Replica Gun Brandished
OCEAN CITY — A Berlin man was arrested on reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct charges last weekend after allegedly brandishing a replica handgun at a large crowd gathered along Coastal Highway in Ocean City.
Shortly before midnight last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer on patrol in the area of Trimper Avenue and Coastal Highway observed a black Dodge Ram truck stopped in the south bus lane. The officer observed Justin Hess, 31, of Berlin, walking away from the truck toward a group of people who had gathered along the sidewalk.
The officer observed Hess walk toward a man standing behind a fence and shove him. The unidentified male walked around the fence and toward Hess. As the man approached him, Hess lifted up his shirt and pulled what appeared to be a black handgun from his waistband and displayed it to the other man.
The unidentified man moved quickly away from Hess, who was still showing the weapon. A group of about 20 people in the area also started scrambling away when Hess brandished the firearm, some of them shouting, “he has a gun,” according to police reports. After the crowd dispersed, Hess got back into the passenger seat of the truck, which then headed south on Coastal Highway.
OCPD officers followed the truck and pulled it over in the area of 33rd Street. Hess was taken into custody at that point. The OCPD officers asked the female driver where the gun was and she indicated it was on the floor on the passenger’s side of the truck. OCPD officers located the weapon described as an authentic-looking replica of a Walther PPQ 9mm handgun. Upon closer inspection, the weapon was actually a Powerline Daisy 426 BB gun.
According to police reports, Hess told officers, “I know I [expletive deleted] up,” and “I never should have pulled it out.” Hess was charged with disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment, possession of a gun replica and open container.
x
Heroin, Loaded Gun Found At Traffic Stop
OCEAN CITY — A Millsboro, Del. man was arrested on weapons and drug charges last weekend after being found in possession of a loaded handgun and heroin during a traffic stop in Ocean City.
Last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling Coastal Highway in the area of 30th Street observed a vehicle with loud music blaring in violation of the town’s noise ordinance. The officer stopped the vehicle and approached the driver, identified as Arkeem Adkins, 26. The officer determined Adkins did not have a license and had recently been released from the Delaware Department of Corrections.
According to police reports, the officer located a KelTec 9mm handgun on the floor on the driver’s side where Adkins’ feet had been. The handgun was loaded with one round in the chamber and additional rounds in the magazine.
A search of Adkins’ person revealed 10 bags of heroin. A search of the vehicle’s trunk turned up the gun carrying case and additional ammunition. Adkins was arrested and charged with multiple counts including possession of a loaded handgun and possession of heroin. A background check revealed Adkins was prohibited from carrying a regulated handgun and ammunition due to an armed robbery conviction in Delaware in January 2017.
x
Five Months For Tossing Feces
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man, arrested in August after defecating on a downtown street and throwing it at passersby, pleaded guilty this week to indecent exposure and was sentenced to five months in jail.
Around 1:55 a.m. on Aug. 11, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were on patrol in the area of 5th Street and Baltimore Avenue when they observed a man later identified as Kyle Smith, 23, of Port Royal, Pa., standing on the corner with just boxer shorts on and no other clothing. OCPD officers observed Smith yelling at passersby on the sidewalk before he walked into Baltimore Avenue and deliberately dropped his boxer shorts to the ground, exposing his penis to several people on the street and the sidewalk.
At that point, Smith was taken into custody for indecent exposure. Several witnesses approached the officers as they were preparing Smith for transport and told police Smith had defecated in the middle of 5th Street and Baltimore Avenue just prior to their arrival.
Witnesses told police Smith then picked up the feces and had been throwing it at people walking along the sidewalk. It was also reported Smith had urinated on a parked car. OCPD officers located the vehicle and discovered a fresh puddle on the ground near the passenger side. Smith was charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct. On Monday, Smith pleaded guilty to indecent exposure and was sentenced to five months in jail.
x
Police Horse Smacked
OCEAN CITY — A Hurlock, Md. man was arrested last weekend for slapping an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) horse involved in breaking up a large crowd that had gathered in a fast-food restaurant parking lot to watch vehicles on Coastal Highway.
Around 10:20 p.m. last Saturday, an OCPD officer was on mounted patrol in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant at 32nd Street assisting other units in breaking up a crowd of around 200 individuals who had gathered. The OCPD units responded at the request of restaurant management. As the mounted officer approached the scene, he observed a suspect, later identified as Dajon Pittman, 20, of Hurlock, raise his hand and slap down hard on upper right rear leg of his police horse “Tucker.”
The officer noted in the report he heard a loud smack as Pittman smacked Tucker with his open hand. The officer reported it was clear Pittman was trying to disrupt the OCPD’s efforts to break up the large crowd and to distract the police horse. Pittman was arrested and charged with interfering with a police animal.
x
Boardwalk Fighter Plead Guilty
OCEAN CITY — Two men arrested following a fight on the Boardwalk in August pleaded guilty to different charges last week and one was sentenced to 30 days while the fate of the second defendant is not known.
On Aug. 5, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a fight in the area of 17th Street and the Boardwalk. Following the altercation, Joshua Greenwood, 19, of Easton, grabbed an OCPD officer in a headlock and punched the officer. Last week, Greenwood pleaded guilty to second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and sentencing was deferred.
A second suspect involved in the altercation, identified as Roel Martinez, 18, of Easton, Md., fled the scene by barging through the sliding door of a nearby hotel room and exiting through the front door. Last week, Martinez pleaded guilty to fourth-degree burglary and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Around 11:40 p.m. on Aug. 5, several OCPD units were dispatched to the area of the Boardwalk and 17th Street for reported fight in progress involving several individuals. While one officer was arriving on the scene, he encountered some pedestrians who directed him to the area where the fight was ongoing.
The OCPD officer came across two individuals including one identified as Martinez who were visibly agitated and out of breath indicating they might have been part of the group fighting. Martinez was not wearing a shirt and had fresh abrasions on his body indicating he had been in the fight. The OCPD officer identified himself and told the two men to stop, but they refused, according to police reports.
The two were ultimately detained when other officers arrived on scene. While the officer was talking with the two men, a third man later identified as Greenwood came down walkway and grabbed one of the men and said they were leaving, according to police reports. The OCPD officer told Greenwood he was interviewing the two men about the fight and asked him to stand back, but Greenwood reportedly said, “everyone is drunk and I’m taking him with me.”
According to police reports, Greenwood then grabbed the officer with both hands and was able to get him in a headlock and struck him several times in the face and head with a closed fist. The officer suffered a laceration over his eye during the altercation. Another officer joined the fray and Greenwood and the two officers fell to the ground. According to police reports, Greenwood bent the officer’s arm back in an attempt to break his elbow, but the officer was able to break away.
The officer was able to punch Greenwood in the face at least three times with a closed fist, but still he continued to resist and battle with officers. During the altercation, one officer had his stitched-on name badge ripped off his uniform and another officer had his ear piece ripped out.
By now, several other officers arrived on the scene, and as Greenwood continued to resist, one OCPD officer deployed his Conductive Energy Weapon (CEW), into Greenwood and the officers were able to get him into handcuffs. After he was taken into custody, Greenwood allegedly shouted at police he “was going to find and kill the involved officers and their families.”
During the initial altercation, Martinez was able to flee on foot and yanked open the rear door of a nearby hotel room, knocking the door off its tracks, and ran through the occupied unit and out the front door. He was located about an hour later and was identified by the unit’s renter as the man who ran through his hotel room.