by Geoff Fox
After a grand jury handed down indictments at the end of December, Maryland State Police arrested a Washington County man on charges connected to a fatal two-vehicle accident in Allegany County in May 2025.
The indictment came on December 31.
According to a release from the State Police, the State’s Attorney Office in Allegany County presented the case to the Allegany County Grand Jury who return an indictment against Shane Fulmer, 50, of Hagerstown.
Fulmer is charged with negligent manslaughter by vehicle, criminally negligent manslaughter by vehicle, homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, homicide by motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol, and other related citations.
According to online court documents, a hearing for bail/bond review was held on Friday, January 2, in Allegany County Circuit Court with Judge Gary Leasure withholding bond.
Fulmer is being held at the Allegany County Detention Center.
Just before 8 p.m. on May 19 of last year, troopers from the Cumberland Barrack responded to Orleans Road, south of High Germany Road, for a report of a two-vehicle crash.
In the preliminary investigation, police said a Ford Ranger pickup, operated by Fulmer, was traveling south when he entered the northbound lanes and subsequently struck a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
The driver of the motorcycle, who was identified as Kenneth Appel, 66, of Little Orleans, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Fulmer was transported by ambulance to UMPC Western Maryland for treatment for his injuries.
Lanes were closed for more than two yours during the Maryland State Police Crash Team’s investigation.
Appel was the founder and host of East Coast Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Little Orleans, a major multi-day event that drew visitors to the area from surrounding states.
