Knock Out On 6th Street
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested on assault and disorderly conduct charges last weekend after allegedly punching a man and knocking him down on the sidewalk.
Around 3:10 a.m. last Sunday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was patrolling in the downtown area when he observed a group of roughly 10 people gathered in the roadway at 6th Street and Baltimore Avenue. When the officer stopped his patrol vehicle and approached the group, he observed Charles Small, 32, of Spring Grove, Pa., throw a single punch at another man, striking him in the head. According to police reports, the victim immediately went limp and fell straight back, hitting his head on the sidewalk.
Small attempted to leave the area before the officer could stop him, but was apprehended a short time later. Small was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
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Disorderly Conduct Charge For Screaming Obscenities
OCEAN CITY — A Maryland woman was arrested on disorderly conduct charges last week after allegedly screaming at police as the car in which she was a passenger was being towed following an accident.
Around 6:50 p.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to the area of 73rd Street and Coastal Highway for a reported motor vehicle collision. As a result of the collision, a tow truck had been called to remove one of the vehicles involved that had been deemed by police was unsafe to drive.
According to police, the passenger of the vehicle, later identified as Katie Crook, 25, of Savage, Md., kept yelling at the driver.
According to police reports, Crook continued screaming obscenities despite warnings not to do so by police as a crowd began to gather around the scene. Crook’s conduct resulted in a standing ovation from groups of citizens on balconies of a nearby condo building.
Crook was advised numerous times to stop yelling, but told police she “did not give a [expletive deleted] about those people,” according to police reports. She was ultimately arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
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Resisting Arrest Charge
OCEAN CITY — A Fort Washington, Md. man was arrested on disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and other charges last week after police pulled him over for traffic violations and determined his license was suspended.
Around 8:30 p.m. last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling near 118th Street observed a Jeep Wrangler with certain irregularities including rear tires wider than the vehicle’s frame and green, glowing lights coming from the front and underneath the vehicle. The officer stopped the Jeep and made contact with the driver, identified as Kelvin Brown, 22, of Fort Washington. According to police reports, Brown told the officer he did not have a license because a different OCPD officer had confiscated it earlier in the day.
When asked why the license had been confiscated, Brown told police it had been suspended. When asked why he was driving if he knew his license was suspended, Brown reportedly told police his female passenger had been nervous about driving out of a crowded parking lot at 120th Street. However, the officer noted Brown was found driving at 118th Street two blocks south of that location.
The officer did a background check and printed out the appropriate citations. According to police reports, Brown asked if the citation required him to appear in court in Ocean City, to which the officer replied the citations were “must appear” citations. Brown reportedly told the officer he knew his rights because his grandfather was a police officer and that he knew he did not have to appear for the suspended license violations.
According to police reports, the officer reminded Brown driving while suspended was an arrestable offense and that he could be taken into custody. Brown reportedly repeated to himself over and over he was not going to be arrested. When the officer attempted to hand Brown the paperwork, he reportedly put his hands in his pockets and refused to accept them, again saying over and over he was not going to be arrested.
Finally, the officer, believing Brown was going to disregard the citations, attempted to take the suspect into custody. According to police reports, Brown tensed up and refused to put his hands behind his back. OCPD officers were ultimately able to forcibly move Brown’s hands behind his back and apply handcuffs.
Even then, Brown continued to resist and launched into an expletive-laced tirade toward the officers, saying “why are you arresting me?” and “you just gave me a ticket,” according to police reports. Brown was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and various traffic citations related to the suspended license.
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Drunken Spree Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Bishopville man was arrested on disorderly conduct and malicious destruction of property last week after allegedly stumbling around and throwing rocks and other objects during a motorized special event.
Around 11:50 on Oct. 12, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was patrolling in the area of 120th Street near a convenience store when he observed Jacob Travers, 23, of Bishopville, allegedly stumbling and staggering on the sidewalk along Coastal Highway.
According to police reports, the officer observed as Travers allegedly screamed obscenities at a group of 20 to 30 people gathered on nearby condominium balconies. The officer reportedly observed Travers pick up a handful of landscaping rocks and throw them in the area at a utility pole and at vehicles passing on the highway. The officer noted in the report traffic was heavy at the time during the fall cruising event.
According to police reports, Travers picked up a traffic cone and threw it in the air. He also reportedly picked up an A-frame barricade blocking a condo parking lot from event participants and threw it in the air, causing it to break in multiple pieces when it hit the ground.
OCPD officers attempted to detain Travers, but he fled the area on foot. He was located a short time later and was charged with disorderly conduct and malicious destruction of property. According to police reports, Travers was intoxicated at the time of the incident.
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Restitution Ordered In Bottled Water Incident
OCEAN CITY — A West Virginia man, arrested in September after swiping a case of bottled water from a north-end convenience store and throwing bottles around the parking lot, pleaded guilty last week to malicious destruction of property and was ordered to pay nearly $100 in restitution to the victim.
Around 2:45 a.m. on Sept. 20, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a convenience store at 94th Street for a reported theft and malicious destruction of property incident. Ocean City Communications advised a suspect had knocked over a large display of bottled water and thrown bottles around the parking lot.
An OCPD officer first on the scene was advised the suspect had left the area on foot and was possible heading toward a condominium building next door. The officer responded to the neighboring condo building and found two men in the parking lot including Micah Skubon, 25, of Charlestown, W.Va. The officer interviewed Skubon and the other man, who reportedly told police they had been in their condo and had just come down to the parking lot.
Meanwhile, other OCPD officers sent the responding officer pictures of the suspect from the convenience store incident caught on surveillance and it matched Skubon’s description. The video surveillance showed Skubon allegedly knocking over a stack of cases of bottled water. The video also showed Skubon allegedly taking a case from the stack and throw some bottles from it into the parking lot.
Store staffers recovered the remains of the case along with the bottle thrown into the parking lot. The total value of bottled water that was deemed unsellable was around $100. Skubon was arrested and charged with theft and malicious destruction of property. Last week, Skubon pleaded guilty to the latter and was ordered to pay $96.75 in restitution to the convenience store.
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Probation For Egg Throwers
OCEAN CITY — Two foreign student-workers, arrested earlier this month for throwing eggs at parked cars, each pleaded not guilty this week and granted probation before judgment and placed on probation for 90 days.
On Oct. 3, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to the area of 43rd Street for a reported malicious destruction of property incident. The officer met with a witness who told police she was in her apartment when she heard a loud commotion in the street. The witness went to her balcony and observed a male wearing just shorts and no shirt and a woman in a black dress throwing eggs at vehicles in the street, according to police reports.
The witness told the officer she observed the two suspects then enter a nearby residence on 43rd Street. OCPD officers were searching the area for suspects when they observed a male matching the description provided by the witness, later identified through his passport as Emir Kapetanovic, 20, of Ocean City, exit a residence on 43rd Street.
OCPD officers questioned Kapetanovic about what he had been up to that night the suspect reportedly told police he was just packing up and getting ready to leave in the morning. According to police reports, the officers questioned Kapetanovic why he had been throwing eggs at cars and he just shrugged and smirked. Kapetanovic also told police officers it was childish of him to throw eggs at cars and that he had been good all summer until this incident, according to police reports.
OCPD officers went to the residence from whence Kapetanovic had exited and located two females including Selma Halilbegovic, 22, of Ocean City. When asked why she had been throwing eggs at vehicles, Halilbegovic reportedly told police she did not know why. She did, however, tell police the other female in the unit was not involved in the incident.
OCPD officers identified at least 10 vehicles on 43rd Street that had visible egg damage. There were also visible signs of egg shells and yolks on the street near the vehicles. The estimated damage to each vehicle ranged from $500 to $999, according to police reports.
Kapetanovic and Halilbegovic were each arrested and charged with multiple counts of malicious destruction of property under $1,000. OCPD officers determined they were not eligible for release because they stated they were leaving the country the next day and would not return for trial. Because they were scheduled to leave the country, their court dates were expedited to this week and each pleaded not guilty.