Hotel Melee Over Backpack
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested on assault and theft charges last weekend after allegedly scrapping with his girlfriend and her teenage daughters over a backpack at a downtown hotel.
Around 5:20 p.m. last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a hotel and 9th Street for a reported domestic assault that had already occurred. The officer arrived and met with a female victim who reported her boyfriend, later identified as Matthew Jackson, 41, of York, Pa., had assaulted her and her children, according to police reports. The victim advised police Jackson had allegedly left the area with her son.
According to police reports, the victim said she returned to the hotel room and found Jackson rummaging through her daughter’s luggage. An argument ensued and the victim told Jackson to leave the room, according to police reports. When the victim began packing Jackson’s belongings, he reportedly grabbed her face and pushed her backward, causing her to hit the corner of a wall and fall to the floor in the kitchen area.
According to police reports, Jackson grabbed the victim’s backpack containing all the victim’s personal belongings, including cash, driver’s license, credit cards, vehicle keys and other keys. The victim reportedly told police she got off the floor and attempted to get the backpack back from Jackson.
The victim told police her two teenage daughters also attempted to grab the backpack from Jackson and a physical altercation occurred that spilled from the room and into the hotel hallway. The officer was able to obtain video surveillance footage from the hotel hallway.
In the video, Jackson is seen backing away from the two teenage girls with the backpack while they pursued him, according to police reports. The video reportedly shows one of the teenage girls slapping Jackson in the face before he violently shoves the teen against a wall and knocking her to the floor in the hallway, according to police reports.
The altercation between Jackson, the victim and the teenage girls continues through the length of the hotel video surveillance footage until it leaves the screen. During the footage, the victim and her daughters attempt to get the backpack from Jackson and there were different episodes of pushing, shoving and slapping, according to police reports.
OCPD officers interviewed all parties. Based on the evidence and witness testimony, it was determined Jackson was the primary aggressor. He was arrested and charged with three counts of second-degree assault and theft.
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Smoking Violation Leads To Drug Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A routine smoking citation on the Boardwalk last weekend resulted in a drug arrest for a Virginia man.
Around 2:15 a.m. last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling in the area of Caroline Street and the Boardwalk observed an individual later identified as Aaron Dubois, 35, of Burkeville, Va., smoking a cigarette in violation of the town’s smoking ordinance. During an encounter earlier in the evening, Dubois reportedly approached the same officer and informed him he was aware of the town’s smoking ordinance on the Boardwalk and told the officer “you won’t catch me smoking on the Boardwalk,” before fist-pumping the officer, according to police reports.
While the officer was preparing a citation for Dubois, he noticed large dollops and blotches of red stains on his clothing. When pressed about the red stains, Dubois reportedly told the officer they were ketchup stains, according to police reports. The officer told Dubois he believed the stains weren’t ketchup, but rather, blood.
When Dubois began acting suspiciously and pacing around, the officer asked if he had anything on his person the officer needed to know about. After Dubois consented, the officer searched the suspect. In one pocket of Dubois’ shorts, the officer located a pack of cigarettes with two pipes in it. One was a glass smoking device and the other was a marijuana one-hitter, according to police reports.
In the same pocket, the officer located a prescription pill bottle with Dubois’ sister’s name on it. Inside the pill bottle was suspected powder cocaine. At that point, Dubois was arrested for suspected controlled dangerous substances and paraphernalia, according to police reports.
Once Dubois was in custody, the officer continued a search of his person. In another cigarette pack, the officer located a spoon containing white powdery residue on one side and burn marks on the other side. In Dubois’ wallet, the officer located a hand-rolled marijuana cigarette, according to police reports.
While the officer was reading Dubois his rights, Dubois reportedly mocked him by repeating the same lines. When questioned about the contents of the pill bottle, Dubois reportedly told the officer it was baking soda, not cocaine.
When other officers arrived on the scene to transport Dubois, he reportedly became irate and started screaming obscenities at the officers as they attempted to transport him. He reportedly attempted to pull away from the officers, and when he was unsuccessful, he braced his legs in an attempt to prevent them from loading him into the transport van and additional charges of resisting arrest were tacked on.
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Traffic Stop Finds Dangerous Weapon
OCEAN CITY — A Delaware woman was arrested last week after a wooden club was found in her vehicle following a traffic stop.
Around 12:50 a.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer reportedly observed a vehicle making abrupt lane changes and operating in a jerking manner in the area of 85th Street and Coastal Highway. The officer conducted a otraffic stop at 94th Street. When the officer approached the driver’s side door of the vehicle, he detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside, according to police reports.
The officer identified the driver was Kylee Lawhorne, 19, of Wilmington, Del. The officer searched the vehicle and located a wooden club concealed between the driver’s seat and the driver’s front door. The club was identified as a concealed dangerous weapon easy accessible to Lawhorne from the driver’s seat. She was arrested for carrying a concealed dangerous weapon.
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Indecent Exposure Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania woman was arrested on indecent exposure charges after allegedly exposing her breasts to police officers and restaurant workers in an uptown parking lot.
Around 2:40 a.m. last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to an uptown restaurant at 94th Street for a welfare check on a female individual. Ocean City Communications advised there was a woman passed out on a bench in the parking lot, according to police reports.
OCPD officers arrived and located the suspect, later identified as Maureen McHale, 41, of Hatboro, Pa., lying on a bench with her hands thrown above her head, according to police reports. When asked if she could sit up, McHale mumbled yes, and then lifted up her shirt, exposing her bra. When McHale was asked again to sit up, he allegedly lifted up her bra, exposing her breasts to two OCPD offices and four restaurant employees.
At that point, McHale was arrested for indecent exposure. As she was being placed in handcuffs, she told the arresting officer, “I’m going to [expletive deleted] kill you, just you see,” according to police reports.
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Switchblade Found
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested for driving on a suspended license and weapons charges last weekend after allegedly running a red light, which resulted in a traffic stop.
Around 11:30 p.m. last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling in the area of 52nd Street observed a Dodge truck approaching a traffic signal that had turned yellow. When the vehicle in front of the Dodge truck stopped at the yellow signal, the truck changed lanes and went through a red traffic signal, according to police reports.
The officer activated his emergency lights and initiated a traffic stop and the Dodge was pulled over in the area of 55th Street. The officer approached the driver, identified as Michael Sanders, 21, of New Oxford, Pa. When asked for his driver’s license, Sanders reportedly produced a Pennsylvania identification card, but said he was not sure if he had a driver’s license, according to police reports.
A background check revealed Sanders’ Pennsylvania driver’s license was suspended. The officer re-approached the vehicle and asked Sanders to step out of the car, according to police reports. Sanders refused to get out and questioned why he had been stopped and why he was not being asked to get out of his vehicle, according to police reports.
The officer attempted to open the truck’s door, but Sanders reportedly gripped the door and refused to let the officer open it. With the help of another officer on the scene, the initial officer was able to get the vehicle’s door open, according to police reports.
Even after the officers were able to get the truck door open, Sanders continued to resist, gripping the steering wheel and preventing the officers from removing him from the vehicle. The officers were ultimately able to remove Sanders using an arm bar take-town. Once outside the vehicle, Sanders continued to scream, questioning why he was being arrested, according to police reports. He was informed he was being arrested for driving on a suspended license.
During a search incident to the arrest, OCPD officers reportedly located a switchblade-style knife on his person in violation of the town’s weapons ordinance and additional charges were tacked on, according to police reports.