First-Degree Burglary Arrest
OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man was arrested on burglary and theft charges last week after allegedly breaking into a downtown residence and stealing a phone and cash before getting chased out by the occupant.
Around 3:20 a.m. last Thursday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a reported burglary at a residence on Talbot Street. Responding officers were flagged down by the resident who told police someone had just broken into her unit. The victim told police she was awakened by her mother yelling at the suspect in the living room.
According to police reports, the victim screamed at the suspect, later identified as Robert Auble, 46, of Ocean City, to get out and Auble did eventually leave the unit. The victim then realized her iPhone was missing along with her driver’s license, credit cards and around $70 in cash, which were stored in the phone case.
A description of Auble was broadcasted and he was located a short time later on Baltimore Avenue in the area of Talbot Street. The victim was brought over and positively identified Auble as the man who had broken into her home. Using the “Find my iPhone” app, OCPD officers were able to track the missing phone to a location on Dorchester Street.
A woman told police she found the phone lying on the sidewalk in front of a nearby restaurant and set on a bench in front of the Dorchester Street fire station. Through previous encounters, OCPD officers knew Auble lived in an apartment over the restaurant where the stolen phone was located. The phone and its contents were returned to the victim, but the cash was not located. Auble was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary and theft.
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Broken Window Leads T0 Parking Lot Assault
OCEAN CITY — A Glen Burnie man was arrested on assault and malicious destruction of property charges this week after allegedly beating a woman with whom he was arguing in a downtown convenience store parking lot.
Around 11:20 p.m. on Sunday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to the area of a convenience store on North Division Street for a reported domestic assault. The caller told Ocean City Communications a male was assaulting a female in the parking lot and the couple had two young children with them.
Responding officers observed Davin Hicks-Turner, 25, of Glen Burnie, screaming at a woman with two small children in the area of Philadelphia Avenue and 1st Street about a block away from the convenience store and separated the couple. The female victim told police Hicks-Turner had assaulted her about five times prior to their arrival.
According to police reports, the victim told officers Hicks-Turner had pushed her down in the parking lot and had beaten her with a closed fist. The victim refused medical treatment at the scene. OCPD officers viewed surveillance video from a church nearby which confirmed the victim’s account of what had happened. Multiple witnesses in the area corroborated the victim’s story as well.
Just prior to that incident, OCPD officers were actively searching for a couple that had been arguing at a hotel on 5th Street and the Boardwalk. During that incident, a book had been thrown through a hotel window, causing shattered glass to fall on the cars parked below. According to police reports, Hicks-Turner told the victim “you’re going to be mad as [expletive deleted] when you go in there and see that big hole in the window,” which ultimately led to the alleged assault at the convenience store parking lot. Hicks-Turner was arrested and charged with assault and malicious destruction of property.
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Indecent Repeat Offender
OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man was arrested on indecent exposure charges last weekend after allegedly exposing himself in front of an apartment window overlooking a busy downtown street.
Around 9:40 p.m. last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer in the area of Baltimore Avenue was flagged down by two female individuals. The complainants told police they were eating at a pizza restaurant on Baltimore Avenue when they looked up at a second-floor apartment across the street and noticed a male in the front window masturbating.
The OCPD officers knew the tenant of the unit in question as Christopher Wilson, 47, of Ocean City, due to two prior similar incidents at the same location under the same circumstances. During those prior incidences, OCPD officers learned the apartment’s front window faces east and overlooks Baltimore Avenue. OCPD officer were also able to learn from the building manager and employees of the restaurant below that Wilson was the only occupant of the unit.
The two female adult witnesses told police there were plenty of other people on the street and in nearby businesses who likely saw Wilson including children. Based on the evidence and witness testimony, Wilson was charged with two counts of indecent exposure.
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Berlin Man Sentenced In Child Sex Offense Case
SNOW HILL — A Berlin man found guilty in April of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl was sentenced last week to nine years in jail with all but three years suspended.
In April, a Worcester County Circuit Court jury deliberated for about 20 minutes before returning guilty verdicts on all counts against William Edward Wilson, Jr., 47, for sexually assaulting a 10-year old girl while she slept in her home in August 2017. Wilson was found guilty of a third- and fourth-degree sex offense and second-degree assault.
Back in court last week, Wilson was sentenced to seven years for the third-degree sex offense, all but three years of which was then suspended. He was also sentenced to one year each for the fourth-degree sex offense and second-degree assault convictions. In addition, Wilson must register as a Tier III sex offender.
Last Aug. 17, officers with the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) responded to a domestic complaint on Libertytown Road in Berlin. Upon arrival, detectives met with the father of a 10-year-old victim who told police Wilson had sexually assaulted her while she slept. The victim had told her parents she had awoken to fund Wilson sexually assaulting her.
According to police reports, once Wilson realized the victim was awake, he left the room and pretended as if he had been asleep in another room. After WCBI detectives conducted numerous interviews with all parties, Wilson was taken into custody by the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office.
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Assault, Stolen Vehicle
OCEAN CITY — A Brandywine, Md. man faces multiple charges including assault and motor vehicle theft after allegedly beating his girlfriend during a fight at a Boardwalk hotel before fleeing in her vehicle.
Around 10:30 p.m. last Friday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a hotel at 5th Street for a reported domestic assault that had already occurred. Officers arrived and met with the female victim, who told police she had been arguing all day with her boyfriend, later identified as Macgregor McClelland, 36, and that he had become hostile and physically violent.
According to police reports, the victim had several visible signs of injury including bruises on her arms, neck and legs. The victim told police McClelland at one point had placed his arms around her neck and choked her. According to police reports, the hotel room was in disarray with all of the victim’s toiletries tossed in the toilet. The victim told police McClelland had smashed her cellphone valued at around $950.
The victim told police after the altercation, McClelland took her car keys and fled the scene in her vehicle without her permission. McClelland was located a short time later at Dorchester Street and Baltimore Avenue. According to police reports, the victim was physically shaking during the investigation and said on multiple occasions she was afraid for her life if McClelland was released.
During a lethality assessment screening, the victim told police McClelland had used a weapon or threatened her with a weapon in the past and had threatened to kill her. Based on the evidence and testimony, McClelland was charged with assault, malicious destruction of property and motor vehicle theft.