Two Arrests In Two Weeks
WEST OCEAN CITY — For the second time in as many weeks, a Hebron man this week was arrested on burglary and theft charges after law enforcement officials were able to connect him to the theft of jewelry on two occasions this spring from a residence in West Ocean City.
On March 28, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a burglary from a residence on Harbor Master Blvd. in West Ocean City. The unidentified suspect had entered the residence and taken jewelry from the victim. On April 4, the same victim contacted the sheriff’s office to report additional jewelry missing. The case was then forwarded to the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI).
During the investigation, WCBI detectives were able to identify Nicholas Richard Vilkas, 23, of Hebron, as a person of interest. A check of local pawn shop records revealed Vilkas had sold all of the jewelry reported stolen by the victim, as well as additional jewelry that the victim had not realized had been stolen at the time of the initial reports.
An arrest warrant for Vilkas was obtained and with the help of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, he was located this week at a residence in Salisbury and was taken into custody. He was later interviewed and confessed to committing the burglary and theft. Vilkas was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was later released on a $15,000 bond.
For Vilkas, his arrest this week for the jewelry burglary was his second in as many weeks. He was arrested on theft charges on June 22 after his truck pulling a trailer full of allegedly stolen sheet metal was discovered broken down on the side of Route 50 just west of Old Bridge Rd.
Around 1:50 a.m. on June 22, a Worcester County sheriff’s deputy on patrol observed what appeared to a disabled pick-up truck and utility trailer on the shoulder of westbound Route 50 just west of Old Bridge Rd. The deputy stopped to offer assistance and observed an individual later identified as Vilkas, standing outside and looking perplexed at the truck-trailer combination.
The deputy observed the trailer had sheets of formed metal loaded onto it that extended up and over the bed of the pick-up truck and onto its roof. The truck’s rear window had been shattered apparently by the sheets of metal that had shifted. The deputy noted in his report there had been reports of theft from area businesses involving sheet metal.
While standing on the side of the road, Vilkas admitted to the deputy he had stolen the trailer and the sheets of metal from the rear of a business on Route 50. Vilkas was arrested and charged with two counts of theft. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was released on personal recognizance pending trial.
Fines For Hitting Cruiser
OCEAN CITY — A Salisbury man who plowed his box truck into the back of an OCPD cruiser in May and injuring two officers pleaded guilty last week to multiple charges and was fined a combined $360.
Around 11:35 a.m. on May 18, a marked OCPD vehicle with two officers inside was traveling south on Coastal Highway in stop-and-go traffic near 84th Street. A commercial vehicle, described as a “Bethany Resort Furnishing” box truck failed to stop, causing the truck to strike the rear of the marked police vehicle. The collision caused a chain reaction accident involving a total of four vehicles.
The two officers inside, who were not identified, were treated at the scene by Ocean City EMS and were transported to Atlantic General Hospital for injuries not believed to be life threatening. The police vehicle involved sustained a significant amount of damage and has been taken out of service.
The three other vehicles involved were not significantly damaged and could be driven from the scene. No other injuries were reported as a result of the collision. The driver of the box truck, identified as John Clifton Truitt, 33, of Salisbury, was charged with failing to control speed to avoid a collision, negligent driving and failing to have a valid medical certificate, which is a commercial driver code violation. Last week, Johnson pleaded guilty to negligent driving, failure to control speed to avoid a collision and driving without a valid medical examiner’s certificate and was fined a combined $360.
Knife Threat In Park
BERLIN — An 11-year-old juvenile was arrested and charged with assault after allegedly threatening a 15-year-old with a knife in a Berlin park last Friday.
Last Friday, Berlin Police responded to Decatur Park for a reported assault with a knife. The investigation revealed an 11-year-old Berlin boy had allegedly brandished a knife and threatened a 15-year-old victim with it. Berlin Police officers located the juvenile suspect and recovered the knife hidden on his person.
The 11-year-old juvenile was arrested and taken to police headquarters for processing. He has been charged with second-degree assault and a deadly weapon violation. He was later released to the custody of a parent.