Serious Security Concerns Arise After Airport Surveillance Footage Leaked to Media Outlet to Attack Commissioner Candidate

What appears to have started as an attempt to negatively affect the candidacy of a County Commissioner candidate may result in a Federal investigation, after an unknown party associated with Washington County Government leaked screen captures of Hagerstown Regional Airport security footage to a local news outlet. This is now the second time this year records have been leaked through an administrative data breach in an attempt to damage a County Commissioner candidate, and raises serious questions about the County’s handling of sensitive data and its dissemination to media outlets during an election.

The matter came to light on April 13, 2026, when the media outlet 103.7 FM (Tri-State Alert) published an article claiming that a “vulgar note” had been placed on the vehicle of Washington County Commissioner John Barr while he was at the groundbreaking event at the airport. Initially, a “self-proclaimed local journalist and digital creator”, who was not named in the article but believed to be Shaun Porter, reportedly claimed responsibility for the note. However, county representatives later assigned blame to Kaden Snyder, a candidate for County Commissioner, through an article published on 103.7 FM’s website. The 103.7 FM article included what appeared to be screenshots from internal airport security cameras. These images, published with the narrative that it showed Snyder placing the note on Commissioner Barr’s vehicle, displayed an active surveillance interface with tabs indicating “Monitoring,” “Terminal Pa..” (believed to be Terminal Parking) and “Parking Lots,” suggesting the screenshots were taken directly from a restricted-access airport monitoring workstation.

On April 15, 2026, Radio Free Hub City contacted Washington County Government noting the preferential treatment in providing these images to 103.7 FM, a copy of the same records sent to 103.7 FM, and a notice to preserve the records. Washington County Government did not respond within our 48 hour deadline.

A formal Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request was filed on April 17, 2026, by Radio Free Hub City. The request sought all communications between County officials or employees and 103.7 FM concerning the airport footage, specifically requesting the same records that had been provided to the media outlet. On April 27, County staff provided an official update indicating that they were in the process of retrieving and reviewing records responsive to the request. However, on April 29, the County issued a final determination stating they “do not possess any records” that were responsive to the MPIA request.

Subsequent to the denial of our MPIA request, Kaden Snyder admitted in documented communications to Radio Free Hub City of placing a note, but stated it was on his own vehicle, not Commissioner Barr’s. Snyder described this action as a “bait” operation. The stated intention was to observe whether the County would fabricate a narrative, claiming to possess footage of him tampering with a commissioner’s vehicle. Snyder indicated his goal was to prompt the release of full video evidence, which he believed would expose the fabricated narrative. He informed Radio Free Hub City that while the screenshots were real and depicted him, they only showed him walking past Commissioner Barr’s car without stopping.

“It’s a shame that commissioners are using their power to spread misinformation about their opponents like me and Matt Breeding and that they rush to judgment before gathering all the correct information,” said Snyder.

Shaun Porter, who originally claimed responsibility for the note, stated “We’re playing 4D chess, and they’re eating glue.”

Washington County Government was provided an opportunity to clarify or provide additional context regarding the matter, but did not respond, despite RFHC expressing concern regarding the security breach.

The County having no responsive records has led to the conclusion that the transmission of secure surveillance data to 103.7 FM likely occurred through an unauthorized and unlogged “shadow channel.” This administrative data breach raises significant concerns regarding the security protocols in place at Hagerstown Regional Airport and the accountability for the distribution of sensitive information. Radio Free Hub City will subsequently be notifying the appropriate authorities regarding the security incident. Airport surveillance layouts are sometimes considered Sensitive Security Information (SSI) under federal law, and with Air Force One frequently utilizing Hagerstown Regional Airport, this breach of security could have national security ramifications.

It is currently unknown who provided 103.7 FM the screen captures, but Commissioner President Barr is quoted in the 103.7 FM article calling for Snyder to step down from his campaign.

Article by Ken Buckler, based upon information from Washington County Government, 103.7 FM/Tristate-Alert, and statements from Commissioner Candidate Kaden Snyder.

An archived copy of the 103.7 FM article is available here.

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