LEONARDTOWN, Md. (November 27, 2012)—The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.
TRANSPORT A HANDGUN IN A VEHICLE: On November 23, St. Mary's Emergency Communications Center broadcast a lookout for a subject, identified as Jerome Anthony Banting, 44 of Waldorf, traveling into St. Mary's County from Charles County armed with a handgun. It was reported that Banting was operating a Ford F-150 with registration. Deputies located and stop the vehicle on Three Notch Road near First Colony Blvd. in California. Banting was the sole occupant of the vehicle. Deputies observed in plain view a .45 caliber handgun in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Further investigation revealed the handgun was loaded. Banting was arrested and charged with transporting a handgun in a vehicle.
ARREST WARRANT, RESISTING ARREST: On November 24, deputies stopped a vehicle operated by William Ambrose Fenwick, 23 of Lexington Park. A wanted check of Fenwick revealed an open arrest warrant for destruction of property. Deputies informed Fenwick he was under arrest for the open warrant. Fenwick resisted arrest by attempting to pull away from the deputies. After a brief struggle deputies were able to subdue Fenwick. He was served with the open warrant and charged additionally with resisting arrest.
RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT: On November 24, St. Mary's Emergency Communication Center broadcast a report of a subject shooting a firearm in the parking lot of a motel located in Charlotte Hall. An off-duty deputy observed a male, later identified as Robert Mark Hirschberg, 35 of Mechanicsville, wearing a camouflage outfit. The deputy saw Hirschberg standing in the motel parking. The deputies further witnessed Hirschberg discharge a shotgun into the air and then walk into a motel room. At the time Hirschberg discharged the shotgun, the motel and surrounding businesses were occupied with patrons. Once additional officers arrived on the scene, contact was made with Hirschberg inside the motel room. Deputies could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on Hirschberg's breath and person. Several long guns were located in the motel room. One of the long guns, a Mossberg shotgun was identified as the gun Hirschberg fired. Hirschberg was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment.
SECOND DEGREE ASSAULT, FALSE IMPRISONMENT: On November 25, deputies responded to a residence on Windward Circle in Lexington Park for a report of a disturbance. Upon arrival, deputies noticed blood spatter on the sidewalk leading up to the front door of the residence. Deputies contacted Donte Dewayne Hawkins, 25 of Lexington Park, who was uncooperative. Further investigation revealed Hawkins was in a verbal dispute with the victim which escalated into a physical assault when Hawkins choked the victim and pulled her hair. The victim attempted to leave the residence several but Hawkins physically restrained her and prevented her from leaving. The physical assault escalated and glass shattered lacerating the victim's hand. The victim was eventually able to flee the residence and call the police. Hawkins was arrested and charged with second degree assault and false imprisonment.
BURGLARY, DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY, SECOND DEGREE ASSAULT: On November 26, deputies responded to a residence on Old Chaptico Wharf Road in Chaptico for a report of a disturbance. Investigation revealed Michele Stephanie McCurry, 34 of Leonardtown, had been involved in a verbal dispute with two residents. The verbal dispute escalated into a physical assault when McCurry struck both victims. McCurry also threw a telephone against a wall and broke the phone. McCurry fled the scene prior to the deputy's arrival.
A few hours later, the deputies were dispatched to a vacant residence on Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown, for a report of a burglary in progress. A witness observed Michele Stephanie McCurry enter and exit the basement of the residence. Deputies examined the basement door and found that it had been forcible opened. Personal items inside the residence belonged to McCurry. McCurry was not the owner of the residence nor did she have permission to enter the residence. McCurry fled prior to the deputy's arrival.
A short time later deputies received a call for a suspicious female in the parking lot of St. Mary's Hospital. The female, later identified as McCurry, entered a gray Acura and fled prior to the deputies arrival. A lookout was broadcast for the vehicle. The vehicle was located in a nearby parking lot and McCurry was arrested. McCurry was charged with burglary, 2 counts of destruction of property and 2 counts of second degree assault.
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.