Cops & Courts – July 22, 2022

Laundromat Assault Alleged

OCEAN CITY — A Princess Anne man was arrested last weekend after allegedly assaulting a woman in a downtown laundromat.

Around 3:35 a.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a downtown motel for a reported sexual assault that had already occurred. The officers met with a female victim who advised she had been doing laundry at a 24-hour facility at 28th Street by herself around 1:40 a.m., according to police reports.

The victim reportedly told police she was in the laundromat when she was approached by a male, later identified as Jayden Jones, 20, of Princess Anne, Md., who asked her what time it was, according to police reports. The victim said at first she made polite conversation with Jones, but he began to make sporadic utterances to himself and started to get close to her as she was doing her laundry, according to police reports.

Jones reportedly grabbed the victim’s phone, which was unlocked, and typed in an address in Princess Anne and told her he wanted to have sex and make her a real Marylander, according to police reports. Jones then continued to make sexual advances toward the female victim, according to police reports. The victim reportedly told Jones his advances were unwanted and that she had a boyfriend who was going to pick her up.

The victim then left the laundromat and began walking to meet her boyfriend, but Jones grabbed a bag of her laundry and followed her, insisting he was coming with her, according to police reports. The boyfriend arrived to pick up the victim and Jones reportedly jumped into the vehicle with the couple, despite being told he was not wanted. After arguing for several minutes, Jones did get out of the vehicle and the couple drove back to their motel where they called 911, according to police reports.

Around 5 a.m., OCPD officers observed Jones riding a bicycle in the area of 33rd Street and detained him. Jones admitted meeting a female at the laundromat earlier that morning and that they had a friendly conversation. When asked if he had pressed his private parts against the victim’s buttocks, Jones told officers if he did, and she let him do it, according to police reports. Jones changed his story multiple times during the interview, according to police reports. In the end, he was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, a fourth-degree sexual offense and indecent exposure among other charges.

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Hit-and-Run, Cop Assault

OCEAN CITY — A Baltimore man was arrested last week after two alleged hit-and-run incidents while intoxicated and later scrapping with cops trying to arrest him.

Around 2:30 a.m. last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a hotel at 36th Street for a reported hit-and-run. The caller advised police a vehicle driven by a driver later identified as Reginald Callaway, 34, of Baltimore, had crashed into a wall at a hotel and left the scene. Another witness reported observing Callaway crash into a fence at the hotel at 36th Street and continue driving, according to police reports.

An OCPD officer first on the scene located Callaway sitting in his vehicle in a parking spot on 35th Street with his feet out of the car and onto the street, according to police reports. The officer reported Callaway appeared to be slumped over and exhibited signs of intoxication, according to police reports. The officer reportedly asked Callaway if he would consent to field sobriety tests, but Callaway told police he would not because of his injured leg and that he used a cane, according to police reports. A witness identified Callaway as the driver and he was placed under arrest at that point for hit-and-run.

While searching Callaway, officer attempted to take his car keys from him, but he refused to give them up for several minutes, according to police reports. When OCPD officers attempted to walk Callaway to a transport vehicle, he reportedly refused to walk or even move, according to police reports.

When he continued to refuse to move, officers had to physically carry Callaway to a transport van. Once at the transport van, Callaway had to be physically pulled into the vehicle, but still tried to shimmy his way back out of it, according to police reports. During the process, he kicked at least three police officers. He was ultimately placed in a violent person restraining device and was transported for booking.

Once at the booking facility, Callaway continued to be uncooperative and screamed and yelled. He was ultimately secured in a cell. OCPD officers went back to Callaway’s vehicle to secure it and a search revealed a small baseball bat, a spring-assisted knife, a small amount of marijuana and an open container of alcohol. Callaway was charged with multiple counts of assault on police officers, hit-and-run, driving under the influence, resisting arrest and other charges.

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Two Arrested For Beach Fight

OCEAN CITY — Two Pennsylvania women were arrested on assault charges last week for an alleged physical fight on the public beach downtown.

Around 7:30 p.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling on the Boardwalk in the area of 7th Street was alerted by several citizens that there was an active fight between two females on the beach. The officer directed his attention to the beach and observed two females, identified as Monica Clapper, 26, of Cooks Forest, Pa., and Kendra McNaughton, 33, of Rimersburg, Pa., actively engaged in a fight on the beach at 7th Street, according to police reports.

The officer reportedly observed the two suspects on the ground on the beach slapping each other with open palms. The officer reportedly heard Clapper vowing to kill McNaughton, according to police reports. There were reportedly numerous families on the beach with young children at the time of the altercation. Clapper and McNaughton were each arrested and charged with second-degree assault and affray.

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Punched Out While Driving

OCEAN CITY — An Owings Mills, Md. woman was arrested last week after allegedly punching out her boyfriend while he was driving a vehicle and then providing false identification information to police.

Around 8:45 p.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling in the downtown area conducted a routine traffic stop in the area of 1st Street. As the officer approached the vehicle, he detected an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the passenger compartment, according to police reports.

The officer interviewed the driver, who reportedly told police he had two cocktails over the course of about two hours at a downtown bayfront bar. The officer asked if the driver would consent to field sobriety tests and he complied, ultimately passing the tests to the officer’s satisfaction, according to police reports.

The officer observed swelling and redness on the driver’s face, according to police reports, and the officer asked the driver about his injuries. The driver agreed to speak with the officer and told police he had been at the downtown bayfront bar with his female acquaintance, identified as Tanya Avery, 37, of Owings Mills, Md. The driver reportedly told the officer he and Avery began arguing during dinner and the argument continued when the couple got in their vehicle, according to police reports.

The driver reportedly told police the couple had been staying at a hotel in Cambridge and came to Ocean City for the evening. When the argument continued in the vehicle, the driver told officers Avery began shouting profanities at the driver and began to strike him in the face with a series of closed-fist strikes as least four times according to police reports.

OCPD officers interviewed Avery, who corroborated a similar version of the incident. OCPD officers reportedly observed an open container of alcohol in the console of the vehicle, which reportedly belonged to Avery. During the interview, Avery identified herself as Keisha Avery and said she had no middle name, according to police reports. Based on the evidence and testimony, Avery was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, making a false statement to police and an open container violation.

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Suspended Sentence For Trashing Residence

OCEAN CITY — A local man, arrested in April after trashing a residence from which he was being evicted and stealing items from the residence, pleaded guilty last week to malicious destruction of property and was sentenced to 30 days, all of which was suspended.

Around 5 p.m. on April 7, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a residence on 33rd Street for a reported theft that had occurred. The officer reportedly met with the female complainant, who advised she was in the court process of evicting her tenant, identified as Robert Hill, 71, of Berlin.

The property owner provided paperwork stating Hill had to be off the property by April 7, according to court reports. The victim said she went with her friends to the residence to clean it up, but noticed Hill had not yet vacated the premises. The victim told Hill to pack his things and leave, and Hill reportedly packed a backpack and left.

The victim invited OCPD officers into the unit to show them the damage and advise what items had been stolen. The victim told police that Hill had previously admitted breaking into a nearby restaurant and stealing two bottles of liquor, according to a supplemental police report.

The victim showed the officers a back room that she had kept locked to hold other personal items. The door had a big hole in it and the door knob was broken, according to police reports. The victim provided police with a detailed account of everything that had been damaged or stolen, including a picture frame, the broken bedroom door, an oak kitchen table that had been left out in the elements, a refrigerator with chipped paint and all of the shelves missing, two closet doors missing, and a bunk bed mattress missing, among other things.

The victim also told police she had an antique wooden clock in the unit that Hill allegedly stole. The victim was able to provide evidence that Hill had attempted to sell the antique clock on Facebook Marketplace. OCPD officers located Hill a short time later in the area of Worcester Street and placed him under arrest for theft and malicious destruction of property. Last Friday, in addition to the suspended sentence after the guilty plea, Hill was also placed on probation for 18 months.