DECEASED MAN DISCOVERED IN PARKING LOT: On May 12 at 1:44 p.m., police units responded to the Pegg Road Shell in Lexington Park for the report of a subject seated in a vehicle unresponsive. Upon arrival officers discovered a male inside the vehicle deceased. BCI was contacted, responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.
During the investigation it was determined an employee of the Pegg Rd. Shell observed a male subject sitting in the front seat of a vehicle in the parking lot for an extended period of time. The employee approached the vehicle to speak with the occupant and discovered he was unresponsive and notified police. The occupant of the vehicle was identified as Travis H. Smith, 32, of Lexington Park. Mr. Smith did not appear to have sustained any visible injuries. Cause of death could not be determined by detectives on the scene. The deceased was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore where an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause and manner of death.
SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION: On April 30, St. Mary's County Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) detectives received information that a registered sex offender was registering as homeless in Calvert County, but was actually residing on Hunting Quarters Drive in St. Mary's County. A surveillance operation, followed by the execution of a search and seizure warrant at the Hunting Quarters residence, confirmed that Robert A. Ouraud, 46, of Callaway, was residing and working in St. Mary's County. Ouraud failed to register in St. Mary's County as required by law. Ouraud was arrested without incident, charged with Failing to Register as a Tier III Sex Offender, Failing to Notify St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office within 5 days of Change of Address and incarcerated in the Detention Center. Ouraud is currently being held on no bond.
This suspect is wanted for stealing 4 X-Box games from the K-Mart in California.
CRIME SOLVERS – K-MART THEFT: The Sheriff’s Office is seeking the identity of the person pictured above. On April 23, the suspect entered the K-Mart store in California and took four X-box games from the display and placed them inside his coat. The suspect passed all points of sale and attempted to leave the store without paying for the items. When confronted by the in-store security, he dropped the items and fled.
Anyone with information is asked to call DFC. Green at 301-475-4200 x 1900 or callers may contact Crime Solvers at 301-475-3333. Tipsters can text their tips to “TIP239” plus your message to “CRIMES” (274637). Callers and tipsters do not have to leave a name, just the information. If the information leads to the arrest and conviction, the caller/tipster may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
This suspect is wanted for petty shoplifting at Wal-Mart in California on April 4.
CRIME SOLVERS – WAL-MART THEFT: The Sheriff’s Office is seeking the identity of the female pictured in the above photograph. On Thursday, April 4 at 3:45 p.m., the suspect entered the Wal-Mart store in California and took a Norelco Electric Razor and a double pack of Chapstick from the store display. The suspect exited the store without paying for the times. She then got into a light blue Pontiac with a white hood and front bumper and left the parking lot.
The photograph is somewhat grainy, but we are hoping someone will be able to identify the light blue Pontiac with the distinct features of a white hood and white front bumper.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dep. Pontorno at 301-475-4200 x 1900; or callers may contact Crime Solvers at 301-475-3333. Tipsters can text their tips to “TIP239” plus your message to “CRIMES” (274637). Callers and tipsters do not have to leave a name, just the information. If the information leads to the arrest and conviction, the caller/tipster may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
This suspect is wanted for a break-in in Lexington Park on April 30. He is seen here trying to cash one of the personal checks stolen from the residence.
BURGLARY - CRIME SOLVERS: The Sheriff's Office is investigating a burglary which occurred during the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 30. The suspect(s) entered an occupied residence in the 47900 block of Mary Lynn Drive in Lexington Park. The victim's checkbook was stolen. In addition several vehicles on the same street were also broken into.
At 2:44 p.m. on April 30, the suspect entered the PNC bank in California and presented a check to cash. The check was stolen during the earlier residential burglary. The suspect produced a Maryland driver's license which had been stolen from a vehicle on Mary Lynn Drive as proof of his identity. The PNC teller questioned the driver's license. The suspect fled when the teller refused to cash the check. The suspect was wearing a Washington Redskins hoodie and a Sacramento Kings ball cap.
Anyone who can identify the suspect or has information regarding these crimes are ask to call Crime Solvers at 301-475-3333. Tipsters can text their tips to "TIP239" plus your message to "CRIMES" (274637). Callers and tipsters do not have to leave a name, just the information. If the information leads to the arrest and conviction, the caller/tipster may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
TELEPHONE, EMAIL, SOCIAL MEDIA FRAUD/THEFT SCHEMES: The Sheriff’s Office is continuing to receive calls from citizens who are victims of fraud/theft scheme. The theft/fraud schemes take many forms.
Kidnaping Scheme – The victim received a telephone call from someone asking vague, personal questions regarding their family members. The man claims their family member was involved in a motor vehicle accident with his relative. The man tells the victim he is holding their relative captive until a family member goes to a local money wiring service and wires money to him in the amount of the vehicle damages caused by their relative. The “damage” is usually several hundred to several thousands of dollars. Thus far, all calls have come from a 301 exchange.
Bail Money Scheme – The victim received a telephone call from someone claiming to be a friend of their relative. The caller states the relative is incarcerated and needs of bail money. The victim is instructed to go to a money-wiring service and wire bail money so he/she can bail out their relative.
Advance Fee Scheme – The victim receives a phone calls or email regarding “winning or inheriting” a large amount of money. The victim must advance money or send a “processing fee” via a money transfer/wiring service; or the victim is instructed to deposit the processing fee into the caller’s/emailer’s bank account. In return the victim will receive a larger amount of money. The victim sends the money and never receives anything in return.
Overpayment of Merchandise Sold On-line Scheme – The victim sold merchandise on-line. The “buyer” sent a check for more than the price of the item. The buyer tells the victim to cash the check and return the difference. The check is fraudulent and the victim loses the money when the check bounces and the merchandise sold.
Anytime an individual sends money to someone he/she does not know personally or gives personal or financial information to unknown callers, email requests, check over payments, etc; that individual increase his/her chances of becoming a victim. If you are suspicious something may be “too good to be true” or you are contacted by someone you do not know requesting money, do not send money, report the contact to law enforcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation maintains a very helpful website regarding common fraud schemes at http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT – LOCK IT OR LOSE IT: Summer is quickly approaching and the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office is again seeing a rise in thefts from motor vehicles throughout St. Mary’s County. The majority of these thefts occur in vehicles which are left unlocked and the valuables were in plain view. Examples of items taken during these thefts include:
1. Purses and Wallets
2. US Currency
3. Cellular Telephones
4. GPS and other navigation systems
5. Electronic devices such as IPODS and MP3 players
Sheriff Timothy Cameron would like to stress the importance of following these precautions:
1. Lock your vehicle
2. Make sure windows are completely up and secured
3. Lock passenger compartments inside of your vehicle such as the glove box and center console
4. Never leave valuable items in plain view. Remove the items from the vehicle or secure them in the trunk
5. Park in well-lit areas
Be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity such as unfamiliar persons and/or vehicles in the area. Proactive crime prevention and reporting suspicious persons and/or incidents is extremely helpful in identifying criminal activity and solving crime. The non-emergency number to report suspicious activity is 301-475-8008. If you believe a crime is in progress please call 911. When in doubt, report the information to 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://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 .