Solicitation of prostitution charges against Maryland men’s basketball assistant coach Bruce Shingler have been dropped, according to the Prince George’s County Circuit Court. A county courthouse clerk confirmed charges stemming from his October arrest were dropped on Friday, and Shingler’s charges no longer appear in Maryland’s court case search record.
Neither Shingler nor his attorney, Thomas C. Mooney, could be immediately reached for comment.
Shingler, 40, was suspended by the university for 30 days on Jan. 12 for violating his employment agreement. He would be eligible to return to the team on Friday ahead of the Terps’ game Sunday at Purdue.
According to court documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun last month, Shingler responded to an advertisement, which was posted by an undercover detective for a Prince George’s County police special assignment team, on the “women seeking men” section of a website known to be utilized by women who exchange sex for money to solicit their clients.
On Oct. 14, that detective received a text from Shingler. At the end of the conversation, the detective advised Shingler where she was staying and to contact her when he arrived at a Holiday Inn in Largo.
Once in the hotel room, Shingler confirmed that he wanted to engage in sex, exchanging a fee of $80, according to the court documents. After Shingler handed over the money, the detective alerted the arrest team.
Shingler was arrested and taken to the department of corrections for processing. He waived an attorney at his initial appearance and was released without bail, according to court records. His trial date was scheduled for Feb. 28.
The charges carried a maximum sentence of one year.
Shingler, who grew up in Bladensburg, is in his first year as an assistant in College Park. He was hired in June after serving five seasons as an assistant at South Carolina, helping lead the Gamecocks to the program’s first Final Four appearance in the 2016-17 season. He also served as an assistant at Towson from 2012 to 2016 and spent time on the staffs at Morgan State and Kansas State.
With Shingler’s ties to the Maryland area, he was hired to help former head coach Mark Turgeon with recruiting. Before becoming a college assistant, Shingler coached at his alma mater Bladensburg High School, leading the team to an 18-5 record in his lone season. He also coached AAU for the DC Assault 17U team, sending over 40 members to Division I programs in his tenure, including McDonald’s All Americans Michael Beasley and Quinn Cook.
