Commissioner Hanley Charged with Theft in Cecil County

UPDATE (Friday 9:24 a.m.)— Commissioner Terence Hanley faces a theft charge in Cecil County after a former employer accused him of withholding $5,000 in cash from a car sale.

Hanley, who worked at Ramsey Ford in Elkton before resigning at an unknown time, has been charged with theft between $1,000 and $10,000.

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Cecil County District Court charging documents state that Hanley, who was a manager at Ramsey Ford, has been accused of selling a Ford Focus on Feb. 4 for $14,500 in cash, plus a 1997 Chevrolet Lumina trade-in. But Hanley only gave Ramsey management $9,500 for the sale and inflated the trade-in value of the Lumina from about $2,000 to $7,320, according to court records.

Click here for full charging documents.

Ramsey Ford management asked Hanley about the $5,000 missing from the cash deposit. He responded that he “needed more time to work the deal out” for selling the Lumina to a wholesaler, charging documents state.

Hanley gave Ramsey Ford management a $3,500 personal check on June 15, one day after police began investigating the incident, charging documents state. A bonus check of about $1,600 was also withheld after Hanley admitted to part-owner Mark Hyman that he took the money, according to charging documents.

When asked by police why he didn't pay back the $5,000 cash in its original form, Hanley reportedly stated it was "common practice," though he had never done it before at Ramsey Ford, charging documents state.

Charging documents, prepared by Elkton Police Department Detective Cpl. Andrew Tuer, state that “I felt [Hanley] knew what he did was wrong because he paid the money back, resigned and cried in front of [Hyman].”

Hanley, 46, declined to speak with a Patch reporter about the theft charges when contacted Thursday. He also did not return a voicemail left with a second phone call.

Patch left Hanley another voicemail Friday that was not returned.

Hyman, who works at the Elkton and Rising Sun Ramsey Ford dealerships, was not at either location Thursday morning. When reached by telephone, he declined to answer questions.

“The lawyer told us not to comment,” Hyman said. “The dealership’s not commenting and please stop calling here.”

Hanley has a preliminary inquiry scheduled for 1 p.m. Oct. 11. The charge carries penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The two-term commissioner has served as the town mayor in the past and told Patch . As of noon Thursday, no one has filed for commissioner candidacy, according to a secretary at town hall.

Hanley is also involved in  with Harford Bank, whose .