Sheriff's Office Continues Search for Joseph Thompson
Charles County Sheriff's Office detectives have arrested a 15-year-old boy and charged him as an adult in connection with a shooting that occurred Aug. 5 in Indian Head. Carlos Antonio Watson, 15, of La Plata, was arrested Aug. 12 in Colonial Beach, Va. and is being held at the Charles County Detention Center without bond.
Watson is charged with attempted murder. Sheriff's officers responded to the rear of a vacant building in the 4600 block of Indian Head Highway in Indian Head Aug. 5 at 2 p.m. for the report of the shooting. Upon arrival, they found a 25-year-old Indian Head man with a gunshot wound to his back. A Maryland State Police helicopter transported the victim to Baltimore Shock Trauma, where he was treated and has since been released. Sheriff's detectives responded to the scene and discovered three suspects had shot the victim and fled the scene.
Witnesses identified Charles McCleland Shorter, 21, of Indian Head as one of the suspects and officers quickly located him at a residence and arrested him for attempted murder. After further investigation, detectives determined Watson and Joseph Timothy Thompson, 23 of no fixed address were the other two suspects involved in the incident. They also determined the shooting was the result of a robbery and that the victim and Shorter met each other the day before the incident occurred. When the victim met Shorter Aug. 5, Shorter, Thompson and Watson confronted him, robbed him of an undisclosed amount of money and attempted to rob him of other property. Detectives obtained a warrant for Thompson on Aug. 5 and for Watson on Aug. 13. The warrants charge both accused with attempted murder.
Shorter is being held at the Charles County Detention Center on a $75,000 bond. Thompson's whereabouts remain unknown. Detectives are asking anyone who sees Thompson to notify the Sheriff's Office immediately and to use caution because he is armed and dangerous. Anyone with information about where Thompson may be located is asked to contact detectives at 301-609-6513 or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. Crime Solvers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to Thompson's arrest. A photograph of Thompson is on the Sheriff's Office's website at http://www.ccso.us.