Burglary Arrest For Squatting
OCEAN CITY – A local homeless man was arrested for burglary last week after allegedly squatting in a vacant downtown condo unit.
Around 1:20 p.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a residence at 6th Street for a reported breaking and entering that had already occurred. The officers met with a complainant, who advised while he was in town he decided to check on his unit because he had some work done in December, according to police reports.
The victim said no one had been in his unit since December 15 when his son-in-law went to check on the progress of the work being done. The victim said when he opened the door to his unit, he observed a suspect later identified as Alex Alexis, 32, of no fixed address, inside. The victim reportedly told police he told Alexis he needed to leave.
Alexis grabbed some of his personal belongings and left. The victim did a walk-through of his unit to check if anything was missing. The victim reportedly told police when his son-in-law left the unit, he was sure to lock the door. The victim also told police the contractors were always sure to lock the door.
The only way for one to enter the unit was through the front door. The victim did not find anything missing in the unit. Alexis had reportedly been staying in the northwest bedroom and there were blankets on the floor, a cloth face mask, gloves and a phone charger in the bedroom that did not belong to the victim. There were empty liquor bottles in the bathroom of the unit that also did not belong to the victim.
Meanwhile, around 4 p.m., OCPD officers located a suspect matching Alex-is’ description at a nearby hotel, and when they asked for his identification, he provided an address for which there is no building. At that point, Alexis was free to leave, but he was detained a short time later after he sprinted across Baltimore Avenue and was found on the Boardwalk.
He was taken into custody at that point for fourth-degree burglary. At the time of his second stop, Alexis provided a different address then what he had provided at the first stop. OCPD officers knew Alexis from previous encounters, including one first-degree burglary charge for which he did not appear in court.
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Assault Arrest
OCEAN CITY – A Delaware woman was arrested last week on assault charges after a male victim provided police with a statement outlining her
alleged pattern of abuse over the last month or so.
The victim last week provided a sworn statement to an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer outlining the suspect’s, Lisa Oursler, 37, of Frankford, Del., series of alleged assaults against him over the last month or so. For example, the victim said in the statement on December 22, Oursler allegedly hit him in the head with a wine bottle, according to police reports.
On December 23, the victim woke up in the middle of the night handcuffed to a bed while Oursler was allegedly assaulting him sexually, according to the statement. On December 31, the victim said in the statement Oursler threw a wine glass at the victim in the presence of their neighbor, who was visiting the apartment. The victim said in the statement he had the police remove Oursler on December 24, but her mother dropped her back off at the apartment the same night.
The victim said in the statement Oursler had threatened him because she wanted payment for the drugs that belonged to her that the victim had flushed down the toilet. The victim provided his sworn statement to the OCPD and a warrant was issued for Oursler’s arrest last Thursday. She was served with the warrant last Friday and was taken into custody before being released on a $5,000 bond.
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Traffic Stop Nets Handgun Arrest
OCEAN CITY – A Columbia, Md., man was arrested last weekend after a handgun was found in his vehicle during a routine traffic stop. Around 2:50 a.m. last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling in the area of 45th Street stopped a vehicle for driving 45 mph in a 35 mph zone. The officer made contact with the driver, identified as Ted Benoit, 25, of Columbia, Md.
When the officer asked Benoit for his license, he told the officer he had lost it and provided a passport, according to police reports. When the officer asked for the vehicle’s registration, Benoit opened the glove compartment and the officer observed a black handgun. The officer drew his service weapon and called for additional units, according to police reports. Benoit and his passenger were ordered to exit the vehicle and were detained. The handgun was a 9mm with an empty magazine and no round chambered. Benoit was arrested for handgun violations. A search of the vehicle, which had temporary North Carolina tags, revealed no registration or insurance cards. The temporary tag did not come back registered to any vehicle. The check of the vin number revealed the vehicle had last been owned by an individual in Maine, but the registration had expired.
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Jail Time For Motel Melee
OCEAN CITY – A local man, arrested in July on multiple charges after allegedly fighting with a manager at a downtown motel and destroying motel property, pleaded guilty last week to resisting arrest and was sentenced to six months in jail.
Around 8:45 p.m. last July 22, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a motel at 26th Street for a reported individual refusing to leave. Upon arrival, OCPD officers observed a suspect later identified as Jamie Zielinski, 40, of Ocean City, arguing with a motel manager. According to police reports, Zielinski was under the influence of drugs and had a physical altercation with the motel manager.
When interviewed, the manager reportedly told police he had received multiple complaints about Zielinski being unconscious in the motel courtyard, according to police reports. The manager reportedly confronted Zielinski in the motel’s mechanics room and a physical altercation ensued. According to police reports, the motel manager was sweating and breathing heavily and was bleeding from his elbow.
OCPD officers inspected the motel’s mechanics room and found it to be in disarray. According to police reports, there were signs knocked over, a power drill was on the floor and there were numerous containers of nails and screws thrown around the floor. The manager was still distraught from the altercation and could provide little other detail a-bout the fight in the motel’s mechanics room, according to police reports.
The manager reportedly told officers when he approached Zielinski in the mechanics room, he grabbed the suspect by the arm in an attempt to escort him from the premises. Zielinski then started punching and kicking the manager and hitting him in any way he could, according to police reports.
OCPD officers interviewed a witness, who told police he observed Zielinski and the motel manager fighting in the courtyard. The witness told police Zielinski was thrown out of the nearby mechanics room and a fight ensued with the manager in the courtyard of the motel, according to police reports.
Zielinski was evaluated by Ocean City EMS and reportedly said he was on Suboxone and did not feel well and wanted to go to the hospital. Zielinski then changed his mind and jumped out of the ambulance, according to police reports. At that time, OCPD officers were just arriving on the scene.
By now, a crowd of around 30 people had gathered to witness the scene, according to police reports. Zielinski walked south on the sidewalk at 26th Street and took a radio he had in his possession and threw it 20 feet into the air, with little regard to where it would come down among the crowd that had gathered, according to police reports. He attempted to catch the radio as it came down, but missed and it smashed in pieces on the ground.
OCPD officers attempted to arrest Zielinski at that point, but he reportedly resisted. Once in handcuffs, Zielinski refused to sit on the curb as ordered. OC-PD officers got blood on them during the confrontation and Zielinski told them he was HIV positive and that he hoped he had given them HIV, according to police reports.
Zielinski reportedly continued to yell racially-charged expletives at the crowd and at the officers during the confrontation. He was ultimately charged with second-degree assault, malicious destruction of property, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and other counts. Last week, Zielinski pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and was sentenced to 18 months, all but six months of which were then suspended.
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Brothers Get Probation For Affray
OCEAN CITY – Two Philadelphia brothers arrested in October after tackling a man on the beach following an incident near 49th Street each pleaded guilty last week to affray, and each was placed on probation for 18 months.
Around 1:20 a.m. on October 23, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to the area of 49th Street in reference to a disorderly group of people. While officers were arriving at the scene, Ocean City Communications advised there were two males involved in the incident walking north on Coastal Highway.
OCPD officers located one of the males, who was reportedly talking on his phone. The male could be overheard telling someone over the phone he had been punched in the face and had gotten out of the area, according to police reports.
While the officers were talking with the male victim, two other men, later identified as Neil Horner, 32, of Philadelphia, and Patrick Horner, 28, of Philadelphia, ran toward the male victim, according to police reports. When the victim saw the two Horner brothers running toward him, he fled toward the beach.
While the officer was observing, Neil and Patrick Horner tackled the victim to the ground. The victim could not lift his face out of the sand because Patrick Horner was holding his face down. Meanwhile, Neil Horner was pinning the victim’s torso and legs to the ground, according to police reports.
The officer ordered Neil and Patrick Horner off of the victim and the three men separated. Neil Horner and Patrick Horner advised the victim was the friend of another man who had assaulted Neil Horner, and police observed dried blood on Neil Horner’s face, according to police reports.
Neil Horner and Patrick Horner were each arrested and charged with second-degree assault and affray. Last week, each Horner pleaded guilty to the latter and each was placed on probation for 18 months.