Charles County
Threat of school violence investigated
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an alleged threat of violence made against Milton Somers Middle School students by another student.
The department announced the investigation in a press release on March 23 about the alleged incident that was reported the same day. According to the release, a student informed the school resource officer at the middle school that they were warned by another student not to come to school because he was going to “shoot it up.”
Deputies identified the student and made contact with their parents.
School administrators and the school resource officer are investigating and the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office will be contacted to review the case. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Officer Dooley at 301-609-3282.
Tips can also be made anonymously to the Charles County Public Schools tip line at 301-302-8305 or Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.
Reward offered for information on shooting case in White Plains
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of a suspect in a shooting case that took place on March 23.
According to a release from the sheriff’s office, deputies were called to the area of Continental Drive and Sandestin Place in White Plains at 3:03 p.m. for a report of the shooting that left a 17-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the arm.
Deputies rendered first aid and paramedics transported the man to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Johnson at 301-609-6453. Tipsters that wish to remain anonymous can do so by submitting tips to www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com or by using the P3Intel mobile app.
Two men, ages 23 and 27, arrested for shoplifting, car theft at mall
Two White Plains men were arrested on March 24 in alleged shoplifting incident in Waldorf.
Aloah Mohammed Wiley, 23, and Keefe Brasselle Blake Jr., 27, were both arrested and charged with two felonies for unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and theft between $1,500 and under $25,000 and two misdemeanor theft charges.
Charles County sheriff’s deputies were called to a department store in the 11100 block of Mall Circle in Waldorf for reports of a theft in progress.
Deputies were informed by a loss prevention officer that Blake and Wiley had been in the store placing items into shopping bags before transporting them to a silver Toyota Corolla.
The officer alleged that the two had stolen items from the store multiple times in the past.
Deputies also ran the vehicle identification number on the Corolla, which allegedly came back stolen through the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. The registration plate was allegedly flagged as stolen through Prince Georges’s County.
Both men are accused of stealing merchandise with a total value of $1,551.02 in the March 24 theft.
Virginia women accused of theft
Sherry N. Butler, 46, of Warsaw, Va., was charged with felony theft of $25,000 to under $100,000 on March 25.
According to charging documents, Butler was tasked to collect rent from tenants at a home in the 7300 block of St. Mary’s Avenue in La Plata to make mortgage payments at the request of the homeowner. While Butler allegedly collected payments of $2,100 a month, she is accused of failing to make payments to the mortgage servicer.
Butler is accused of stealing $53,670.42 in rent payments between June 2017 and March 2022. According to charging documents, Butler stated that she was not making payments due to a fight with a loan servicer over interest rates.
Butler also allegedly agreed to turn over banking information for the account holding the rental payments to the homeowner, but has since stopped returning calls to the homeowner.
In documents, the homeowner stated that they were made aware of the lapse in payments on Feb. 5 when the loan on the home was referred to an attorney for foreclosure.
DARRYL KINSEY JR.
St. Mary’s County
Bel Air man indicted for attempted rape
A 22-year-old Bel Air man was indicted on March 7 for attempted rape and felony and misdemeanor assault.
Zachary Thomas Liberto allegedly committed the crimes against the same woman on Feb. 20, according to the indictment. The four alleged assaults involved strangulation, biting her breast, biting her neck and slapping her buttocks.
A warrant was served on Liberto on March 22, according to the state courts website. He is being held in the St. Mary’s County jail. No bond information was available.
Liberto’s only other conviction is for underage possession of alcohol, which he pleaded guilty to on July 31, 2019, in Ocean City District Court. Liberto was placed on one year of unsupervised probation in that case.
Woman, man charged after fight
Julie Lynn Foley, 43, and Raymond Michael Terrell, 47, both of Leonardtown, face charges after a fight on March 22.
According to a charging document, Foley was arrested and charged with felony third-degree burglary and misdemeanor assault after she went to her former boyfriend’s apartment on Fenwick Street, forced the door open and began to attack Terrell. She allegedly hit him in the face.
After she was released on her recognizance on March 23, Foley swore out a complaint against Terrell for felony and misdemeanor assault. She said Terrell strangled her and pulled her hair out.
According to Foley’s charging document, both had visible injuries. Foley had red marks on her neck. Terrell had redness and swelling on his left cheek and a bloody nose. Terrell was issued a summons.
Lexington Park man charged with assault
Dimitri P. Brooks, 27, of Lexington Park was charged with felony and misdemeanor assault, disorderly conduct and violating a protective order.
According to a charging document, Brooks received a video via text of his ex-girlfriend being intimate with another man. Brooks went to her place of employment at Applebee’s in California on March 25 and allegedly grabbed the woman from behind and placed her in a choke hold.
After they were separated by two patrons, Brooks allegedly pushed one man and headbutted another. The woman had a small mark on her left arm. A one-year protective order has been served on Brooks in regard to the woman on Feb. 2. He was ordered held without bond on March 25.
Man, 30, charged with assault, theft
Jahlil Cooper, 30, of Lexington Park was charged with misdemeanor assault by a police officer after he allegedly punched his girlfriend on the side of the head on March 25 and bit her left hand, which left a bite mark, according to a court document.
The woman later swore out a felony theft charge against Cooper for stealing $5,799 from her bank account on March 26. According to a court document, the woman said Cooper had access to her laptop and transferred her tax return to his account, unlinked her email and changed her password.
The incidents allegedly occurred in their residence in the 21300 block of Foxglove Court. Cooper posted a $3,000 bond on the assault charge on March 26. He was issued a summons for the theft charge on March 28.
CALEB M. SOPTELEAN
Calvert County
Lusby man sentenced on sex charges
On March 25, James Eric Baugher, 56, of Lusby was sentenced in Calvert County Circuit Court by Judge Mark S. Chandlee to 30 years imprisonment for sex offenses that he allegedly committed over a seven-year period with a minor child.
According to a press release from the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office, Baugher will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 15 years of his sentence, at which point he will be 71.
Baugher will also be subject to lifetime supervision as a sex offender and lifetime registration on the sex offender registry.
According to court papers, the victim claims to have been abused by the defendant several times between the ages of 9 and 14. Investigation of the allegations was conducted by Detective Edward Yates of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office.
The case was prosecuted by Rebecca N. Cordero, senior assistant state’s attorney. According to court records, Baugher was represented by attorneys Michael Adams and Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles).
Dunkirk man indicted for road incident
A 20-year-old Dunkirk man was served a 25-count indictment on March 21 in connection with a Feb. 24 incident on Route 2/4.
Calvert police had received a report of a Chevrolet Cobalt traveling north across the Gov. Thomas Johnson Bridge at a high rate of speed and passing other vehicles. Calvert sheriff’s office Deputy Tony Tavares stated in court documents he stopped the vehicle in the area of Flag Ponds Road but the driver refused to cooperate and left the scene at a high rate of speed.
Tavares reported the Chevy nearly struck several vehicles before going out of control and striking a tanker. A handgun reportedly stolen from Anne Arundel County was located in the defendant’s vehicle.
The defendant, identified as Devon Tyler Lee, was indicted on three felony charges of assault and two weapons possession counts. Lee also was indicted for nine traffic citations.
The case is being prosecuted by Christopher J. Monte of the state’s attorney’s office. Since his arrest, Lee has been held at the Calvert County Detention Center on a no-bond status.
St. Mary’s man indicted for armed robbery at Dunkirk grocery bank
A Calvert grand jury handed down a five-count indictment against a 56-year-old St. Mary’s County man on March 21. The charges against Craig Steven Best Sr. of Mechanicsville stem from a reported armed robbery at the PNC Bank inside the Dunkirk Giant food store on Feb. 14. Felony counts in the indictment charge Best with armed robbery, robbery and first-degree assault.
According to a court-filed account by sheriff’s office Cpl. William Rector, “The suspect was not successful in obtaining any money from the teller. The teller stated she was in fear for her life during the robbery.”
A surveillance video image was released, numerous citizens provided investigators with tips and Best was apprehended at his home without incident the following day.
Best has been in the detention center on a no-bond status since his arrest. He is being represented by local attorney Ian Pesetsky. The case is being prosecuted by Benjamin G. Lerner of the state’s attorney’s office.
Two face drug distribution
On March 26, Calvert sheriff’s Deputy Adam Dymond conducted a traffic stop at Route 2/4 and Dares Beach Road after he saw a Hyundai Sonata make a left-hand turn on a red arrow. When Dymond approached the vehicle he detected the smell of burning marijuana. A search of the vehicle yielded nearly five pounds of suspected marijuana.
The driver, identified as Marvin Elton Carpenter, 40, of Washington, D.C., and the passenger, identified as Rahman Shabazz, 56, of the Bronx, N.Y., were both charged with possession of controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute and possession of over 10 grams of marijuana.
On Monday, both Carpenter and Shabazz were released from jail after each posted $200. A hearing on the charges will be held in district court on April 22.
MARTY MADDEN