LA PLATA, Md. (May 06, 2008) - The Charles County Sheriff's Department on Monday released the following incident and arrest reports.
CARJACKING: On May 5 at 2:28 a.m., Charles County Sheriff’s officers responded to the report of a carjacking that occurred on Jacksontown Road in Nanjemoy. The investigation revealed the victim, a 40-year-old man, stopped to help the occupants of a disabled vehicle. Two of the occupants pushed the victim to the ground, entered his vehicle and fled. They were followed by another vehicle, a white Pontiac. Police communications officers broadcast a lookout for the two vehicles. Shortly thereafter, Sgt. C. Schmidt observed the victim’s vehicle on Port Tobacco Road near Guy Place. Officers stopped the vehicle and arrested the two occupants, who were identified as Justin Thomas Smoot, 19, of La Plata and a 15-year-old Newburg boy. Smooth and the juvenile were charged with carjacking. Smoot was being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before a district court commissioner. The juvenile was held at the Charles County Sheriff’s Office’s court holding facility for a juvenile court hearing. Officers were unable to locate the white Pontiac. Officer K. Burger investigated.
FATAL MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH: The passenger involved in a single-vehicle crash on April 27 has died of his injuries. Charles County Sheriff’s Officers responded to the crash in the 1100 block of St. Paul’s Drive in Waldorf at 12:51 a.m. The investigation revealed a 1994 Honda Civic was traveling south on St. Paul’s Drive when the driver lost control of the vehicle on the wet roadway, skidded across the double yellow lines and struck a parked vehicle. The driver, Christopher Rodney Griswold, 24, of Waldorf, was transported by ambulance to Civista Medical Center and the passenger, Joseph Anthony Adroved, Jr., 24, of Waldorf, was flown by a Maryland State Police helicopter to Prince George’s Hospital Center, where he died on May 4 about 5:30 p.m. Griswold was later transported to Washington Hospital Center, where he remains in critical condition with life-threatening injures. Neither Griswold nor Adroved were wearing seatbelts. The cause of the collision remains under investigation by Officer R. E. Glover, Jr., of the Traffic Operations Unit.
ASSAULT ON POLICE: On May 4 at 1:50 a.m., Charles County Sheriff’s Lt. R. Acquaviva and Sgt. S. Stoddard were off-duty working a part-time assignment at Thai Seafood, located at 2732 Crain Highway in Waldorf, when a fight between 25 people occurred in the parking lot. The officers and additional on-duty officers responded to the fight and ordered the crowd to disperse. As the fight continued, Sgt. Stoddard deployed pepper spray. A 17-year-old Washington, D.C., boy was arrested for being disorderly and failing to obey a lawful order. Shortly thereafter, Kevin Casey, 18, of Washington, D.C., began attacking another male. When Sgt. Stoddard attempted to arrest Casey, Casey punched him in the chest and attempted to flee. Sgt. Stoddard deployed his Taser, subduing Casey. Casey was subsequently arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He was being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before a district court commissioner. The juvenile was charged as such and was released to his mother.
ASSAULT ON POLICE: On May 2 at 5:29 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s officers responded to the 40 block of Riverside Run Drive in Indian Head for the report of a fight involving a federal police officer. Upon arrival, Officer M. O’Shields observed a uniformed Pentagon Police officer struggling with a man later identified as Freedie Lavine Coe, 42, of Washington, D.C. Officer O’Shields immediately arrested Coe. The investigation revealed the federal officer was visiting family in the area when he observed Coe assault two women in front of a residence. When the officer attempted to intervene, Coe assaulted him. The officer chased Coe and Coe picked up a garbage can and used it to strike the officer. The officer was continuing to struggle with Coe when Officer O’Shields arrived on the scene. Coe was arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer. He was being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before a district court commissioner. The officer was not injured but his uniform was destroyed.
BURGLARY: On May 2 at 2:10 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s Officer S. Duley responded to a residence in the 2200 block of Delight Court in Waldorf for the report of a burglary. The investigation revealed suspect(s) kicked in the front door but nothing had been stolen from the residence. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 301-932-7777 or Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.
BURGLARY ATTEMPT: On May 2 at 1:58 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s officers responded to the 3900 block of Light Arms Place in Waldorf after a 44-year-old woman reported that a rock had been thrown through a window in her residence. The investigation revealed someone attempted to pry open the rear sliding patio doors of the residence and when they were unsuccessful, they threw a rock through a nearby window. Officers searched the area and observed two possible suspects. One of them was apprehended but the other fled. Officers determined the suspect they had apprehended, Michael Donnell Brown, 23, of Waldorf, was involved in the burglary attempt. Further investigation led to the apprehension of the second suspect, Harold Raymond Andrus, III, 23, of Waldorf. Officers also determined that, prior to the burglary attempt, Brown and Andrus had stolen items from a motor vehicle parked in the 3000 block of Donegal Court in Waldorf. The stolen property was recovered. They were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary, 4th-degree burglary, possessing burglary tools and destruction of property. Officer S. Cartwright investigated.
ASSAULT ON POLICE: On May 1 at 3:24 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s officers M. Rodriguez and J. Marti conducted a traffic stop in the 2000 block of Smallwood Drive West in Waldorf. During the investigation, a passenger, later identified as Vincent Theodore Scott, 23, of Waldorf, began yelling at the officers. The officers ordered Scott to calm down but he continued to be disorderly. The officers attempted to arrest Scott but he became combative. A struggle ensued during which Scott assaulted both officers. Scott was eventually subdued and arrested. He was charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer, obstructing and hindering police and resisting arrest. Officer Marti sustained minor injuries and was treated on the scene by Emergency Medical Services personnel. Officer Rodriguez was uninjured.
POLICE PURSUIT: On May 1 at 4:43 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s Officer M. Smith observed a vehicle with an expired tag and an equipment violation. He stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Cambridge Drive and Harvard Road in Waldorf but when he attempted to exit his police cruiser, the driver of the stopped vehicle sped away on Harvard Road. While Officer Smith pursued the vehicle, the driver abruptly engaged his emergency break, causing the car to stop suddenly and skid sideways in the road. Officer Smith attempted an evasive maneuver but could not avoid striking the vehicle. The driver ran from the vehicle into woods near Garner Avenue but he was quickly arrested. He was identified as Matthew Chase Cooper, 23, of Bowie. Officers discovered marijuana and drug paraphernalia in Cooper’s vehicle. Cooper was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and numerous traffic offenses including fleeing and eluding police, fleeing a motor vehicle crash and driving while suspended.
THEFT: On May 1 at 1:50 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s Officer R. Johnson responded to the Macy’s located at 11200 Mall Circle in Waldorf for the report of a shoplifter in custody. The investigation revealed Dianette Corine Gray, 41, of Prince Frederick concealed shirts and jeans from the store in her purse and another bag and attempted to leave the store without paying for them. Loss prevention personnel at the store detained Gray until police arrived. Gray was charged with theft valued at less than $500 and was released pending a court appearance.
BURGLARY: On May 1 at 2:30 a.m., Charles County Sheriff’s Officer A. Sullivan was conducting a patrol check of Tractor Supply located at 10795 Wawa Lane in White Plains. When he entered the parking lot, he observed two male suspects in front of the business who immediately fled. The officer attempted to apprehend them but they escaped. Other officers responded to the scene and established a perimeter. During a search, they found a mini-bike near the railroad tracks behind the business. The officers also discovered the fence behind the business had been cut. They confirmed that the mini-bike had been stolen from the fenced-in area of the business. Officers, including a K9 team, searched the area but the suspects were not located. The suspects were described only as black males. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 301-932-7777 or Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. Officer Sullivan is investigating.
BURGLARY: Sometime between 5 p.m. April 29 and 11 a.m. April 30, suspect(s) shattered the glass rear door of a residence in the 3800 block of Old Washington Road in Waldorf which has been vacant for several months. The suspect(s) then reached in and unlocked the door. Nothing was stolen from inside the residence but the suspect(s) also removed the lock on a detached garage behind the residence and stole two pump-jacks. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Charles County Sheriff’s Office at 301-932-7777 or Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. Officer J. Walter is investigating.
DRUG POSSESSION: On April 29 at 10:30 a.m., Officer R. Johnson conducted a traffic stop on a truck on Route 301 near Substation Road in Waldorf. The vehicle’s tags had been suspended for a vehicle emissions violation. The driver was identified as Benjamin Herman Flerlage, Jr., 38, of Waldorf. During the stop, Officer Johnson discovered Flerlage had crack cocaine in the truck. Flerlage was charged with possession of crack cocaine. He was being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before a district court commissioner.
PROTECTIVE ORDER VIOLATION: On April 24 at 3:15 a.m., Charles County Sheriff’s officers responded to a residence in the 5100 block of Indian Head Highway in Indian Head to serve a protective order against Joseph Martin Groover, 46, of Indian Head. Groover refused to comply with the order, which ordered him to vacate the residence. When officers attempted to arrest him, he resisted but was ultimately taken into custody. He was charged with violating a protective order and resisting arrest and was behind held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before a district court commissioner. Officer D. J. Benthin investigated.
DRUG POSSESSION: On April 23 at 3:50 a.m., Charles County Sheriff’s officers responded to the 4600 block of Hawthorne Road in Indian Head to check the welfare of a man who appeared to be intoxicated and was hitch-hiking and stumbling toward the road as vehicles passed. Officers discovered the man was in possession of marijuana. Marcus Devon Toyer, 31, of La Plata was charged with possession of marijuana and was being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before a district court commissioner. Officer D. J. Benthin investigated.
BURGLARY: Sometime between 10 p.m. April 13 and 5 a.m. April 14, suspects(s) cut the lock off the front gate of Aggregate Industries located at 12205 Billingsley Road in Waldorf and gained entry into the business. The suspect(s) the cut the locks off two storage containers and attempted unsuccessfully to steal diesel fuel from a large storage tank. The suspect(s) fled undetected. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Charles County Sheriff’s Office at 301-932-2222 or Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. Sgt. S. Burrows is investigating.