Skateboarder Injured
BERLIN – A local teen was injured while skateboarding last weekend.
On Oct. 6 around 8 p.m., the Berlin Police Department was dispatched to the intersection of Route 113 and Route 376 in reference to a collision between a young male on a skateboard and a vehicle.
The investigation revealed the 16-year-old male from Berlin was attempting to cross the intersection on the skateboard against the signal. The vehicle driven by a 71-year-old Berlin man was traveling southbound on Route 113 with a green signal when the skateboarder went into the pathway of the motor vehicle. A witness confirmed the same account as the driver and his occupant. The skateboarder was not wearing a helmet during the incident. The skateboarder was then transported to Atlantic General Hospital and subsequently flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore with non-life-threatening injuries. The young teen was treated and released the next morning. The occupants of the vehicle were not injured during the incident. No charges will be filed against the teen.
The Berlin Police Department advises that helmets should be worn during biking and skateboarding, and it is advisable not to cross major highways while on skateboards or other play vehicles.
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90 MPH In 30 MPH Zone
OCEAN CITY – A Maryland teen was hit with 27 traffic offenses after an incident in north Ocean City when he was cited for driving at a speed three times the legal speed limit.
On Oct. 7, at approximately 11:50 p.m., Ocean City police observed a motorcycle driving southbound on Coastal Highway at 118th Street during a special event zone weekend. The 1998 Red Honda Super Hawk was being driven recklessly by Cameron Schlough, 18, of Abington, Md. Schlough was driving the motorcycle with its front wheel in the air creating an excessive amount of noise, according to the police report. Police attempted to pull the motorcycle over at 56th Street, but Schlough did not immediately comply despite the emergency lights. Schlough then drove in between cars at a high rate of speed. Police did not chase Schlough due to the congested area. Police caught up to Schlough around 49th Street before he again drove off through a parking lot at a high rate of speed.
Around 41st Street, Schlough left his motorcycle in a handicap parking space and fled on foot. The motorcycle’s registration was found to be invalid. Schlough was found walking on Coastal Highway on 45th Street.
Once police apprehended Schlough, he agreed to speak to police after being read his Miranda Rights. Schlough admitted to being “foolish or idiotic” with his actions, according to the police report. Schlough said he fled because he knew his motorcycle was not legal. He admitted to doing wheelies because he was asked to by a crowd along Coastal Highway. Schlough also admitted to driving 90 mph in a posted 30 mph zone. A records search found Schlough did not have a motorcycle license.
Schlough was charged with 27 total traffic offenses, including exhibition driving, negligent driving, operating an unregistered vehicle, fleeing police and speeding.
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Condo Unit Burglary
OCEAN CITY – A north-end condominium unit was found burglarized last week but the suspect was quickly apprehended.
On Oct. 3, around 7:30 p.m., the Ocean City Police Department was alerted to a reported breaking and entering at a condominium on 127th Street. Police arrived and met with a condominium unit owner who said she and her daughter advised their residence was out of place including food and drinks consumed on the kitchen table. The unit owner said there were liquor bottles, a shattered phone, used napkins and a phone charger on the counter that did not belong to her. The victim also told police a container of pina colada mix and iced tea in a pitcher on the counter was not hers either.
Further investigation inside the unit found items and bags that did not belong to the owners. Additionally, the owners reported a sliding door being unlocked and the shades open.
As police were investigation, a male, Christopher Yost, 48, of Reedsburg, Wis., came to the unit. Yost said he was inside the unit earlier in the day looking for a tool left behind during a previous tile project. Yost told police he had a key to the unit that he found inside a storm door that he used while working on the unit.
After not being able to find his tool, Yost told police he remained inside the unit and confessed to eating the pickles and other food found on the counter with his girlfriend. The contractor who did the tile work told police Yost no longer worked for him and in fact was terminated during the project at the unit in question. The unit owners confirmed Yost was not granted permission to be inside the unit.
Yost was charged with first-, third- and fourth-degree burglary, trespassing and theft less than $100.
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Exhibition Driving Charge
OCEAN CITY – A Maryland man was charged with exhibition driving last week for spinning wheels in a special enforcement zone.
On Oct. 7, around 9:30 p.m., Ocean City police were on uniform marked patrol around 32nd Street during a designed special enforcement zone for the vehicle special event. Enhanced fines and penalties are in place for motor vehicle incidents during the zone’s enactment.
A crowd of people were observed along Baltimore Avenue moving in and out of traffic talking with motorists. The crowd was encouraging motorists to spin out along the roadway. The police report noted, “one man was spinning his arms in a circular motion, inciting vehicles to spin their tires.”
Police observed a red Chevrolet Silverado stopped in front of the group, revving its engine, spinning tires and creating a cloud of smoke. The officer pulled the vehicle over. The driver was identified as Dillon Davis, 28, of Hurlock, Md. Davis told the officer he was unaware of the special event zone designation, responding “someone told him to” to a question of why he was driving in a reckless fashion. A computer search revealed Davis had been stopped in October of 2019 and received a citation for a similar offense of spinning tires. Davis was also stopped in May of 2023 for the same offense.
Davis was charged with exhibition driving and negligent driving.
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Mushroom Arrest
OCEAN CITY – A traffic stop in downtown Ocean City last week led to drug possession charges for the motorist.
On Oct. 5, an Ocean City police officer observed a Mazda 3 make an unsafe lane change and turn on Baltimore Avenue near 1st Street and then run a red light.
Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer noticed the smell of burning marijuana. The officer asked for the motorist’s license, insurance information and registration, and the driver, later identified as Kaylee Balzanna, 20, of Rosedale, said she did not have either with her and refused to look in the glove box for either.
A registration check on the license plate revealed it was registered to a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta and expired in 2017. Balzanna told police she bought the vehicle off Facebook Marketplace, reporting her ex-boyfriend put the tag on the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed as a result of the lack of insurance and registration. An inventory of the vehicle found a backpack on the front passenger seat containing a bag of psilocybin mushrooms.
Balzanna was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule I (psilocybin mushrooms). She was also given multiple traffic citations, including driving without the required supervision for a learner’s permit.
Assault Charges
OCEAN CITY – A Delaware man faces assault charges after allegedly harassing a homeless woman on the Boardwalk.
On Oct. 5 around 3 a.m., an Ocean City police officer was alerted to an assault that had occurred near the Boardwalk at 27th Street. The assault was reportedly recorded on the City Watch camera system.
The female reportedly was sleeping on a Boardwalk bench when three males began harassing her. The woman said the same men had poured sand on her on the beach a few nights earlier.
On the night in question, one of the men poured a beer on her and her belongings while she slept. She said the men also threw sand on her repeatedly. Later in the evening, the three men were believed to be part of an attempt to break into hotel rooms. The men were identified through the City Watch program.
The investigation revealed that Ryan Howell, 18, of Seaford, Del., had assaulted the woman “on three separate occasions, two times acting alone and once in a group,” according to the police report.
Howell was later connected to a disturbing the peace complaint filed at a local hotel. Howell had apparently been with a group of friends conducting “ding dong ditch” pranks on rooms. He was then charged with three counts of second-degree assault.
Howell told police he was staying in Ocean City for a week and met two other individuals. The group began hanging out and Howell admitted to harassing the homeless woman. The police reporting stated, “Howell began to laugh and grin” when being told he was seen on video footage assaulting the woman. The report stated, “Howell began to laugh and smirk while saying he ‘dumped some tea on her.’”