Alleged Hat Thief Busted

OCEAN CITY — A Berlin man was arrested on theft and drug charges last week after a routine traffic stop found him to be in possession of about 50 hats he allegedly stole from his place of employment.
Around 10 a.m. last Friday, Ocean City Police conducted a traffic stop on Coastal Highway in the area of 112th Street. The driver, identified as Timothy Lee Parks, 23, of Berlin, was found to be in possession of trace amounts of marijuana and roughly 50 hats, all of which still had price tags attached.
Further investigation by officers on the scene determined Parks had allegedly stolen the hats from his place of employment over several months. Parks was arrested and charged with three counts of theft less than $100, theft scheme from $1,000 to $10,000 and possession of marijuana. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was released on his own recognizance.

Probation For Assault
SNOW HILL — A Pennsylvania man arrested by U.S. Marshals in his hometown last March after Ocean City Police connected him to an alleged sexual assault in the resort in June 2012 pleaded guilty to second-degree assault last week in Worcester County Circuit Court and was placed on probation and fined.
In March, the U.S. Marshals announced they had located a fugitive identified as Remington Hedden, 18, of Carbondale, Pa., in his hometown last Thursday. Hedden was being sought by Ocean City Police and Worcester County authorities in connection with the sexual assault of a juvenile in late June 2012. In June, the OCPD investigated an allegation of a rape and sexual assault of a juvenile in the resort.
After an investigation, a warrant was issued in Worcester County for Hedden’s arrest in January. In March, Deputy U.S. Marshal’s out of the Scranton office, along with task force personnel, located and arrested Hedden in Carbondale. Hedden was taken into custody without incident. The warrant issued in Worcester for Hedden’s arrest charged him with second-degree rape, second-degree assault and second- and fourth-degree sex offense.
Last week, Hedden entered an Alford plea to second-degree assault and was placed on probation for two years and fined $500. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not plead guilty, but acknowledges the state has enough evidence to prosecute the case.

Farm Equipment Accident
STOCKTON — In light of an accident involving a large piece of farming equipment and a passenger vehicle last weekend that appeared much worse than it turned out to be, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office this week is reminding local residents and visitors of the importance of using caution along rural roadways, especially at this time of year.
Last Saturday, a large farming spray rig collided with a passenger vehicle along a rural road in Stockton in the south end of Worcester. Members of the Stockton Fire Department and the Pocomoke Fire and EMS responded quickly and after a lengthy extrication process, all of those involved were transported to a local hospital. Fortunately, the driver and passenger escaped serious injury.
The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office this week took the opportunity to remind local motorists of the importance of using caution when encountering slow-moving farm equipment. County farmers are currently harvesting fields and are often required to move their equipment from field to field along public roadways. These vehicles are large and often take up a large portion of the roadway and motorists are advised to use caution when approaching them.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure the equipment operator sees and acknowledges motorists. In most cases, the equipment operator will wait for an appropriate time and place to pull over and allow faster-moving traffic to pass.

Campus Parking Lot Fight
SALISBURY — A Tyaskin man was arrested on multiple charges after first crashing his vehicle in a parking lot on the Wor-Wic Community College campus during an altercation with another motorist before chasing the other individual and smashing out a vehicle’s window.
Around 6:40 p.m. last Thursday, a Wicomico County sheriff’s deputy arrested William Ashby Jenkins, 51, of Tyaskin on multiple charges including second-degree assault, malicious destruction of property, disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment and disturbing the peace following an earlier altercation in a parking lot at Wor-Wic. During the incident, Jenkins allegedly became involved in an altercation in the campus parking lot and reportedly tried to pass the other combatant’s vehicle.
During the pass attempt, however, Jenkins drove up on a curb and lost control of his vehicle, which led him to strike another vehicle. Jenkins then allegedly got out of this vehicle and approached the other individual and demanded the person get out of their vehicle. The second individual, now fearful of Jenkins, attempted to drive away, but Jenkins allegedly chased the vehicle on foot and proceeded to smash out the driver’s side window.
At that point, campus personnel intervened and the Wicomico Sheriff’s Office was called. Jenkins was arrested and charged with the aforementioned counts. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was ordered to be held on a $10,000 bond.

WOC Electrical Fire
WEST OCEAN CITY — The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office this week determined a fire at a residence on Elm Street in West Ocean City on Monday was caused by an electrical fault on a meter box.
Around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, the Ocean City and Berlin Volunteer Fire Companies were alerted for a reported dwelling fire at a residence on Elm Street in West Ocean City. First-arriving units observed smoke extending from an electrical panel and meter located on the rear of the building. The fire was quickly extinguished and contained to the area of origin.
The dwelling was occupied at the time, but all occupants were able to escape and no injuries were reported. The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office determined the cause of the fire was an electrical fault in the meter box.