by Geoff Fox
Shane Michael Fulmer pled guilty to his role in the vehicular death of Kenny Appel of Little Orleans last Wednesday, September 16 in Allegany County Circuit Court just as a trial in the case against him was to begin.
Fulmer, 54, pled guilty to negligent auto homicide, under the influence, during the hearing.
Just before 8 p.m. on May 19, 2025, Fulmer was driving south in a Ford Ranger on Orleans Road when he entered the northbound lane and struck Kenny Appel’s Harley Davidson motorcycle, killing him.
Appel of Little Orleans was the founder and host of the widely attended East Coast Sturgis Motorcycle Rally that has drawn thousands of motorcyclists to Western Maryland each year.
According to an Allegany County court spokesperson, all other remaining criminal counts against Fulmer were dropped following his plea.
No sentencing date has been scheduled in Fulmer’s case, but will come sometime in the near future, the spokesperson said.
