PG Deputy Strikes Plea Deal in Gaithersburg Fight

A Prince George's County Sheriff's Deputy pleaded guilty on Monday to charges stemming from a fight in August with a Derwood man and woman at a Gaithersburg night spot.

Michael Zachery Barrack, 27, of Rockville, reached a deal with prosecutors wherein he pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace, according to online court records. He also agreed to pay a $35,000 restitution to cover the cost of the woman's medical expenses, said Barrack's lawyer, Barry Helfand.

During , the 26-year-old woman cut her hand and leg when she fell on glass and later needed surgery to repair torn tendons. She claimed that Barrack had shoved her to the ground. The plea deal maintains that Barrack did not push her, Helfand said.

Barrack received "probation before judgment" in the deal, meaning that the guilty plea does not count as a criminal conviction and can eventually be expunged from his record. He was originally charged with second-degree assault and fourth-degree sexual assault as a result of the August brawl at the

Barrack has been with the sheriff's office since July 2007. Barrack's attorney said his employment will continue unchanged.

"He had a good reputation and was well liked," Helfand said. "To the best of my knowledge, this incident should have no affect on him."

Court documents describe the following scenario at Star Diner in the early morning hours of Aug. 6:

A 26-year-old Derwood woman was mingling in the bar's outside area shortly before last call when an unknown male—later identified as Barrack—"slapped her butt" as she was talking to someone else. The woman told her friend, a 25-year-old Derwood man, who confronted Barrack and told him not to "disrespect her like that."

The friend "became angry and began yelling" at Barrack, according to the police report written that night, and the confrontation escalated.

"It became physical, and others [were] getting involved," according to the report.

The report does not say whether he was in uniform, only that he was wearing a black shirt. And the report does not indicate who initiated the fight.

The application for Barrack’s arrest, written in December, states that Barrack pulled the friend’s shirt over his head and punched him twice in the face. When the woman tried to intervene, she fell on glass and needed six stitches on her leg and eight stitches on her left hand. She had surgery on her hand a week later to repair three torn tendons.

Barrack told police that night that he did not slap her backside, but rather that the woman had been talking with a friend of his and "poked him in his butt."

"He thought they were playing around," according to the report.

When the fight broke out, Barrack said he was pushing people away after he had been punched in the face and did not know if he had pushed the woman.

An employee of Star Diner told police that he saw Barrack push the woman to the ground.

A Montgomery County police officer was already on the scene responding to a noise complaint when the fight began. The officer and restaurant security broke it up and removed Barrack from the premises. The woman's friends took her to the hospital. No charges were filed that night.

Barrack was charged four months later. In January, he filed a charge of second-degree assault against the woman’s friend. The prosecutor in both cases, Assistant State’s Attorney Stephen Chaikin, dropped Barrack's complaint.