001 cold case involving the murder of a correctional officer.

The accused is identified as John Michael Ingersoll, Jr., 46, of East New Market, Maryland. The Maryland State Apprehension Team arrested Ingersoll in Easton, Maryland at 11:05 a.m. Ingersoll is charged with first and second degree murder, and other related offenses. The Grand Jury of Dorchester County handed down an indictment this morning, charging Ingersoll for the 2001 murder after the Office of the State’s Attorney for Dorchester County presented the case. Ingersoll is being held in the Dorchester County Detention Center pending trial.

The deceased, Gregory Guy Collins, 31, of Vienna, Maryland was a three-year veteran of the Division of Correction and a member of the Maryland National Guard. Correctional Officer Collins was shot and killed while traveling toward his home after working his shift at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Somerset County during the early morning hours on Monday, June 4, 2001.

Shortly before 4:00 p.m. on June 4, 2001, Correctional Officer Collins was reported missing when he failed to return home after his evening shift at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Princess Anne. He had reportedly finished his shift around midnight and was driving a gray Toyota pickup truck when the incident occurred.

A responding Maryland state trooper noticed a wooded area along Indiantown Road, one mile east of Route 331, where it appeared a vehicle had left the roadway. The trooper checked the area further and found Correctional Officer Collins unresponsive inside his truck.

The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit worked in coordination with several law enforcement partners to bring this unsolved homicide investigation to a close. Assistance was provided by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Eastern Correctional Institution in Princess Anne, the Office of the State’s Attorney for Dorchester County, Federal Bureau of Investigation Baltimore Division, Talbot County Task Force, Maryland State Police from the Easton Barrack, Talbot County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Apprehension Team and the Criminal Enforcement Division Upper Shore.

William H. Jones, State’s Attorney for Dorchester County, reminds the public that the Indictment is an allegation, and that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.