Cops And Courts – May 24, 2019

Cops And Courts – May 24, 2019

Assault Charge For Knife Threat

OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested on first-degree assault charges last weekend after allegedly pulling a knife on another man at a Boardwalk bar.

Around 8:15 p.m. last Friday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a bar at 9th Street and the Boardwalk for a reported male suspect pulling a knife on a male victim. Upon arrival, OCPD officers met with the individual who had called 911 to report his friend had a knife pulled on him in the bar.

The witness told police the suspect, later identified as Nathaniel McNeil, 50, of Fairfield, Pa., had been sitting at the bar between he and his friend. The witness reportedly told police his friend leaned across McNeil to take a sip out of his drink. According to police reports, McNeil took offense and took a knife from his pants pocket, opened the blade, held it to the victim’s groin area and allegedly told the victim he was going to cut his penis off.

About that time, McNeil was seen leaving the bar and was detained in handcuffs. The victim remained inside the bar, according to police reports. OCPD officers interviewed the victim, who reportedly corroborated the story with the same exact details. At that point, McNeil was arrested for first-degree assault.

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Donuts Near Casino Followed By Crash

BERLIN — A Pennsylvania woman was arrested on drunk driving and other charges after allegedly doing donuts with her vehicle on Route 589 near Ocean Downs Casino before crashing in a ditch and fleeing the scene on foot.

Around 10 p.m. last Thursday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to a reported motor vehicle collision on Route 589 near the Ocean Down Casino. Witnesses in the area reported Nicole Thomas, 37, of Marysville, Pa., intentionally drove her 2008 Volkswagen in a manner to skid in circles in the roadway.

Thomas then drove off the roadway into a roadside ditch and the front lawn of the casino. According to police reports, Thomas then fled the area on foot. An extensive search was conducted including multiple allied law enforcement agencies. Thomas was located a short time later and was taken into custody without further incident. She was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a collision involving property damage and other traffic-related offenses.

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Garden Hoe Burglar Busted

OCEAN CITY — A Wilmington, Del. man was arrested on burglary and other charges last weekend after first entering a residence and later attempting to break into a resort business with a garden hoe.

Around 7 a.m. last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to an apartment on 72nd Street for a reported breaking and entering that had already occurred. The victim told police the suspect, Kamren Nikolich, 21, had entered his unlocked unit uninvited and sat down on the couch. When the victim confronted Nikolich, the suspect began screaming and left the apartment and walked away. While responding to the scene, an OCPD officer observed a man matching Nikolich’s description walking down the center lane of Coastal Highway in the area of 71st Street swinging a garden hoe side to side in a chopping motion and stumbled into the median. Nikolich then ran across the southbound lanes of Coastal Highway, causing approaching vehicles to brake suddenly to avoid hitting him. According to police reports, Nikolich reached the other side and stumbled into the bushes near a restaurant. While police continued to observe Nikolich, he reportedly used the garden hoe to chop the tops off of some bushes.

Nikolich then approached another business in the area, stumbled around to the south entrance of the business and attempted to enter a locked door, swinging the garden hoe at the glass door as if he was trying to break it, according to police reports.

At that point, Nikolich was taken into custody and charged with burglary and intoxicated endangerment.

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Domestic Assault Arrest

OCEAN CITY — A Baltimore man was arrested on assault charges last week after allegedly throwing his topless girlfriend to the ground and dragging her in a hotel parking lot during a domestic dispute.

Around 9:45 p.m. last Wednesday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a reported domestic assault in a parking lot of a hotel on 32nd Street. A hotel employee reportedly told police he had observed a couple get out of a vehicle and that the woman, who was wearing a black sequined dress that was only covering the bottom half of her body, fell to the ground. The employee told police he observed a suspect later identified as Sean Driscoll, 27, drag the topless victim by the hair to the front of the vehicle and get her in the vehicle before driving off, according to police reports.

The employee was able to provide a of a video he took of the incident, a portion of which shows the victim topless and on her hands and knees. The video reportedly shows Driscoll getting the victim into the vehicle before driving off. Because Driscoll and the victim were no longer in the area, the witness statement was taken and the scene was cleared.

About 45 minutes later, two OCPD officers in the area of the same hotel parking lot heard yelling and observed Driscoll and the victim arguing. The couple was detained by police at that point. Driscoll reportedly told police he and the victim had been at a midtown bar and that the victim had been taking part in a drinking competition and became intoxicated.

Driscoll reportedly told police he was attempting to take the victim back to their hotel room, but when they arrived at the hotel, the victim told him she wanted to go back to Baltimore. Driscoll told police when they arrived he was merely attempting to get her into the hotel.

However, witnesses in the area, who were on their balcony watching the cars in the cruising event, told the officers a different version of the incident. A witness told police he observed Driscoll chasing the victim across the street. The witness reportedly told police when Driscoll caught up to the victim, he threw her to the ground with brute force and then dragged her to the car while she was kicking and screaming.

The witness told police once Driscoll got the victim into the car, the couple sat in the vehicle for about 20 minutes. According to police reports, the witness told the officers the victim at one point got out of the vehicle and started walking to the hotel, but Driscoll chased her down again and dragged her back to the car.

The witness said she observed other officers in the area and called to them to help in the situation. The witness told police Driscoll must have heard him calling for the police to help and threw the victim back into the vehicle and prepare to drive off again, which is when the OCPD officers arrived. Based on the evidence and witness testimony, Driscoll was arrested and charged with second-degree assault.

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“Corporate Manager” Mad Shelves Weren’t Stocked

OCEAN CITY — A Linthicum Heights, Md. man was arrested on disorderly conduct and causing a public disturbance charges this week after allegedly claiming to be a convenience store corporate manager and screaming about the shelves not being properly stocked.

Around 2:10 a.m. on Monday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to the 7-Eleven convenience store on 26th Street for a reported disorderly male. The officer responded and made contact with the suspect, identified as Robert Smith, Jr. 28, who advised police he was a corporate manager of multiple 7-Eleven stores in Maryland and that he was upset that this particular store was not properly stocked.

According to police reports, Smith was agitated and yelled in a loud voice about the alleged poorly stocked shelves and was told to lower his voice and stop causing a public disturbance. According to police reports, Smith showed signs of intoxication. OCPD officers escorted Smith from the store and then spoke with the store manager. The manager told police Smith was belligerent and screamed at him “why aren’t these [expletive deleted] shelves stocked?” according to police reports.

The store manager told police he wanted Smith off the property and wanted to issue a trespass warning to Smith for a week. According to police reports, Smith continued to assert he was a corporate manager and had every right to be in the store. He was charged with disorderly conduct and causing a disturbance in a public place.

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Disorderly Conduct Arrest

OCEAN CITY — A Hebron woman was arrested on disorderly conduct charges last weekend after allegedly screaming at police officers questioning her about attempting to coax a juvenile into a vehicle near a downtown apartment complex.

Around 10:20 p.m. last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to an apartment complex at 12th Street for a reported suspicious circumstance. The complainant had called police after a couple in a vehicle had approached her juvenile son and attempted to lure him into their vehicle. The juvenile victim reportedly told his mother he was taking out the trash when a couple called to the victim and told him to get in their vehicle.

When the child’s mother confronted the couple, they left the area in a white cab, according to police reports. While the officer was preparing a broadcast to be on the lookout for the suspects, the cab returned to the same area. The officer made contact with the female suspect, identified as Jenifer Pieroni, 44, who allegedly launched into an expletive-laced tirade at police and said she was no child molester. After being warned repeatedly to stop yelling, Pieroni was arrested for disorderly conduct. No charges were filed related to the alleged contact between the couple and the juvenile.