LA PLATA, Md. (September 28, 2012)—The Charles County Sheriff's Office released the following incident and arrest reports.
MAN CHARGED WITH THEFT OF SCRAP METALS: On Sept. 25, officers took a report from the owner of an HVAC company who indicated one of his employees had been stealing metals from jobsites and scrapping it at local metal shops. Officers investigated further and confirmed the thefts. The suspect, John Michael Hemming, 31, of Waldorf, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft. Sgt. D. Stahl is investigating.
TEEN CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF WEAPON ON SCHOOL GROUNDS: On Sept. 26 at 9:40 a.m., school administrators at La Plata High School were made aware that a student was possibly in possession of a knife. Upon further investigation, a knife was found in the student's book bag. The teen was charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds and released to the custody of his parents. Officer M. Kaylor investigated.
U-HAUL TRUCK STOLEN: Between Sept. 24- Sept. 25, unknown suspect(s) stole a U-Haul truck from the parking lot of a business in the 11700 block of Pika Drive in Waldorf. Officer B. Clark is investigating.
THEFTS FROM CARS: Between Sept. 23 - Sept. 24, unknown suspect(s) stole various items including cash, credit cards and a wallet from three unlocked cars in the 11500 block of Magnolia Court and the 14000 block of Ivanhoe Court in Swann Point. Officers processed the scenes for evidence. Officer B. Flynn is investigating.
BURGLARY REPORTED: On Sept. 24, officers responded to Cypress Place in Indian Head for the report of a burglary. The homeowner reported someone broke into her house and stole her prescription medications. PFC D. Graham is investigating.
CCSO PATROL OFFICER APPREHENDS TIRE AND RIM THEFT SUSPECTS AND RECOVERS STOLEN PROPERTY FOUR FOOT HIGH MARIJUANA PLANT FOUND DURING SEARCH WARRANT OF SUSPECT'S HOUSE: On Sept. 24 at 3:04 a.m., officers responded to the 10800 block of Alyssa Lane in Waldorf after someone called to report a suspicious vehicle in their neighborhood. The caller provided a description of the car but the vehicle and occupants fled prior to police arrival. While canvassing the area, Officer J. Morales spotted the suspicious car in a nearby neighborhood. He initiated a traffic stop but the driver fled. The driver eventually stopped and Officer Morales detained the car's two occupants: James Ronnell Boyd, 22, of Waldorf, and Justin Leon Shepherd, 19, of Waldorf. Inside the car, four tires and expensive rims were observed in the back seat. Officers linked the tires/rims to a vehicle on Esser Place and made contact with the owner who said the suspects stole the tires from his Cadillac and left his SUV on landscaping blocks. In addition, officers found an IPOD in the suspect's car and linked that to a resident on Alyssa Lane. Det. Celia of the Criminal Investigations Division responded and obtained a search warrant for the suspects' residences. Upon arriving at suspect Boyd's house, officers observed a four foot high marijuana plant growing in a planter on the front porch. Both suspects were charged with multiple counts of theft. Drug charges are pending additional investigation.
CCSO WARNS OF TELEPHONE SCAM ALERT
Suspects Appear to be Targeting Senior Citizens
The Charles County Sheriff's Office is warning residents of a telephone scam in which unknown suspects are calling the homes of senior citizens and advising them that their grandchild or relative has been arrested in another country and is in need of bail money.
Victims have reported receiving phone calls from a "private number." In some cases, the caller pretended to be the victim's grandchild and told the victim they were arrested in Mexico and needed $2,000 to get out of jail. In other cases, the caller pretended to be a Mexican authority and told the victim their grandchild was in jail and in order to get them out, the victim would have to wire $2,000. But in each case, the caller told the victim it would take a large amount of money to post bail for their loved one.
The sheriff's office is asking residents to share this information with people they know. These types of scams happen frequently to people of all ages across the country. The scams themselves are usually varied but the common theme is the caller's instruction to send money to an unknown person. If you are unsure about the validity of any phone call in which someone is asking you to send money, please do not send money and instead contact the Sheriff's Office.
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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presumption_of_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.