Cops & Courts – June 10, 2022

Items Tossed Off Balcony

OCEAN CITY — A Virginia man was arrested last week on multiple counts of indecent exposure after allegedly throwing glass and porcelain items from a north-end condo balcony, causing damage to vehicles and a large window below.

Around 2:45 a.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to an uptown condominium building for a report of an individual throwing objects from a balcony. The officer met with the complainant, who advised he was alerted by an individual from a neighboring condo building at the individual had walked out of a balcony on the 10th floor at his building and had thrown a glass bottle into the parking lot below.

The officer reportedly observed glass scattered around numerous areas of the parking lot with several obvious impact areas from glass bottles, porcelain plates and cups within close proximity to numerous vehicles, according to police reports.

The officer reportedly observed one vehicle with a smashed rear window. The vehicle had a hole in its rear window and inside the officer observed pieces of shattered glass from the window and a broken portion of a white coffee cup inside. OCPD officers also observed another vehicle with a smashed windshield and a dent on the roof and located a broken cell phone nearby, according to police reports.

OCPD officers also observed broken glass in another area of the parking lot, the largest piece of which identifying it as a broken bottle of Crown Royal liquor, according to police reports. In an outside, second-level patio area, OCPD officers observed numerous pieces of broken glass and porcelain scattered about it. The officers were able to determine the broken porcelain was from a plate.

On the same patio, OCPD officers observed a large window of the building that was shattered, but still intact, according to police reports and it appeared a broken piece of porcelain in the area had caused the large window to break. OCPD officers interviewed the occupants of the room in question, and each, except for Jacob Stachray, 19, of Vienna, Va., reported they had been asleep. One of the occupants reported Stachrya was the only one awake and on the balcony prior to the officers’ arrival and that he had observed Stachrya throw his cell phone from the balcony, according to police reports.

Stachrya initially told police he had nothing to do with the objects in the parking lot. He then told officers he had been eating a piece of cake, and had accidentally dropped the plate from the balcony. Finally, Stachrya took responsibility for all of the broken objects in the parking lot.

Based on the distance between the balcony and the broken objects on the ground and the damage they had caused, OCPD officers determined the objects had been thrown maliciously. Stachrya identified the cell phone officers had found on the ground as his. Other occupants in the condo identified the pieces of broken glass and porcelain as items belonging the unit. Stachrya was arrested and charged with multiple counts of malicious destruction of property.

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Vehicle Theft Thwarted

OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested on motor vehicle theft and other charges last week after fleeing from a routine traffic stop in the downtown area.

Around 2:40 p.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer assigned to a traffic detail in the downtown area observed a male suspect, later identified as Denver Kalenevitch, 18, of Elizabethtown, Pa., operating a vehicle while utilizing his cell phone. The officer placed himself in front of the vehicle and waved Kalenevitch to pull over, according to police reports.

The officer asked Kalenevitch for his license and registration, but he could not immediately produce the documents. The suspect advised police he did not have his driver’s license on his person, and the vehicle belonged to the mother of one of his passengers, according to police reports.

The officer gathered information from Kalenevitch and his passengers and went back to his patrol vehicle to process the information. While the officer was in his vehicle processing the information, he heard the distinct sound of tires squealing coming from the direction of his traffic stop. Another officer on the scene asked the initial officer if the vehicle he pulled over had been cleared, and the initial officer advised it had not, according to police reports.

Kalenevitch and his juvenile passenger had pulled away from the traffic stop and turned north on Baltimore Avenue, according to police reports. OCPD officers on the scene broadcasted a description of the vehicle, to no avail.

The OCPD officer was able to determine the vehicle was registered to a car rental company in Harrisburg, Pa. When the rental company was contacted, it was learned the vehicle in question was not currently rented to anyone and should have been in the company’s lot in Harrisburg, according to police reports.

Ultimately, the officer was able to make contact with Kalenevitch and the juvenile passenger and they returned to Ocean City to turn themselves in. OCPD officer stopped the vehicle in the area of 65th Street and took Kalenevitch into custody, according to police reports.

In subsequent interviews, the juvenile reportedly told police Kalenevitch had been in possession of the stolen rental car for the last few days. The juvenile told police Kalenevitch had observed the vehicle was unlocked with the key fob inside and had taken the vehicle, according to police reports.

However, Kalenevitch reportedly told police it was the juvenile who had taken the vehicle from the rental company and that he didn’t know anything more about it. Kalenevitch was ultimately charged with theft, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and traffic violations.

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Sisters Allegedly Gang Up On Victim

OCEAN CITY — Two Rockville sisters were arrested last week after allegedly ganging up on one of their boyfriends during a domestic incident at a downtown hotel.

Around 3:40 a.m. last Wednesday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a hotel at 30th Street for a reported domestic dispute. Hotel staff reported they had heard yelling and banging coming from a room on the fourth floor, according to police reports.

Upon arrival, OCPD officers met with hotel staff, who said a male involved in the domestic incident had left the area. OCPD officers located the male a short time later, and he was upset and crying with fresh scratch wounds on his neck and arm, according to police reports.

The male reportedly told police he was at the hotel with a group and got into an argument and left the room. The male reportedly told officers nothing had happened, but when pressed further, he told police his girlfriend, identified as Cindy Padilla, 22, of Rockville, Md., and her sister, identified as Jacqueline Padilla, 25, also of Rockville, had grabbed him during the argument and were attempting to prevent him from gathering his belongings and leaving the room.

The victim reportedly told police the two sisters had ganged up on him and that he had enough and just wanted to leave. He told police during the altercation, one of the sisters grabbed the chain around his neck and yanked on it to the point it broke off, according to police reports. The victim had marks from the chain on his neck.

The victim told police he was able to grab a lamp and a nightstand and throw the objects, but not in the direction of the two sisters. He told police he left the room and only wanted to leave and get a ride to Salisbury, according to police reports.

OCPD officers interviewed Cindy and Jacqueline Padilla and determined Cindy was intoxicated.

According to police reports, Jacqueline Padilla told officers she was a nurse and really didn’t want to get involved in the domestic situation. However, she was invasive in her answers and officers determined she was deliberately obstructing and delaying their investigation of the incident. Jacqueline Padilla was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, obstructing and hindering, and malicious destruction of property. Cindy Padilla was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and malicious destruction of property.

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Weed, Indecent Exposure

OCEAN CITY — A Washington, D.C. man was arrested last week after getting pulled over for traffic violations and being found with marijuana in his vehicle and urinating on a public street.

Around 2:50 a.m. last Thursday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers patrolling in the downtown area reportedly observed a vehicle not displaying lit taillights or lit tag lights performing an unsafe lane change and nearly striking another vehicle. A traffic stop was conducted and OCPD officers approached the vehicle and observed a metal tray on the back seat of the vehicle and detected a strong odor of suspected marijuana coming from the vehicle, according to police reports.

OCPD officers ordered the driver, later identified as Antonio Bruce, 21, of Washington, D.C., out of the vehicle. A search revealed a clear, plastic bag containing marijuana in the driver’s side door pocket and another bag of marijuana in the glove compartment, along with the metal tray on the back seat. The amount of marijuana found in the vehicle was in excess of 10 grams, according to police reports.

Bruce was arrested at that point for possession of more than 10 grams of marijuana. While officers were searching Bruce, he pulled down his pants, exposing himself to officers, and urinated on the public street, so an additional indecent exposure charge was tacked on.