LA PLATA, Md. (Aug. 27, 2013)—The Charles County Sheriff's Office released the following incident and arrest reports.
STOLEN CAR: On Aug. 26 at 9:30 p.m., an employee of a pizza carryout was delivering a pizza at an address in the 11600 block of Lewisham Place in Waldorf. As he walked toward the house, someone stole his car, which he left running. The vehicle is a white Toyota Corolla. Officer A Sullivan is investigating.
OFFICER FINDS DRUGS IN CAR: On Aug. 26 at 1:07 a.m., Sgt. P. Gregory initiated a traffic stop near St. Patrick's Drive and St. Phillips Drive in Waldorf after observing a car make an illegal u-turn. Rather than pulling over, the driver fled and continued driving erratically. A tire blew on the suspect's car and disabled the vehicle. The car came to a stop a short distance away and the driver, Dennis Elsworth Cooper, 28, of Waldorf, was arrested. Officers found narcotics in his car as well as drug paraphernalia. Cooper was charged with possession of marijuana.
ARMED ROBBERY: On Aug. 24 at 10:45 p.m., two male suspects approached a 23-year-old male and his friend, a 19-year-old male, in the 10000 block of Pages Court in White Plains. They pulled a gun and demanded the shoes and wallet from one victim and the cell from the other. Both suspects fled when a car pulled onto the street. No one was injured. The suspects may be linked to similar robberies throughout the area including one that occurred on Brittingham Court a few weeks ago. The suspects are described as black males in their teens to early twenties. One suspect has short, twisted dreadlocks and the other suspect has a slim build. PFC W. Halt is investigating.
THEFT OF HEAT PUMP: On Aug. 24, officers responded to the 16000 block of Teague's Point Road in Hughesville for the report of a theft. Investigation showed on Aug. 23, a witness observed a man in a dark green Chevy pick-up truck pull into the driveway of a vacant house. The driver got out of the truck, went behind the house and looked at the heat pump. He left and drove down the road where he picked up another man and drove back to the house. Both men got out of the truck and walked behind the house. After they left, it was discovered they had stolen the heat pump. Both males are white. One suspect has a thin build and is mostly bald. The truck was said to have a loud muffler. PFC P. Morgan, III is investigating.
ROBBERY: On Aug. 22 at 12:40 a.m., three teenage males entered the Dash-In at 6985 Indian Head Highway in Indian Head, pulled weapons and demanded money. The clerk complied and the suspects fled. PFC D. Benthin is investigating.
CAR CRASHES INTO HOUSE, NO ONE INSIDE INJURED: On Aug. 24 at 3:33 a.m., Officer M. Armstrong initiated a traffic stop near Smallwood Drive at Barrington Drive in Waldorf after observing the driver of a silver Lincoln passenger car go through a stop sign. The driver refused to stop and instead, accelerated to the 800 block of Barrington Drive where he lost control of his car. He drove through another intersection, struck two cars parked in the driveway of a house forcing one of the cars into the side of the house. No one inside the residence was injured. The driver, 31, suffered a broken leg. A computer check revealed his driver's license was suspended and revoked. The female passenger in the car, who is also the car owner, was also suspended. Charges are pending.
WOMAN CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF DRUGS: On Aug. 21 at 12 p.m., Sgt. A. Schwab initiated a traffic stop on Post Office Road near Henry Ford Circle in Waldorf after observing a traffic violation. Upon approaching the car, the officer suspected marijuana was inside. A CCSO police K9 responded and gave a positive indication that drugs were present. Officers found marijuana in the car and charged Deborah Jean Fallings, 47, of Waldorf, with possession of marijuana. She was also charged with multiple traffic violations including driving an unregistered motor vehicle.
THEFT SUSPECT ARRESTED SHORTLY AFTER COMMITTING CRIME: On Aug. 22 at 6:28 a.m., a citizen called the Sheriff's Office and reported suspicious activity behind a retail store in the 3300 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf; the caller said a man and a woman appeared to be stealing tires from a shed. The witness provided officers with a lookout of the suspect's car and upon approaching the area, Cpl. C. Walter spotted the vehicle. A traffic stop was conducted and used tires, stolen from the shed, were found in the back seat of the car. Kimberly Lynn Thorne, 27, of Waldorf, was arrested and charged with second-degree burglary, fourth-degree burglary and theft. Officers are working to identify the male who was with her during the theft; he fled in a different vehicle.
VALUABLES LEFT IN UNLOCKED CAR REPORTED STOLEN: Between Aug. 18 - Aug. 19, someone stole a Michael Kors purse and GPS unit from an unlocked car in the 3700 block of Primrose Court in Waldorf. PFC R. Bagley is investigating.
ATTEMPT SCAM: On Aug. 19 at 3 p.m., someone called a 76-year-old La Plata resident claiming to be with the Mega Millions Jackpot. The caller told the resident he won 2.5 million dollars but in order to claim the prize, the resident was told to purchase a $500 gift card from a local retailer. Once the card was purchased, the suspect wanted the resident to call him back at a number he provided. The suspect said he would pick up the gift card and then give the prize to the resident. When asked why he should buy the gift card, the suspect indicated the purchase of the gift card would "prove the prize winner's identity because in order to buy the card, the resident would have to show proof of ID." The resident realized this was a hoax and he hung up the phone without providing personal information and immediately notified police. Sgt. S. Myers is investigating.
THEFTS FROM AUTOS: On Aug. 19 between 1 p.m. - 2 p.m., someone broke into a car in the 3200 block of Waldorf Market Place and stole electronics which were inside the vehicle. Officers believe the same suspect broke into a car at Home Depot and stole electronics. Officers are also investigating if the same person was responsible for an attempt break in on Mall Circle Drive. In all three cases, it appears a tool was used to break the locking mechanism of the cars. Witnesses reported seeing a male in his 60's peering in cars, but it is unclear if that person was responsible. The CCSO is reminding citizens to keep valuables out of sight when leaving cars unattended and to report suspicious activity immediately. Officer J. Murphy is investigating. Charles County Crime Solvers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
MAN CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH FIRST-DEGREE ASSAULT/SHOOTING: On Aug. 23 at 8:30 p.m., officers responded to the Dash-In at 2007 Smallwood Drive West in Waldorf for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers were told two men in two different cars had exchanged words near the gas pumps. As the suspect was driving away he pulled a gun and fired shots, striking the man he had been arguing with and a passerby who was walking into the store. The passerby - a 21-year-old male - was flown to a hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound to his arm; his injuries are not life-threatening. The other victim - a 20-year-old male - left the scene and drove to Charles Regional Medical Center where he was treated for a gunshot wound to his leg. Within a short time period, investigators developed information about the suspect and subsequently obtained an arrest warrant for Cor Maury Bobo-Fitzgerald, 19, of Waldorf. He turned himself in to detectives on Aug. 24 after being made aware of the warrant. Bobo-Fitzgerald was charged with three counts of first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree assault, three counts of reckless endangerment and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime. He is being held at the Charles County Detention Center with a one million dollar bond. It is not immediately clear what the argument was about, but investigators say the victim and suspect are familiar with each other. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Det. B. Buchanan at (301) 609-6477. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may contact Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS or Text CHARLES + your tip to CRIMES or visit www.ccso.us to submit a web tip.
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 .