Hit-And-Run Victim ID’d
BERLIN – Maryland State Police investigators from the Berlin barrack have identified the victim in the fatal hit and run in Worcester County.
The deceased victim is identified as Carlos Enrique Morales Barrios, 49, of Ocean City. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him deceased at the scene.
On Friday, Nov. 11, around noon, police received a 911 call from a motorist who had stopped to investigate what he thought was a dead deer lying in a grassy ravine between Route 707 and Route 50 in Worcester County. Upon his discovery, he immediately called state police at the Berlin Barrack.
Troopers immediately responded to the scene and immediately initiated a death investigation. Due to the physical evidence and debris left at the scene, police believed injuries to the victim were the result of a hit and run crash.
Police continue the investigation into this incident and ask any witnesses with relevant information to contact the Berlin Barrack at 410-641-3101. The Lower Eastern Shore Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776 is offering up to $1,000 for any information leading to an arrest for the person responsible for this crime.
Swiped $4K Ring Pawned
SALISBURY — A Salisbury man was arrested and charged with theft from $1,000 to under $10,000 last week after allegedly swiping a ring from a homeowner while completing a painting job in the residence.
Around 1:15 p.m. last Monday, a Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office deputy initiated an investigation into a theft at a residence on Harcum Wharf Road. According to police reports, the victim came home and discovered a ring valued at $4,000 missing from the top of her dresser in her bedroom.
The investigation focused on Richard Jones, 52, who was inside the residence completing a painting job while the homeowner was gone. The deputy located Jones in Salisbury and interviewed the suspect, ultimately obtaining a confession from Jones. Jones admitted taking the ring and selling it at a local pawn shop for $90.
Jones was arrested and charged with theft from $1,000 to under $10,000. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was ordered to be held on a $1,000 bond.
Probation, Fine For Disturbing Peace
OCEAN CITY — A Whaleyville man, arrested on disturbing the peace and resisting arrest charges last month after allegedly sauntering across Coastal Highway at a slow speed, causing traffic to brake, before defying police attempts to question him, pleaded guilty this week to disturbing the peace and was fined and placed on probation.
Around noon on Oct. 13, an Ocean City Police Department officer was on marked patrol in the area of 114th Street when he observed an individual, later identified as Ethan Bezold, 23, walking across the highway at an unusually slow pace with both hands in his pockets. The officer noted in the report Bezold was crossing the highway about 20 feet north of the clearly marked crosswalk.
The officer observed a work truck heading south on Coastal Highway dramatically decrease its speed in order to avoid hitting Bezold, who was still in the traffic lanes and had not quickened his pace. The officer circled around and located Bezold in the Gold Coast Mall parking lot. According to police reports, the officer rolled down his window and told Bezold to stop, but Bezold looked at him and continued to walk away at the same slow pace.
The officer then pulled his vehicle in front of Bezold and told him to stop, but Bezold continued to refuse to comply. The officer got out of his vehicle and ordered Bezold to stop and to take his hands out of his pockets, but Bezold continued walking. When the officer asked Bezold to produce some identification, Bezold reportedly told the officer he did not have to because he had done nothing wrong and continued to walk away.
The officer attempted to grab Bezold to make him stop and comply with directions, but Bezold attempted to push the officer away. After numerous attempts to detain Bezold and have him sit on the curb, Bezold reportedly told the officer he could not be stopped for simply crossing the street. He continued to resist and became argumentative, at which point the officer took him to the ground and handcuffed him. Bezold was charged with disturbing the peace, hindering free passage and resisting arrest.
This week, Bezold pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace and hindering passage. He was placed on probation for two years and fined $100.
False Identity Arrest
OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man was arrested on identity fraud and other charges this week after allegedly providing false information to Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer attempting to detain him for traffic violations.
Around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, an OCPD officer on patrol in the area of 94th Street was alerted to a vehicle in his area driven by a suspect believed to have had his license suspended for an earlier incident. The OCPD officer stopped the suspect, much later identified as Joshua Sparks, 34, of Ocean City. The off-duty officer who had alerted the patrol officer said he recalled Sparks’ license was suspended but could not immediately recall his name.
The OCPD patrol officer made contact with Sparks at an uptown convenience store and Sparks allegedly told the officer he had a valid driver’s license from North Carolina, but that he had lost it. When the officer asked Sparks for his full name, date of birth and address, Sparks allegedly identified himself as Jacob Raymond Clay. The OCPD officer ran a background check and determined there was a Jacob Raymond Clay with a valid North Carolina driver’s license and at that point, Sparks was free to go.
In the meantime, the OCPD officer requested a visual copy of the North Carolina driver’s license for Jacob Raymond Clay and when the officer compared the picture on the license to Sparks, he determined while there were similarities, the two did not likely match. The OCPD officer located Sparks again at a midtown restaurant parking lot and compared the North Carolina license again to Sparks, who continued to insist he was Jacob Raymond Clay. Sparks’ girlfriend, Natalie Clay, also insisted Sparks was her brother Jacob Clay, and again Sparks was allowed to leave.
The OCPD officer then contacted the other officer who had initial contact with Sparks days earlier and who had determined Sparks’ Maryland driver’s license was expired. The OCPD officer again located Sparks in a parking lot at Montego Bay and the second officer was brought over and identified the suspect as Sparks, and not Jacob Clay. After more than a half an hour, Sparks was eventually arrested and charged with failure to identify himself for a traffic violation, attempting to avoid apprehension, driving on a suspended out-of-state license and making a false statement.
Cops Go To Same Residence 51 Times
OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City woman was arrested on malicious destruction charges this month after allegedly destroying her mother’s property including medications before the Ocean City Police Department’s 51st visit to the same residence for a domestic incident in less than a month.
Around 1 p.m. on Nov. 12, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a residence on St. Louis Avenue for a reported domestic dispute. The call last Saturday afternoon was the 51st time the OCPD had responded to the residence since Oct. 16. The OCPD officer met with the female victim who told police her daughter, identified as Taylor Thompson, 18, of Ocean City, had become angry and was throwing things around the residence. The victim told police she retreated to a bedroom for her own protection and Taylor continued to throw cookies at the bedroom door.
The victim told police Taylor had destroyed her medication, including patches to control her blood pressure and other patches for a pain condition. The officer located the various patches on the kitchen table torn to shreds. The victim was asked if she wanted to pursue charges against Thompson for destroying her medications and the mother replied yes, according to police reports.
The officer noted in his report Ocean City Police had responded to the residence 51 times in less than a month including three times just last Saturday. The victim told police Taylor had pushed her, pulled her hair and stolen items from her including her driver’s license and a debit card.
The OCPD officer determined Thompson would likely continue to destroy the victim’s property and possibly cause injury to the victim based on the frequency of the incidents, the lack of success in solving the hostility with police presence and the continuation of hostilities after the police leave. Thompson was ultimately charged with malicious destruction of property.