Tear Gas Ends Standoff
SALISBURY — A Salisbury man is in custody this week after a roughly eight-hour standoff last week following an armed confrontation with his estranged wife.
Around 10:30 p.m. last Saturday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to a residence on Phillips Drive in Salisbury for a reported domestic situation. The victim told police the suspect, later identified as Jason Gregory, 43, who had been staying at a house owned by his father on Meadow Bridge Rd., was not at the Phillips Drive residence when police arrived.
The investigation revealed the victim was Gregory’s husband and the couple had been estranged since earlier on Saturday when she told him to leave. The victim told police Gregory had returned to the Phillips Drive residence later on Saturday in a tractor-trailer armed with a long gun. The victim told police Gregory broke out a sliding glass door and confronted her and a juvenile female. She said Gregory threatened them with the gun and then threatened suicide before leaving, stating he would not be taken alive.
MSP troopers located Gregory at the Meadow Bridge Road address, which is about a mile and a half from the Phillips Drive house. Knowing the suspect was armed, troopers established a perimeter around the residence and called for the Maryland State Police Special Tactical Assault Team Element, or STATE Team, to respond.
Troopers attempted to convince Gregory throughout the night to come out. The officers called his cell phone repeatedly through the night but he did not answer. STATE team members then began using the loudspeaker on their armored vehicle around 5 a.m. on Sunday. Gregory responded by yelling out of the house, but refused police requests to come out.
Finally, around 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, STATE team members deployed tear gas into the residence and Gregory came out unarmed and was taken into custody without further incident. No shots were fired by Gregory during the incident, nor were any shots fired by police officers.
Gregory was taken to the hospital for an evaluation. Upon his release from the hospital, Gregory was charged with two counts each of first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
Jail Time For Collision
OCEAN CITY — A Delaware woman charged with drunk driving and multiple traffic violations last December after a two-car collision pleaded guilty this week to DUI and was sentenced to nine months in jail.
Around 10:30 p.m. last Dec. 13, Ocean City Police responded to a reported motor vehicle accident on Coastal Highway near the Roland E. Powell Convention Center. The accident occurred shortly after the Texas Tenors concert at the new Performing Arts Center ended, causing significant traffic in the area near the facility.
The investigation revealed one vehicle was heading east from Convention Center Drive to turn north onto Coastal Highway when it was struck by a GMC pick-up truck heading north on the highway. The pick-up truck failed to stop at a solid red traffic signal and struck the turning vehicle.
During the collision, the victim’s vehicle was rotated 180 degrees, while the pick-up truck, driven by Debra M. Ryan, 33, of Felton, Del., came to a final rest on its roof in the southbound lanes of Coastal Highway. OCPD officers spoke with Ryan and observed her to have glassy, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath and person.
Ryan agreed to take a battery of field sobriety tests which she did not complete to the officer’s satisfaction. At that point, Ryan was placed under arrest for suspicion of driving while impaired. At the Public Safety Building, Ryan consented to a breath-alcohol test, the results of which were .12. Ryan was charged with driving under the influence and driving while impaired, reckless driving, negligent driving, failure to stop at a red circular signal, driving in excess of a reasonable and prudent speed and failure to control speed to avoid a collision. This week, Ryan pleaded guilty to driving under influence per se and was sentenced to nine months in jail.
Watch Swiped At Airport
SALISBURY — A Salisbury man was charged with theft last week after allegedly swiping a fellow passenger’s wristwatch from a security X-ray machine’s conveyer belt at the Salisbury-Wicomico County Airport.
Surveillance video from the incident on November 1 revealed a traveler placing his wristwatch on the conveyer belt of the X-ray machine and going through the passenger screening process. The passenger passed through the screening area and collected his possessions on the opposite end, but inadvertently did not retrieve his Omega wristwatch as it came out of the X-ray machine.
The surveillance video showed another passenger, later identified as Timothy Edward Morrow, 47, of Millsboro, Del., as the passenger following behind. Morrow allegedly observed the watch on the conveyer belt as the first passenger walked away. Video surveillance revealed Morrow pocketed the watch and stood inside the gate watching the first passenger until he boarded his flight.
After the passenger boarded his flight, Morrow allegedly placed the watch on his own wrist and boarded his own flight. The investigating Wicomico County Sheriff’s Deputy learned Morrow was scheduled to return to the airport on the evening of November 4. The deputy met Morrow when his flight landed and found he was still wearing the allegedly stolen watch. Morrow was arrested and charged with theft from $1,000 to $10,000.
Didn’t Want To Go To Jail
SALISBURY — A Mardela Springs man apparently wanted no part of going to jail last week when he resisted being handcuffed after his case in District Court in Salisbury, attempted to run away and assaulted a Wicomico County Sheriff’s Deputy in the process.
Around 10:30 a.m. last Wednesday, a Wicomico County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to take a defendant identified as Nicholas Wayne Parks, 29, of Mardela Springs, into custody in the District Court courthouse after his criminal case was adjudicated. At the conclusion of the case, Parks was ordered to be taken into custody and transferred to the Department of Corrections, but when the deputy attempted to handcuff him, he resisted and pushed the deputy away.
The deputy was able to grab Parks and remove him from the courtroom and into a secure area, but Parks, who allegedly told the officer he was not going to be handcuffed, continued to resist and made a break for the door. The deputy caught Parks and was able to restrain him for transport. Following the incident, Parks was charged with assaulting the deputy. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was ordered to be held on a $150,000 bond.
Speeding, Aggressive Driving Target Areas
BERLIN — Continuing a recent plan to target known trouble spots around the county, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office this week announced they were extending its speed enforcement initiative to different areas.
The Sheriff’s Office announced it was continuing to monitor high traffic areas around the county known for speeding and aggressive driving. Throughout the last several months, similar operations have been set up in West Ocean City, Berlin, Snow Hill, Pocomoke and other areas. The latest areas targeted for speed enforcement and aggressive driving enforcement are Bishopville Road and Whaleyville Road, Whiton Road and Libertytown Road, Golf Course Road and Center Drive in West Ocean City, and Nassawango and Dividing Creek roads in the south end.