First-Degree Assault Charge For Knife Threat
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania woman was arrested on first-degree assault and other charges last weekend after allegedly threatening to kill her husband with a knife during a domestic dispute.
Around 8:30 p.m. last Friday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a reported domestic assault that had already occurred at a residence on Seaward Road. Upon arrival, officers met with Christina Pannell, 34, of Kenneth Square, Pa. Pannell said she had been in Ocean City on vacation for about a week with her husband and her children and that the couple had been having marital issues for quite some time, according to police reports.
Pannell told police she and her husband had a verbal argument earlier that night and that she had asked him to leave. However, her husband refused to leave, according to police reports. Pannell told police when her husband refused to leave, she “went over to the kitchen block, took a knife and pointed at him” in an attempt to scare him, and also that she “deserved to go to jail.”
The husband’s account was a little different. The husband told police Pannell had been drinking with some family members and got upset when he did not partake in the drinking. When Pannell asked him to leave, he tried to reason with her, but she punched him in the face three times.
At that point, family members intervened and separated the couple and took Pannell for a walk to calm down. According to the victim, when Pannell returned and saw he was still there, she went into the kitchen, grabbed a knife and charged at him in front of family members.
The victim told police Pannell ran toward him with the knife in her hand and got about two feet away from him. The victim told police he was in fear for his life and was able to run outside and call 911. Family members corroborated the victim’s version of the story. Based on the testimony and evidence, Pannell was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and reckless endangerment. Pannell was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was later released after posting a $10,000 bond.
Hotel Room Assault
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested on multiple assault charges last week after allegedly bursting through the door of a unit at a downtown hotel and attacking several victims including juveniles.
Around 10:50 p.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer on bike patrol in the downtown area was dispatched to a hotel at 7th Street for a reported burglary in progress. When the officer arrived on the scene, he was rushed in the back door of the unit in question by some of the occupants and observed two women trying to restrain a suspect, later identified as Erick Manzo-Baca, 24, of Bridgeport, Pa., on the floor near the front door.
The officer asked the women to stand aside and was able to take Manzo-Baca into custody after a brief struggle during which the suspect resisted. The officer removed Manzo-Baca from the unit and attempted to identify him.
When the officer asked Manzo-Baca where he was from, he responded “Mexico,” according to police reports. When the officer asked the suspect for his first name, he again responded “Mexico.” When the officer asked the suspect for his last name, he again screamed Mexico and when the officer asked for the suspect’s date of birth he also screamed Mexico, according to police reports.
OCPD officers interviewed one of the female victims who told police she was staying in the hotel with her family when she heard someone pounding on the front door. When the victim opened the front door, Manzo-Baca pushed her back, forcing his way into the unit and began assaulting her and her family members.
The victim told police Manzo-Baca had punched her several times in the chest and torso. He also punched another female victim multiple times. Manzo-Baca also allegedly punched a male juvenile and a female juvenile and scratched the female juvenile when he attempted to pick her up and throw her to the floor.
About a half an hour after Manzo-Baca was taken into custody, OCPD officers were able to locate his friends who helped positively identify him. He was charged with multiple counts of assault, burglary and trespassing. He was later released after posting a $40,000 bond.
Indecent Exposure Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Laurel, Md. man was arrested on indecent exposure charges last week after allegedly running naked from his motel room yelling “white power” in front of several onlookers including families with children.
Just before midnight last Wednesday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a motel in the area of 31st Street for a reported domestic assault. When OCPD officers arrived, they observed about 35 people out of their rooms and in the outdoor hallways reportedly with disturbed and concerned looks on their faces.
An OCPD officer made contact with the male involved in the domestic disturbance, identified as William Dove, 29, of Laurel, Md., in one unit and the female involved in a different unit. OCPD officer also interviewed a family including three adults and three children about the incident. Family members told police Dove had run from his unit and into the parking lot completely naked screaming “white power.”
One family member told police when she admonished Dove for his actions, he made lewd gestures and comments in her direction. The witness told police the female involved in the incident then came out and attempted to drag Dove back into his motel room by his hair. OCPD officers interviewed another family who had witnessed the incident. The father of the family told police he was loading boogie boards into their vehicle when Dove ran out into the parking lot completely naked yelling “white power.” It was the second witness that had called police because he didn’t feel safe for his family with Dove around, according to police reports.
Yet another witness corroborated the stories of the first two witnesses. The third witness told police Dove was seen punching himself in the face as the female attempted to drag him back into the motel room by his hair. Based on the evidence and testimony, Dove was arrested and charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct. During a search incident to the arrest, a partially burned marijuana cigarette was found on Dove’s person and additional citations were issued.
Theft, Fraud Charges
OCEAN CITY — A Baltimore man was arrested on theft and credit card fraud charges last week after allegedly utilizing a Pennsylvania woman’s debit card to run up hundreds of dollars in fraudulent charges in Ocean City.
Last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer spoke with a Pennsylvania woman who reported her debit card had been compromised and was being used in numerous places in the Ocean City area. The victim told police she physically had the debit card in her possession in Pennsylvania and that she had not been in Ocean City for several years.
The biggest fraudulent charge on her account was a hotel room in Ocean City for over $770. Also on her account were fraudulent charges from a retail store and a convenience store in Ocean City. While the officer was taking the victim’s report, other OCPD officers responded to a call for service at the same hotel at which the victim’s debit card information had been used. The call for service was regarding the occupants of one room being evicted for smoking marijuana and also for renting the room with an unauthorized debit card.
OCPD officers responded to the hotel and learned the hotel’s asset protection department had determined the room had been rented with an unauthorized debit card that ultimately matched the victim’s card information. A short time later, OCPD officers located one of the three occupants of the room rented with the victim’s debit card information identified as Honore Mbaye, 19, of Baltimore.
Mbaye was arrested and transported to the Public Safety Building for processing. During an interview, Mbaye told police he had rented the room with two other men for one night, but made another charge using the victim’s debit card information for a second night. Based on the evidence and the suspect’s own testimony, Mbaye was charged with theft, defrauding the hotel and using the victim’s debit card without her consent.
Wrong Delovich
OCEAN CITY — A Berlin woman was arrested on multiple charges last week after allegedly crashing her vehicle into the median on Coastal Highway while intoxicated and then lying to police about her identity.
Around 11:40 p.m. last Tuesday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to 32nd Street for a reported motor vehicle collision. Witnesses told police a Honda CRV was traveling south on Coastal Highway when it failed to remain in its lane, veered to the right and struck the median along with, ironically, a “Keep Right” sign. The vehicle failed to stop and only pulled into a commercial parking lot after a front tire had gone flat because of damage caused in the collision.
OCPD made contact with the driver, who identified herself as Michelle Christine Delovich. The suspect exhibited signs of intoxication and told police she had hit the sign in the area of 33rd Street. The suspect told police she did not have a driver’s license on her and continued to identify herself as Michelle Delovich and could not provide police with her address. OCPD officers advised the suspect she could be charged with providing false identification information, but she continued to stick to her story.
At that point, she was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and was transported to the Public Safety Building for processing. Even as she was being processed, the suspect continued to identify herself as Michelle Delovich. Ultimately, OCPD officers were able to identify the suspect as Dana Delovich, 37, of Berlin, by her Maryland identification card and that her Maryland driver’s license had been suspended. Delovich was charged with driving while impaired, hit-and-run and failure to properly identify herself along with other traffic violations.