Wanted Man Arrested In OC
OCEAN CITY – A man wanted in Pennsylvania was arrested in Ocean City last weekend on drug charges.
On July 16, about 10:30 p.m., Ocean City police observed a 2023 Nissan Rogue around 17th Street and Baltimore Avenue. The vehicle had been identified by detectives as being potentially occupied by people wanted in Pennsylvania. One of the wanted individuals, Triston Butler, 20, of Pittsburgh, Pa., was being sought on firearm and reckless endangerment charges in the keystone state.
Police conducted a traffic stop after noticing Butler, a passenger, and the driver were not wearing seatbelts when they exited a hotel parking lot. Butler provided first a false name to police and was generally uncooperative. Police searched Butler and the bag he was carrying, locating a smaller bag with 71 Alprazolam pills and $3,547 in cash. Inside the trunk of the vehicle was another bag containing psilocybin mushrooms.
Butler was charged with possession of controlled dangerous substance schedule I (psilocybin mushrooms), possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule IV (Alprazolam), possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule IV (Alprazolam) with an intent to distribute, obstructing and hindering an officer, assuming the identity of another person to avoid identification, apprehension or prosecution and making a false statement.
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Two Men Assaulted
OCEAN CITY – An Eastern Shore man faces multiple charges this week after assaulting two individuals and damaging property.
On July 11, around 11 p.m., Ocean City Communications was notified of an active fight in the area of Robin Drive and Coastal Highway. A resort police officer observed upon arriving on the scene a male in distress crawling out of the back of a 2007 Ford Explorer. The man’s face was partially covered in blood with scratches and more blood on his legs. Police noticed the rear passenger window of the vehicle had been shattered. The man was identified as Trevor Rake, 29, of Salisbury.
Rake told police he was assaulted by an unknown man who hit him in the face with a concrete parking block. At one point, Rake, who was loud and uncooperative on the scene, admitted to being drunk and not remembering what transpired. Rake’s screaming of profanities caused a disturbance for others walking by in the general area.
Police spoke with the vehicle’s owner who told police she was walking to her vehicle after her shift at work when she saw Rake removing her vehicle’s trailer hitch and throwing it through the window of a nearby vehicle. When the other vehicle’s owner, an employee at a nearby amusement park, learned of the incident, he reportedly engaged in a fight with Rake. The employee and Rake had verbal arguments earlier in the evening over inappropriate use of an amusement ride, resulting in Rake threatening to damage the employee’s vehicle.
The employee said at some point Rake left the area, returning with a trailer hitch, which he threw at the employee. The hitch missed the man but caused a large hole in a shed on the amusement park’s property. After he was being told he could no longer be on the amusement park’s property, Rake kicked a different employee in the stomach before fleeing the scene. He was apprehended shortly after.
Rake was charged with two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of malicious destruction and disorderly conduct.
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Vehicle Theft Charges
OCEAN CITY – A West Virginia man was charged after taking off with his mom’s vehicle without her permission.
Around 8 p.m. on July 14, an Ocean City police officer conducted a registration check of a Hyundai Elantra at 21st Street and Baltimore Avenue. The officer determined the vehicle had been reported stolen from West Virginia.
As a result of the hit on the registration check, police stopped the vehicle and the driver, Jared Hawkins, 37, of Fairmont, W. Va., was arrested. The registered owner of the vehicle turned out to be the mother of Hawkins, but the woman told police she gave her son permission to only drive to Morgantown, W.Va. and return the vehicle the same day. When Hawkins did not return the vehicle by the next day, the woman reported it stolen to authorities.
Hawkins was found to not have a valid driver’s license, which had expired in 2016. During processing at the Public Safety Building, police found two identical dagger style fighting knives with blades approximately four inches in length.
For stealing the vehicle, valued at approximately $3,500, Hawkins was charged with theft of at least $1,500 but less than $25,000. He was additionally charged with possession of a fighting knife and a traffic citation for driving without a license.
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Assault, Trespassing
OCEAN CITY – Refusal to leave a bar as ordered, assaulting a taxi driver and battling with police officers resulted in five charges for a California man.
Ocean City police officers were conducting a mid-town R.A.A.M. (Reducing Alcohol Availability to Minors) detail just before midnight on July 14 when they were approached by a bar manager needing assistance with a guest who would not leave the premise. Police made contact with Bradford King, 31, of Panorama, Calif., and ordered him to leave the property.
King was seen engaging in a heated argument with a taxi driver, who advised police he was pushed by King during the dispute. When police approached King and ordered him to stop, the suspect fled the scene. Police officers were able to catch up with King and take him to the ground, but King refused to cooperate and prevented handcuffs from being closed. According to a police report, the officer, “utilized closed fist strikes to King, at which time we were able to place King into handcuffs.” The resistance continued, resulting in police utilizing a violent person restraint device. King continued screaming at a high level.
King was charged with second-degree assault, trespassing, disorderly conduct, failure to obey an officer and resisting arrest. A police background search revealed King was unable to be released on a criminal citation due to the non-qualifying charges of assault and resisting arrest.
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Weapons Violations
OCEAN CITY – A traffic stop led to police finding a loaded, unregistered gun in a vehicle last Saturday.
On July 15, about 1:15 a.m., an officer in a marked Ocean City police vehicle observed a white Ford Fusion around 21st Street and Coastal Highway traveling at a high rate of speed. When the vehicle stopped a traffic light on 23rd Street, a registration check on the vehicle found six jurisdictional violations from April 26, 2022 as well as a pickup tags order due to insurance compliance issues.
Daniel Vanriel, 24, of Cambridge, was identified as the driver during the traffic stop. A visual scan of the vehicle by police resulted in a black Glock gun box being seen on the passenger floorboard. When asked by police, Vanriel denied there being a gun in the box or in the vehicle. Vanriel was unable to provide license and registration information to the officer, saying his wallet was with a family member.
A search of the gun box found a magazine with 10 cartridges. Vanriel admitted to not having a handgun permit in Maryland nor any state. A further search of the vehicle found a loaded Glock handgun with one round in the chamber under the driver’s seat. The search also found four driver’s licenses issued to Vanriel – three licenses from Maryland and one from Louisiana. Police were able to determine Vanriel had one valid Maryland license and one valid Louisiana license. The gun was also found to not be registered in Maryland.
Vanriel was charged with two counts of transporting a loaded handgun in a vehicle and two counts of wearing, carrying and transporting a handgun on his person. Additionally, multiple traffic charges were filed, including carrying more than once license at a time.
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Disorderly Over Open Container
OCEAN CITY – Turning down repeated requests from police for identification and openly drinking alcohol on the Boardwalk resulted in a man being arrested last weekend.
On July 15, around 3:30 p.m., Ocean City police were alerted to a Boardwalk business on 2nd Street for a disorderly man who had been standing in front of the restaurant for about 20 minutes refusing to move on.
Police approached Travis Jackson, 32, of Washington, D.C. who was intoxicated and not cooperating with police. Jackson said because he was leaving the restaurant he did not need to provide police identification or answer questions. Jackson headed to the beach and about a half hour later was seen smoking a cigarette on the Boardwalk at 3rd Street with a red Solo cup in his hand. Police attempted to stop Jackson and issue him a civil citation for smoking on the Boardwalk. Jackson again refused to provide police with any information. Repeated refusals to provide identifying information to police led to Jackson’s arrest. Before police could apply handcuffs, Jackson attempted to finish the alcohol in his cup. Jackson then refused to allow police to search his shoes and continued to be combative and disturbing the peace.
Jackson was charged with open container possession and consumption, failing to provide proper identification to police, obstructing and hindering a police officer and disorderly conduct.
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Random Assault
OCEAN CITY – A Maryland man was apprehended and charged after sucker punching a stranger.
Around 3 a.m. on July 16, Ocean City police responded to 14th Street and the Boardwalk for a fight. As a police vehicle arrived on the scene, a black Mercedes-Benz was seen leaving the area at a high rate of speed traveling southbound.
On the Boardwalk, police met with a man who said he was walking through a hotel parking lot when Cesar Alonso, 23, of Severn, accused him of talking to his girlfriend and punched him in the face. The victim said Alonso knocked him to the ground and continued to punch him in the face multiple times. Police noted swelling to the victim’s face as well as a two-inch laceration under his left eye. The victim said Alonso left in the same black Mercedes-Benz that was seen speeding away from the area.
Police caught up to the vehicle at N. Division Street and attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the 7-Eleven parking lot. After initially not stopping, Alonso was questioned and admitted to not having a valid driver’s license. The victim confirmed Alonso assaulted him.
Alonso was charged with second-degree assault and traffic citations for driving without a license and failure to attach registration plates at front and rear of vehicle.