Strong-Armed Robbery Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Salisbury man is being held without bond after resort police were able to connect him to a strong-armed robbery in Ocean City earlier this month.
Around 4:50 a.m. on Nov. 4, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to the area of 12th Street for a reported strong-armed robbery that had already occurred. Officers met with a male victim who advised he had been released from police custody at the Public Safety Building on an unrelated matter around 3:15 a.m. The victim reportedly advised he walked to his residence at 12th Street and grabbed his wallet and cell phone and went to a convenience store at North Division Street to buy cigarettes.
At the convenience store, the victim observed a suspect later identified as Deangelo Townsend, 33, of Salisbury, talking with the clerk. The victim left the convenience store and began walking back to his residence at 12th Street, according to police reports. The victim reportedly told officer he was approached from behind by Townsend in the area of 6th Street.
The victim told police Townsend approached him and said, “give me everything you have or I’m going to kill you,” according to police reports. The victim reportedly advised Townsend had his hands in the front pouch of his hooded sweatshirt, and although he never saw a weapon, he believed Townsend was in possession of a weapon.
The victim reportedly told police he was in possession of his wallet, containing roughly $130 in currency, and his cell phone, an iPhone 14. The victim reportedly gave Townsend his wallet and cell phone, and after realizing the importance of his wallet, he snatched it back but did not recover the $130 in currency.
The victim then ran north until he found a police officer. The victim told the officer he ran out of his shoes when fleeing the scene and they could find the crime scene by finding his shoes. A Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputy located the victim’s shoes in a parking lot at 6th Street, according to police reports.
OCPD officers interviewed the clerk, who advised the victim was a regular customer but that she did not recognize Townsend. The clerk told the officers she could not access the surveillance footage, but the manager would be on duty around 8 a.m., according to police reports.
Police viewed City Watch surveillance footage and observed the victim leaving the convenience store. The City Watch footage also showed Townsend leaving and following behind the victim, according to police reports. OCPD detectives followed up and interviewed the store manager, who advised he recognized Townsend as a former employee. The store’s video footage confirmed Townsend allegedly followed the victim and robbed him of his belongings, according to police reports.
An arrest warrant was issued for Townsend, who was taken into custody on Nov. 8 through a joint effort by the OCPD Patrol Division, Special Enforcement Unit and Narcotics Unit. Townsend has been charged with robbery, assault, and multiple counts of theft. Townsend had a bail hearing on Nov. 9 and was ordered to be held without bond.
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Traffic Stop Nets Drug Bust
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania woman was arrested last weekend after a search following a routine traffic stop revealed various quantities of methamphetamine and paraphernalia.
Around 12:45 a.m. last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer patrolling in the midtown area conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for not obeying lane markings and for not having rear license plate lights illuminated. The officer made contact with the driver, identified as Kathy McQuait, 53, of Six Mile Run, Pa.
The officer observed a child in the rear seat of the vehicle, according to police reports. When the officer made contact with McQuait, she appeared to be extremely nervous and was sweating profusely, despite the cool November temperature at the time of the traffic stop. McQuait told police she and her juvenile granddaughter were out looking for shells and that there were no drugs in the vehicle, according to police reports.
McQuait was reportedly nervous and told the officer no drugs would be found in the vehicle. She then told police someone else had been driving the vehicle and left drugs in it, according to police reports. McQuait consented to a search of the vehicle and told the officer she had methamphetamine in her purse, according to police reports.
The search revealed a glass container of methamphetamine, another small container of methamphetamine, a glass smoking device with meth on both ends of it, and a rolled-up dollar bill containing methamphetamine along with a fast-food restaurant straw cut in half with meth residue on it. McQuait was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine.
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Arrest After Disturbance
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania woman was arrested last week after allegedly causing a disturbance at a downtown restaurant.
Around 7:20 p.m. last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a restaurant at 31st Street for a reported disorderly female. Upon arrival, the officer was met by an unidentified male who advised the officer to hurry up, according to police reports. The clearly distraught male advised a female inside, later identified as Gayle Brody, 66, of Jeanette, Pa., was causing a lot of problems in the restaurant and scaring people, according to police reports.
The officer observed Brody sitting at a table in the restaurant and speaking with an employee. Brody saw the officer and said, “Oh God, sit down officer,” according to police reports. The officer did sit down and asked Brody what the problem was, according to police reports. Brody reportedly turned toward another table of guests and appeared angry and told them “You better stop,” according to police reports.
Brody reportedly told the officer she needed to pay her check and the officer offered to assist her. When asked why she was upset, Brody reportedly said “I spent $500 here and I had a great time and now they’re done, like, you know,” according to police reports. Brody grabbed a pen from the table and stood up aggressively and got in the officer’s face, according to police reports.
As the officer attempted to de-escalate the situation, Brody continued to act aggressively and the other guests around her were disgusted and appalled, according to police reports. Another OCPD officer arrived on scene and Brody said, “Oh now we got the whole troops coming,” and “There are going to be five more coming. Shut up,” according to police reports.
The restaurant owner approached Brody and told her she needed to leave right then. Brody stood up and got directly in an officer’s face and yelled that she needed to pay her check. Brody then approached a nearby table aggressively before sitting back down in her chair and refusing to leave, according to police reports.
OCPD officers eventually escorted Brody out of the restaurant and the other guests cheered as they did so, according to police reports. When Brody reportedly told officers, “Oh, you guys are so [expletive deleted] stupid,” she was arrested for disorderly conduct and trespassing.
While in handcuffs, Brody reportedly began kicking OCPD officers and remained aggressive and combative during the process. Brody was placed in a non-transport vehicle until a transport vehicle arrived. Once in the transport vehicle, Brody continued to yell and scream and kicked the seats and the rifle rack within the vehicle, according to police reports.
She then kicked an OCPD officer in his genitalia and yelled “Boom” as she did so, according to police reports. She was charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct, and multiple counts of second-degree assault on law enforcement. According to police reports, Brody had appeared in court just a day earlier for multiple counts of second-degree assault on OCPD officers and disorderly conduct and obstructing and hindering. In that case, she was found guilty of disorderly conduct.
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Brotherly Love Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Gaithersburg, Md. man was arrested last weekend after allegedly punching out his brother at a downtown residence.
Around 10 p.m. last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a residence on Dorchester Street for a welfare check. Ocean City Communications advised the situation started as a 911 call hang-up but had become an incident of an individual banging on a door, according to police reports.
The complainant reportedly told the 911 call-taker someone was banging on his door, and he did not know who it was. The victim later told the 911 operator the person banging on his door was his brother, identified as Allan Garcia Sanchez, 32, of Gaithersburg, Md.
The officer arrived and heard banging from the south side of the apartment building. The officer made contact with Garcia Sanchez, who advised he lived in the apartment with his brother and his cousin, who would not open the door. Garcia Sanchez told police he did not have anywhere else to stay, according to police reports. Garcia Sanchez appeared intoxicated, according to police reports.
The officer met with the victim, who had blood dripping from his face and hands, along with a golf ball-sized lump on his forehead, according to police reports. The victim reportedly told the officer he had been in a fight with Garcia Sanchez just prior to the officer’s arrival.
The victim told the officer the altercation began when Garcia Sanchez had started a small fire in the apartment just for fun, according to police reports. When the victim told Garcia Sanchez to put the fire out, he “exploded,” according to police reports. The victim first refused medical attention from Ocean City EMS, but then agreed to be checked out.
During a subsequent interview, Garcia Sanchez reportedly told police the victim had fallen and that he and his cousin were lying. Based on the evidence, Garcia Sanchez was arrested for second-degree assault. During the booking process, officers noted Garcia Sanchez’s knuckles on his right hand appeared red and swollen. Garcia Sanchez reportedly told booking officers his dominant hand was his right hand, according to police reports.