OP Juveniles Arrested On Burglary Charges

OP Juveniles Arrested On Burglary Charges
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OP Juveniles Arrested On Burglary Charges

OCEAN PINES – Two Ocean Pines juveniles were arrested on felony burglary charges last week after allegedly breaking into a house in the community and stealing electronic equipment and other items while out of school for election day.

Pines police last week arrested two juveniles, both 16, and charged them with first-degree burglary and burglary with intent to commit a felony for an incident dating back to Nov. 4. The investigation revealed the two juveniles entered an Ocean Pines residence and stole various electronic items including a laptop computer, a video gaming system, a camera and cash.

As a result of the investigation, the video gaming system was recovered. Both youths were referred to the Department of Juvenile Services for further action. Uniformed patrol officers as well as the Ocean Pines Police criminal investigation section were involved in the arrest.

North Gate Accident Nets Arrest

OCEAN PINES – A Seaford man was arrested on driving under the influence and drug charges last week after crashing a delivery truck on the North Gate bridge in Ocean Pines, causing an estimated $5,000 in damages to the span.

Last Tuesday, Ocean Pines Police responded to a single-vehicle accident at the north gate bridge involving a DHL delivery truck. The investigation revealed the driver, identified as William Timothy Presnell, 26, of Seaford, who is an employee of DHL, struck the bridge causing significant damage. Presnell was charged with driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs and two counts of obtaining controlled dangerous substance (CDS) by fraud. Presnell was taken before a District Court commissioner and was ordered held on a $2,500 bond.

Convicted Murderer

Nabbed In Resort

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City police last week nabbed a man convicted of third-degree murder in Pennsylvania and were holding him here until he can be extradited back to the Keystone State.

Last Friday, Ocean City police located a man wanted for a parole violation in Harrisburg, Pa. After checking his vehicle’s registration, OCPD officers learned the suspect, identified as Richard Michael Simmons, 41, of was wanted for violating the terms of his parole after being convicted on a third-degree murder charge.

OCPD officers contacted the Pennsylvania Office of Parole and Probation and were surprised to learn Simmons had been on the run since July. Simmons was taken into custody without incident and is being held at the Worcester County Jail without bond pending extradition to Pennsylvania.

Wanted Woman Arrested

BERLIN – Berlin police last week responded to a reported domestic disturbance on Flower Street and found one of the combatants involved was wanted on an outstanding warrant in Worcester County.

Shortly after 4 p.m. last Wednesday, Berlin police were dispatched to Flower Street for a reported domestic dispute. Upon arrival, the officers were able to separate the two combatants. During the course of the investigation, one of those involved, identified as Maraunita Holland, 44, of Berlin, gathered the attention of several pedestrians and residents in the area.

A warrant check on Holland revealed she was wanted on an outstanding warrant through the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office. Holland was then taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct. She was also served with the bench warrant. Holland was taken before a court commissioner before being sent to the Worcester County Jail.

Former Manager Must

Pay Back Employer

SNOW HILL – A local restaurant manager arrested last January in connection with an embezzlement scheme at his place of employment was found guilty this week of theft over $500 and was sentenced to three years in jail, all of which was suspended, and was forced to pay nearly $4,000 to his employer.

Tracy Lee Owes, 34, of Ocean City, was arrested last January for his connection to a theft scheme at Castaway’s Restaurant, where he had been a manager for several years. Restaurant owner Gary Gibbs contacted OCPD detectives in August 2007 about a potential internal theft. Gibbs reportedly told OCPD detectives he had noticed a pattern of missing deposits, unexplained voided entries and other discrepancies over a period of several months from March to September 2007.

An investigation by OCPD detectives revealed two theft schemes allegedly promulgated by Owes during the time frame mentioned during which the suspect allegedly absconded with tens of thousands of dollars. A warrant was issued for Owes in January 2007, charging him with two counts of felony theft and two counts of felony theft scheme.

This week in Circuit Court, Owes pleaded not guilty to the charges, but was found guilty of one count of theft over $500. He was sentenced to three years in jail, all of which was suspended. Instead, Owes was placed on two years probation and fined $500. He was also ordered to pay $3,933 to his former employer.

Employees Detain Shoplifter

BERLIN – A Berlin man was arrested on theft charges this week after attempting to steal a 12-pack of beer from a convenience store before being detained by employees until police arrived.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Berlin police officers responded to Your Store on Old Ocean City Blvd. for a reported theft in progress. While en route, the officers learned the suspect was in the parking lot area and involved in an altercation with store employees. Upon arrival, the officers identified the suspect as Kenneth Ondra Gaynor, 46, of Berlin. Gaynor was arrested for attempting to steal a 12-pack of beer and was taken before the District Court Commissioner.

Disorderly Trespasser

BERLIN – A Newark man was arrested on disorderly conduct, trespassing and other charges this week after police found him knocking on random doors while intoxicated at a Berlin apartment complex on Monday afternoon.

A little after 3 p.m. on Monday, Berlin police responded to the Decatur Apartments for a reported suspicious person on the premises. Upon arrival, officers came in contact with the suspect, later identified as Leonard S. Young, 54, who was knocking on random doors.

Young was observed to be extremely intoxicated, according to police reports, and continued to yell and curse at police. When advised he was under arrest, Young began to fight with police. He was eventually taken into custody and charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Young was taken before a District Court Commissioner and released on his own recognizance.

Traffic Stop Yields Pot Bust

BERLIN – An Ocean Pines man was arrested on marijuana possession charges in Berlin this week after getting pulled over for not having a front license plate on his vehicle.

Around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Berlin police officers on routine traffic patrol in the Flower Street area observed a vehicle traveling west on Bay Street with Maryland tags on the back, but no front license plate. Officers initiated a traffic stop and identified the driver as Joseph Robert Brunetto, 19, of Ocean Pines. When the officers came in contact with Brunetto, they detected a strong odor of burnt marijuana.

During a search of the vehicle, officers located a glass smoking device with burnt marijuana residue in the glove compartment. Brunetto was placed under arrest and charged with possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.

Suspended Sentence For Pot

SNOW HILL – A Curtis Bay, Md. man arrested in May when resort police seized a large amount of marijuana from his Boardwalk motel room pleaded guilty last week in Circuit Court and was sentenced to 45 days in jail, all of which was suspended but the two days he already served.

Around 10:30 p.m. on May 25, Ocean City police responded to the Majestic Hotel after receiving complaints about the strong odor of marijuana coming from, ironically, Room 420. Officers approached the room, also smelling the odor of burnt or burning marijuana and knocked on the door. The occupants of the room, identified as Sean Michael Locklear, 20, of Curtis Bay and Gary Herget, 19, of Glen Burnie, were asked about the marijuana, to which they replied, “We smoked it all.” The pair then gave the officers the go ahead to search the room.

A search of the hotel room revealed two large bags of marijuana, along with seven individually wrapped small baggies of marijuana, a digital scale, 183 empty plastic baggies similar to the ones containing marijuana and a pre-paid cell phone. Roughly 83 of the baggies had the image of an eight-ball displayed on them. Thirteen more baggies containing marijuana were found when the officers placed the pair under arrest, five of which were branded with a black scorpion design.

A search of Locklear’s vehicle revealed nine more bags of marijuana, as well as boxes containing over 200 empty plastic bags in the center console. Both were charged with possession of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute and possession of paraphernalia.

In Circuit Court last week, Locklear pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana and was sentenced to 45 days with all but the two he already served suspended. He was also fined $500 and placed on probation for two years. Herget is set to go to trial for his part in the crime in January.

Probation For Window Kicker

OCEAN CITY – An Ocean City man arrested in August on suspicion of drunk driving and later kicking the window of the police cruiser in which he was being transported pleaded guilty last week in District Court to driving under the influence per se and was granted probation before judgment and fined $500.

On Aug. 31, an OCPD officer on patrol observed a pick-up driven by Joseph Scott Weker, 47, of Ocean City, driving erratically. Based on his observations, the officer pulled the suspect over and began to investigate further, but Weker reportedly would not cooperate, refused to submit to any standard field sobriety tests and became combative, according to police reports.

When officers attempted to arrest Weker, he allegedly resisted by refusing to get out of his vehicle. OCPD officers were eventually able to get Weker out of his truck and placed him in a patrol car for transport to the Public Safety Building. However, after being placed in the police cruiser, Weker allegedly kicked the rear window, damaging the window and the frame. He was eventually transported to the Public Safety Building where a blood-alcohol test revealed a reading of .19, or over two times the legal limit.

Attempted Stabber Convicted

SNOW HILL – An Ocean City man arrested in June on assault charges after attempting to stab his roommate with a large kitchen knife pleaded guilty this week in Circuit Court to second-degree assault and was sentenced to the amount of time he already spent in jail awaiting trial.

Shortly before midnight on June 25, OCPD officers responded to a residence on Philadelphia Ave. regarding an attempting stabbing that had just occurred. The victim told police his roommate, later identified as Jacobo Perez Mendez, 25, of Ocean City, came home extremely intoxicated to the room they shared.

Mendez became extremely angry and started to argue with the victim, threatening him and provoking him to fight. After the two got in a physical squabble, Mendez told the victim he was going to stab him in the stomach and swung the knife toward the victim in a downward motion, but the victim was able to get out of the way and the knife plunged into the mattress. The victim did sustain minor injuries.

The victim told police Mendez took his cell phone so he couldn’t call the police. Mendez then gathered all of the knives at the scene and fled the residence to an unknown location. A description of Mendez was broadcast to other officers, but he was not located and remained at large for several days.

He was ultimately arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree assault and one county of second-degree assault. This week, he pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was sentenced to the roughly five months he already spent in jail.

Weapons Charge

Nets Probation, Fine

SNOW HILL – A Cordova man, one of three suspects arrested after a strong-arm robbery on the Boardwalk in June, pleaded guilty last week to carrying a concealed deadly weapon and was fined $500 and placed on probation for two years.

Around 1 a.m. on June 13, OCPD officers responded to a reported robbery in progress on the Boardwalk around 23rd Street. The officers arrived to find the victim chasing three suspects. The officers gave chase on foot and eventually caught the three suspects and took them into custody.

The victim told police he was walking on the Boardwalk when one of the suspects approached him and asked if he wanted to buy drugs. The victim refused and walked away, but moments later, he was struck from behind and the three men grabbed his wallet and ran. OCPD officers caught the three suspects, identified as Duncan Spence, 18, of Annapolis; Jamar Patterson, 18, of Arnold; and Mitchell Matheson, 18, of Cordova.

Each of the suspects was charged with robbery, second-degree assault and misdemeanor theft. Matheson was also charged with carrying a concealed deadly weapon after police found a butterfly knife in his pants pocket.

Last week, Matheson pleaded guilty to the weapons charge and was fined $500 and placed on probation for two years. Spence is scheduled to go to trial next month, while Patterson will have his day in court in February.

Pines Burglar Sent Back to Jail

SNOW HILL – An Ocean Pines man, arrested in January 2007 along with his juvenile brother for a string of burglaries in the community, was sent back to jail last week for 18 months after violating the terms of his probation.

Mitchell Boyer, 19, of Ocean Pines, appeared in Circuit Court last Friday for a violation of probation hearing following his conviction on burglary charges last September. Boyer was found guilty on two counts of third-degree burglary last month for his part in a string of break-ins in Ocean Pines last January. He was later sentenced to three years in jail, all of which was suspended but the 27 days he already served, and he was ordered to pay restitution to two of his victims in the amounts of $180 and $496. However, Boyer then got in trouble again and was brought back to court for violating his probation. This time, he was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

On Jan. 19, 2007, Ocean Pines police responded to the area of Pinehurst and Sandyhook roads for a report of two suspicious males with hoods over their heads running behind houses. The officer observed two suspects matching the description running down the street and one of them had a backpack, which was open and appeared to be leaking soda cans.

The officer exited his vehicle and pursued the two boys, later identified as Boyer and his juvenile brother, on foot, but they ran into a nearby residence. The officer followed the boys into the residence and found a black bag in the kitchen with a camcorder and a bong inside.

The boys told the officer it was their residence. Another officer retrieved what had fallen out of the backpack on the street including cans of soda and an owner’s manual for the camcorder. When the boys’ mother returned, the police showed her the goods and she said it did not belong to her sons. When told they were investigating a series of break-ins in the neighborhood, the mother allowed the officer to question the boys and they admitted the burglaries.