Assault Charges Over Choking Incident
OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man was arrested on assault charges last weekend after allegedly choking his live-in girlfriend during a domestic dispute over a cell phone.
Around 1 p.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a reported domestic assault in progress near 32nd Street. When officers arrived on the scene, the assault was no longer active. OCPD officers first met with the alleged suspect, identified as Paul Kelly, 31, of Ocean City, who acknowledged a short argument took place over the victim’s cell phone, but at no point did the argument become physical.
However, the alleged victim told police a different version of the events. The victim told police she did not want Kelly to handle her cell phone because he had broken phones in the past out of anger. The victim told police Kelly attempted to take the phone by force, but was unsuccessful.
According to police reports, the victim told police Kelly then stood behind her and put her in a “choke hold,” which restricted her breathing. An inspection of the victim revealed a two-inch abrasion on her neck consistent with a choking incident, according to police reports. At that point, Kelly was advised he was under arrest for the alleged assault.
During a search incident to the arrest, OCPD officers located on Kelly’s person a packet of Alprazolam, or generic Xanax. The packet contained a total of seven complete tablets and two partial tablets. According to police reports, Kelly could not produce a prescription for the schedule IV narcotics and additional possession charges were tacked on.
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Hotel Assault Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Montgomery County man was arrested on assault charges last week after allegedly punching his girlfriend in the face multiple times.
Around 6 p.m. last Thursday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a hotel at 60th Street for a reported domestic assault in progress. OCPD officers arrived and separated the female victim from the male suspect, identified as Oscar Guardado, 42, of Montgomery Village, Md.
According to police reports, the victim’s lower lip was swollen and bleeding. In addition, the white sheets on the bed in the hotel room were stained with what appeared to be fresh blood, according to police reports. The victim told police she and Guardado had arrived back at the hotel in which they were staying and began arguing about whether they would have sex.
The victim told police she did not want to, while Guardado was adamant about having coitus. The victim told police when she refused, Guardado punched her in the face with closed fists, causing her to fall onto the bed. The victim told police she was not sure how many times she had been punched, but it was multiple times. When Guardado stopped punching her, the victim called the police.
OCPD officers interviewed Guardado, who told a slightly different version of the incident. Guardado said he and the victim had been in an argument. When the argument began to get heated, Guardado told police he attempted to wrap his arms around the victim in a bear hug to keep it from escalating further.
Guardado told police when he attempted to bear hug the victim, his forearm hit her mouth, causing it to bleed. Guardado told police the victim’s teeth had caused a minor laceration to his arm and an injury on his arm corroborated that portion of his story.
Guardado told police when he realized he had hurt the victim, he moved away and created a safe distance, which is when the victim called police. Based on the victim’s testimony and apparent injuries, Guardado was arrested and charged with second-degree assault.
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Courthouse Lobby Assault
OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City woman was arrested on assault charges last week after allegedly accosting the very person whom had been granted a peace order against her shortly before in the lobby of the District Court building in Ocean City.
Around 1 p.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was in the District Court building at 65th Street when she was flagged down by one of the court bailiffs in reference to a disorderly female. The officer identified the suspect as Tatiana Foreman, 32, of Ocean City, because she had previously had contact with her earlier that day when she was arrested for theft in a separate incident.
According to police reports, Foreman told the officer at the time of her theft arrest she had a hearing for a peace order later that day in District Court. The court bailiff told the OCPD officer she observed Foreman yelling at a male in the lobby of the court building immediately after the victim had been granted a peace order against her. Foreman was warned she was getting close to violating the peace order and that she would be arrested if she continued.
The OCPD officer interviewed the victim who told police Foreman had punched him in the shoulder during their interaction in the court building lobby. The OCPD officer then observed the victim retrieve his court paperwork and leave the lobby, heading to the bus stop at 65th Street. A short time later, Foreman collected her paperwork and headed toward the bus stop where the victim was still waiting for a bus.
According to police reports, the officer observed as Foreman came within two or three feet of the victim and sat next to him at the bus stop. The victim got up and walked away in an apparent attempt to get away from Foreman. At that point, Foreman was arrested for assault and violating the final peace order issued against her just a short time earlier.
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Hazmat Spill Near Snow Hill
SNOW HILL — A tractor trailer overturned on Snow Hill Road late Tuesday afternoon, dumping its load of highly caustic cargo and causing the roadway to be closed overnight.
Around 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Maryland State Police troopers from the Berlin barrack responded to the area of Snow Hill Road near Girdletree for a reported hazardous material spill. The investigation revealed a tractor-trailer carrying a load of 10 containers filled with 330 gallons each of highly caustic sodium hydroxide was traveling southbound on Snow Hill Road when it overturned.
The operator told police he believed the load shifted, which caused the tractor-trailer to overturn. The driver was not injured, according to police reports. As a result of the accident, four of the 10 barrels fell into a field with two reportedly spilling their contents. In addition, a Verizon telephone pole was also struck.
According to a release, sodium hydroxide is a highly-caustic base and alkali that decomposes proteins at ordinary, ambient temperatures and could cause severe chemical burns. It is highly soluble in water and readily absorbs moisture and carbon dioxide from the air.
A safe perimeter was established and a hazmat crew worked the scene. Snow Hill Road remained closed in the area of the accident until around dawn on Wednesday.
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18 Months For 7th DUI
BERLIN — A Trappe, Md. man, arrested for driving while intoxicated on Route 50 in August for the seventh time, pleaded guilty this week and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Around 6:15 p.m. on Aug. 6, the Maryland State Police Berlin barrack was contacted by the MSP Salisbury barrack about a dark-colored Hyundai that was reportedly driving recklessly on eastbound Route 50 that was nearing the Worcester County line. About the same time, the MSP Berlin barrack received a 911 call reporting the same vehicle nearly striking two separate vehicles on Route 50 near the barrack.
MSP troopers set up in the area and observed the Hyundai traveling east on Route 50 near Samuel Bowen Blvd. MSP troopers then stopped the vehicle, driven by Thomas Arthur Harris, 59, of Trappe, on Route 50 near Grey’s Corner Road. According to police reports, Harris exhibited signs of intoxication and was submitted to a battery of field sobriety tests, which he did not complete to the trooper’s satisfaction.
After performing poorly on field sobriety tests, Harris was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated and negligent driving. Through further investigation, it was discovered Harris had been charged and found guilty of DUI six different times in Maryland. On Monday, Harris pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
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30 Days For Boardwalk Fight
OCEAN CITY — An Ohio man, arrested on assault charges in August after confronting a man and his girlfriend on the Boardwalk and offering him money to fight before abruptly punching him in the face, pleaded guilty this week and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Around 12:45 a.m. on Aug. 4, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were patrolling the beach around 4th Street when they reportedly heard yelling and a loud commotion coming from the Boardwalk area. The officers approached and observed a crowd of as many as 25 people gathered on the Boardwalk.
OCPD officers then observed a man running onto the beach while being chased by a suspect later identified as Jesse Pierce, 30, of Barnesville, Ohio. As officers approached, they observed Pierce punch the victim in the shoulder, causing the victim to fall to the ground on the beach. The investigation revealed Pierce and his group approached the victim and his girlfriend and offered the victim $50 for him to fight Pierce.
When the victim declined the offer, Pierce punched him the face anyway. When the victim ran onto the beach to avoid more conflict, Pierce chased him and struck him again, according to police reports. Pierce was charged with assault and disorderly conduct. On Monday, Pierce pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
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Deadly Weapon Arrest
OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man was arrested for carrying a deadly weapon last weekend after a knife was found among his belongings during an open container arrest.
Last Friday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers encountered Raymond Smith, 53, of Ocean City, with a red cup containing an alcoholic beverage in the area of the public park at North Division Street. Smith, who has had numerous run-ins with the OCPD, was arrested and handcuffed for having the open container of alcohol.
During a search incident to the arrest, OCPD officers located a fixed-blade knife approximately three to four inches in length. The knife was wrapped in numerous paper napkins and was concealed between numerous newspapers Smith had in a bag attached to the wheel chair in which he was sitting.
When asked where he got the knife, Smith told police he found it on Talbot Street the night before, according to police reports. At that point, Smith was charged additionally with carrying a concealed deadly weapon. The arresting officer noted in the report Smith had been arrested on weapons charges at least two times earlier this summer.