Assault, Theft Charges
OCEAN CITY — A local man is being held without bond on first-degree assault after allegedly punching and strangling his girlfriend during a domestic dispute at a downtown apartment.
Around 4:40 p.m. Dec. 6, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to an apartment complex at 12th Street for a reported domestic assault that had resulted in a call for service. Upon arrival, officers met with a female victim who reported she had been assaulted by her boyfriend, later identified as Jeffrey Randall, 31, of Ocean City, who advised she had accused the suspect of infidelity and an argument had ensued, according to police reports.
The victim reportedly told police during the argument, Randall had struck her in the head, nose and body multiple times with a closed fist. Officers observed the victim’s injuries included a bloody nose and bruising to her right eye, according to police reports.
The victim told officers Randall then grabbed her neck with both hands and strangled her, according to police reports. The victim advised Randall had applied so much pressure that she “felt like her head was going to explode,” and she thought she was going to die, according to police reports.
The victim reportedly told officers she felt like she was going to go unconscious, but Randall then released his grip. The victim told officers she began to cry, and Randall covered her mouth so no one could hear her, according to police reports. The victim was transported to Atlantic General Hospital for treatment of her injuries and was released and sent home, according to police reports.
The victim owned two cellular phones, including a flip phone which Randall reportedly broke in half. Randall also took the victim’s iPhone and had not returned it. The victim advised she attempted to leave the residence to get help, but Randall would not let her exit. In the process, the victim’s cellphone was destroyed.
Randall was charged with first- and second-degree assault, malicious destruction of property and theft. He was initially ordered by a District Court Commissioner to be held without bond. Following a bail review hearing Dec. 12, he was ordered again to be held without bond.
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Downtown Assault Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A Baltimore woman was arrested on assault charges last week after allegedly punching her former boyfriend during an argument over money at a downtown motel.
Around 6:10 p.m. last Tuesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a hotel at 2nd Street for a reported domestic assault. The officer arrived and met the complainant, a male victim, sitting outside a unit on the first floor. The victim reportedly told police he had been arguing with a female friend, later identified as Tammy Becker, 57, of Baltimore, for the past few hours over money.
The victim reportedly told police he and Becker had been lying in bed and he turned the other way to separate himself from the argument. The victim told the officer Becker than began punching him in the ribs and back, according to police reports. Becker than punched the victim with a closed fist in the right side of his face, according to police reports.
The officer noted the victim did have red marks on the side of his face consistent with getting punched. He also had red marks in his rib cage area, according to police reports. The victim reportedly told the officer the marks on his face and ribs were caused by Becker hitting him.
The OCPD officer interviewed Becker inside the unit. Becker confirmed she had been arguing with the victim over money he had owed her for years, but said she never struck the victim and that his red marks were self-inflicted. The observed a fingernail on Becker’s right hand was broken off, but she claimed the broken nail was not sustained on that day. Based on the evidence, Becker was arrested and charged with second-degree assault.
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Traffic Stop Nets Heroin
OCEAN CITY — A Baltimore man was arrested for alleged possession of heroin last week following a routine traffic stop in the uptown area.
Around 11:25 p.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer observed a vehicle allegedly roll through a stop sign in the area of 94th Street. The officer observed the vehicle’s driver, later identified as Michael Neill, Jr., 32, of Baltimore, to be not wearing a seat belt. The officer observed the vehicle head south on Coastal Highway and conducted a traffic stop in the area of 85th Street.
The vehicle pulled into a convenience store at 85th Street and the officer conducted a traffic stop. Neill reportedly advised the officer he did not have a valid driver’s license and presented a Maryland identification card. Neill also advised the vehicle was a rental truck and he did not have a registration card for it, according to police reports.
Utilizing Neill’s identification card, the officer determined through a background check his driving privileges were suspended in Pennsylvania. The background check also revealed Neill was on probation in Maryland from a prior drug offense in Washington County, according to police reports.
The officer returned to his vehicle to issue the appropriate citations and advised Neill his vehicle was not going to be towed because it was in a valid parking space. Before the officer released Neill, however, he asked Neill if he could search his vehicle, a request to which Neill consented.
During the search, the OCPD officer located on the floor on the front passenger side a clear capsule containing suspected heroin. At that point, Neill was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
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Uptown Condo Assault
OCEAN CITY — A local man was arrested on second-degree assault charges last week after an alleged domestic incident at an uptown condominium.
Around 2:20 p.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a reported assault in the area of 65th Street. The officer arrived and met with a male individual, identified as Stephen Quinn, 50, of Ocean City, who advised he wanted to report an incident, but did not want it to cause his wife to get into trouble, according to police reports.
Quinn reportedly had abrasions and swelling on his forehead and told the officer the injuries were caused by his wife throwing a phone at him within the last hour. Quinn told the officer the incident happened at an uptown condominium at 115th Street. Quinn provided a unit number at the condo and OCPD officers responded to check on the welfare of his wife and child, according to police reports.
OCPD officers met with the condominium’s management staff who advised they did not know Quinn, but the unit number he provided was the only one in which they did not know who resided. While OCPD officers were on scene, Quinn walked through the parking lot and escorted the officers to a unit on the second floor.
Officers responded to the unit and met with Quinn’s wife, who advised she had been in an argument with Quinn while she was holding the couple’s three-month-old child. The victim reportedly told police Quinn hit her hand, causing her to drop her phone, according to police reports. The victim advised she picked up her phone and threw it at Quinn and retreated to a bedroom and locked herself in with the child.
The victim advised she feared for her life because of a repeated course of action with Quinn while they lived in California, according to police reports. Officers interviewed Quinn, who concurred the couple had been in an argument and he hit the victim’s phone out of her hand. Quinn repeated the victim had thrown the phone at him, striking him in the forehead. Based on the evidence, OCPD officers determined Quinn was the primary aggressor in the altercation and he was arrested and charged with second-degree assault.
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Malicious Destruction Probation
OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man, arrested in September after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and then trying to kick in the door to a motel room, pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property this week and was sentenced to 30 days, all of which was suspended.
Around 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 17, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a reported domestic assault and malicious destruction of property at a downtown motel at 5th Street. Officers met with the front desk clerk who reported a male in the parking lot, identified a Christopher Doyle, 47, of Palmyra, Pa., had been in an argument with his girlfriend and had kicked the door to their unit multiple times, according to police reports.
OCPD officers reportedly located Doyle in the parking lot. Doyle told police he had been in an argument with his girlfriend because she was jealous because he was talking to some other female and he left the room. When he returned to the room to retrieve his belongings, she had locked him out, which is when he kicked the door. Doyle denied any physical assault had occurred, according to police reports.
OCPD officers then spoke with the female victim, who advised she had been sleeping in the room and when she awoke, she went to the balcony and observed Doyle speaking to another female on the Boardwalk five floors below their room.
The victim told police an argument ensued when Doyle returned to the room. The victim told officers during the argument, Doyle grabbed her by her arms and pushed her on a bed, according to police reports. The victim reportedly told police she was able to leave the room and went to the front desk where the night clerk called the police.
The clerk also issued the victim two new coded room keys so Doyle could not return. The victim then went back to the room on the fifth floor and locked the door. She told officers Doyle returned, and when he found the door locked, he began kicking it hard multiple times. The front desk clerk told officers she could hear the noise from Doyle kicking the door from five floors below, according to police reports.
OCPD officer checked the door and found severe damage to it in the area on the handle side. There was also damage to the paint and surface of the door, according to police reports. The clerk estimated the value of replacing the door at around $2,500. Based on the evidence and testimony, Doyle was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and malicious destruction of property. After pleading guilty to malicious destruction of property, he was sentenced to 30 days, all of which was suspended. He was then placed on probation for 18 months.