Charles Co. Sheriff's Reports



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LA PLATA, Md. (April 19, 2018)—The Charles County Sheriff's Office released the following incident and arrest reports.

DEATH INVESTIGATION: On April 3 at 3:24 a.m., officers responded to the 7400 block of Shirley Boulevard in Port Tobacco for the report of a missing person who possibly drowned. When officers arrived, they met with EMS who had arrived on the scene minutes before. A preliminary investigation showed that family members of William Washington Smith, 79, of Port Tobacco, contacted 911 after they noticed Smith was not asleep in his bed. Family members began searching the area for him and alerted police. Emergency workers found Smith, who was blind, in the water about 100 yards away from his residence; he was pronounced deceased on the scene. Smith was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. There were no obvious signs of trauma, and foul play is not suspected. The investigation is continuing.

MAN CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC-RELATED KIDNAPPING AND ASSAULT: On April 3 at 1:46 p.m., officers received a report of a possible kidnapping in the area of St. Paul's Drive and St. Charles Parkway in Waldorf. Witnesses called 911 and said they observed a female running down the sidewalk yelling for help. They also saw a male—later identified as Lloyd Wilson Daniels, Jr., 24, of Hughesville—exit a red vehicle and force the woman into his car before he fled. Eventually the woman contacted police and advised the suspect, who is known to her, physically assaulted her and forced her into the car against her will. She also indicated Daniels had abandoned the vehicle and fled. Officers located Daniels in the area of Quillen Circle and took him into custody. While he was being transported to the detention center, Daniels attempted to remove his handcuffs. He kicked an officer as the officer was trying to re-secure him. Daniels was charged with kidnapping, multiple counts of second-degree assault, and other related charges. Officer R. Welch is investigating.

DEATH INVESTIGATION: On April 3 at 7:50 p.m., officers responded to a report of a possible death near the railroad tracks near Route 925 and Smallwood Drive in Waldorf. A train operator observed the body of a male in a pond. The man was pronounced deceased on the scene. A preliminary investigation showed the man, James Steven Lancaster, Jr., 31, of no fixed address, was last seen by family members on March 27. On March 31, he was reported missing. There were no obvious signs of trauma, and foul play is not suspected. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore will perform an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. Detective C. Shankster is investigating.

OFFICERS LOCATE THEFT SUSPECTS: On March 31 at 1:31 a.m., officers received multiple calls about several subjects breaking into cars in Waldorf neighborhoods. A witness provided a vehicle lookout, which responding officers observed as they arrived. Officers stopped an SUV, which was occupied by five juveniles and two young adults, and discovered a large amount of property inside. Officers were able to link the property to several of the thefts. Elijah Alan Murphy, 18, and Jordan Jamar Brumfield, 18, both of Waldorf, were arrested and charged with theft. The five juveniles were charged and released to their parents. PFC R. McMullen investigated.

PEDESTRIAN STRUCK: On April 8 at approximately 1:15 p.m., officers responded to the St. Charles Towne Center parking lot lower level, outside of Macy's, for the report of a pedestrian that had been struck by a motor vehicle. Investigation revealed the driver was backing out of a handicap parking spot when she struck the victim. The victim was transported to a hospital in critical condition. Pfc. J. Plunkett is investigating.

BURGLARY: Sometime between March 31 and April 3, unknown suspect(s) broke into an apartment in the 8000 block of Crain Highway in La Plata and stole several pieces of furniture and destroyed a glass table. Pfc. T. McKimmie is investigating.

DETECTIVES CHARGE MAN WITH POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE DRUGS: On April 12 at 3:10 p.m., detectives assigned to the Narcotics Enforcement Section arrested Michael Thomas Pulanco, 46, of Indian Head, who was being investigated for drug distribution. At the time of the arrest, which was near his home, Pulanco was in possession of 20 grams of Fentanyl and 3 grams of cocaine. He was charged with multiple counts of possession with the intent to distribute narcotics and other related charges.

DOMESTIC-RELATED HOME INVASION: On April 12 at 4:15 p.m., officers responded to a residence on Oak Manor Drive in Waldorf for the report of a home invasion. Investigation showed the victim's ex-boyfriend broke into her residence, assaulted her, stole her cell phone and fled. A warrant was obtained and Marquel Devonte Austin, 22, of Waldorf, was arrested later that day. He was charged with assault, robbery, home invasion, breaking and entering and theft.

FATAL MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH: On April 18, at 11:26 a.m., officers responded to the report of a single motor vehicle crash on Marshalls Corner Road near Hole Shot Place in Pomfret. A preliminary investigation showed the driver of a Dodge pick-up truck was traveling south on Marshalls Corner Road when he lost control and struck a tree. The driver, Jacob Michael Steele, 19, of Waldorf, was pronounced deceased on the scene. Members of the Traffic Operations Unit are conducting the investigation.

DETECTIVES INVESTIGATING DOMESTIC-RELATED MURDER / SUICIDE: On April 5 at 8:07 p.m., officers responded to the 5000 block of Fallen Timber Way in Indian Head for the report of a shooting. A preliminary investigation revealed a husband and wife were involved in an argument inside their house when the male shot his wife and then himself. The couple's young adult son, who was in his bedroom, heard the argument followed by the shots. He then discovered his parents with gunshot wounds and immediately called 911. The woman, Brenda Jenette Harrison-Bumbray, 50, was pronounced deceased on the scene. The male, Jose Ramon Bumbray, 46, was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Jose Bumbray was a police officer with the United States Park Police and it appears he used his agency-issued firearm. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Detective J. Elliott at (301) 609-6515. Questions relating to Mr. Bumbray's occupation should be directed to the US Park Police at 202-619-7266.

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.

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.

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