LA PLATA, Md. (June 26, 2013)—The Charles County Sheriff's Office released the following incident and arrest reports.
OFFICERS MAKE QUICK APPREHENSION IN ASSAULT CASE: On June 23 at 1:30 p.m., officers responded to the 7400 block of Leonardtown Road in Hughesville for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 28-year-old male with gunshot wounds. He was flown to an area hospital where he was admitted with life-threatening injuries. Through investigation, detectives learned the victim was standing on the back porch of a friend's house when an unknown male pulled up in a car and fired shots. Through further investigation, detectives learned the suspect was an acquaintance of the victim's girlfriend. Detectives obtained additional information and quickly identified the suspect as Shane Ryan Barnett, 28, of Hughesville. Investigators tracked Barnett to a relative's house nearby where they observed Barnett trying to escape in a car. Officers stopped Barnett but he broke free and fled on foot. Officers pursued him and utilized a Taser to subdue him. Barnett was subsequently charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault and use of a firearm in commission of a felony. He is being detained at the Charles County Detention Center. Det. K. Shankster is investigating.
THEFT FROM AUTO: On June 24 between 1 a.m. - 7 a.m., unknown suspect(s) entered an unlocked van parked in the 5000 block of Redhorse Court in Waldorf and stole a GPS and other electronics. Cpl. R.Leukhardt is investigating.
VANDALISMS: On June 23 at 1:50 a.m., officers responded to the 10000 block of Mt. Victoria Road in Newburg for the report of a vandalism. Investigation showed the homeowner heard a loud noise in her driveway. When she looked outside, she saw a dark vehicle driving away at a fast speed. She then saw her mailbox had been smashed. Officers canvassed the area and noticed other mailboxes had been destroyed as well. Officer J. Campbell is investigating.
THEFT OF TRAILER AND WHEELS: On June 22 between 1:30 a.m. - 3 a.m., suspect(s) stole a trailer from a business in the 2800 block of Old Washington Road in Waldorf. The same suspects returned later and stole wheels from a van that was parked in the lot. The suspects may have been driving a white pick-up truck. The trailer is a black, open single axle trailer (5ft X 10ft) with a mesh gate on the rear. It is missing the passenger side brake light assembly. PFC L. Sershen is investigating.
STRONG-ARM ROBBERY: On June 21 at 1:30 p.m., officers responded to Mall Circle after receiving a call that a male grabbed a cell phone from the hands of a man who was working at one of the kiosks inside the mall. The man was not injured and the suspect fled on foot. Cpl. J. Jones is investigating.
VALUABLES STOLEN FROM CARS AT PARK AND RIDE: On June 20 between 4 a.m. - 8:30 a.m., someone broke into several cars at the park and ride on Mattawoman Beantown Road and stole items that were left inside the vehicles. Officer R. Horrocks is investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call the CCSO at (301) 932-2222. Charles County Crime Solvers will offer a cash reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information about the suspects. Callers may contact Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS or Text CHARLES + your tip to CRIMES or visit www.ccso.us to submit a web tip. All callers remain anonymous.
JUVENILES ON JOY RIDE CHARGED WITH MULTIPLE VIOLATIONS: On June 20 at 12:50 a.m., an officer spotted a vehicle swerving in the roadway on St. Charles Parkway. The officer initiated a traffic stop but the driver fled. After a pursuit, the driver and the occupants stopped near Heathcote Road in Waldorf. Everyone jumped out of the car and tried to flee but officers were able to apprehend three of the four occupants. The driver, 14, was charged with 18 traffic violations and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The occupants, two 16-year-old males, were charged with failure to obey a lawful order. Officer P. Morgan made the arrest.
SEVEN PEOPLE CHARGED WITH BURGLARY/SUSPECTS CLAIM SOVEREIGN CITIZENSHIP: On June 19 at 7 p.m., officers were called to a house in the 4900 block of Olympia Place in Waldorf after witnesses observed unusual activity. When officers arrived, they learned the house was owned by a bank and should have been vacant. Instead, officers found seven people living inside. The occupants said they were sovereign citizens and they claimed they had the right to "occupy" the house since it was vacant. The suspects, Lamont Butler, 29; Artez Womack, 28; Kenneth Mitchell, Jr., 19; Rashid Daniels, 25; Lashonda Washington,28; Sakita Holly, 34; and Tia Carpenter, 46, were arrested and charged with burglary. In addition, Carpenter was charged with assaulting an officer after she bit him in the arm as he was placing her under arrest.
Law enforcement agencies across the country have been dealing with people claiming sovereign citizen ideology for years. Basically, sovereign citizens are people who possess strong anti-federal government views. They often do not recognize laws pertaining to paying taxes, registering motor vehicles and having proper identification. Two of the suspects in this case were recently charged in Montgomery County for breaking into a vacant house and claiming sovereignty there; they posted bond in that case and are awaiting trial. The CCSO cares about our communities and neighborhoods. Anyone who suspects a house has been broken into by similar groups claiming to be sovereign citizens is asked not to confront them but to call the CCSO instead. Officers assigned to Patrol Operations and detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division are continuing the investigation.
Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: http://somd.me/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at http://somd.me/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at http://somd.me/expungeme .