First-Degree Assault Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Delaware man was arrested on first-degree assault and other charges last week after allegedly punching and choking a female victim during a domestic incident at an uptown hotel.
Around 6:30 p.m. last Sunday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a hotel at 145th Street for a reported domestic assault. Upon arrival, OCPD officers were advised the suspect, later identified as Benjamin Horn, 49, of Bridgeville, Del., was standing in the lobby. One OCPD officer walked with Horn to the parking garage to speak with him.
OCPD officers met with a hotel staffer who had witnessed the incident. The employee told police a housekeeper reported hearing a disturbance coming from a room on the third floor. The hotel staffer told police he went to the third-floor room and heard fighting between a male and female. The staffer reportedly opened the door and separated Horn from the female.
When Horn stepped out of the room, the door closed and locked, and Horn reportedly banged on the door repeatedly while screaming derogatory names at the female still inside. OCPD officers went to the room and interviewed the female victim. The victim opened the door and the officers observed blood on the bridge of her nose, on the knuckles of both of her hands and on her arms.
There was also swelling under the victim’s right eye and clumps of her hair on the desk near the balcony door, according to police reports. The room was reportedly in complete disarray with clothes strewn about and the cover of the air conditioning unit ripped off.
OCPD officers interviewed the victim, who reportedly told police Horn was intoxicated and pushed and punched her several times. According to police reports, the victim told police Horn was always abusive toward her and nothing in particular had sparked the physical altercation that day. She also reportedly told police Horn had assaulted her the night before.
During the prior alleged incident from the night before, the victim told police Horn choked her so hard she nearly lost consciousness and that she could not remember what had happened for a while. The victim told police Horn had also choked her during that day’s altercation, but that she did not lose consciousness.
OCPD officers interviewed Horn, who reportedly told police an argument had occurred, but nothing physical happened. Horn reportedly began yelling expletives and racial slurs at the police officers interviewing him and when they tried to take him into custody, he reportedly resisted to the point an officer had to deploy his taser. Horn was arrested and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace.
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Sisters Thwart Burglary
OCEAN CITY — Two sisters last weekend were able to stop a burglary at a midtown residence and chased down the suspects and detained them until police arrived.
Around 10:10 p.m. last Sunday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a residence on 63rd Street for a report of two burglary suspects that had been apprehended by the victims. When police arrived, they observed four people standing over Neil Patel, 27, of Hanover, Md., and Guillermo Roldan, 25, of Laurel, Md.
Officers spoke with one female victim, who reportedly told police she owns the residence at 63rd Street with her sister. One sister told police Patel and Roldan entered her residence through the opened garage and were confronted by her sister. Patel and Roldan, when confronted, fled back out of the residence through the garage and stole a skateboard on their way out, according to police reports.
The first sister told police she chased the suspects and was able to detain Patel and Roldan at a nearby parking garage with the assistance of other individuals in the area. At that point, Patel and Roldan were taken into custody. OCPD officers spoke with the other sister, who told police she observed Patel and Roldan coming up the stairs to the first-floor living room, and when they reached the top of the stairs, she screamed at them to “get the [expletive deleted] out,” according to police reports.
The second sister told police her sister chased the suspects down and was able to detain them before the OCPD officers arrived. Patel and Roldan were charged with first-degree burglary and other counts.
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Teen Assaulted By Dad
OCEAN CITY — A Philadelphia man was arrested last weekend for allegedly assaulting his teenage daughter on a crowded beach.
Around 5:10 p.m. last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to the beach at 12th Street for a reported fight in progress. Upon arrival, the officer met with a member of the Ocean City Beach Patrol, who escorted him to the scene of the fight. The officer reportedly observed Rasheed Gray, 36, irate and yelling and screaming while pacing back and forth on the beach.
The officer reportedly observed a 13-year-old juvenile female leaning up against an older female, who had her arms around the victim. According to police reports, several members of Gray’s family were crying and visibly upset. Beach Patrol officers told police Gray got mad at his daughter and punched and kicked her, according to police reports. Beach Patrol officers told police they observed a goose egg-style bump on the juvenile’s forehead as a result of the assault.
Officers also observed a bald spot on the victim’s head and it became evident Gray had pulled out her braided-style hair. Gray was interviewed and told police the juvenile was being disrespectful to him, so he was “punishing her the way he feels right,” according to police reports. The adult woman with the child shook her head at Gray and told him he was wrong for his actions, according to police reports.
According to police reports, Gray was heavily intoxicated. Witnesses on the beach described Gray hitting the juvenile victim with a closed fist. They also described in their written witness reports Gray kicking the victim in the face and torso and pulling her hair. According to police reports, Gray stated several times he was “chastising” his daughter and that he felt that was the correct way to parent, according to police reports.
“You’re doing your job and I’m just doing mine as a dad,” Gray reportedly told police. “I will chastise my daughter as I see fit. I don’t care what other people think. I will chastise my daughter so she doesn’t become a piece of [expletive deleted].” Gray was arrested and charged with assault, intoxicated endangerment, disturbing the peace and other counts.
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Where’s My Wife?
OCEAN CITY — A Halethorpe, Md. man was arrested last weekend after causing a scene when his wife left a downtown restaurant with members of a band after an argument between the couple.
Around 9:20 p.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a restaurant on Talbot Street for a reported disorderly individual. Officers arrived and met with Terry Whalen, Jr., 50, of Halethorpe, Md., who told police he was at the restaurant with his wife when she left the table to go to the restroom. Whalen told police his wife never returned from the restroom.
Whalen reportedly confronted restaurant employees about his wife’s whereabouts and they informed him they saw her leave with members of the band that were playing that night. Whalen refused to believe his wife left the restaurant without him, according to police reports.
Out in the street, Whalen reported screamed at police “Where is my [expletive deleted] wife?” and “Why don’t you do your [expletive deleted] job?” according to police reports. Meanwhile, a crowd at the restaurant and at another establishment across the street gathered to observe the incident as police ordered Whalen to stop yelling. Whalen reportedly ran back into the crowded restaurant in an attempt to locate his wife on his own.
When Whalen was back in the street, a bystander approached him to see if he could help, according to police reports. Whalen reportedly lowered his center of gravity, spread his feet apart and shoved the bystander with both hands and began to shout how the bystander and disrespected his wife.
At that point, Whalen was arrested, but he continued to scream at police that they were not doing their job and finding his wife. Whalen’s wife arrived back at the restaurant about a half an hour after Whalen had been arrested and transported. Whalen’s wife said she left the restaurant with members of the band after she had gotten into an argument with Whalen. She reportedly told police she returned to the restaurant once she had calmed down from the argument. Whalen was charged with assault, disorderly conduct, intoxicated endangerment and other counts.