WEST OCEAN CITY — A Hebron man was arrested on driving while impaired and drug charges last weekend after rear-ending another vehicle at a stop light in West Ocean City with a 10-year-old passenger in the vehicle.
Around 7 p.m. last Sunday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to a motor vehicle collision at the intersection of Routes 611 and 707 in West Ocean City. The investigation revealed a 2016 Chevy Corvette operated by William Freng was stopped at the traffic light when it was struck from behind by a 2011 Toyota Tundra driven by Scott Hermiston, 31, of Hebron. Due to the force of the collision, the Corvette was forced off the right side of the roadway and into a tree.
The driver of the Corvette, William Freng, was transported to PRMC via Maryland State Police helicopter. The passenger, Laura Freng, was transported to PRMC via ambulance. Hermiston and his 10-year-old passenger were not injured in the collision. Hermiston was arrested for drug-related DUI. In addition, he was found to be in possession of 3.4 grams of marijuana and one gram of heroin.
Hitchhiker Found With Loaded Gun
SNOW HILL — A Dover man was arrested on weapons charges this week after getting detained while attempting to hitchhike on Route 113 near Snow Hill.
Around 10:15 p.m. on Monday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to northbound Route 113 in the area of Woodside Lane in Snow Hill for a reported individual waving down vehicles from the shoulder of the roadway. The suspect, later identified as Isaiah Bowden, 20, of Dover, told police he was attempting to get back to Dover.
During the encounter, Bowden reached into his left pants pocket multiple times after being told not to do so. The third time Bowden reached into his pocket, he told the officers he had a handgun. The troopers were able to secure Bowden’s hands and take him into custody without incident.
A loaded Titan .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun was located in Bowden’s left front pants pocket. The handgun was loaded with four .25 caliber rounds. The Maryland Gun Center was contacted and a check determined the weapon was not reported stolen, nor was it registered. Bowden did not have a handgun permit in Maryland and was found to be prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous sex offense in Delaware. He was charged with carrying a handgun on his person, illegally possessing ammunition, possession of the firearm by a minor and illegal possession of a regulated firearm.
Three Year Sentence For Burglary Conviction
SNOW HILL — A Baltimore woman, arrested on first-degree burglary and other charges last August after breaking into a resort residence and stealing a camera and cash, was sentenced last week to seven years in jail, all but three of which were then suspended.
Around 7 a.m. last Aug. 30, an OCPD officer responded to a residence on 12th Street for a reported burglary that had already occurred. One of the residents told the officer at around 6:45 a.m., he went into the living room and found a window open and an unidentified woman hiding behind a couch. The woman told the victim she was let in by a man and that she was looking for someone but must be in the wrong house.
The victims told the suspect, later identified as Gail Elizabeth Evans, 50, of Baltimore, to leave and she did. The victims followed Evans as she walked north on the Boardwalk as far as 18th Street. When the victims returned to the residence, they discovered around $15 in one dollar bills was missing from a table in the living room. The victims were able to provide a description of Evans to police and the description was broadcasted about 20 minutes after the first encounter with at the residence.
About 15 minutes later, an OCPD officer reported from the area of 30th Street he had observed a female matching Evans’ description changing her shirt and hat and pushing a baby stroller. When the officer confronted Evans, she was not able to explain why she had changed her shirt and hat, according to police reports. Evans was then detained because she matched the description of the suspect and because of her unusual behavior.
Around 7:55 a.m., the original OCPD officer on the case brought one of the victims to the area of 31st Street to identify the suspect. The victim indicated he was 100 percent certain Evans was the suspect he had observed in the residence. Evans was placed under arrest and a search of her person was conducted. During a search of her belongings was found suspected marijuana and paraphernalia, currency in the amount of $163, a Cannon SD 780SI camera, metal knuckles and a fighting knife.
The OCPD officer on scene informed the officer back at the residence of what was found on Evans’ person. One of the victims then checked her purse on the kitchen table and discovered an additional $150 in cash and a Cannon camera were missing. In May, Evans entered an Alford plea to third-degree burglary and a pre-sentence investigation was ordered. Back in court last Friday, Evans was sentenced to seven years, all but three of which were then suspended. She was also placed on probation for two years upon her release.
Jail For Bottle Assault
SNOW HILL — A Bethany Beach man, arrested on first-degree assault and other charges last September after hitting another man over the head with a beer bottle at a midtown restaurant and nightclub, was sentenced last week to four years, all but nine months of which were then suspended.
Last Sept. 1, Ocean City Police responded to Fager’s Island for a reported assault that had already occurred. Upon arrival, OCPD officers detained on individual later identified as Brian D. Guessford, 27, of Bethany Beach, and observed another individual who appeared to be the victim of an assault.
The investigation revealed Guessford had struck another bar patron in the head with a glass beer bottle. The victim had multiple cuts and bruises on the top of his head. Several witnesses told police they observed Guessford strike the victim with the glass beer bottle and the bar’s video surveillance system captured images of the assault.
Witnesses told police a female companion of Guessford’s was extremely intoxicated and had been running into other guests and flinging her hair around and hitting other people with it. A witness told police the victim confronted the female about her actions, at which point Guessford came over and told the victim he should not have intervened. Witnesses said Guessford then struck the victim several times in the head with the glass beer bottle.
Bar security then grabbed Guessford and removed him from their property, which is around the time police arrived on the scene. In May, Guessford pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and a pre-sentence investigation was ordered. Last Friday, Guessford was sentenced to four years with all but nine months suspended. He was also placed on probation for three years. He will be required to serve at least 50 percent of the sentence because it was a crime of violence.
Fine For Fishing With Dead Bird
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man. arrested in May on animal cruelty, escape and other charges after Ocean City Police found him and another man on the beach attempting to fish with a dead bird on a fishing line attached to a broom handle, pleaded guilty this week to obstructing and hindering and was fined $500.
In what appears to be the early candidate for knucklehead crime of the year, Parkes Knepshield, 42, of Slippery Rock, Pa., was charged in May with multiple counts including animal cruelty. Around 3 a.m. on May 13, an OCPD officer observed a man later identified as Knepshield, on the beach at 51st Street with another man in violation of a city ordinance that prohibits individuals from being on the beach between midnight and 5 a.m. As the officer approached, he observed the two men manipulating a broom handle with a fishing line attached to it. When the two men observed the officer, they began to frantically attempt to cover up the makeshift fishing pole with sand and started to walk away.
The officer then observed the broom handle with the fishing line attached had a dead bird on the end of it. The bird was small and may have been a swallow, according to police reports. When the officer asked Knepshield and the other man what the bird was for, they did not answer but suddenly became very concerned. According to police reports, Knepshield’s eyes got wide open and he appeared to be very nervous.
When the officer was attempting to identify the second man, who took off running, Knepshield allegedly interrupted the officer as he spoke over the police radio and then began to attempt to flee also. The officer attempted to detain Knepshield with handcuffs, but the suspect resisted several times and the officer then had to use tactics to get him into handcuffs. When the officer told the handcuffed Knepshield to sit down, Knepshield took off running with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Knepshield made it across the dune and onto 51st Street where he was detained by a second OCPD officer who had arrived on the scene for backup. A few minutes after Knepshield was apprehended on 51st Street, the first officer met with a witness who was staying in the same condo with the suspects. The witness told police the two men found the bird and killed it and were planning on using it for bait to catch fish in the ocean.
When questioned, Knepshield told police he knew that the bird had been flying around on the porch of the condo earlier in the evening and that he knew a pillow was used to smother it. However, he denied any involvement in the killing of the bird or that he knew who had killed it. This week, Knepshield pleaded guilty to obstructing and hindering and was fined $500. He was also placed on probation for one year.