LA PLATA, Md. - The Charles County Sheriff's Department today released the following reports regarding two separate assaults involving weapons that occurred over the weekend.
On Jan. 7 at 10:44 a.m., Charles County Sheriff’s Officer J. McGuigan was off-duty at Simpson’s Store located at 8350 Olivers Shop Road in La Plata. The owner asked Officer McGuigan to accompany her behind the store to ask several juveniles to leave. The officer notified the Sheriff’s Office and asked for additional officers to respond.
When the store owner asked the juveniles to leave, one of them brandished a knife and threatened the officer. A struggle ensued but Officer McGuigan subdued him until the other officers arrived.
The juvenile was arrested and identified as Harry Leroy Lowe, III, 17, of La Plata. During the investigation, a 16-year-old La Plata girl began yelling and cussing. She was ordered to stop but refused and was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Lowe was charged as an adult with first-degree assault, carrying or wearing a weapon and resisting arrest and was being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before the district court commissioner. The girl was released to her mother. The other juveniles left without incident.
No one was injured.
Officer S. Chandler investigated.
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On Jan. 6 at 1:14 a.m., Charles County Sheriff’s officers and Maryland State Police troopers responded to the Elks Lodge located at 12445 Rock Point Road in Newburg for the report of a fight with weapons and shots fired. Investigation revealed the suspect brandished a handgun, fired several shots at the victim, a 28-year-old Washington, D.C. man, and fled into the woods behind the Lodge. The man was not injured.
Officers established a perimeter as Officer J. Freeman and his K9 partner Zeus searched the woods. The K9 team apprehended the suspect, who was identified as Devon Lovell Smith, 19, of Colonial Beach, Va.
Further investigation revealed a vehicle was leaving the parking lot at the time of the shooting and one of the shots struck the rear driver’s side window. The two 23-year-old occupants of the vehicle were not injured.
Smith was charged with three counts of first-degree assault, destruction of property valued at less than $500 and reckless endangerment and was being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before the district court commissioner.
Officer C. Caldwell investigated.