LA PLATA, Md. (Aug. 17, 2013)—The Charles County Sheriff's Office released the following incident and arrest reports.
OFFICERS APPREHEND MAN WHO TRIED TO STEAL CAMERA: On Aug. 11 at 2 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 11700 block of Berry Road in Waldorf for an assault in progress. According to the caller, a loss prevention officer at a retail store was trying to apprehend a man who had just stolen an $800 Nikon camera. The thief fought the security officer and escaped. CCSO patrol officer J. Morales arrived and obtained a lookout. Sgt. H. Smith spotted the suspect and gave chase and Cpl. Murphy stopped the suspect but he broke free and fled. The suspect was quickly located hiding in a wooded area where he was arrested. Kimani Octavious Stevenson, 20, of Washington, D.C., was charged with robbery, theft, second-degree assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and providing a false name after he gave officers several aliases. PFC. J. Morales is investigating.
OFFICER ASSAULTED WHILE APPREHENDING SUSPECT WANTED IN STRONG-ARM ROBBERY: On Aug. 9 at 8:15 p.m., officers were called to the 100 block of St. Patrick’s Drive in Waldorf for the report of a strong-arm robbery that just occurred. According to the female victim, a man walked up to her and and tried to steal her cell phone from her hands. The victim fought the suspect who then pushed her to the ground and stole the phone. The victim provided officers with a description of the suspect and officers canvassed the area. Sgt. L. Schmidt located the suspect nearby and as he was placing him under arrest, the suspect struck Sgt. Schmidt, dislocating his shoulder. The suspect, 17, was arrested and detained at Cheltenham. He was charged with strong-arm robbery and two counts of assault.
PATROL OFFICER MAKES DRUG ARREST: On Aug. 11 at 1:14 a.m., PFC M. Hancock initiated a traffic stop in the area of Hawthorne Road near Marshall Corner Road in La Plata after observing a traffic violation. Upon approaching the car, the officer observed drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle. After investigating further, the officer found raw marijuana, a digital scale, a smoking pipe, and a metal grinder inside the car. The driver, Nickolas Jacob Metcalf, 21, of Waldorf, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH: On Aug 8 at 12:52 a.m., a CCSO officer initiated a traffic stop of a dirt bike near Billingsley Road. The driver refused to pull over and instead fled at a high rate of speed. The operator turned onto Highgrove Drive at which time the officer lost sight of the dirt bike. Upon canvassing the area further, the officer spotted the dirt bike and driver near Bishopsgate Lane where the driver had already lost control of the dirt bike and crashed. The operator of the dirt bike, 17, of White Plains, was transported to a hospital where he was admitted with critical injuries. The Traffic Operations Unit is investigating.
POLICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING: On Aug. 9 at 6:39 a.m., the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service attempted to serve a search and seizure warrant at a residence in the 4600 block of Gadwell Place in the Lancaster subdivision of Waldorf. Pursuant to the execution of the search warrant, a male suspect exited the residence armed with a rifle threatening officers who were outside. Multiple rounds were fired. The suspect was incapacitated. The suspect was taken into custody and flown by the U.S. Park Police to Prince George’s Hospital Center for emergency care. He is said to be in stable condition. No officers were injured during the incident.
The search and seizure warrant was part of an ongoing mail fraud investigation that CCSO detectives and postal inspectors had been conducting for several weeks. The suspect involved in the shooting was part of the investigation.
The suspect is identified as William Payton Bell, 23. The investigating into the shooting is ongoing.
‘DRIVE SOBER OR GET PULLED OVER’ CAMPAIGN WILL TARGET IMPAIRED DRIVERS: Members of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office will join other law enforcement agencies from across the region in the annual statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown on impaired driving. The crackdown, which includes high-visibility enforcement throughout Maryland, will run from August 16 through the Labor Day holiday weekend.
“Impaired driving is one of the largest traffic safety problems in our state,” said Sheriff Rex W. Coffey. Every 47 hours, someone in Maryland dies in an impaired driving crash. Last year in Maryland, impaired driving crashes killed 170 people and injured another 4,019 people. “The efforts of Maryland’s agencies, especially the Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office, are having a positive impact on achieving Maryland’s goal of Toward Zero Deaths. In 2012, deaths from impaired crashes decreased to 34% of the state’s total motor vehicle fatalities, compared to 37% in 2011.”
Between 2008 and 2012, 875 people lost their lives in impaired driving crashes with 74% of the fatalities occurring at night. “Impaired driving is a public health issue, a highway safety priority and it’s a crime,” Sheriff Coffey said. Being arrested for driving while impaired brings a wide range of negative consequences into one’s life. Impaired drivers face jail time, the loss of their driver’s licenses, and steep financial consequences such as higher insurance rates, attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of a job.
“Research has shown that high-visibility enforcement like the 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' campaign reduces impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent. By joining the statewide effort, we will try to make Maryland’s roadways safer for everyone,” said Sheriff Coffey.
Impaired driving takes a particularly heavy toll on young drivers, especially 18 to 34-year-old drivers. “We want to remind everyone that getting behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking or taking drugs is a terrible idea. Being impaired and under the influence affects your ability to safely operate a vehicle. It also affects your judgment and good sense about whether you can, or should drive,” added Sheriff Coffey.
During the campaign, Maryland drivers will be reminded to “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” Advertisements on billboards, transit shelters and targeted gas pumps as well as radio and digital components will be visible throughout the State.
Driving impaired is simply not worth the risk. So don’t take the chance. Remember, Maryland enforcement agencies will be out in force and we will be watching, so ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”
For more information, visit the Toward Zero Deaths website at www.towardzerodeathsmd.com
CCSO TO HOST, COMPETE IN NATIONAL K9 COMPETITION: The competition will be “ruff” this fall when the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) hosts the 43rd Annual United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) Field Trials Sept.30-Oct.4 at various locations in Charles County. The CCSO is hosting the field trials together with USPCA Region 3. All events are free and open to the public.
The field trials will bring to Charles County about 120 of the best K9 teams in North America, each of whom is USPCA-certified and has already qualified regionally for the national competition. Events include obedience, agility, criminal apprehension, suspect search and evidence recovery. Additionally, a public demonstration will be held Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. at North Point High School to showcase the skills of the talented K9 teams.
“We are looking forward to hosting this year’s K9 field trials and to competing against these extremely talented teams,” said Sheriff Rex Coffey. “All of the events are open to the public but for those folks who can only make it to one of them, I strongly encourage them to join us at North Point for the final demonstration. It’s going to be an exciting, action-packed demonstration that will showcase the impressive skills of the handlers and the dogs. I am not involved in coordinating the show but I hear it involves a helicopter, so I’m really looking forward it myself.”
K9 teams from throughout the U.S. and Canada will travel to Charles County for the competition. When the teams are not competing, the CCSO plans to show them and their families a Southern Maryland-style experience complete with a crab feast at Port Tobacco Marina and a tour of Washington, D.C.
The event is funded in part by the USPCA and in part by community donations. Numerous local businesses have already donated. Anyone interested in making a contribution should contact the CCSO at info@ccso.us. More information, including a schedule of events, will be available at www.ccso.us, www.uspcak9.com, and the CCSO’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ccsomd.
Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information about a crime in Charles County that leads to an arrest or indictment. Anyone with information about a crime 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.
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 .