Boardwalk Dog Beating Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Parkville, Md. man was arrested on aggravated animal cruelty charges last weekend after allegedly kicking and beating his dog on the Boardwalk.
Around 1:45 a.m. last Friday, the City Watch surveillance system caught video of a man later identified as Jordan Brokus, 22, cruelly and intentionally beating his dog, a two-year-old boxer-lab mix named Stone, on the Boardwalk around Caroline Street. According to police reports, the video surveillance showed Brokus kick the dog in his rib cage on the right side and then pull the dog up by his collar, strangling the dog in the air for several seconds.
The video showed Brokus then slam the dog down on the Boardwalk and choke the animal for several more seconds, according to police reports. Once the dog was let up, it walked toward Brokus’ girlfriend. The dog was able to pull out of its collar and ran away from Brokus, whose girlfriend called the dog’s name. According to police reports, the dog returned to Brokus’ girlfriend, but Brokus grabbed the dog and aggressively put the animal’s collar back on.
According to police reports, Brokus then punched the dog in the face several times with a closed fist. Brokus then reportedly yanked the dog’s leash, launching the animal forward. According to police reports, Brokus repeated that action multiple times, launching the dog forward several feet before kicking it again in the rib cage on the left side. Finally, Brokus reportedly yanked the dog by the leash off the Boardwalk and down Caroline Street.
According to police reports, at no time in the video did the dog misbehave or act aggressively. Instead, Brokus abused the animal for no apparent action on the dog’s part. Brokus’ girlfriend was able to regain control of the dog without further incident. Based on the video evidence, Brokus was arrested and charged with animal cruelty and aggravated animal cruelty.
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Indecent Arrest Over Mooning
OCEAN CITY — A Massachusetts man was arrested on indecent exposure and other charges last week after allegedly mooning a large crowd gathered on a public sidewalk multiple times.
Around 11:30 p.m. last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer working in a plainclothes capacity near 45th Street observed a suspect later identified as William Sparrow, 29, of Swansea, Mass., holding an open can of beer and walking back and forth between private property and the public sidewalk. The officer reportedly observed Sparrow walk onto the public sidewalk and drop his shorts to his knees, turning his back to the crowd on the sidewalk and exposing his buttocks.
According to police reports, there were numerous individuals on the sidewalk to whom Sparrow exposed himself. In addition, traffic was heavy in that area and the occupants of numerous vehicles were exposed to Sparrow. According to police reports, Sparrow would repeatedly hit the pedestrian crosswalk button at the intersection, but never crossed the highway.
Instead, Sparrow was activating the crosswalk to cause traffic to stop in the area at a red light, which, in turn, would allow vehicles to violate traffic laws. According to police reports, Sparrow and numerous other individuals on the sidewalk would then celebrate various motorists as they violated traffic laws. Sparrow was taken into custody and was charged with indecent exposure, public nudity and carrying an open container of alcohol.
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Sidewalk Exposure
OCEAN CITY — A Canadian man was arrested on indecent exposure and disorderly conduct charges last weekend after allegedly dropping his drawers and exposing himself to several onlookers along the sidewalk.
Around 7:40 p.m. last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was patrolling in the area of 44th Street when he observed a male suspect, later identified as Jessie Bentley, 27, of Ontario, Canada, unsuccessfully yelling at vehicles and inciting them to spin their tires. According to police reports, Bentley then removed his pants and exposed himself to motorists stopped at the traffic signal along with several hundred people in the area.
The officer attempted to speak to Bentley, but he put his pants back on and ran away, according to police reports. The officer searched the area for about five minutes before locating Bentley and placing him under arrest. Bentley told the officer he was sorry for exposing himself, according to police reports. He was charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.
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Patio Furniture Thrown In Pool
OCEAN CITY — Two Maryland men and a juvenile were arrested last weekend on various charges after allegedly throwing patio furniture into a north-end condo pool and swiping a bicycle.
Around midnight last Friday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to the area of 143rd Street for a report of a group of disorderly males. Ocean City Communications advised the officers a group of young males had thrown patio furniture into a condo pool. The officers were advised two of the suspects were on skateboards and one was on a bicycle.
When officers arrived on the scene, they located and detained the three suspects, later identified as Skyler Smith, 21, of Mt. Airy, Md.; Gavin Sweeney, 18, of Baldwin, Md., and a juvenile. OCPD officers contacted the witness and complainant, who came to the scene and positively identified the three suspects.
The witness told police he was on his balcony with a full view of the pool and surrounding area when he observed Smith, Sweeney and the juvenile enter the pool area and throw patio furniture into the pool, according to police reports. The witness told police he observed the suspects leave the pool area and heard one of them say “Let’s get some bikes,” according to police reports.
The witness reportedly told police he observed the suspects go to several different bike racks and different condos in the area and yank on bicycles to find any that weren’t locked or could be dislodges from their locks. When they were unsuccessful, they kicked some of the bikes, the witness told police.
One officer searched the pool area and found it to be secured, the only access to it being an entry near the concrete steps that led to it. Another officer searched the area and found several bikes locked at bike racks had been kicked over.
Officers questioned the suspects and Smith reportedly said they had climbed the fence to gain access to the pool. When asked why they had thrown furniture into the pool, each suspect shrugged their shoulders and said they didn’t know.
Smith was observed with a pink bicycle that did not belong to him. When asked where he got the bike, Smith reportedly motioned to the area of nearby condo building. The bike had a registration indicating the bicycle belonged to a resident of the condo building and the officer returned it to the rack from whence it was taken. Smith and Sweeney were each charged with malicious destruction of property, theft and trespassing. The disposition of the case against the juvenile is not known.
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Guilty Plea In Boardwalk Ruckus
OCEAN CITY — The third of three Baltimore-area men arrested in May after causing a disturbance on the Boardwalk over a skateboarding incident pleaded guilty this week to disorderly conduct and was placed on probation for one year.
Around 11:20 a.m. on May 25, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were patrolling on the Boardwalk in the area of 9th Street when they observed a suspect later identified as Javon Thomas, 26, of Baltimore, skateboarding in violation of a city ordinance. An OCPD officer stopped Thomas, told him to get off the skateboard and provide identification, but Thomas refused to comply, according to police reports.
The officer reportedly advised Thomas he was not allowed to ride a skateboard on the Boardwalk at that time, but Thomas repeatedly ignored requests to dismount and provide in identification information. According to police reports, Thomas began to shout loudly and drew the attention of around 100 people on the crowded Boardwalk, who reportedly formed a half circle and began filming the incident. According to police reports, there were young families including children in strollers among the mid-morning Boardwalk crowd.
According to police reports, Thomas shouted he was being singled out and that there were other skateboarding violations going on, although no other skateboarders were seen in the immediate area. At that point, another man identified as Tamil Witherspoon, 26, of Parkville, started to physically and verbally hinder the OCPD investigation into Thomas’ identification, at one point physically placing himself between the officers and the suspect while shouting at police and protesting the stop.
At that point, a third man identified as Quincy West-Crump, 25, of Baltimore, intervened and attempted to get Witherspoon away from the officers despite being told not to interfere. West-Crump then attempted to grab Thomas to get him away from the OCPD’s custody. When officers attempted to hold West-Crump back, he allegedly slapped their arms away and continued to intervene.
In the end, Thomas was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and failure to obey a lawful order. Witherspoon was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing and hindering. West-Crump was arrested and charged with two counts of assault on police officers, disorderly conduct and obstructing and hindering.
On Monday, Thomas pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was placed on probation for one year. Earlier in September, West-Crump pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and Witherspoon pleaded guilty to obstructing and hindering in August. Each of the suspects was placed on probation.