Snorting Heroin In Cemetery
BISHOPVILLE — Two local men were arrested on drug charges last weekend after allegedly using heroin in the Bishopville Cemetery in the middle of the afternoon.
Around 12:40 p.m. last Friday, Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the area of the Bishopville Cemetery. During the traffic stop, the driver, identified as Christopher Kirkpatrick, 38, of Ocean City, admitted he had drugs and paraphernalia in the vehicle. Fitzpatrick also told police he and his passenger, identified as Gordon Walters, 45, of Berlin, had been snorting heroin in the cemetery during their lunch break.
A search of the two men yielded 12 bags of suspected heroin and one hypodermic syringe. Both men were arrested and charged with possession of heroin. They were taken before a District Court Commissioner and were committed to the Worcester County Jail pending trial.
Pool Cue Assault By Sitter
OCEAN CITY — A Middle River woman was arrested on assault and other charges after first threatening another woman whose children she was supposed to be babysitting with a pool cue during an incident at a midtown hotel.
Around 10:50 p.m. last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to the Stowaway Grand hotel on 21st Street for a report of suspicious activity. The complainant told police another woman had tried to enter her room. The officer went to the room and found hotel staff and security gathered around. The officer met with another woman in the adjacent room who told police the first woman had been arguing and fighting loudly in the hotel hallway with a suspect identified as Krista Fox, 31, of Middle River. When she yelled at Fox and the other woman to keep it down because they were disturbing hotel guests, Fox allegedly threw a pool cue at her, striking her in the head.
OCPD officers interviewed the other woman, who told police Fox was babysitting her two children, ages seven and two, while she was out at a wedding in the resort. Fox was supposed to be babysitting the two children in the neighboring room while the mother was out at the wedding.
The mother told police she called Fox while she was out at the wedding to check on the situation and became alarmed when no one answered in the room. She then contacted another friend who was staying in a different room to check on the welfare of her children because no one was answering the phone. The friend checked and found the hotel room’s door open with no one inside.
Concerned, the mother left the dinner immediately, returned to the hotel and found neither Fox nor her children were inside. The mother then searched the hotel for her children and a short time later, the elevator door opened and her two children walked out, but Fox was nowhere in sight, according to police reports.
About 10 minutes later, Fox exited the elevator and got into an argument with the mother whose children she was supposed to be babysitting. The mother told police Fox was carrying a pool cue, which she broke over her knee.
Fox then allegedly put the broken pool cue down by her side and charged at the mother, who told police she was in fear of being struck with the broken stick and retreated to her room for safety. The mother told police Fox began banging on the locked door and ultimately used a room key to gain entry, which is around the time the woman in the different room came out and told them to quiet down.
The mother told police Fox gathered her things and left the room before they arrived. The mother provided a description of Fox to police, who noted in their report they had seen a woman matching the description when they first arrived at the hotel. Fox had allegedly assaulted the mother and the other woman with the broken pool cue and had broken a towel rack in the hotel room’s bathroom.
When OCPD officers returned to further interview the mother, they learned Fox had allegedly stolen $200 the mother had put in the hotel safe. OCPD officers began searching the area for Fox. Around 11:40 p.m., the officers were alerted Fox was sitting at the bar on the hotel’s first floor and she was taken into custody without incident. She was charged with assault, theft and malicious destruction of property for the broken pool cue and the broken towel rack.
Building Thefts Investigated
OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) is investigating the recent theft of several standpipe valves from the stairwells of five midtown condo buildings.
The valves are utilized by firefighters to fight fires on upper floors and remote areas of buildings. Not are they costly to replace, but missing valves could potentially endanger the lives of residents and firefighters by impacting their ability to fight fires. Residents with standpipe systems are encouraged to check their systems immediately to ensure their valves are intact and report any stolen valves to the OCPD at 410-723-6602. Anyone with information about the thefts is urged to contact Detective David Whitmer at 410-520-5390, or [email protected].
Boardwalk Profanity Tirade
OCEAN CITY — A local homeless man was arrested for disturbing the peace last week after allegedly causing a ruckus and screaming profanities on the Boardwalk at Caroline Street in the middle of the afternoon with area school children around.
Just after noon last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was on patrol in the area of North Division Street when Ocean City Communications reported a male near the comfort station at Caroline Street was screaming profanities. The officer walked toward the Caroline Street comfort station and was approached by no less than 12 adults who complained they were upset because a man was screaming profanities and threatening to hurt people.
The OCPD officer was still a block away and heard the suspect, later identified as William Livingston, 49, of no fixed address, screaming profanities and threatening to kill people. In addition to the adults, the Ocean City Elementary School was conducting its annual Boardwalk walk and there were dozens of young school children in the same area.
The OCPD officer was approached by nine more adults as he walked toward Caroline Street who said they were concerned someone was going to get hurt. According to police reports, Livingston continued his threatening tirade even after he observed police heading his way and was told to quiet down. Livingston was ultimately handcuffed and charged with disturbing the peace.
Lottery Machine Punched, Broken
OCEAN CITY — A Rising Sun, Md. man was arrested on malicious destruction of property charges this week after allegedly smashing the glass window on a lottery machine at an uptown convenience store.
Around 12:20 a.m. on Tuesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to the Royal Farms store at 83rd Street for a reported malicious destruction of property. Officers met with a store employee who said a male suspect, later identified as Daniel Cox, 27, of Rising Sun, had punched and broken the glass of a lottery machine. The employee was not able to describe Cox, but showed police store surveillance video of the incident.
The surveillance video showed Cox punch the glass window with his right hand, causing it to break, before pushing his way through other patrons and fleeing the store on foot. A description was broadcasted and another OCPD officer found Cox in front of a condo building about eight blocks away attempting to conceal himself in a bush. The original officer responded and interviewed Cox, who denied any wrongdoing at the Royal Farms store. Based on the evidence, Cox was arrested and charged with malicious destruction of property.
Four-Year Sentence For Shotgun Assault
SNOW HILL — A Snow Hill man was sentenced to seven years in jail with all but four suspended after pleading guilty to prohibited person in possession of a firearm following an incident in October during which he pulled a shot gun on his girlfriend.
Back on Oct. 15, 2016, Snow Hill Police responded to a residence on Greenbrier Court in reference to a domestic incident. The investigation revealed a female victim had been assaulted by her boyfriend, identified as Bruce Jackson, 56, of Snow Hill. The investigation revealed Jackson assaulted the victim and threatened her with a shotgun.
Jackson was arrested and police recovered a 20-gauge shotgun at the scene. Jackson was charged with first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, use of a firearm during a felony and possession of a firearm by a person with a felony conviction. Last week, he pleaded guilty to prohibited person in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to seven years, all but four of which were suspended. The remaining charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
Probation For Threat On Cop
SNOW HILL — A Berlin man, charged in January with leveling a rifle at a police officer during an incident, pleaded guilty this week to reckless endangerment and was placed on probation for one year.
On Jan. 4, deputies from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Evans Road in Berlin in reference to a complainant receiving death threats. Upon arrival, the first-responding deputy observed a suspect later identified as Paul Edward Koehrsen, 47, of Berlin, in the garage of the residence.
According to police reports, the deputy knocked and announced himself as a police officer, at which point Koehrsen allegedly arose from his seat and leveled a rifle at the deputy. Additional deputies along with Berlin Police officers responded and were able to take Koehrsen into custody without further incident.
Koehrsen was charged with first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, the use of a firearm in a violent crime and intoxicated endangerment. This week, he pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and received probation before judgment and was placed on probation for one year.