POSSESSION OF A DANGEROUS WEAPON ON SCHOOL PROPERTY, DISRUPTING SCHOOL ACTIVITIES: On April 30, at approximately 2:00 p.m., deputies responded to a call for an individual with a knife at Chopticon High School in Morganza. Investigation revealed a teacher noticed a student with a pocket knife. The teacher immediately contacted the school principal and the school's safety and security officer. The principal and safety officer responded to the classroom and removed the knife from the student without incident. The student, a 16-year-old male from Lexington Park was escorted to the school's main office and the police were contacted. As school officials waited for deputies to arrive, the student attempted to leave school property but was stopped outside of the building by deputies. He was arrested and charged with possession of a dangerous weapon on school property and disrupting school activities. The teacher and student were alone in the classroom at the time of the incident.
SEX WITH A MINOR: On May 8, St. Mary's County Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) detectives received information regarding a 31-year-old male engaging in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old female. The female victim was interviewed and acknowledged having a sexual relationship with the suspect. The suspect, Alfonzo Gasnarez, 31 of Lexington Park,
pictured above, was located at his residence and taken into custody without incident. Gasnarez was charged with one count of Third Degree Sex Offense and incarcerated in the St. Mary's County Detention center where he is being held on no bond.
SEX WITH A MINOR: On May 6, detectives received information regarding a 28-year-old male engaging in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old female. The female victim was interviewed and acknowledged having a sexual relationship with the suspect, who was an acquaintance of the victim's family. The suspect, William Lee Quade, 28 of Bushwood,
pictured above, was located at his residence and taken into custody without incident. Quade was charged with one count of Third Degree Sex Offense and incarcerated in the St. Mary's County Detention center where he is being held on $10,000 bond.
SEX WITH A MINOR: BCI detectives conducted a joint investigation with the Department of Social Services into allegations Ronald Davis Pope, 48 of Mechanicsville,
pictured at left, had sexually abused a child for several years at a residence located in St. Mary's County. During the course of the investigation Pope was arrested, charged with Child Sexual Abuse and Third Degree Sexual Offense and transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center. Pope remains incarcerated on $100,000 bond. Additional charges are pending a State's Attorney's review. BCI wants to thank the Federal Bureau of Investigations for their continued assistance with the ongoing investigation.
PORN TURNS TO VIOLENCE: On May 6, police units responded to a report of a robbery that occurred at a private residence on May 5 in Lexington Park. The victim stated he had been assaulted and robbed of cash by his roommate. BCI was contacted and assumed the investigation.
During the investigation detectives determined the victim and suspect were watching X rated videos together when the victim made a sexual suggestion to the suspect. The suspect became irate, bound the victims hands with a lanyard, began striking the victim in the face several times and proceeded to cause further abuse to the victim. The suspect then stole cash from the victim's wallet, instructed the victim to sleep in the attic of the residence and threatened the victim with death if he notified law enforcement.
Detectives responded to the residence and arrested Kevin D. Benjamin, 20 of Lexington Park, pictured above, without incident. Benjamin was charged with Robbery, Assault 2nd Degree and incarcerated in the St. Mary's County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond. Additional charges are pending following a review of the case with the State's Attorney's Office.
MARIJUANA DISTRIBUTION: Devin Tray Proctor, 21 of Lexington Park,
pictured at left, was identified by Vice/Narcotics detectives as a distributor of marijuana. Undercover purchases of marijuana were made and Proctor was indicted and subsequently arrested. He was originally held without bail.
2013 “CLICK IT OR TICKET” CAMPAIGN: You’ve heard the message: “Click It or Ticket” but are you buckling up? We hope so. May 10th marks the beginning of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office 2013 Click it or Ticket Campaign. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office along with Law Enforcement around Maryland and the nation are on the roads day and night enforcing our seat belt and child safety seat laws.
Motorist and passengers who are stopped for not wearing a seat belt will get a ticket. It’s a simple fact – a seatbelt when warn properly, or a child properly restrained in a child safety seat increase the chances of surviving a serious crash but the equipment must be used night and day. It only takes a few seconds to “Click It” so buckle up, stay safe and avoid the ticket! Remember - Click It or Ticket-Day and Night.
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://somd.me/presumed-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. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at http://somd.me/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at http://somd.me/expungeme .