SNOW HILL — A Delaware man arrested on heroin distribution charges in Ocean City in September pleaded guilty last week and was sentenced to two years jail.
Around 2 a.m. on September 1, an OCPD officer on uniformed bicycle patrol in the area of Philadelphia Ave. and 8th Street observed a male suspect later identified as Darnell Defate Harris, 25, of Wilmington, acting suspiciously and talking simultaneously on two cell phones. When Harris saw the officer observing him, he quickly walked into traffic crossing Philadelphia Ave. from east to west, causing two vehicles to brake to avoid hitting him.
The OCPD officer approached Harris and issued a traffic citation for illegally crossing Philadelphia Ave. before telling the suspect he was free to leave. However, Harris did not leave and became increasingly nervous while continuing to talk on the two cell phones at the same time, according to police reports.
His actions were consistent with illegal activity and the officers requested to search Harris, to which he consented. During the search, OCPD officers located 24 small plastic bags containing heroin in addition to $135 in currency. Harris was then placed under arrest.
While officers were arresting Harris, a female later identified as Clovise Frances Evans, 29, also of Wilmington, approached the officers and asked about her cell phone that Harris had been using. Shortly thereafter, Evans opened the door to her vehicle nearby and the officers clearly saw a stun gun. After Evans consented to a search of her vehicle, the officers located a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Harris was charged with possession and possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. Evans was charged with possession of a weapon within Ocean City corporate limits, possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.
Last week, Harris pleaded guilty to possession of heroin and was sentenced to two years in jail. He was given credit for 30 days spent in jail following his arrest. In January, Evans pleaded guilty to possession of a stun gun and was fined $300.
Guilty Pleas For Wild Chase
SNOW HILL — A Berlin man arrested in July after stealing a vehicle from Barrett’s Chevrolet and leading police on a wild chase during which he attempted to ram to Berlin Police officers pleaded guilty last week to multiple counts and now awaits his fate pending a pre-sentence investigation.
On July 19, a Berlin Police officer attempted to pull over a vehicle on Worcester Highway for a routine traffic stop. During the stop, the driver, identified as Stefphon Bowen, 40, of Berlin, fled in the vehicle, which was later found to have been stolen from Barrett’s Chevrolet. A chase ensued, during which Bowen attempted to ram a police vehicle.
Berlin Police pursued Bowen to the area of Worcester Highway and Carey Rd., where the stolen vehicle left the roadway and ended up in a wooded area. During the pursuit, two Berlin Police vehicles collided. Bowen then fled on foot into a wooded area and was eventually captured by police, who had to use a taser to subdue the suspect and take him into custody.
Two Berlin Police officers were injured during the incident and were taken to Atlantic General Hospital by Berlin EMS and were treated and released. Bowen was also taken to AGH were he was treated for minor injuries and was released. Bowen was charged with motor vehicle theft, first- and second-degree assault, possession and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, fleeing and eluding and resisting arrest.
Last week in Circuit Court, Bowen pleaded guilty to resisting arrest, attempting to elude police by fleeing on foot and possession of marijuana, 10 grams or more. He also entered an Alford plea to unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not plead guilty but acknowledges the state has enough evidence to prosecute the case. A pre-sentence investigation was ordered.
Charges Dropped in Stabbing Incident
SNOW HILL — A Thurmont, Md. man arrested in June on assault and other charges after allegedly stabbing three individuals during an altercation in north Ocean City had the charges against him dropped last week in Worcester County Circuit Court.
Around 12:25 a.m. on June 14, Ocean City Police and paramedics responded to the area of 119th Street and Assawoman Drive for a reported stabbing incident. Officers and EMTs arrived at the scene and determined three victims whose names were not released, including an 18-year-old female, a 20-year-old male and a 19-year-old male, each of whom are from the Baltimore area, had been stabbed.
When officers arrived on the scene, the suspects had already fled the area. Investigators at the scene were able to quickly obtain a description of the suspects and their vehicle, which was then broadcasted via police radio. A short time later, a Maryland State Police officer on patrol in Ocean City spotted the suspect vehicle in the area of 31st Street and Baltimore Ave. The vehicle was stopped without incident and the suspects, identified as Trevor Lee Testerman, 18, of Thurmont, Md., and a 17-year-old female from Frederick, Md. were taken into custody.
Two of the stabbing victims were treated by Ocean City EMS at the scene and were transported via MSP helicopter to PRMC in Salisbury. The medical outcomes of those victims are not known. The third victim, a 19-year-old male, had a minor wound and refused medical treatment.
Ocean City Police detectives charged Testerman with three counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and one count of reckless endangerment. Last week, however, Testerman had the charges against him nolle prossed, or not prosecuted. The juvenile female was charged as an accessory after the fact. She was charged as a minor and was referred to the Maryland Department of Social Services Juvenile Justice for processing as a juvenile. The disposition of her case is not known.
Jail Time for Pot Dealer
SNOW HILL — A New York man arrested in August on drug charges after being found with 20 pounds of weed following a traffic stop pleaded guilty last week to possession with intent to distribute marijuana and was sentenced to one year in jail, all but two months of which were then suspended.
Shortly after 6 p.m. on August 31, Maryland State Police troopers from the Berlin barrack stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on Route 13 north of Tulls Corner Rd. in Pocomoke. A K-9 search resulted in a positive alert for the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A subsequent search resulted in the seizure of over 20 pounds of marijuana.
The driver and lone occupant of the vehicle, identified as Dante Antionne Horne, 32, of New York, N.Y., was arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Last week, Horne pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year in jail with all but two months suspended. He was also fined $500 and placed on supervised probation for two years upon his release.