Charges For Smashed Pumpkin, Theft
OCEAN CITY – A local woman was arrested last week for allegedly first smashing a pumpkin as part of a Sunfest display and then stealing one before scrapping with police trying to arrest her.
Around 10:50 p.m. last Tuesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to the Inlet parking lot for a reported malicious destruction of property. Upon arrival, the officer observed a pumpkin smashed in the parking lot. Ocean City Communications provided a description of the suspect, later identified as Vivian Cooke, 53, of Ocean City.
The officer walked north on the Boardwalk in an attempt to locate Cooke, according to police reports. As the officer walked past Wicomico Street, he heard a female voice directing racial slurs toward a female at a nearby bar, according to police reports.
The officer asked the female toward whom the slurs were directed if she was disturbed by Cooke’s words and actions and she confirmed she was. Cooke was arrested at that point. The officer attempted to take Cooke into custody and observed she was carrying a pumpkin in her right hand. The officer noted the pumpkin appeared similar to the one observed smashed in the Inlet lot.
The officer also noted there was no place to buy a pumpkin in the area at that time and that there were similar pumpkins near the entrance to Sunfest just a block or two away, according to police reports. As the officer attempted to place Cooke in handcuffs, she reportedly twisted her body away and grabbed the officer’s shirt and body-worn camera.
While she continued to resist, Cooke was ultimately detained in handcuffs. Cooke reportedly continued to push and resist and scream obscenities as the officers attempted to walk her to the transport vehicle. While the officer was attempting to search Cooke’s bag, she continued to scream inside the vehicle and kick the doors of the vehicle, according to police reports.
Cooke was reportedly removed from the officer’s vehicle and moved to a transport van and she continued to resist, kicking the officer several times in the chest in the process. She was eventually subdued in the transport van. She was charged with theft of a pumpkin, malicious destruction of a pumpkin, second-degree assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace.
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Domestic Incident Leads To Replica Handgun Arrest
OCEAN CITY – A local man was arrested this week after police responding to a reported domestic incident located a replica handgun.
Around 5:20 a.m. on Monday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a reported domestic dispute in the area of 12th Street. Communications advised a couple had been arguing reportedly about the male cheating on the female and identified the room in which they were staying.
OCPD officers approached the apartment building and observed a male later identified as Shawn Wolfinger, 22, of Ocean City, exit the room in question and walk west on the balcony. As officers observed Wolfinger walk past a chair on the balcony, they heard a loud thump as if he had thrown something heavy on a chair, according to police reports.
Wolfinger then walked down a flight of stairs toward the officers. Officers reportedly asked Wolfinger if he had been in an argument and he told them he did not know what they were talking about and that he hadn’t been in the room in question, even though the officers had seen him exit the room. He told police he was just going out for a walk, according to police reports.
Wolfinger was allowed to keep walking because at that point, the officers did not have any tangible reason to detain him, according to police reports. The officers made their way up the flight of stairs to the room and on a chair on a landing they observed a tan and black pistol. The pistol did not have an orange tip and appeared as if it were a real pistol, according to police reports.
The pistol was located in the same area where the officers had observed Wolfinger and heard a loud thump earlier. The officers located Wolfinger, who was talking and shouting loudly, according to police reports. He was shouting so loudly that the officers had difficulty communicating with each other, according to police reports.
OCPD officers asked Wolfinger for his name and date of birth, but he reportedly refused to cooperate and disobeyed the request. Wolfinger continued to refuse to cooperate and told officers he only wanted to speak to the chief of police, according to police reports. At that point, he was placed under arrest.
As the initial officer was returning to the patrol car, yelling and banging could be heard from outside the suspect’s room. OCPD officers approached the female banging and yelling and she advised she had caught Wolfinger cheating on her with her neighbor. The female provided police with Wolfinger’s name, which is how they began to identify him.
When officers attempted to put Wolfinger in the transport vehicle, he continued to twist his body and resist. He was charged with obstructing and hindering and carrying a gun replica.
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Trespassing Leads To Disorderly Arrest
OCEAN CITY – A New York man was arrested last week after first getting trespassed from a downtown hotel and then screaming profanities from the street.
Around 6 p.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a hotel at 5th Street for a reported disorderly male. Communications reported the hotel manager advised the male, later identified as Patrick Tidridge, 45, of East Islip, N.Y., had previously caused destruction on the property had been seen in the area of the hotel.
The hotel manager advised they were following Tidridge as he began to walk away. The officer approached the manager, who advised he wanted to trespass Tidridge from the property. The officer located Tidridge standing in the middle of 9th Street shouting and using profanity, according to police reports.
As the officer approached, Tidridge reportedly through his belongings on the ground and raised both arms in the air. The officer advised Tidridge he had been formally trespassed from the hotel and if the returned to the property, he would be arrested for trespassing, according to police reports.
Tidridge reportedly started walking away from the scene very aggressively and began shouting and using profanity on the public sidewalk. The officer observed a man walking his dog at least 100 feet away stop and turn around to observe the commotion Tidridge was causing, according to police reports.
The officer noted in the report Tidridge had previously been involved in two other incidents. Based on Tidrige’s aggressive and loud behavior, he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
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Blacked Out At Bus Stop
OCEAN CITY – A Pennsylvania man was arrested last week after being found lying on the ground at a resort bus stop.
Around 6:50 a.m. last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to the area of 39th Street to assist with an EMS call. Ocean City Communications had received a call from an anonymous citizen about a male lying at the bus stop. Ocean City EMS arrived at the scene to evaluate the male, later identified as William Bupp, 51, of Drumore, Pa., according to police reports.
When the officer arrived, Ocean City EMS had Bupp seated in an upright position while supporting his back, according to police reports. EMS was eventually able to get Bupp seated on the bus stop bench. As the officer and EMS attempted to assist Bupp, he was very uncooperative and exhibited signs of intoxication and could not answer basic questions, responding only with profanity, according to police reports.
As the officer went back to his patrol vehicle, the officer could hear Bupp shouting profanities. The officer observed Bupp stand up, wobble from left to right and then fall, hitting the public bench. At that point, Bupp was arrested for intoxicated endangerment.
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Sunfest Intoxication
OCEAN CITY – A Toddville, Md., woman was arrested last weekend after allegedly throwing up while intoxicated in a Sunfest garbage can.
Around 5:45 p.m. last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was flagged down by a Sunfest vendor who advised an allegedly intoxicated woman later identified as Cynthia Clothier, 60, of Toddville, Md., was throwing up inside a garbage can at the festival. It was apparent Clothier was intoxicated and was using the garbage can to support herself.
Clothier was reportedly intoxicated to the point OCPD officers trying to assist her could not make sense of what she was saying. Ocean City EMS responded to check on her welfare. She was ultimately arrested and charged with disorderly intoxication and disorderly conduct.
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Jail Time for Protective Order Violation
OCEAN CITY – A local man arrested in September after allegedly slashing his ex-girlfriend’s bicycle tires pleaded guilty last week to violating a protective order and was sentenced to 90 days, all but 31 of which were suspended.
Around 5:40 p.m. on September 8, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a motel at 22nd Street for a reported violation of a protective order. Officers met with a female victim who advised a male she with whom she was familiar came to the hotel in which she was staying and slashed the tires of her bicycle, according to police reports. The victim reportedly told police he had a protective order against the suspect, identified as Adam Widener, 39, of Ocean City.
The witness, a hotel employee, told officers he watched the video surveillance and observed Widener slashing the tires of bicycles on a bike rack, according to police reports. The victim provided police with a protective order against Widener that had been issued in June.
The victim said despite the protective order, Widener had texted her at least six times and attempted to call her at least three times, according to police reports. Widener was located and arrested for malicious destruction of property, stalking and violating a protective order.
Last week, Widener pleaded guilty to violating a protective order and was sentenced to 90 days, 59 of which were suspended. He was also placed on supervised probation for two years upon his release.