Health Department Police Captain Charged With Attending Classes While On Duty

By Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters

September 16, 2025

A Maryland Health Department Police captain faces criminal charges, including theft and two counts of misconduct in office, related to college classes she attended when she was supposed to be working.

According to documents filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court, Capt. Astarte Hunt attended classes at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County from January to May 2025. During that time, she was assigned as an officer at Spring Grove Hospital, located in Catonsville near the university.

Prosecutors allege that Hunt, a nine-year veteran of the department who earns $120,140 annually, attended two psychology classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the spring semester, during hours that she was supposed to be working. Hunt is accused of falsifying time sheets and claiming she was working when she was attending those classes.

She faces one count of misconduct in office for attending those classes while providing timecards that said she was working the hours she was in class. She is also charged with theft related to the more than $5,100 in pay she received due to falsifying those timecards.

Hunt is also charged with misconduct in office related to allegations of misuse of a state-owned vehicle. Prosecutors said she used a state-owned vehicle to attend classes at the college campus. Additionally, they say she used the vehicle for “personal reasons” on weekends when she was not working.

Prosecutors allege she falsified mileage logs to hide the unauthorized use and make it appear as though it was related to her official duties.

No attorney was listed in online court records for Hunt. She is scheduled for an initial appearance on Oct. 14.