So. Md. Police News Briefs


Man arrested for burglaries in Mechanicsville

Alan L. Morgan, age 50, of no fixed address.
Alan L. Morgan, age 50, of no fixed address. (Arrest Photo)

On March 10 at 8:01am, St. Mary's Co. Sheriff's Office patrol units responded to the Mt. Zion Church located in Mechanicsville for the report of a burglary. An unknown suspect entered the church by prying open a door, entered several office areas and removed cash and property from the church. A short time later, deputies responded to the Apple Basket located on Mt. Zion Church Rd. which had also been broken into and currency removed. The Criminal Investigations Division was contacted and detectives responded to assist patrol units with the investigation.

A review of video surveillance, obtained from the business, revealed that Alan L. Morgan, age 50, of no fixed address, was observed entering the establishment and removing currency from a cash register. It was also determined Morgan was responsible for the burglary to the church.

On March 11 at 4:56pm, Morgan was located on Laurel Grove Rd. in Mechanicsville and taken into custody without incident. Morgan was subsequently charged with 2 counts of Burglary 2nd Degree, 2 counts of Burglary 4th Degree, 2 counts of Burglary 4th Degree with Theft and Theft less than $1,000. Morgan was also charged with escape after he failed to return to Walden Sierra where he was undergoing treatment as directed by court order.

Morgan is being held under no bond at the St. Mary's County Detention Center.

Liquid natural gas liquefaction project protestors arrested

On March 13, members of the Calvert County Sheriff's Office were assigned to the Calvert County Circuit Courthouse, located at 175 Main Street in Prince Frederick, for a possible protest rally that was alleged to have civil disobedience as a component. The organizers of the protest had issued press releases and made public comment on social media sites that they intended to conduct acts of civil disobedience in protest to a proposed liquid natural gas liquefaction project that is in the Lusby area of Calvert County. At approximately 11:00 a.m. a group of approximately 25 persons gathered at the corner of Main Street and Duke Street. Some could be seen holding signs in opposition to the aforementioned proposed project. At approximately 11:10 a.m. the group moved to the public square in front of the main entrance to the courthouse. Members of the group held up signs, and others led chants on public address systems against the project. A few moments later a female from the group approached Special Deputy Evan Elkins, who was assigned to the front entrance, and stated she had six people who intended to block the entrance of the courthouse and anticipated that arrests would be made by law enforcement. Deputy Elkins advised her that blocking the entrance was illegal and those doing so would be arrested. She stated she understood and offered to provide the identifications of those intending to be arrested. Deputy Elkins told her she could keep the identifications until the persons were arrested.

A few moments later, six people, who were later identified respectively as David Brooke Hardy, 70, of Lusby; Emily Michaela Tanner, 20, of Virginia Beach; Gabriel Barrett McKinney, 18, of Baltimore; Ashok Lalchand Chandwaney 21, of Washington state; Ruth-Ann Lani Tyson, 20, of St. Mary's City; and Ori Michael Gutin, 19, of Rockville, walked to the front of the main entrance to the courthouse and stood shoulder to shoulder holding signs. A female and male, not involved in the incident, approached the front door and were blocked by the six from entering the courthouse. Special Deputy Elkins and Special Deputy Curtis Boswell informed the six offenders that they were under arrest and escorted them into the lobby where they were handcuffed, searched, and transported to the lock-up area for processing.

All six were charged with CR 10-201 (c) (1) under the disturbance of the public peace laws. The charges filed were for Disturb Peace Hindering Passage; the more specific charge is Did Willfully Obstruct and Hinder the Free Passage of Another and Others In a Public Place Or On a Public Conveyance. All of the persons arrested complied and cooperated with law enforcement during the arrest processing phase. The charges filed are a misdemeanor and carry a fine of $500 or 60 days incarceration or both.

Michael David Toder, 37, of La Plata, Md.
Michael David Toder, 37, of La Plata. (Arrest photo)

CRIME SOLVERS OFFERING REWARD FOR FUGITIVE'S WHEREABOUTS: Charles County Crime Solvers is offering a cash reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Michael David Toder, 37, of La Plata. Toder has an open warrants relating to first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, carrying a dangerous weapon and theft. He is 6'1", 215 lbs., bald and has blue eyes. Anyone with information about Toder's whereabouts is asked not to approach him but rather call the CCSO Warrant Unit at (301) 932-2222 or 911 if he is within sight. Charles County Crime Solvers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to his arrest. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous 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. For additional information about Crime Solvers see www.charlescountycrimesovlers.com.

Christopher McKay, 33, of Waldorf, Md.

CHARLES COUNTY CRIME SOLVERS FUGITIVE FRIDAY CASE: Charles County Crime Solvers is offering a cash reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Christopher McKay, 33, of Waldorf. McKay currently has outstanding warrants charging him with failure to appear in court for first-degree assault and driving while suspended. He is 5’7”, 145 lbs. and has brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Christopher McKay’s whereabouts is asked not to approach him but rather call the CCSO Warrant Unit at (301) 932-2222. Charles County Crime Solvers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to his arrest. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous 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. For additional information about Crime Solvers see www.charlescountycrimesovlers.com.

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 .

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