Hotel Lobby Streaker

OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania woman was arrested on indecent exposure charges last weekend after allegedly running naked through the lobby of a midtown hotel.

Around 7 p.m. last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a hotel at 66^th Street for a reported indecent exposure incident. The officer met with the hotel manager who was with the suspect, later identified as Brandi Albright, 25, of Harrisburg, Pa. The hotel manager told police Albright had run downstairs and through the lobby while completely naked.

Albright was asked why she was running around the hotel lobby with no clothes on. She reportedly told police she had gotten into an argument with her boyfriend, who had left their hotel room and went to the lobby. Albright told police she followed after her boyfriend soon after, but that she failed to put on any clothes before doing so, according to police reports. She then proceeded to the lobby where she remained completely naked in front of hotel staff and guests and was acting in a disorderly manner.

OCPD officers interviewed other hotel employees and guests. One hotel employee told police the front desk had received noise complaints about Albright and her boyfriend arguing. The employee said the boyfriend came down to discuss the incident with the front desk, and Albright followed a short time later completely naked.

The employee told police he offered Albright towels multiple times so she could cover up, but she refused each time. According to police reports, Albright, still naked, acted aggressively toward her boyfriend and hotel staff, causing a scene in the lobby in the early evening hours on a Saturday night. She was ultimately arrested and charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.

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Assault Charges Filed Over Phony $100 Bill

OCEAN CITY — A local man was charged with assault this week after allegedly punching two men during a dispute over an alleged counterfeit $100 bill at a Boardwalk piercing business.

Around midnight on Aug. 16, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to the area of 1^st Street and the Boardwalk for a reported assault. Officers met with two victims, who exhibited signs of injury to their faces. The victims explained they had allegedly been assaulted by an employee of a store that had entered and made arrangements and paid for various piercings.

One victim told police he entered the store and paid for his piercing, which costs around $58, with a $100 bill and received the appropriate change. The other victim told police his piercing cost $55, but he only had $30 so his other friends bucked up the difference. The victims told police they filled out the appropriate paperwork for the piercings and were told to wait in a back room.

One victim received his piercing, while the other was waiting in the chair awaiting his piercing. According to police reports, at that point the suspect, later identified as Ruben Martinez, 36, of Berlin, came into the back room with the $100 bill in his hand, closed the door behind him and told the victims the $100 bill was fake.

According to police reports, an argument ensued over the alleged fake $100 bill, during which Martinez allegedly punched one of the victims in the face twice with closed fists. Martinez allegedly struck the other victim in the face with a closed fist one time. Martinez then struck the first victim again in the face two times. The victims told police they were able to open the door and run out of the store to the Boardwalk where they called 911.

Martinez was interviewed for his version of the story and told police the two victims entered the business and paid to get piercings, one of whom paid with the alleged fake $100 bill. Martinez reportedly told police he confronted the two men about the fake $100 bill because one of them had already got his piercing and the second was about to get his piercing.

Martinez told police an altercation began when the victims tried to grab the $100 bill and run out of the store. Martinez reportedly told police he was able to trip one victim and he stumbled out of the store, while the other victim ran into a wall as he attempted to flee the store.

However, both victims were interviewed separately and the versions of the incident they told police were nearly identical. In addition, the officers believed the injuries suffered by the two victims were not caused by stumbling or running into a wall, but were more consistent with being punched with a closed fist. Also, there was no video surveillance to review because the store’s surveillance system only had a real-time feed. Based on the evidence and testimony, Martinez was formally charged this week with two counts of second-degree assault.

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Bouncer Assaulted

OCEAN CITY — A New Jersey man was arrested on assault and other charges last weekend after allegedly getting tossed from a bar for being intoxicated and attempting to scrap with the bouncers ejecting him.

Around midnight last Sunday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a nightclub at 60^th Street for a reported disorderly male who had allegedly assaulted a bouncer. Upon arrival, the officers observed a suspect later identified as Wayne Davis, 35, of Glassboro, N.J., being held on the ground by bar security in the parking lot.

As the officers approached the area, they reportedly could hear Davis screaming from a significant distance away as a large crowd waiting in line watched the incident unfold. OCPD officers spoke to one of the bouncers, who told police Davis was removed from the nightclub for being overly intoxicated. Bar security escorted Davis out of the establishment and it appeared he was going to go willingly when he allegedly turned around and attempted to strike one of the bouncers in the face, according to police reports.

The bouncer was able to avoid being hit in the face, but Davis’ punch struck the hat on his head. At that point, bar security took Davis down to the ground, which is when the police arrived. Davis was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct. During the attempt to load him in a transport van, Davis continued to scream expletives, causing a scene in front of numerous people waiting in line to enter the nightclub.

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Median Fence Drunk Driver Pleads Guilty

OCEAN CITY — A Salisbury man, who took out a section of the median fence along Coastal Highway in July while driving drunk, pleaded guilty this week and was placed on probation for three years.

Around 3:30 a.m. on July 7, an Ocean City Police Department officer was dispatched to the area of 40^th Street and Coastal Highway for a reported vehicle collision involving property damage. According to police reports, the officer arrived and discovered a vehicle had left the roadway, collided with the fence and came to rest on the median.

The driver, identified as Raul Reyes-Perez, 23, of Salisbury, was standing outside the vehicle when police arrived. Another OCPD officer arrived and reported seeing Reyes-Perez stopped at the intersection at 45^th Street. When the light turned green, Reyes-Perez drove south on Coastal Highway, drifted far to the right to the point he nearly struck the curb on the far right side.

Reyes-Perez then jerked the vehicle abruptly back to the left across all lanes of Coastal Highway before striking the median and taking out a section of median fence directly in front of the convention center. According to police reports, the front of the vehicle went airborne, knocking down a section of the fence and coming to rest on the median.

According to police reports, Reyes-Perez exhibited signs of intoxication. He did not complete field sobriety tests to the officer’s satisfaction and was ultimately arrested and charged with driving under the influence, driving while impaired and related traffic violations. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence per se and was placed on supervised probation for three years.

During the planning and design phase for the median fence, some detractors predicted a vehicle would eventually collide with the fence and take out a large section of it.

That had not happened until Reyes-Perez crashed into the section of median fence near 40^th Street in July over a year after the fence was installed. Anticipating such a collision, the median fence was designed in such a way that if a vehicle collided with it, just small sections would be damaged or destroyed without taking out an entire block. During the construction phase, SHA built replacement sections that could easily be installed in the event a section was damaged or destroyed.

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Smashing Phone Plea

OCEAN CITY — A Pocomoke man, arrested in April after allegedly striking and choking his girlfriend at an Ocean City residence and destroying her cellphone, pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property last week and was placed on probation.

Around 8:10 a.m. on April 8, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a residence on Caroline Street for a reported assault that had already occurred. Officers met with a female victim who said she had been in an altercation with her boyfriend, later identified as Breonte Shrieves, 23, of Pocomoke, about an hour earlier.

The victim told police she and Shrieves and been having fights and arguments off and on over the last few weeks, according to police reports. Shrieves had been staying with the victim up until Sunday when she reportedly called him and told him not to come home and to pick up his personal property the next day.

The victim told police she heard Shrieves enter her residence around midnight and that she had locked herself in her room and believed he had slept on the couch. Between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., Shrieves began banging on the victim’s door and when she opened it, he allegedly barged in, pushed her down and grabbed her cell phone, smashing it on the ground.

According to police reports, Shrieves then pinned the victim to the bed and choked her with a collapsible baton, holding it against her throat. When the baton came apart, Shrieves reportedly then began choking the victim with his bare hand. The victim told police Shrieves then threw her to the floor and kicked her in the abdomen several times before striking her in the head with a closed fist.

The victim told police she never lost consciousness during the incident, but reported a separate choking incident a week earlier. According to police reports, the victim had bruising on her neck consistent with choking along with bruising on her arms, leg, shoulder blade and behind her ear.

Shrieves was located a short time later at a hotel where he works and was taken into custody. According to police reports, he had several cuts and scrapes on his hand, which he told police were from moving furniture as part of his job.

Based on the evidence and victim testimony, Shrieves was charged with first- and second-degree assault and malicious destruction of property for destroying the cell phone. Last week, he pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property and was placed on probation for one year. He was also ordered to pay $300 in restitution to the victim. The other charges were not prosecuted as a result of the plea agreement.

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Probation For Street Fight

OCEAN CITY — A Philadelphia woman, arrested in August for her role in a fight that began on the sidewalk and spilled over into Coastal Highway, pleaded guilty last week to affray and was placed on probation.

Around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 3, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was patrolling in the area of 49^th Street and responded to a reported fight in progress. An OCPD public safety aide working a traffic detail in the area reported the fight to Ocean City Communications.

The OCPD officer arrived and observed a female lying on the ground with a second female, later identified as Nadia Green, 31, of Philadelphia, standing over her. While the officer was watching, Green allegedly pulled back her arm and struck the prone victim in the head with a closed fist.

According to police reports, a large crowd had gathered in the area to watch the fight. The PSA told the officer the victim had pushed Green, causing her to fall into the far right lane on Coastal Highway. Green then got back and knocked the victim down, striking her in the head with a closed fist.

Green was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and affray. The other combatant was not charged for her role in the incident. Last week, Green pleaded guilty to affray and was placed on probation for one year.