OCEAN CITY — A Selbyville man was arrested on multiple charges this week after first allegedly selling marijuana to undercover Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) detectives and later being found with a handgun and over 200 rounds of live ammunition in his vehicle.
On Tuesday, OCPD undercover narcotics officers were working in a buy-sell operation attempting to purchase narcotics from random individuals. Around 9:25 p.m., the undercover officers were parked at a convenience store at 26th Street when they observed three individuals in a Subaru Legacy parked just two spots away from their undercover police vehicle rolling what appeared to be a marijuana cigarette.
The officer approached the vehicle and made contact with the occupant of the driver’s seat, identified as Joseph Phelan, 19, of Selbyville, the occupant of the front passenger seat, identified as Whitney Anne Krick, 29, and a juvenile male in the rear passenger seat. When the officer approached the vehicle, the occupants rolled down the windows and began engaging in a drug-related conversation.
According to police reports, the officer inquired about purchasing marijuana and oxycodone pills. Phelan agreed to sell the officer $40 worth of marijuana, but told the undercover officer he did not have a scale and would have to estimate the weight. The undercover officer agreed and completed the $40 purchase of marijuana. The undercover officer then provided an arrest signal to other officers in the area and returned to his undercover vehicle.
When Phelan pulled the Subaru out of the parking spot, uniformed OCPD officers swarmed in and stopped the vehicle and detained the occupants. Phelan was arrested and charged with distribution of marijuana. During a search of the vehicle incident to the arrest, OCPD officers located a baggie of suspected marijuana estimated at around a quarter of gram.
Also located during the search was a .45 caliber handgun located directly under Phelan’s leg on the top of the driver’s seat. There were four live rounds in the magazine inserted into the handgun, but no rounds loaded in the chamber.
In a backpack on the back seat, OCPD officer found another baggie containing roughly one ounce of marijuana. In addition, OCPD officer located in the backpack 215 live rounds of ammunition and one empty .22 caliber magazine. There was a mixture of .22 caliber, .40 caliber and 9mm rounds of ammunition in the backpack. When questioned, Phelan said Krick was his girlfriend and they are currently homeless. He told police he moved the gun from under the seat to under his leg when the undercover officers approached his vehicle.
