OCEAN CITY — For at least the third time in recent weeks, a license plate reader at one of the entrances to Ocean City resulted in a positive alert for a stolen vehicle on Wednesday afternoon.
Around 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, a License Plate Reader (LPR) on eastbound Route 90 alerted on a stolen vehicle entering town. The vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, had been reported stolen out of Anne Arundel County on Dec. 26.
A strong Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) presence converged on the stolen vehicle and a traffic stop was affected on the ocean block of 36th Street. Four occupants of the stolen vehicle were taken into custody, two of which were ultimately released without charges.
However, the driver, identified as Darian Scott Griffin Nelson, 21, of Glen Burnie, was charged with driving while revoked and other traffic charges. One passenger, identified as Keyon Lamont Thomas, 20, also of Glen Burnie, was charged with theft from $1,500 to under $25,000 and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. Both were taken before a District Court Commissioner and were released on personal recognizance.
Wednesday’s incident continues a trend of recent arrests made by the OCPD as a result of LPR alerts at the entrances to the resort. On Dec. 17, two Pennsylvania women were arrested on motor vehicle theft and other charges after an LPR on the Route 50 Bridge detected a stolen car they were allegedly driving.
In late November, an LPR on Route 90 alerted on a wanted individual and OCPD officers affected a traffic stop. After the individual was stopped, he fled the scene, resulting in a high-speed chase that ended in a collision with an OCPD vehicle. In that incident, the driver was wanted in a lengthy DEA case involving drugs and weapons.
