Body Found Behind Mall

OCEAN CITY — An investigation is ongoing this week into the discovery of a body found behind the Gold Coast Mall last Thursday.

Around 5:35 last Thursday, the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) responded to the area of 115th Street near Gold Coast Mall for a reported CPR in progress. OCPD officers responded and determined an unidentified 47-year-old West Chester, Pa. man had been deceased upon their arrival. The OCPD Criminal Investigation Division and the department’s Forensic Service Unit responded and processed the scene.

The preliminary investigation determined the victim died of an apparent suicide. The body has been sent to the office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland for a complete autopsy.

Stabbing In Drug Deal Gone Bad

POCOMOKE — A Worcester County man is being held on first-degree assault and numerous drug charges this week after allegedly striking another man several times with a hammer and stabbing him in the back during an apparent drug deal gone bad last weekend.

Around 11:25 p.m. last Friday, Pocomoke Police, along with the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation, responded to a reported assault on Laurel Street. The investigation revealed the suspect, later identified as Darryl Kyshek Wise, Jr., 19, of Pocomoke, had struck a victim several times with a hammer and then stabbed him in the back in an apparent drug deal gone bad.

The victim was transported to PRMC in Salisbury and was being treated for multiple injuries as of mid-week. In the early morning hours following the assault, Wise was taken into custody without incident at his home. According to police reports, a significant amount of marijuana and cocaine were found on Wise’s person at the time of this arrest.

Wise has been charged with first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, wearing and carrying a concealed weapon, possession and possession with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine and distribution within 1,000 feet of a school. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner and is being held on a $250,000 bond.

10-Plus Years In Fed Prison

SALISBURY — A Salisbury man was sentenced in U.S. District Court last week to over 10 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine after pleading guilty to the charges following his July 2009 arrest.

On July 2, 2009, a Wicomico County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a vehicle driven by Marc J. Curry, 44, of Salisbury for speeding. As the officer approached the vehicle, he noticed Curry, whom he recognized from an earlier case, acting nervously. A K-9 scan on the vehicle resulted in a positive alert for narcotics.

A subsequent search revealed a black knit cap in the glove box with a trash bag inside. Inside the trash bag was a zip-lock bag that contained 240 grams of crack cocaine and 31.5 grams of powder cocaine. A digital scale was found in the center console of the vehicle and officer’s recovered $1,800 from Curry’s front pants pocket.

Curry was charged in U.S. District Court on federal possession with intent to distribute charges. After pleading guilty, Curry last week was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in federal prison and was placed on five years of supervised probation upon his release, according to U.S. District Attorney Rod Rosenstein.

Rosenstein commended the DEA, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force, the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation, and Assistant U.S. State’s Attorney Ayn Ducao, who prosecuted the case.

Attempted Murder Charges

SALISBURY — A Salisbury woman was charged with attempted murder and other offenses last weekend after allegedly stabbing her boyfriend during a domestic altercation.

Shortly before 1 p.m. last Sunday, Salisbury Police responded to a residence on Walston Ave. for a reported assault with a knife. Upon arrival, officers met with an adult male victim and other witnesses who reported he had been stabbed by a suspect identified as Shirell Peggy Fyall, 41, of Salisbury.

The victim told police he was involved in a domestic argument with Fyall who produced a large, serrated kitchen knife and lunged at him. The victim told police he avoided the knife, but was cut on the right hand. The officers then went to a residence on East Church St. and located Fyall and the knife used during the assault. Fyallw was taken into custody without incident and the knife was collected as evidence.

The victim did require emergency medical treatment. Fyall was charged with attempted second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and intoxicated endangerment.

Phony Robbery Story Nets 10 Days

SNOW HILL — A Reisterstown, Md. man arrested in November after making up a phony armed robbery story after losing his money gambling in Dover pleaded guilty last week to making a false statement to police and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and fined $200.

Around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 12, 2010, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a man, later identified as Thomas Patrick Stanley, 45, of Reisterstown, Md., claiming he had been robbed at gunpoint on the shoulder of Route 50 in the area of the Wal-Mart near Berlin. Stanley told police he had stopped to help with a disabled vehicle when an unidentified man approached him from behind and brandished a handgun.

Stanley told police the alleged suspect then stole his wallet containing around $1,700 and then fled the area in a light-colored passenger vehicle driven by an unidentified female. Due the serious nature of the alleged crime, the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) was called in to continue the investigation.

Stanley was taken to the WCBI offices for further questioning. During the interview, Stanley repeatedly told conflicting accounts of his story and WCBI detectives began to believe the varying versions of the alleged hold-up didn’t add up. When confronted about the different stories, Stanley ultimately admitted losing the $1,700 earlier in the evening during a gambling trip to Dover.

He further told WCBI investigators the crime he reported never took place and was false. Stanley was arrested and charged with making a false report to a police officer. Last week in District Court, Stanley pleaded guilty to making a false statement and was sentenced to 10 days in jail.

Alleged Knife Threat On Son

SALISBURY — A Salisbury woman was arrested on first-degree assault charges this week after allegedly threatening her children with a knife during a verbal altercation.

Shortly after 6 p.m. on Monday, Wicomico County Sheriff’s deputies investigated a reported assault on West Fairfield Drive. Upon arrival, a Wicomico County Sheriff’s deputy learned a woman, identified as Teresa A. Cornish, 49, of Salisbury, had been involved in a verbal altercation with her 18-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter.

During the altercation, Cornish allegedly pulled out a knife, approached her son and threatened to kill him, according to police reports. During the investigation, the victims showed the deputy the knife used during the assault. Cornish was arrested and charged with first-degree assault. She was taken before a District Court Commissioner and ordered held on a $25,000 bond.

Stabbing Suspect Sentenced

OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man arrested last July on assault and other charges after attacking three individuals with a knife during a fight pleaded guilty this week in Circuit Court to first-degree assault and was sentenced to three years in jail, all but one of which was suspended.

Around 2:15 a.m. on July 2, an OCPD officer was dispatched to a reported fight in progress involving a knife on 75th Street. When the officer arrived, there was no fight going on, but he did meet with three individuals who told him an unidentified man had started a fight with them and when the fight was over, the suspect produced a knife and attempted to stab them.

Each of the victims told police they were afraid for their lives because the suspect, later identified as Matthew Edward Severe, 19, of Ocean City lunged at each of them with the knife. One of the victims told police Severe attempted to stab him, but he was able to run away. The others said they did not know who Severe was or why he was trying to stab them.

The victims provided police with a physical description of Severe and his vehicle. A short time later, another OCPD officer located Severe at 59th Street. An witness told police he was with Severe at 75th Street when he attempted to stab the three victims. The three victims were brought to 59th Street and positively identified Severe as the man who had attempted to stab them with a black folding knife.

Meanwhile, the original officer met with a witness back at 75th Street. The witness told police she saw the fight, and that Severe had been trying to start fights with several people in her building. The witness told police Severe got out a switchblade and started swinging it at several people. The witness told police Severe was trying to stab anyone around him.

The witness also told police she saw Severe throw the knife before he fled the area and led the officer to the area where the black switchblade was found. One of the victims confirmed the found knife was the same one Severe allegedly used to attack them.

Severe was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree assault. This week in Circuit Court, Severe pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and was sentenced to three years in jail, all but one year of which was suspended. He was also placed on probation for two years upon his release and was fined $500.

Another Salisbury Slashing

SALISBURY — A Salisbury woman was arrested on first-degree assault charges last week after allegedly slashing her boyfriend in the face with a knife during a domestic dispute.

Around 1 p.m. last Friday, a Wicomico County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a location on East College Ave. for a reported altercation. The deputy arrived on the scene and met with a male victim who told police he was involved in an argument with his girlfriend, identified as Tiffany Caldwell, 24, of Salisbury, who allegedly slice him on his face with a knife.

During the initial investigation, officers located the suspected knife used in the incident and observed injuries to the victim’s face that corroborated his account of the incident. Caldwell had already left the residence when police arrived, but was located a short time later on a nearby street and was taken into custody without further incident. Caldwell was charged with first-degree assault.

Chase Results In Jail Time

SNOW HILL — A Pasadena man arrested in July on a variety of traffic charges after leading Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) on a chase along Route 611 before being found later in a West Ocean City campground pleaded guilty to driving while revoked and was sentenced to a year in jail, half of which was suspended.

Around 1:50 p.m. on July 19, NRP officers observed a black motorcycle driven by Richard Clarence Poling, 41, of Pasadena, going 70 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone on Route 611 at Bay Berry Drive near Assateague. NRP officers and the National Park Service attempted to stop the motorcycle, which fled northbound on Route 611.

NRP officers chased Poling at a high rate of speed for about two miles on Route 611 but abandoned the pursuit due to unsafe traffic conditions. Poling was located about a half an hour later at Frontiertown. Poling was arrested and charged with attempting to flee and elude a police officer, driving a motor vehicle on a suspended and revoked license and attempting to elude a police officer by failing to stop. Last week, Poling pleaded guilty to driving while revoked and was sentenced to one year in jail, half of which was suspended.

Sprinklers Save Apartment Building

SALISBURY — An activated sprinkler system is being credited this week with limiting the damage at a Salisbury apartment complex last Friday.

Around 4 p.m. last Friday, firefighting units from Salisbury and Fruitland responded to a 911 call reporting a fire at the Salisbury Commons apartment complex. First arriving units arrived to find the fire was contained to the kitchen area of the one-and-a-half story apartment building as the direct result of a fire sprinkler activating in the room of origin.

The investigation revealed an electrical malfunction occurred inside the wall of the kitchen and caused ordinary combustibles to ignite. The sprinkler system activated and stopped the fire from spreading to the remainder or the remainder of the multi-unit building. Damages were estimated at around $25,000 and no injuries were reported, but the incident could have been much worse, according to the occupant, Carlisa Truitt-Jones.

“If it had not been for the sprinkler system, I honestly would have lost everything,” she said. “They work properly and I am grateful for having it. Some people lose everything and I didn’t because of the sprinkler system.”

State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard used the incident to reinforce the message about effective sprinkler systems in residential buildings.

“Residential fire sprinkler are proven to save lives, prevent injuries and protect property and valuables,” he said. “This is yet another example of how the presence of an automatic fire sprinkler system prevented substantial damage to a dwelling by the ravages of fire.”