OCEAN CITY – A total of seven individuals including one juvenile were arrested during a drug sweep at a downtown Ocean City apartment complex early last Saturday morning.
Around 6:20 a.m. last Saturday, the Ocean City Police narcotics unit, along with patrol officers, served search and seizure warrants on two units in the Jocelyn Manor Apartments on 8th Street. During a search of the first unit, OCPD officers located marijuana and paraphernalia and took two people into custody. Arrested were Terri Sullivan-Glynis, 47, and Robert Craig Scheeler, 48, both of Ocean City.
While searching another unit, OCPD narcotics officers found more marijuana and paraphernalia and took a total of five more suspects into custody. Arrested during the second search was Nicholas Steven Douglas, 19; Jason Mark Hager, 24; Patrick Michael Simpson, 24, Ashley Marie Reynolds, 20, and a 17-year-old juvenile, all of Ocean City.
All were charged with possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. The adults were seen by an Ocean City District Court Commissioner and released on their own recognizance, while the juvenile was released to an adult guardian.
Robbery Suspect Sought
OCEAN PINES – Local law enforcement agencies this week are looking for a suspect who attempted an armed robbery at an Ocean Pines store on Tuesday.
Shortly after 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Ocean Pines Police officers and Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the Walgreen’s store on Manklin Creek Rd. in Ocean Pines for a reported attempted armed robbery. The investigation revealed a suspect entered the warehouse area of the store and accosted a female employee. The suspect is being described as an Hispanic or Asian male, wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt or jacket, camouflage pants and a dark-colored bandana covering his face.
The suspect, armed with a knife, demanded the female employee take him to a cash register inside the main store. Once inside, the employee was able to flee the victim, who gave up the effort and fled on foot. Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputies, including a K-9 unit, conducted an extensive search of the area but failed to locate the suspect, who remained at large as of mid-week.
The search for the suspect and the investigation are ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to call the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) at 410-352-3476, or Ocean Pines Police at 410-641-7758.
Looking For Drugs In Berlin
BERLIN – An Ocean Pines man was arrested on drunk-driving and trespassing charges last weekend after allegedly entering a Berlin neighborhood seeking to buy drugs.
Around 2:45 a.m. last Saturday, Berlin Police were in the Bay Terrace Apartments when they observed a white truck enter the residential complex. Berlin Police were directed to a crowd in the parking lot who told the officers the driver of the truck, later identified as Jeffrey Grove, 35, of Ocean Pines, was allegedly trying to buy drugs from them.
Berlin Police made contact with Grove and detected a moderate odor of alcohol on his breath and person, according to police reports. Grove was asked to complete field sobriety tests, which were not completed satisfactorily, according to police reports. Grove was charged with driving under the influence and driving while intoxicated.
He was also charged with trespassing on posted property after he could not adequately tell police what he was doing in the neighborhood. According to police reports, Grove told officers he was looking for an employee at 3 a.m., but was unable to provide a full name for the employee, an address or even a cell phone number, according to police reports.
Probation For Berlin Fugitive
BERLIN – A Berlin man caught hiding in a makeshift campsite in the woods in July after a 10-day multi-agency manhunt was found guilty of felony theft over $500 last week in Worcester County Circuit Court and was sentenced to 18 months in jail, all of which was suspended in favor of probation.
On Wednesday, July 22, Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the area of Logtown Rd. in Berlin for a reported burglary and theft. During the course of the investigation, a Sheriff’s Deputy located a pick-up truck parked on a dirt trail off the main road and encountered a white male later identified as Robert Miller, Jr., 38, of Berlin, sitting in the vehicle.
While being interviewed by police, Miller, who has a long history of run-ins with the law in Worcester County, was able to flee into the woods near the Worcester-Wicomico county line. An intense multi-agency manhunt was launched both on the ground and in the air. Late last week, the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) took over the case and continued the investigation.
Ten days later, a multi-agency search team, including the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, Maryland Natural Resources Police and the U.S. Marshal’s Office, located Miller and took him into custody. Miller had set up an elaborate system of warning devices to alert him if anyone came near his hiding spot, but authorities were able to take him into custody without further incident.
Miller’s capture ended a 10-day, multi-agency manhunt for the suspect, who was wanted in connection with an attempted robbery in Berlin back on July 22. Miller was also wanted by U.S. Marshals on a fugitive warrant for violating the terms of his probation on a weapons conviction dating back to 2003.
A check of federal court records showed Miller was convicted in 2003 on charges of a felon in possession of ammunition and was sentenced to over four years in jail followed by three years of supervised probation including six months of home detention. In December 2008, Miller was arrested in Worcester County on several charges including driving under the influence, driving while impaired, negligent driving, and driving on a suspended license among others. That arrest violated the terms of his parole and probation in the federal ammunitions possession case.
After Miller was taken into custody, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office served him with an arrest warrant charging him with burglary and theft. U.S. Marshals were also on hand and served Miller with outstanding warrants related to his probation violations.
Last week in Circuit Court, Miller was found guilty of theft over $500 and was sentenced to 18 months in jail, all of which was suspended but the 131 days spent in jail awaiting trial. He was then placed on supervised probation for three years.
Third “Take Pride” Suspect Sentenced
SNOW HILL – The third significant jail term in area law enforcement’s renewed battle to rid Berlin’s neighborhoods of open-air drug dealing was handed down last week when a local man pleaded guilty to distributing crack cocaine and was sentenced to four years in jail, all but one year of which was then suspended.
Last Thursday, Dvaughn Miller, 22, of Berlin, pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine and manufacturing and distributing crack cocaine and was sentenced to four years in jail, all but one year of which was suspended in favor of two years of probation and a $500 fine. Miller was one of three men arrested during the early phase of the “Take Pride in Berlin” initiative launched last year by Worcester County State’s Attorney Joel Todd in partnership with local law enforcement agencies.
It was not Miller’s first run-in with Berlin Police. Last February, Miller was arrested on drug and traffic charges after failing to stop for a routine traffic violation, abandoning his vehicle and fleeing of foot before being caught five days later by Berlin Police. A search of the vehicle turned up a significant amount of cocaine and marijuana.
Miller was one three known dealers arrested and prosecuted under the “Take Pride” program. The first known dealer snared in the initiative, Graylin Spence, 42, of Berlin, was found guilty in early November and sentenced to 25 years in jail without the possibility of parole. Last week, another known dealer rounded up in the “Take Pride” program, Canitchell Mills, 49, also of Berlin, was found guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Miller’s conviction last Thursday was the third during the initiative.
Todd and allied local law enforcement agencies last spring launched a renewed effort to end open-air drug dealing in Berlin. The so-called “Take Pride in Berlin” initiative promised more surveillance, more arrests and harsher treatment for those found guilty and the comparatively strong sentences for Spence, Mills and now Miller is evidence of the early success of the program.
Guilty Plea In Cop Assault
SNOW HILL – A Snow Hill woman arrested for assaulting a police officer during a DUI stop in West Ocean City in November pleaded guilty to second-degree assault this week in District Court and was sentenced to two days in jail, which was then suspended in favor of probation.
Around 1:15 a.m. on November 18, a Maryland State Police trooper was assisting another trooper with a suspected DUI stop on Route 50 near Golf Course Rd. in West Ocean City. During the investigation, a passenger in the vehicle, identified as Corey Patrice Johnson, 31, became belligerent and attempted to hit the assisting officer.
When the trooper attempted to place the unruly passenger under arrest, she allegedly kicked the officer numerous times on the shin with high-heeled boots. According to police reports, Johnson was extremely intoxicated at the time. Johnson was charged with second-degree assault and resisting arrest. This week in District Court, Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was sentenced to two days in jail. The sentence was then suspended and Johnson was placed of supervised probation for one year.
30 Days For Boardwalk Dealer
OCEAN CITY – A Mt. Airy man arrested in May for selling drugs to undercover Ocean City Police officers on the Boardwalk pleaded guilty this week in District Court to distributing narcotics and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
On May 31, two OCPD detectives were working undercover on the Boardwalk in the area of 8th Street attempting purchase illegal drugs from individuals. Around 10:20 p.m., the officers met with two males later identified as Ryan Allen Phillips, 28, and Christopher McCoy, both of Mt. Airy, and inquired about purchasing illegal drugs. As the two suspects passed the officers, one of the officers said “ya’ll got some bud?” to which McCoy allegedly replied “how much ya’ll want?”
The officers told McCoy and Phillips they were looking for a gram or an eighth. An “eighth” refers to an eighth of an ounce. Phillips allegedly told the officers they could do an ounce, but not right then. Phillips then asked if the undercover officers could hook them up with any ecstasy, but the officers told the suspects they didn’t have any.
McCoy then told the officers he could supply them with a “20,” slang for $20 worth of marijuana right then. McCoy and Phillips then directed the undercover officers to walk over in the direction of a soda machine in the area at which point McCoy reached in his shoe and produced a baggie of suspected marijuana. The officers gave McCoy the $20 and McCoy completed the transaction, handing the officers a small quantity of marijuana, according to police reports.
The undercover officers then contacted nearby OCPD detectives and advised them to arrest McCoy and Phillips. The officers located on McCoy the $20 bill used in the illegal drug transaction. OCPD often photocopies currency used in drug buys to help firmly identify the suspects.
This week in District Court, Phillips pleaded guilty to distribution of CDS and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. McCoy was found guilty in September for his role in the incident and was placed on probation for two years and fined $500.
MADD Recognizes Cops
OCEAN CITY – The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Chesapeake region last week honored two Ocean City Police Department officers for their efforts in keeping the resort area safe from alcohol-impaired drivers.
The OCPD officers were recognized during MADD’s annual Eastern Shore law enforcement recognition breakfast at the Fountains Conference Center in Salisbury last Friday. MADD recognized OCPD Officers-First Class Aaron Morgan and Patrick Flynn for their outstanding efforts on DUI enforcement.
Morgan was an OCPD seasonal officer in 2004 before becoming a full-time member of the OCPD in May 2006. He is a member of the OCPD traffic safety unit and made over 50 DUI-related arrests in the resort area this year alone. Flynn was a seasonal officer in 2003 and 2004 before becoming a full-time OCPD officer in 2005.
In 2007, Flynn was recognized by MADD as a front-line member of their national “Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving” due to his involvement in over 70 DUI arrests. Both Morgan and Flynn were recognized last week by MADD for their continued efforts in keeping drunk drivers off the street.