CALIFORNIA, Md. (December 27, 2011)—Police in St. Mary's County report that there were two armed robberies within the last week. The first involved the robbery of a liquor store by two suspects. The second involved three armed suspects—all believed to be between 14 and 18 years of age—and eight victims at a local skate park.
Liquor store robbery
On Tuesday, December 20, police say two suspects entered the Vino 2 Liquor Store in Charlotte Hall armed with handguns. The suspects stole an undisclosed amount of currency from a clerk and fled the store on foot.
The two suspects are described as white males in their early 20's are between 5' 10" to 6' 01" tall with a medium build.
Skate park robbery
On Monday, December 26, at approximately 12:15 p.m., police were called to Nicolet Skate Park in Lexington Park for a reported armed robbery. Police determined that three suspects approached eight individuals at the park and ordered them all to the ground at gunpoint. The suspects assaulted one person, took personal property, and then fled the scene in a light gold or tan, 1990's passenger vehicle, possibly a Ford Taurus.
Police provided the following descriptions of the three suspects:
-- Suspect #1: black, male, approx. 16 years old, 5' 08" to 5' 10", 120 to 140 lbs;
-- Suspect #2: black, male, approx. 14-18 years old, 5' 06" to 5' 08", 175 to 200 lbs; and
-- Suspect #3: black, male, approx. 14-18 years old, 5' 07" to 5' 08", medium build.
Both crimes are being investigated by the St. Mary's County Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI)—a team of detectives from the Sheriff's Office and the State Police.
The sheriff reassures the public
The implications of the violent crime of children against children facilitated the following statement from Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron:
"We are dedicated to assuring the safety and security of our parks. Deputies conduct regular patrol checks of all county parks. In addition, a representative from St. Mary's County Parks and Recreations attends the Sheriff's Office weekly CompStat meeting to discuss challenges and/or concerns involving the St. Mary's parks and how our two agencies can work cooperatively to maximize personnel and resources to overcome those challenges. BCI
detectives are working diligently to bring those responsible for this robbery to justice."
Persons wishing to provide information can directly contact Trooper First Class Leo Nims at (301) 475-4200 x 1947. You may also provide information by contacting Crime Solvers at 301-475-3333 or Text your information to CRIMES (274637). Simply enter "TIP239" (847239) before your tip. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.