BALTIMORE (AP) — The executive director of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association has been charged with soliciting a prostitute after an undercover police sting.

The Baltimore Sun reports (http://bsun.md/2hIZK5V) that 71-year-old Larry Harmel was charged by summons Dec. 8 after an Oct. 12 sting in Baltimore. Harmel denied being charged and attorney Bruce Marcus said he was unaware of the allegations.

Harmel, a former state trooper, led the Maryland Transportation Authority Police for seven years and unsuccessfully ran for a Baltimore County House of Delegates seat in 2014.

The newspaper reports that Harmel resigned from his post once the group learned of the charge. Riverdale Park Police Chief David Morris, who is president of the group that lobbies on behalf of chiefs around Maryland, says the “development deeply saddens the executive board.”

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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com