Man accused of pulling gun on Christmas carolers given 3 years’ probation

Paul Susie, 59, entered an Alford plea to one count of reckless endangerment in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court on Tuesday stemming from an incident in which prosecutors say he pulled a gun on Christmas carolers.

An Alford plea means Susie is maintaining his innocence but accepting punishment — 18 months of supervised probation followed by 18 months of unsupervised probation.

The night of Nov. 22, 2025, a group of girls walked up to Susie’s home and knocked on the door to sing Christmas carols, Anne Arundel County Assistant State’s Attorney Katherine Anthony said in court Tuesday.

She described video footage from a doorbell camera in which three girls are seen on Susie’s front porch, standing back from the door. Five other girls are standing farther down the drive, she said.

Anthony said the video, which was played for the judge but not displayed in open court, features one of the girls saying, “Remember, it’s ‘Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.’”

Anthony said it is “very clear” that the people in the footage are children — one of them was even holding a teddy bear, she said.

The doorbell camera footage stops after 30 seconds, Anthony said, and does not include the actual incident or the girls’ reaction to it.

After the knock on the door, Anthony said, Susie walked to a bay window next to the door, then walked away and returned with his gun, which he pointed at the girls.

Susie’s defense attorney, Peter O’Neill, said Susie did not point the gun out the window, but rather was holding it down near his hip. Because the window was slightly elevated, that may have been why the girls perceived it as pointing at them, he said.

O’Neill said that Susie’s home had been broken into before and that he and his wife had no expectation of visitors and no expectation of Christmas carolers around 9 p.m. before Thanksgiving.

O’Neill said his client has been subject to harassment in his neighborhood, including being shown obscene had gestures and cars honking loudly as they drive by is house.

Susie was originally charged with multiple counts of first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

He was charged with one count of wearing and carrying a handgun while under the influence. Susie was released from custody after posting a $10,000 unsecured bond.

Three 12-year-old girls were out Christmas caroling on Nov. 22, 2025, in Epping Forest, a gated community on the Severn River.

The children fled after seeing Susie with a gun, and one of their parents called police. When police retraced the children’s steps, they located a “loud” and “belligerent” Susie in his home.

In court, Anthony read victim impact statements from two of the girls involved in the incident.

One described the night as feeling like she was in a nightmare, “being chased by a monster and running for your life.”

Another girl said the incident made her feel unsafe in her own neighborhood and said Susie “still gives me mean looks.”

“I was terrified. I was 12 years old. He was a grown man,” Anthony read from the statement.

Both statements said that Susie’s house wasn’t random — the girls said they were familiar with his wife because they often stopped to pet their dog

Police said Susie admitted he was involved in the incident and said he had had at least one drink while watching TV with his wife. He had a handgun permit, police said, and they seized his firearm from a safe.

The officer investigating said in charging documents that it’s likely Susie was “under the influence” at the time of the incident.

In court, O’Neill said that police were “incredibly disrespectful” with Susie, and that he’s already paid a “hefty price” for the incident.

Susie declined to speak on his own behalf in court.

In addition to the probation, Susie must forfeit the weapon.

The Banner’s Alex Mann contributed to this report.