Cops & Courts – October 1, 2021

Cops & Courts – October 1, 2021

Burglary Arrest For Intruder

OCEAN CITY — A New Jersey man was arrested on burglary and other charges last weekend after allegedly walking into a downtown residence uninvited.

Around 3:15 a.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a residence on Robin Drive for a reported burglary that had already occurred. Ocean City Communications advised a male suspect, later identified as Jordan Hannah, 31, of Roebling, N.J., had walked into the complainant’s residence and was still inside the house, according to police reports.

As OCPD officers approached the residence, they reportedly heard Hannah screaming expletives and urging the couple who occupied the residence to fight him.

The complainants yelled to the arriving officers, “Get this guy off our property,” and “he won’t leave us alone,” according to police reports. Meanwhile, Hannah reportedly continued to yell and scream despite the officers’ orders to lower his voice. According to police reports, Hannah exhibited signs of intoxication.

OCPD officers interviewed the female occupant of the residence, who told police she was asleep on the couch in her living room and woke up finding Hannah standing next to her, according to police reports. The victim reportedly told police she yelled at Hannah to get out. The victim told police she awakened her brother, and together they were able to get Hannah out of the residence.

The male victim was asleep on a couch on the porch and was awakened by the commotion of the female victim and her brother getting Hannah out of the unit. The male victim ordered Hannah to leave the property, while the female victim called the police.

At that point, Hannah was arrested for fourth-degree burglary, disorderly conduct, failure to obey a lawful order and noise violation. During a search incident to the arrest, Hannah remained uncooperative, and yelled at the officers they were being racist, according to police reports.

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Handgun Found After Exhibition Driving Stop

OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested last week after allegedly being found with a loaded handgun in his vehicle after a stop for exhibition driving.

Around 10:55 p.m. last Thursday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were patrolling in the area of 36th Street when they observed a vehicle rapidly accelerating toward the intersection an egregious manner, according to police reports. The officers conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Alonzo Carr, 28, of Allentown, Pa.

As officers approached the vehicle, the detected the strong odor of marijuana. The officers conducted a probable cause search and located a .38-caliber handgun in the glove compartment with one round in the chamber and six rounds in the magazine, according to police reports. Carr reportedly told the officer he did not know the loaded handgun was in the vehicle and that his girlfriend has a concealed carry permit and might have left the weapon in the vehicle, according to police reports.

Carr was arrested and charged with carrying a loaded handgun. He was also cited for exhibition driving, which carries a maximum sentence of 60 days and/or a $1,000 fine.

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Disorderly Conduct

OCEAN CITY — In what was a recurring theme last weekend, a Pennsylvania man was arrested for disorderly conduct and issued over a dozen citations for exhibition driving and inciting a crowd uptown.

Around 10:45 p.m. last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was patrolling in the uptown area and observed a vehicle traveling south on Coastal Highway in the area of 132nd Street. The officer reportedly observed the vehicle come to rest in the bus lane, rev its engine, spin its tires and skid from side to side before continuing south, according to police reports.

A crowd had formed and reportedly encouraged the driver, later identified as Dennis Edmunds, Jr., 21, of West Grove, Pa., to continue spinning his wheels in what was described as a “burnout.” According to police reports, the crowd was blocking the entirety of the sidewalk. OCPD officers conducted a traffic stop and identified Edmunds as the driver. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and was issued 14 traffic citations, many of which carry fines of over $500.

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Two-Year Sentence For Fighting

OCEAN CITY — A Baltimore man, arrested in May on multiple charges after a violent stretch that began with a fight on the public sidewalk, pleaded guilty last week and was sentenced to two years in jail.

Around 1:55 a.m. on May 31, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling in the midtown area observed three men engaged in a fight on the public sidewalk at 57th Street. OCPD officers identified the primary aggressor as Zachary Graves, 22, of Baltimore. The officers asked the other two combatants, identified as Stansberry Bea, 21, of Essex, Md., and Gabriel Melgar, 24, of Baltimore, to sit on the curb near a police cruiser, to which they complied.

However, Graves started to walk away from the scene and OCPD officers ordered him to stop. When Graves started running, an OCPD officer gave chase and tackled him to the ground. Graves reportedly resisted and refused to put his hands behind his back to allow officers to handcuff him, according to police reports.

Meanwhile, Bea and Melgar reportedly ran to the scene and prevented OCPD officers from detaining Graves. With the help of his fellow combatants in the initial fight, Graves was able to break free again and ran from police. One OCPD officer was able to grab Graves, but he reportedly struck the officer in the ear and face with a close fist.

An OCPD officer deployed a conducted electrical weapon, or Taser, on Graves and he fell to the ground. According to police reports, even after he had been tased and handcuffed, he continued to resist. He was ultimately placed in a violent prisoner restraining device and it reportedly took eight officers to move him to a transport vehicle because of his violence and aggression.

At the Public Safety Building for processing, Graves was placed in a temporary holding cell, which is monitored through video surveillance. According to police reports, Graves assaulted another detainee in the holding cell, pushing him to the ground and repeatedly punching him in the head with a closed fist.

Because of his violence, Graves was moved to a different area of the booking section, but even then, his aggression continued, according to police reports. He reportedly screamed at and spit in the face of a female booking officer. All in all, Graves was charged with multiple counts of assault on the initial combatants in the fight, including Bea and Melgar, who were also charged with assault and obstructing an investigation.

Graves was also charged with assaulting officers, resisting arrest and fleeing and eluding. Last week, Graves pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree assault and was sentenced to two years in jail. Melgar last week pleaded guilty to obstructing and hindering. Bea still faces charges of second-degree assault, resisting arrest, obstructing and hindering and affray. He is scheduled for trial in November.

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Two Sentenced For Assault

OCEAN CITY — Two Maryland men, arrested in May after a fight that began at the Inlet lot and spilled over into the downtown area, each appeared in court over the last two weeks with similar outcomes in their cases.

Around 5:25 p.m. on May 1, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a reported fight at the Inlet parking lot. A witness had reported two men, later identified as Ellis Smith, 42, of Gaithersburg, Md., and Kwame Smith, 36, of Germantown, Md., were squaring up as if they were going to fight.

OCPD officers arrived on scene and observed Ellis Smith lunge at Kwame Smith. Kwame Smith was able to avoid the attempted attack and the OCPD officers separated the two men. Ellis Smith then ran away toward the Boardwalk, but Kwame Smith reportedly ran after him yelling “Do something then,” according to police reports.

By now, a crowd had gathered around the scene and were moving away to avoid getting caught up in the altercation, according to police reports. The two men then ran to Baltimore Avenue and the argument continued. OCPD officers followed, and when Ellis Smith turned to Kwame Smith and yelled “let’s do this,” he was taken into custody for disorderly conduct. When Ellis Smith was being taken into custody, he reportedly pulled away from the officers attempting to handcuff him and a resisting arrest charge was added.

Meanwhile, when officers attempted to take Kwame Smith into custody, he reportedly walked away from them and crossed the street. An OCPD officer grabbed Kwame Smith by his elbows and attempted to handcuff him. Kwame Smith reportedly braced his arms and refused to be taken into custody until OCPD officers had to execute a takedown to force him onto the ground.

Even once on the ground, Kwame Smith reportedly continued to resist, but was finally detained. Kwame Smith was transported to the hospital for injuries sustained during the conflict before being taken back to police headquarters for processing. Each of the men were charged with second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, affray and resisting arrest.

Last week, Kwame Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree assault and was sentenced to six months with all but 17 days suspended. On Monday, Ellis Smith pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was also sentenced to six months, but all of his sentence was suspended. Ellis Smith was placed on probation for three years, while Kwame Smith was placed on probation for one year.