Prince George's council says member's residency is ‘valid' as residents ask questions

Six Prince George's County residents gathered on a recent weeknight with questions they had surrounding their council member, Ingrid Watson.

“I don't trust the council to take care of business with Ingrid Watson,” said Jacques Chevalier.

The News4 I-Team reported last summer on concerns some residents had about whether Watson lived in her district as required by the county charter. One anonymous constituent hired a private detective, who captured several days of video showing Watson’s routine at a home in Upper Marlboro, a mile outside of District 4.

“What really, drove it over the top for me was seeing her coming out in the morning, collecting the garbage pails that were out in the street, bringing those to the back of the house, taking her dog outside,” the private detective said at the time. News4 agreed not to reveal his identity, after he said he was concerned about losing his livelihood.

The I-Team found Watson coming out of the home in Upper Marlboro early in the morning last year, walking her dog with her car parked there for a number of days.

In that first report, Watson told the I-Team, “I live in my District. I live in District 4."

But the group of her constituents said they did not believe her.

In a new statement to the I-Team, the council said members unanimously determined Watson’s residency to be “valid and legally sufficient.”

The Prince George’s County Government Office of Ethics and Accountability investigated after the I-Team’s initial report but said it was outside its scope and relayed the issue to the county council. The council did take it up.

They said in an email to the I-Team: "Council Members reached a unanimous consensus that Council Member Ingrid S. Watson’s residency is valid and legally sufficient in accordance with County law and State law … The complaint is now considered closed and finalized. The County Council, Office of Ethics and Accountability, and Board of Elections have reviewed all inquiries regarding Council Member Watson’s residency and found no legal wrongdoing.”

The council determined Watson’s residency was in accordance with a 1998 Maryland appeals court ruling on a member of the General Assembly.

The I-Team asked the council to share how it arrived at the decision. But we were told that discussion happened in a closed meeting and they weren’t required to disclose details.

Tax records show the Upper Marlboro home outside Watson’s district belongs to her husband, Maryland state Sen. Ron Watson. The council member insisted last year she mainly lives at an apartment in Bowie.

Neither the private detective nor the I-Team ever saw Watson's car there when we checked.

"I’m there most of the time. A lot of times with Ron at home, his home. We kinda have a dual residency. The majority of my time is in District 4,” Watson said at the time.

What Council Member Watson’s electronic data shows

To get a better understanding of where Watson spent her evenings, the I-Team filed a records request for the location history on her county-issued cellphone and laptop. The county said it didn't have the phone data, but did provide some information from her laptop.

It showed that between February and July 2024, Watson mainly used her laptop at the county council building. She did appear to use it at least five times at her husband’s Upper Marlboro home during the week, often late at night and in the morning.

On one Saturday, the laptop was used at the Bowie apartment in Watson’s district.

The I-Team reached out to Watson and asked her about those dates and locations when her laptop was used and asked if she planned on meeting with her constituents to address their concerns about her residency. A spokesperson for her office did not answer those questions and instead referred us to the council’s statement saying Watson’s residency was legally sufficient and in accordance with county and state law.

‘We’ve lost respect and trust’

The residents who spoke with the I-Team said they would like to sit down with Watson, a request that they say has been ignored.

Resident Rhonda Billingsley said, “We've lost respect and trust.”

“I would challenge her after this newscast to have a town hall with your constituents. That's what I want her to do,” said Billingsley.

Resident Derrick Plummer said, “Is our representative being transparent with us? Is she being honest with us, right? And is she operating with integrity? Again, I don't know the answer to those questions.”

“When I think about the fact that i saw my representative, talking to her neighbors in a different district as she was taking out the trash and all this other stuff – like, that's the type of stuff that we actually should be benefiting from,” he added.

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