May 25—Lawyers representing Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins have asked the U.S. District Court for more time to review evidence before going to trial.

In early April, Jenkins and Robert Justin Krop of Frederick — an owner of The Machine Gun Nest, a shooting range — were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy and making false statements to acquire machine guns.

They appeared separately in federal district court in Baltimore last month. Both pleaded not guilty.

The indictment alleges Krop wrote letters between 2015 and 2022 for Jenkins to sign on Frederick County Sheriff's Office letterhead requesting machine gun demonstrations. Rather than doing the demonstrations, the indictment says, Krop rented the machine guns out to the public at his shooting range on Reichs Ford Road.

Jenkins and Krop are charged with five counts of conspiracy and making false statements. Krop is additionally charged with one count of illegal possession of machine guns.

Under the federal Speedy Trial Act, defendants have a right to go to trial between 30 and 70 days of their initial appearance.

According to court documents, prosecutors gave evidence to Jenkins' defense attorneys on April 14, and more evidence on April 28. The defense has been reviewing the evidence and discussing the case with prosecutors since then.

Jenkins' attorneys are asking to go beyond the 70-day maximum since both they and federal prosecutors "need a longer period than is normally afforded" to review and prepare for trial, federal court documents say.

This motion was only made on behalf of Jenkins and not for Krop.

One of Jenkins' attorneys, Paul Kemp, said that since Krop requested a right to a speedy trial, it's possible the trial for the defendants will have to be split into two separate trials.

Dan Cox, Krop's attorney, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Court records also show new representation for Jenkins. Paul Francis Kemp and Margaret Alice Teahan filed in May to join Andrew White in representing Jenkins.

Andrea Smith represented Jenkins in April, but is no longer listed as an attorney on the case.

There are no new court dates listed for Jenkins or Krop.

Follow Clara Niel on Twitter: @clarasniel