Two Hospitalized After Weekend Accident
BERLIN — Two local women were flown to PRMC with unknown injuries after a single-vehicle crash on Old Ocean City Rd. near Whaleyville last Saturday morning.
Around 10:30 a.m. last Saturday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to a single-vehicle collision on Old Ocean City Rd. between Bell Rd. and Dale Rd. near Whaleyville. The preliminary investigation revealed a 2005 Chevy Cobalt operated by Ashley Ann Nicole Ballard, 29, of Snow Hill, was traveling eastbound on Old Ocean City Rd. when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a utility pole. Both the driver and the passenger, identified as Ebony Shari Ballard, 31, of Berlin, were trapped in the vehicle and were subsequently extricated by Berlin Fire and EMS crews. Both occupants were flown to PRMC due to injuries sustained in the crash.
Witnesses told police the vehicle began swerving for unknown reasons, lost control, went off the roadway and struck the utility pole. The crash shut down Old Ocean City Rd. for a period of time on Saturday morning while Delmarva Power responded and replaced the utility pole.
Jail For Taking Up Residence
OCEAN CITY — A Salisbury man, arrested in January on burglary charges after allegedly taking up residence in an uptown high-rise condominium, pleaded guilty this week and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Around 4:15 p.m. on Jan. 25, an OCPD officer working routine patrol was dispatched to the Golden Sands condominiums for a reported burglary in progress. The officer arrived an met with maintenance staff who told police they were doing routine maintenance checks on the units when they discovered a vacant one with the thermostat turned up. The maintenance staff said that was unusual and upon further investigation located someone inside the unit under a blanket and asleep in a bed.
The maintenance worker told police he found the suspect’s belongings strewn throughout the unit and noticed a large knife on the table near where the suspect was sleeping. The OCPD officer contacted the unit’s owner and learned it should be vacant. The officer attempted to make contact with the suspect by pounding on the door and announcing himself as a police officer through an open window.
When that attempt failed, a Worcester County Sheriff’s deputy responded with a K-9 unit, and once the suspect heard the officer and saw the dog, he exited the unit and surrendered without incident. The suspect was identified as Justin Goslee, 24, of Salisbury.
Goslee told police he had recently been charged with DUI in Salisbury, then had a fight with his father and was kicked out of his residence. Goslee told police he then got on a bus to Ocean City, where he promptly lost his wallet and cell phone. Goslee told the officer he then walked to the Golden Sands where one of his friends used to stay. Goslee told police he saw an open door at one of the units and decided to take up residence. At that point, Goslee was arrested for burglary.
During the subsequent interview, OCPD officers asked Goslee if he had been in any other units, and he allegedly admitted to burglarizing a different unit. OCPD officer searched Goslee’s belongings in the unit in which he had taken up residence and located four tools they knew from experience were burglar’s tools.
There were two pieces of metal with a rubber coating stripped on one end approximately six inches long that the officers knew were used for defeating certain locks. Goslee was also in possession of a small, flat-head screw driver commonly used by burglars to defeat locks. Finally, the officer found a key-shaped piece of metal they identified as part of a pumpkin-carving tool, which is also known to pick locks.
Goslee admitted he had broken into the units initially to seek shelter. He allegedly told police while he stayed in the units for multiple days, he watched television, ate food located inside the units and slept in the beds. Gosless was charged with two counts of fourth-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. This week, Goslee pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree burglary and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
OCPD Lt. Recognized With National Award
OCEAN CITY — OCPD Lieutenant Scott Harner recently accepted the award for public service from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for his dedication to making Ocean City’s roadways safer and contributing to the significant progress that the resort town has seen in reducing traffic-related deaths, injuries and crashes.
Harner was presented the award last week at the 2016 National Lifesavers Conference, the premier U.S. highway safety meeting dedicated to reducing deaths and injuries on our nation’s roadways.
“Lt. Harner is a true highway safety champion,” said Dr. Beth Baker, NHTSA Region 3 Administrator, who nominated Harner for the award. “We are thrilled to recognize his hard work and highlight Ocean City’s community-based, data-driven Walk Smart Pedestrian Program at the 2016 National Lifesavers Conference.”
The “Walk Smart” campaign began in the winter of 2013 after the resort experienced a significant increase in pedestrian collisions in 2012. Since the campaign went into effect, there have been no fatalities as a result of a pedestrian collision. In 2015, there were 17 pedestrian collisions, a 61 percent decrease since 2012.
Harner serves as the Commander of OCPD’s Traffic Safety Unit. Not only has he been instrumental in the popular “Walk Smart” campaign, but he has also implemented several enforcement initiatives focused on impaired driving and pedestrian and bicycle safety.
“Lt. Harner’s tenacity and dedication to keep our roadways safe doesn’t stop at pedestrian safety,” said Chief Ross Buzzuro. “Thanks to Lt. Harner, our patrol officers are better equipped and better trained to keep our citizens safe on our roadways. Due to his efforts, several officers are certified drug recognition experts and we will soon have license plate readers at every entrance point to our city, this list goes on and on.”
“Our residents and visitors are lucky to have someone in Ocean City as dedicated to the safety of our roads as Lt. Harner,” said Mayor Rick Meehan. “Ocean City is a better place because of his efforts.”
