Knife Pulled on Boardwalk Merchant
OCEAN CITY- A Bel Air, Md. man was arrested last weekend after allegedly pulling a knife on a Boardwalk merchant attempting to help him up when he fell into a clothes rack.
Around 5:45 p.m. last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a store on the Boardwalk in reference to a man with a knife. The officer arrived and met with the complainant, who advised he had attempted to help up the suspect, later identified as Joshua Peters, 33, of Bel Air, Md., who had fallen into a clothing rack in his store.
According to police reports, the complainant identified Peters, who was now walking north on the Boardwalk, as the man who had the knife. The complainant told police the while he was attempting to assist Peters to stand up, Peters got extremely hostile, pulled a folding knife from his pants pocket and brandished the blade portion, according to police reports. The complainant told police he backed away from the situation and called 911.
The victim said Peters began waving the knife in his direction with the blade extended within a few feet of him, and if he hadn’t backed up when he did, he believed Peters would have stabbed him. The victim told police Peters eventually stopped waving the knife at him and began stumbling north on the Boardwalk. The victim told police Peters was acting crazily and seemed unpredictable and threatening, according to police reports.
The officer observed Peters walking north on the Boardwalk. According to police reports, Peters fell over multiple times and was unable to take more than three steps grabbing hold of something to assist him in maintaining his balance, including Boardwalk business fences and street signs, for example, according to police reports.
Peters left the Boardwalk and began walking in the roadway at 1st Street without any care about vehicles driving on the road, according to police reports. At point, Peters fell down on the sidewalk with his legs in the roadway, according to police reports. Peters laid there half in the roadway and began fumbling for his cell phone.
The officer arrested Peters at that point. During a search of his person incident to the arrest, the officer located a black and silver spring-assisted knife, matching the description provided by the victim. Peters was charged with second-degree assault, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, reckless endangerment and intoxicated endangerment.
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Hotel Office Destruction Rampage
OCEAN CITY- A Local homeless man was arrested last week on burglary and malicious destruction of property charges after an alleged destructive rampage at a downtown resort hotel office.
Around 12:35 a.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling in the downtown area and heard the sound of glass shattering in the area of 2nd Street. The officer began searching the area of a downtown hotel and other buildings currently under renovation. Ocean City Communications advised a front door motion detector and a hallway motion detector had been triggered.
The officer approached the building and observed broken glass in the hotel parking lot. The officer noted in the report it appeared the window had been broken from the inside of the building based on how the glass was shattered on the sidewalk.
OCPD officers determined the front entrance facing Baltimore Avenue to be unlocked. Officers set up a perimeter around the building and one officer observed a male walking west toward Baltimore Avenue. The suspect was identified as Harold Snead, 37, of no fixed address.
The officer noted because of the time of morning and the day of the week in the offseason there was other foot traffic in the area and there was no reason to be in the area of the hotel and its other buildings as it was closed.
The officer noted Snead had on no shoes or winter clothing, despite it being cold and raining. Snead had fresh blood on his arms and legs, which would be consistent with someone who recently broke a window, according to police reports.
When Snead observed the officer, he sprinted away despite orders from the officer to stop, according to police reports. Snead ran east onto the Boardwalk, but he was detained a short time later. He reportedly told the officers he had been released from jail that day and wanted the judge to hold him in jail and not release him. Snead was transported to the hospital for further evaluation.
At the hospital he was polite and cooperative toward the officers interviewing him. He told the officers “I smashed the window to get the help I need,” and “you should see what I did to that place,” according to police reports.
Snead had admitted being inside the building belonging to the hotel and causing extensive damage, according to police reports. OCPD officers inspected the damaged building and located a large, wooden desk with the drawers ripped off and the frame damaged with office supplies thrown around the room and plastic metal containers destroyed.
Two wooden doors were destroyed with one broken in half and the other ripped off its hinges any lying on the floor. Several broken wooden chairs were scattered throughout the building, three glass windows were shattered with the screens and blinds destroyed, according to police reports. Several computer chairs were damaged along with a computer monitor.
In addition, a printer was destroyed, and a microwave, toaster oven and coffee maker were all damaged along with other items damaged or destroyed. OCPD officers spoke with a representative from the hotel group that estimated the damage at around $5,000.
About an hour earlier, an OCPD officer had been dispatched to another nearby motel for a reported burglary which had already occurred. The officer spoke with the property manager, who reported maintenance staff had been working in one of the rooms and determined someone had been inside of a unit on the second floor. The worker found food, clothing and pile of paperwork with Snead’s name on it. There was no damage reported in that motel room. Snead was charged with third- and fourth-degree burglary, malicious destruction of property and malicious destruction of property scheme.
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Pedestrian Road Rage
OCEAN CITY- A local man was arrested last weekend following an alleged pedestrian-vehicle confrontation during which he chased and threatened to stab the driver.
Around 2:20 p.m. last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a residence at 33rd Street for a reported man with a knife. Ocean City Communications advised receiving multiple calls about a man later identified as Justin Radinsky, 28, of Ocean City, threatening to stab another male. Communications also advised they had spoken to Radinsky, who stated he did not have a weapon.
OCPD officer arrived and located Radinsky walking in the parking lot and he was detained, according to police reports. A frisk of Radinsky revealed no weapons on his person. Radinsky reportedly advised the officers he had been walking on Coastal Highway and was about to cross 33rd Street when a white SUV nearly struck him as it traveled west on 33rd Street.
Radinsky reportedly told police he yelled at the driver, who pulled into a parking garage. Radinsky said a confrontation and shouting match ensued and he did threaten to stab the driver, but he did not have any type of weapon with him at that time. Radinsky told police the vehicle lurched forward at that point, knocking him to the ground. The officer noted an abrasion on Radinsky’s cheek, but he did not require any medical attention.
Officers interviewed the driver, who told police he was stopped at a red traffic signal at 33rd Street and observed Radinsky on the sidewalk, but Radinsky made no attempt to cross the street. When the light turned green, the driver proceeded forward, and Radinsky was then immediately to the right of his vehicle.
The driver told police he continued through the intersection and pulled into his residence. The driver reportedly told police he saw Radinsky sprinting after him and continued to shout at him, including that he was going to stab him in the neck. Fearing Radinsky meant to do him harm, the driver got back into his vehicle and locked the doors.
The driver told police Radinsky approached the vehicle and began banging on the hood and the mirrors. Fearing Radinsky was attempting to gain entry into the vehicle, the driver attempted to pull away, but Radinsky kept moving in front of the vehicle, according to police reports.
The driver was ultimately able to pull away, and as he was driving off, he saw Radinsky fall over a parking curb as he was chasing the vehicle. A witness told police he heard yelling outside, including threats about stabbing someone. The witness also told police he observed Radinsky banging on the driver’s vehicle. Radinsky was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and malicious destruction of property.
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Jail Time for Squatting
OCEAN CITY- A local homeless man arrested for burglary in January after allegedly squatting in a vacant downtown condo unit pleaded guilty this week to fourth-degree burglary and was sentenced to 60 days, 18 days of which were then suspended.
Around 1:20 p.m. on January 25, 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 Alexis’ 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.