Open Beer Leads To Pot Arrest

Open Beer Leads To Pot Arrest
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BERLIN – A Berlin man was arrested on marijuana possession
charges last week after police officers observed him walking down the street
with an open beer.

Around 11:15 last Friday, Berlin Police on routine patrol
observed a man, later identified as Tyrone Briddell, 41, of Berlin, walking
down Flower Street with an open beer can, a municipal infraction in the town of
Berlin. The officers stopped Briddell, and after a background check, informed
the suspect he had an open warrant for failure to pay a fine.

Police arrested Briddell for the warrant and during a
subsequent search found a bag of marijuana in his right shoe and possession of
marijuana charges were tacked on. Briddell was taken into custody and later
released on his own recognizance.

Boardwalk Assault Nets 60 Days

OCEAN CITY – A Pennsylvania man arrested last June for
assaulting a man on the Boardwalk pleaded guilty last week in District Court to
disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

On June 10 of last year, Ocean City Police Department
(OCPD) officers on plain-clothes patrol in the area of 18th Street
and the Boardwalk witnessed a fight in progress. As the officers approached the
scene to break up the fight, they observed one of the combatants, later identified
as Iszac Dallar, now 20, of Greensburg, Pa., and another suspect approach a man
and strike him with a closed fist.

According to police reports, the victim subsequently fell
to the ground and the suspects continued to assault him by kicking him. As
officers got closer to the scene and identified themselves as police, the
suspects fled the area. One OCPD officer waited with the victim while the other
pursued Dallar and the other suspect. Shortly thereafter, OCPD officers
arrested both men for assault. Last week in District Court, Dallar pleaded
guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Purse Thrower Gets 10 Days

SNOW HILL – A Berlin woman arrested on disorderly conduct
and resisting arrest charges in March, after a pair of incidents during which
she threw her purse at a police car and later an ambulance, pleaded guilty last
week in District Court to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 10 days in
jail.

A little after noon on March 10, Berlin Police received
several complaints about a female suspect throwing her purse at passing
vehicles near the health department. One of the vehicles, a Life Star
ambulance, was not damaged. When police arrived on the scene, they found a
woman, later identified as Lisa M. Harris, 44, of Berlin, sitting on top of
large trashcan and yelling profanities.

After police made several attempts to get Harris to stop
being disorderly and get off the trashcan, she began to strike and punch a bus
stop window next to the trashcan on which she was sitting. She was eventually
removed from the trashcan and placed under arrest. Several days prior to the
incident, Harris was cited for throwing her purse and hitting a police cruiser
as it drove past her.

Last week in District Court, Harris pleaded guilty to
disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 10 days in jail. She was also fined
$200.

Rape Suspect Nabbed In Virginia

POCOMOKE – A Virginia man was arrested on first-degree
rape charges this week after an alleged brutal attack on a woman in Pocomoke.

Around 5 a.m. on Monday, Pocomoke Police responded to the
Meadows Apartments for a reported rape and assault. The victim told police her
ex-boyfriend, identified as Sherrick Martell Handy, 21, of Horntown, Va.,
forced his way into her apartment where he sexually and physically assaulted
her.

Because of the severity of the attack, Pocomoke Police
contacted Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) detectives to assist
with the investigation and apprehension of Handy. As a result of the
information provided by the victim and the WCBI investigation, an arrest
warrant was issued for Handy and he was subsequently arrested in Accomack
County, Va. As of late this week, Handy was awaiting extradition to Worcester
County.

Cocaine Bust Nets Jail Time

BERLIN – A Berlin man arrested in February on various drug
charges after being found with a substantial amount of cocaine during a traffic
stop pleaded guilty to possession last week in District Court and was sentenced
to 60 days in jail.

Around 11:43 p.m. on February 26, Berlin Police on patrol
in the Flower Street and Showell Street area observed a vehicle make a right
turn and accelerate, causing the vehicle to fish tail. Berlin Police officers
stopped the vehicle and observed the driver, identified as Julius Milbourne, 26,
of Berlin, acting nervous and shaking.

Berlin Police contacted a K-9 unit from the Worcester
County Sheriff’s Office to conduct a scan on the vehicle. The K-9 unit alerted
on the vehicle, indicating the possible presence of drugs in the vehicle or on
the driver. A subsequent search revealed a large block of cocaine in
Milbourne’s pocket and a smaller bag of cocaine in his sock.

Milbourne was arrested and charged with possession and
possession to distribute cocaine, possession of paraphernalia and various
traffic offenses. Last week in District Court, Milbourne pleaded guilty to one
count of possession of cocaine and was sentenced to 60 days in jail. He was
also fined $200.

Pines Arson Forwarded To Circuit

SNOW HILL – An Ocean Pines woman charged in April with
setting her own Ocean Pines residence of fire had her case forwarded to Circuit
Court for trial last week.

Around 1 p.m. on April 26, Ocean Pines Emergency Services
were alerted for an ambulance call for a reported drug overdose. While en
route, Ocean Pines emergency services were advised the occupant of the
residence, later identified as Roslyn Smith, had overdosed on medication and
had threatened to burn her house down.

First-arriving units from the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire
Company reported heavy smoke and flames showing from the two-story dwelling.
The blaze was quickly extinguished by firefighters from the Ocean Pines,
Showell, Berlin, Bishopville and Ocean City fire companies. However,
firefighters remained on the scene for roughly two hours.

Smith was treated at the scene by Ocean Pines EMS for burn
injuries and respiratory complications. She was transported first to PRMC in
Salisbury and then to the Bayview Burn Center in Baltimore, where she was
listed initially in critical condition. The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s
Office determined the fire originated in a first-floor bedroom.

During the course of the investigation, it was determined
the fire was intentionally set and was considered an arson. The investigation
further revealed Smith was the only person occupying the residence at the time
of the fire and Fire Marshal’s Office investigators determined she was the
person responsible for the intentional setting of the fire.

Smith was formally charged with first- and second-degree
arson. Last week, after an initial appearance in District Court, Smith’s case
was forwarded to Circuit Court for trial.

Lightning Causes Berlin Fire

BERLIN – Severe thunderstorms Monday evening are being
blamed for a fire at a Berlin townhouse.

Shortly after 8 p.m. on Monday, Berlin Fire Department
crews were dispatched to a report of smoke inside a two-story townhouse on
Sunshine Lane. First arriving crews found nothing indicating a fire from the
exterior of the unit. However, when fire crews entered the interior of the
townhouse, they found smoky conditions on the first- and second-floors.

As crews began to set up apparatus for a potential fire, a
thermal imaging camera was used to detect fire between the firewall of the
residence and an adjacent unit. The fire was discovered and quickly
extinguished by crews from the Berlin and Showell fire departments. The
occupant of the residence told Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office
investigators just prior to observing smoke, a lightning strike occurred near
the structure during a strong band of thunderstorms that moved through the
area.

After an investigation, a lightning strike was deemed to
be the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported and the fire was contained
to the area of origin although some of the structure’s interior walls were torn
out to reach the source of the fire.

Molotov Cocktail Causes Fire

BERLIN – The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office is
investigating a fire in the middle of Trappe Rd. in Berlin early last Thursday
morning believed to have been caused by a incendiary device known as a Molotov
Cocktail.

Around 1:35 a.m. last Thursday, fire crews were dispatched
to a reported outdoor fire on Trappe Rd. in Berlin. First arriving crews
reported a fire in the middle of the roadway, which was small in size and
eventually self-extinguished itself. The investigation revealed several
soot-covered pieces of glass along with a burnt piece of cloth in the same
area.

The investigation determined the fire was caused by a
“Molotov Cocktail,” an incendiary device that utilizes a piece of cloth or
other material as a wick in a bottle of flammable liquid, typically alcohol. No
injuries were reported. Anyone with information is urged to contact the
Worcester County Deputy Fire Marshal Matt Owens at 410-632-5666, extension 2,
of [email protected].

Alleged Cocaine Dealer Released

SNOW HILL – A Berlin man arrested in May on numerous drug
charges after one of the most significant cocaine busts in recent Worcester
County history was released on bond last week after a bail review hearing in
Snow Hill District Court.

Tyrone Darnell Lawson, 37, of Berlin, who faces 12 total
charges from simple possession to possession with intent to distribute a large
amount of cocaine following his arrest on May 20, was released from the
Worcester County Jail last week after posting the requisite percentage of his
$250,000 bond. Lawson and another man, Tony DeAngelo Lawson, 43, of Berlin,
were arrested in May at the conclusion of a 10-month cocaine distribution
investigation conducted in the Berlin area by the Worcester County Sheriff’s
Office criminal enforcement team.

On April 26, a Worcester County grand jury indicted Tyrone
Lawson on multiple drug charges stemming from the criminal enforcement team’s
investigation. On May 20, the sheriff’s office criminal enforcement team
executed search and seizure warrants at the separate locations Lawson had been
suspected on utilizing for his alleged drug distribution activities.

At one location alone, detectives recovered 1,750 grams of
cocaine and 59 grams of marijuana along with packaging materials consistent
with dealing. At the time, the sheriff’s office called the cocaine seizure on
the most significant in recent Worcester County history.

Tyrone Lawson was arrested for charges related to the
seizure as well as the indictment handed down by the grand jury. Lawson was
charged with 10 counts stemming from the cocaine bust last Thursday as well as
three other counts related to the grand jury indictment. The charges against
him range from simple possession to possession with intent to distribute and
from distribution in a school zone to conspiracy to distribute cocaine-large
amount. He was being held in the Worcester County Jail on a $250,000 bond since
his May 20 arrest before being released last week after posting bail.

Emergency Alert Test Tomorrow

BERLIN – Tomorrow, Saturday, July 3, Worcester County
residents will again be hearing the emergency alert signals from their local
fire sirens. Worcester County has taken this step to provide additional means
to warn the surrounding communities of imminent danger and the need to tune to
either radio, television or the internet for information in the event of
emergencies.

Sirens are tested the first Saturday of each month.
Residents will hear a steady alert tone sound at 10 a.m. for approximately one
minute. Since the end of the Cold War, most serious threats to areas of the
Eastern Shore have been weather related, and the emergency alert sirens have
gone unused.

However, emergency alert sirens continue to be employed in
tornado-prone areas of the country where they are used to warn residents that a
tornado has been spotted and to take cover.

Busy Week For OCPD

OCEAN CITY – With summer in full swing, the OCPD had a
busy week with hundreds of arrests and citations issued from drugs and violent
crime to alcohol and noise violations.

The following is a quick look at some of the more serious
crimes for which no more information was provided than a line of type on a
daily log: first-degree assault, one; second-degree assault, nine; drug
arrests, 81; deadly weapons, seven; disorderly conduct, 10; malicious
destruction of property, seven; burglary, two; theft, four; and indecent
exposure, three.