Moose Drops Lawsuit Over Sniper Book

ROCKVILE, Md. – Former Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose (search) will be able to write his book under an agreement reached Tuesday with the county ethics commission, his attorney said.

Moose dropped his federal lawsuit and an appeal of the ethics commission ruling blocking him from writing the book about the search for the Washington-area sniper, said Ronald Karp, Moose's lawyer.

In return, he promised to give the county $4,250 he was paid for the movie rights to his story, Karp said.

Ethics Commission Chairwoman Elizabeth Kellar was not immediately available for comment, nor was county attorney Judd Garrett.

Karp said the deal ends the legal dispute over Moose's book, which will detail his role as head of the sniper investigation. The book is due out in the fall.

The ethics commission ruled in March that Moose couldn't write the book, saying he would unfairly profit from his office. Moose quit last month, saying he thought he had to choose between his job and the book.

"He is free to write the book, he is free to pursue the movie," Karp said Tuesday.

After Moose resigned, the ethics commission continued to probe whether it had oversight of Moose's book and his profits since it was based on his experiences during his work as the county's police chief. The commission met two weeks ago to discuss the issue but had not announced any decision.

Moose remains on active duty with the Air National Guard (search) and was not available for comment. Moose's wife, Sandy, declined to comment, referring all questions to Karp.

Moose signed a book deal in January with publisher E.P. Dutton (search) for a reported $170,000 advance for Three Weeks in October: The Manhunt for the Serial Sniper.

Sniper suspects John Allen Muhammad (search) and Lee Boyd Malvo (search) have been linked to 20 shootings, including 13 deaths, in Virginia, Maryland, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Washington D.C. Both face the death penalty.