Purse Left Behind Leads To Heroin Bust
OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City woman was arrested last weekend after allegedly cleaning a rental unit and leaving her purse containing heroin behind.
Around 6:15 p.m. last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Jamie Mills, 43, of Ocean City, in the area of 17th Street. When Mills was asked for her license and registration, she reportedly told police she could not find her purse and must have left it in a unit she had just cleaned.
A background check revealed Mills’ driver’s license was suspended. Mills reportedly informed the officer she had just cleaned a unit at a condo building on 84th Street and provided the officer with a list of other units she was scheduled to clean that day, according to police reports.
A friend arrived to pick up Mills after the appropriate traffic citations had been issued and she was released from the stop. A short time later, OCPD officers were dispatched to the same condo at 84th Street for a complaint about suspicious property located in the unit Mills had reportedly cleaned.
The renters had just checked in and discovered a purse containing suspected heroin and other narcotics, needles and Mills’ identification card. OCPD officers responded and found, among other things, 45 individually-wrapped paper folds containing suspected heroin, packaged in such a manner as to suggest distribution.
By now, Mills had returned to retrieve her purse from the unit she had cleaned earlier. When she saw the police, she said without being questioned, “I know what this is about. The drugs,” according to police reports. Mills reportedly told police she had cleaned the unit by herself and that there was heroin in her purse she had left behind. She was arrested and charged with possession and possession of paraphernalia.
x
Hotel Assault Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested on assault charges last week after allegedly scrapping with his girlfriend and others at a downtown hotel.
Around 5:50 p.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a downtown hotel for a reported assault that had already occurred. Front desk staff advised a suspect later identified as Nicholas Cerino, 33, of Washington, Pa., was in the lobby with fresh and bleeding scratch marks on his face and arms. According to police reports, Cerino was pacing and argued with other people in the hallway.
OCPD officers met with Cerino, who advised he had been drinking all day on the beach with his girlfriend and her two children. While leaving the beach, Cerino reportedly said he playfully whipped one of the children with a beach towel, but accidentally hit the child in the face with the towel, which caused an argument with his girlfriend.
Cerino told police he went to a bar to separate himself from the argument, while his girlfriend and the children went to the hotel pool. Cerino reportedly told police when he returned a couple of hours later, the argument resumed. Cerino told officers when his girlfriend attempted to use the hotel phone to call the police, a mutual fight occurred, according to police reports.
Cerino told officers when he attempted to leave the hotel to cool off, three males in the hotel would not let him leave and beat him in the hallway, according to police reports. Cerino reportedly told police the three males punched and kicked him repeatedly while he was defenseless.
However, aside from some scratches, Cerino did not have any other injuries that would suggest an attack by three men that he described, according to police reports. OCPD officers met with the female victim, who told a similar version of the events leading up to her argument and altercation with Cerino.
The victim reportedly told police Cerino had taken her to the ground and was on top of her. A male witness told police he heard the commotion in the hallway and saw the children in distress, so he attempted to prevent Cerino from leaving until officers arrived, according to police reports. Two other good Samaritans assisted with keeping Cerino on the scene until police arrived, according to police reports.
Based on the evidence and testimony, Cerino was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree assault.
x
Motorcycle Stop Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested on multiple charges this week after his motorcycle was pulled over for having a suspended registration.
Around 1:40 a.m. on Monday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer ran a mobile check on a motorcycle and determined the bike’s tags had been suspended since February due to an insurance lapse. The officer attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect, later identified as Brett Allen, 30, of Greencastle, Pa., got off the bike and attempted to walk away.
OCPD officers advised Allen he was being detained for the suspended registration, to which he replied, “I’m off the bike, you can’t stop me,” according to police reports. Allen, who was wearing Pagan motorcycle club colors, reportedly became irate and argumentative. Allen then got on his cell phone and called for other Pagans to assist him.
About two minutes later, three other Pagan members arrived on the scene. One of the men reportedly told police “I’m sorry for his behavior,” and “This is the mentality we promote when we’re in Ocean City,” according to police reports.
Meanwhile, Allen continued to be argumentative and uncooperative and prevented the officers from conducting their investigation. At that point, Allen was arrested for disorderly conduct and obstructing and hindering. A search of Allen subsequent to the arrest revealed a set of brass knuckles in his rear pocket.
In Allen’s wallet, OCPD officers allegedly located Suboxone, a controlled dangerous substance. All in all, Allen was charged with disorderly conduct, obstructing and hindering, a weapons violation and possession.
x
Shoving Incident Leads To Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania woman was arrested for assault last weekend after allegedly shoving a man into traffic on Coastal Highway.
Around 1:50 a.m. last Sunday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling in the area of 57th Street observed a dispute between a male and a female. The officer observed the female, later identified as Kelsey Smith, 28, of York, Pa., shove the male with two hands into the bus lane of the highway, according to police reports.
The male reportedly put his hands up in a defensive position. The officer reportedly observed Smith shove the male at least three more times, pushing him into oncoming traffic on the highway, to the point vehicles had to change lanes in order to avoid hitting him, according to police reports.
When the officer approached the scene, the male victim reportedly told the officer he did not even know Smith. The victim told police he was simply walking back to his residence from a nearby convenience store when Smith began screaming at him and shoving him, according to police reports.
OCPD officers spoke with Smith, who appeared to be intoxicated, according to police reports. Smith was reportedly crying and told police she did not feel safe, although she could not explain why she did not feel safe. Smith reportedly told police she was being followed, but could not identify who was following her. Again, the male victim did not know Smith. At that point, Smith was arrested and charged with second-degree assault.
x
Arrest After Choking Incident
OCEAN CITY — A Columbia, Md. man was arrested last weekend after first allegedly choking his girlfriend at a downtown motel and then scrapping with police attempting to arrest him.
Around 9 a.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a downtown motel at 14th Street for a 911 call hang-up. Ocean City Communications advised the call sounded like a domestic dispute. OCPD officers met with hotel staff, who reportedly told police they did not know anything about the 911 call.
A motel guests advised officers a couple in the room next to her had been arguing for hours. OCPD officers responded to the third floor and heard a couple arguing loudly, according to police reports.
OCPD officers identified the male of the couple as Patrick Moore, 26, of Columbia, Md. The female victim advised Moore had choked her, according to police reports. The victim reportedly told police Moore had urinated in the bed, and when she attempted to change the sheets, he began yelling at her. The victim said Moore had been yelling at her for about two hours, according to police reports.
The victim reportedly told officers Moore had choked her, and while she never lost consciousness, her throat still hurt, according to police reports. Moore was screaming at the officers on the scene and would provide any identification, nor would he explain his version of what had happened. Throughout the investigation, Moore continued to clench and unclench his fists as he became more and more agitated with the officers, according to police reports.
At that point, Moore was told he was under arrest for disorderly conduct and second-degree assault on the female victim. When officers attempted to detain Moore, he reportedly resisted arrest to the point officers had to utilize a conducted electrical weapon, or taser, to gain compliance.