Man Charged With Assault

BERLIN — A Snow Hill man was arrested on first-degree assault and other charges this week after allegedly dragging a woman across a road in Berlin before picking her up and carrying her into a residence.

Around 11:45 a.m. on Monday, Worcester County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area of Libertytown Rd. in Berlin for a reported assault in progress. A witness had observed an unidentified man drag a female victim across Libertytown Rd. The suspect then picked up the female and carried her into a nearby residence.

Within minutes, deputies arrived on the scene and found the residence to be vacant. A short time later, the female victim came into the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office reporting injuries sustained from an assault that occurred on Libertytown Rd. Due to the victim’s injuries, she was transported to Atlantic General Hospital by ambulance.

Through further investigation, the suspect was identified as Michael McBride, 31, of Snow Hill. McBride was located in Snow Hill and arrested by the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and the Snow Hill Police Department. He has been charged with first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and false imprisonment. McBride was taken before a District Court Commissioner and is being held at the Worcester County Jail on a $25,000 bond.

Sentenced For Stealing Vehicle

SNOW HILL — A Centerville, Md. man, arrested last October after a wild series of events that began with a couple of car crashes involving stolen vehicles in Queen Anne’s County and ended with his capture in Ocean City where he was found sleeping in a residence, was found guilty of burglary last week in Worcester County Circuit Court and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Around 4:15 p.m. last Oct. 30, Ocean City Police responded to the area of S. Ocean Drive for a reported burglary. OCPD officers entered the residence and observed a male later identified as Cody Lee Figiel, 21, asleep in the home. Figiel was taken into custody at that time without incident.

Figiel was also identified as the suspect in another burglary on S. Ocean Drive reported on October 25. In that incident, OCPD officers learned an unidentified GMC Acadia was parked in the driveway. A records search of the vehicle revealed it had been reported stolen in Queen Anne’s County and a warrant had been issued by the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Department for Figiel’s arrest as a result.

Figiel’s alleged theft of the GMC Acadia in Queen Anne’s County and how he came to be found in Ocean City is a wild tale that includes other stolen vehicles and crashes that began almost two weeks earlier. On October 15, Queen Anne’s County deputies responded to a reported accident involving a jackknifed truck and horse trailer blocking an intersection. While deputies responded, they were alerted the driver of the truck, allegedly Figiel, had just taken another vehicle and fled the scene.

A female victim told Queen Anne’s police she was stuck behind the crashed truck and horse trailer in her GMC Denali when the driver offered to turn her car around for her. The victim said she agreed and Figiel then allegedly got her GMC and fled the scene. In the victim’s vehicle was her purse including checks, credit cards and identification.

Queen Anne’s Police contacted the owner of the jackknifed truck and horse trailer, who told officers he was not aware it had been taken from his farm. The owner of the jackknifed truck and trailer told police earlier in the day a red Mini-Cooper had rolled over in a field near his house and when he went to check on the driver, allegedly Figiel, he told him his wife was calling the police and Figiel told him he had been drinking and fled from the scene. The Mini Cooper was the same vehicle Figiel was charged with stealing earlier last summer and he was out on bond awaiting trial for those charges.

To sum it up, Figiel allegedly stole the Mini Cooper and subsequently crashed it, then allegedly stole a truck and horse trailer before crashing that combo in Queen Anne’s County. After that crash, he allegedly swiped another vehicle from a victim at the crash scene and ultimately made his way to Ocean City where he was arrested on burglary charges.

Last week, Figiel pleaded guilty in Worcester County Circuit Court to fourth-degree burglary and was sentenced to 90 days in jail. Figiel was also charged in Queen Anne’s County with multiple counts of motor vehicle theft, burglary and numerous traffic violations and awaits trial on those counts in Queen Anne’s.

Urination Leads To Charges

SNOW HILL — A Selbyville, Del. man was arrested on drunk-driving charges last weekend after a Worcester County Sheriff’s deputy observed him urinating next to his vehicle in the middle of the road near Snow Hill.

Around 4:15 a.m. last Saturday, a Worcester County Sheriff’s deputy on patrol observed a vehicle stopped in the turn late of Route 113 near its intersection with Route 12 in Snow Hill. As the deputy approached the vehicle, he observed a male suspect, later identified as Miguel Zamudio, 38, of Selbyville, urinating on the road behind the vehicle. The deputy then observed Zamudio get into the driver’s seat of the running vehicle but the suspect did not pull away.

The deputy noted Zamudio appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and required the suspect to submit to field sobriety tests, which he did not complete to the officer’s satisfaction. Zamudio was arrested at that point, but refused to take a breath test. He was charged with driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated and driving without a license.

3 Years For Motel Burglary

SNOW HILL — An Ocean City man, arrested last November after allegedly breaking into the office and other rooms at a downtown motel, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree burglary and was sentenced to eight years in jail, all but three of which were then suspended.

Around 10 a.m. on Nov. 20, Ocean City Police responded to the area of Baltimore Ave. and 1st Street for a reported burglary. The victim told police a suspect had entered his room along with a nearby office space and another room and had stolen numerous items.

During the investigation, Ocean City Police Communications broadcast a description of the suspect. Shortly after the broadcast, the suspect, who was later identified Donovan Smith, 46, of Ocean City, was spotted in West Ocean City. Police responded to the area and arrested Smith without incident. Ocean City Police charged Smith with multiple counts of breaking and entering and theft.

Last week, Smith pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree burglary and was sentenced to eight years in jail, all but three of which were then suspended. He was also placed on supervised probation for two years upon his release and was ordered to pay $182 in restitution to the victim.

10 Years For Cocaine

Distribution Conspiracy

SALISBURY — A Salisbury man last week was sentenced to over 10 years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy across the Eastern Shore over the period of two months in 2012.

Last Friday, a U.S. District Court judge sentenced Ranson Chandler Jr., 37, of Salisbury to 123 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine along with possession of a firearm in a drug trafficking crime. According to Chandler’s plea agreement, an investigation by the DEA and the Wicomico County Narcotics Unit established that during October and November 2012, Chandler conspired with Terry Lamont Crump and others to distribute cocaine on the Eastern Shore.

Information obtained through wiretaps demonstrated that on multiple occasions, Chandler conducted or attempted to conduct cocaine transactions with Crump and others. For example, an intercepted call on Nov. 27, 2012 revealed Chandler and Crump discussed the price of the “hard knock” which Chandler was attempting to procure for a third party. Crump told Chandler the price was “one even,” or $1,000 per ounce, but that he would not be able to get it until the next day.

Around 10 a.m. the next morning, narcotics officers observed the drug transaction between Chandler and Crump near the Route 50 Diner in Salisbury. After the transaction took place, officers attempted to arrest Chandler, who, while attempting to flee, crashed his vehicle into another vehicle occupied by three law enforcement officers.

Chandler was then arrested. During a search, officers recovered roughly 68 grams of cocaine from Chandler’s pants pocket and an additional 197 grams of cocaine from his vehicle, along with a loaded 9mm handgun that had been reported stolen. The evidence collected revealed Chandler and his co-conspirators distributed over 500 grams of cocaine during the conspiracy between June and November 2012. Crump, 35, of Fruitland, pleaded guilty for his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced to a year and a day.

Chandler’s sentence last week was announced by U.S. District Attorney Rod Rosenstein, DEA Special Agent in Charge Gary Tuggle, Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Marcus Brown, Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis, Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan, Fruitland Police Chief Michael Phillips and Wicomico State’s Attorney Matt Maciarello.