Charles Co. Sheriff's Reports

LA PLATA, Md. (Feb. 26, 2018)—The Charles County Sheriff's Office released the following incident and arrest reports.

DETECTIVES ARREST SUSPECT CONNECTED WITH STRING OF ARMED ROBBERIES: Between February 11 and February 18, 2018, three Subway restaurants in Charles County were robbed by a masked gunman. On February 18, Pfc. J. Foster observed the suspect vehicle described in the robberies and conducted a traffic stop. The sole occupant of the vehicle was taken into custody. A search warrant was obtained for the vehicle and evidence from the robberies was recovered. Otis Scorpio Williams, 33, of Lexington Park, was arrested and charged with three counts each of armed robbery, robbery, first degree assault, and theft. At this point, Williams has only been charged in connection with the Charles County cases; however, he is suspected in a total of nine armed robberies of Subway restaurants in the Southern Maryland region and in King George, Virginia. Detective R. Johnson investigated.

BURGLARY: Sometime between the hours of 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on February 15, unknown suspect(s) entered an unoccupied residence in the 11300 block of Sierra Lane in White Plains through the front door. A motion sensor was activated in the basement, and a security identification card was stolen. Cpl. J. D. Rager is investigating.

POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE: On February 14 at 11:34 p.m., officers observed a suspicious vehicle next to a business in the 9300 block of W&W Industrial Road in La Plata and made contact with two subjects. The subjects advised they were picking up a vehicle they had repaired at the business. Officers observed the odor of marijuana emanating from one of the involved vehicles. Further investigation of the vehicle revealed 56 grams of marijuana, packaging materials, and a digital scale. The male subject, Stephen Michael Smith, 26, of Mechanicsville, was also in possession of marijuana and the female subject, Kathryn Lindsay Morrison, 26, of Alexandria, Va., was in possession of heroin. Smith and Morrison were both arrested and charged with possession with the intent to distribute and possession of paraphernalia. Cpl. J. Walter investigated.

ASSAULT, ATTEMPTED ROBBERY: On February 14 at 9:47 p.m., officers responded to a gas station convenience store in the 11500 block of Berry Road in Waldorf for the report of an assault in progress. Upon arrival, officers discovered two victims holding the suspect on the floor and restraining his arms. Investigation revealed the suspect, Duane Anthony Shephard, 24, of Waldorf, went behind the counter inside the convenience store and began taking packs of cigarettes. An employee told Shephard that he could not be behind the counter and that he needed to leave. Shephard began to repeatedly strike the employee over the head and in the face, using his cell phone as a weapon, leaving multiple cuts on the employee's face and head. A bystander was in line at the time and attempted to pull Shephard away from the employee, but Shephard turned and began assaulting him as well. The two victims were able to restrain Shephard until officers arrived. Shephard was arrested and charged with first and second degree assault, robbery, theft, and disorderly conduct. Pfc. A. Coulby investigated.

SUSPECTS CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF DRUGS AND OTHER CRIMES: On February 23 at 5:15 a.m., members of the Vice Narcotics Unit were preparing to serve a search warrant in Waldorf relating to a drug distribution investigation. At that time, the person of interest in the investigation left the house in a car. Cpl. J. Morales attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver fled and refused to pull over. The suspect struck a Ford F-250, which was then pushed in a Chevrolet Tahoe near the intersection of Leonardtown Road and St. Charles Parkway. The suspect was apprehended without further incident. No one was injured. During the search of the suspect's house, ammunition, a drum magazine for a handgun, a digital scale, and approximately $1,200.00 worth of marijuana were recovered along with packaging materials. In addition, another search warrant was obtained for the suspect's car where officers found a loaded handgun with no serial number and an additional loaded 30 round magazine. Andarius Ocyrus Conner, 21, of Waldorf, who was out on bond for a previous distribution case, was charged with possession of drugs with intent to distribute, illegal possession of a firearm, and numerous traffic charges.

MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH: On February 22, at 8:23 p.m., the operator of a Kawasaki dirt bike was traveling northbound on Hamilton Road in Waldorf with no lights on. The driver of a Chevrolet Impala was making a left turn onto Shearwater Drive when the dirt bike struck the car. As a result of the collision, two juveniles – who were on the dirt bike – were seriously injured. They were transported to a hospital. Cpl. B. Saunders of the Traffic Operations Unit is investigating.

DETECTIVES RECOVER DRUGS DURING SEARCH WARRANT: On February 22, following a three-week investigation into alleged drug dealing, a search warrant was served in the 4600 block of Strauss Avenue in Indian Head. Detectives recovered approximately $600 worth of crack cocaine, which had been packaged for sale and distribution. Ammunition for a handgun was also recovered, but a gun was not found. Ami Elizabeth Clagett, 44, and Persel Stephane Hughes, 53, both of Indian Head, were charged with possession with intent to distribute drugs and possession.

Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous.

For the current list of crime solvers cases in southern Maryland, see so.md/mostwanted

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: so.md/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 so.md/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 so.md/expungeme.