Serial Flasher Sought

Serial Flasher Sought
Caprice Chevy 63

OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) this week is asking for the public’s help in identifying a male suspect who has been naked and exposing himself to different individuals on the north end of town, primarily in the ocean black and beach areas between 120th and 145th streets.

Several victims have reported a similar pattern where the naked male has walked up to adult females who were walking on the beach or in an oceanfront condominium parking lot. The suspect is described as an adult male, 20-40 years old, approximately 6’ to 6’4” tall, weighing 200-250 pounds. He is described as having a dark complexion, suggesting he is a tan Caucasian or light-skinned African American or Hispanic.

The suspect is clean-shaven with short, dark hair and has no obvious scars, marks or tattoos. Several victims have reported the suspect carrying a pair of dark gym shorts during the various incidents. The OCPD is asking anyone who may have been a victim, or has seen a male with similar physical characteristics in the area, or has any information regarding the suspect to contact OCPD Det. Nick Simpson at 410-520-5349. The OCPD is also urging citizens to report and incident as soon as it occurs by calling 911 or the OCPD directly at 410-723-6600.

Hit-and-Run Suspect Nabbed

BERLIN — A Florida man was arrested on hit-and-run charges this week after leaving the scene of an accident on Route 50 near the entrance to Wal-Mart and later being caught in Ocean City.

Around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Worcester County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported hit-and-run accident on Route 50 near the entrance to Wal-Mart and Home Depot involving personal injury. The responding deputy gathered information from the victim and witnesses on the scene, leading to the identification of Kurt Oliver Jones, 36, of Tavares, Fla., as the suspect.

Jones fled the scene through the Wal-Mart and Home Depot parking lots. After the accident, another witness followed Jones as he fled eastbound on Route 50 toward Ocean City. Jones was later stopped by Ocean City Police on Coastal Highway in the area of 74th Street. A Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to 74th Street and took Jones into custody, charging him with leaving the scene of a personal injury collision. Jones was being held at the Worcester County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

Asleep With Motor Running

BERLIN — Two local men were arrested on various charges last weekend, including assault and drunk-driving, after police discovered them sleeping in a vehicle at a Berlin intersection with weapons in plain view.

Around 11 p.m. last Saturday, a Berlin police officer observed a vehicle in the middle of the intersection of Old Ocean City Blvd. and southbound Worcester Highway. Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer observed a shotgun in the rear seat and a rifle beside the passenger. Both the driver, later identified as Daniel Lekites, 22, of Berlin, and the passenger, later identified as Matthew Reed, 25, of Whaleyville, were slumped over and asleep in the vehicle while it was still in drive.

The initial officer opened the door and turned off the vehicle, while another officer removed the weapons. The officer noted in his report the strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle and its occupants. Police then woke the driver and removed him from the vehicle. Reed, however, became hostile and angry and fought with police.

Reed was eventually brought under control and was arrested and charged with second-degree assault on a police office, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Reed was taken to nearby Atlantic General Hospital for treatment of injuries received during the altercation.

Lekites took field sobriety tests, which he did not complete to the satisfaction of the officers. Lekites was then arrested for driving under the influence. Lekites was processed at the Berlin Police Department, while Reed was taken before a District Court Commissioner before being released on personal recognizance.

Shooting Suspect Sought

SALISBURY — Salisbury Police this week are looking for a suspect who allegedly shot another man in the parking lot of a marina early last Sunday morning.

Around 2:15 a.m. last Sunday, Salisbury Police responded to the parking lot area of the Salisbury Marina on West Main Street for a reported shooting. Upon arrival, police were unable to locate a victim or any evidence of gunfire. About 12 minutes later, officers were advised the victim had been transported to PRMC by a friend and was in the emergency room.

Salisbury Police responded to the PRMC emergency room and met with the 28-year-old male victim, who had suffered a gunshot wound to the upper left leg and was in serious condition. The victim told police he had driven to the Brew River restaurant parking lot and parked his vehicle near the Salisbury Marina office.

The victim told police he remained in his vehicle and was talking to a friend when he was approached by a single suspect. The suspect produced a handgun and fired several shots, one of which struck the vehicle. Another shot struck the victim’s vehicle. The suspect then fled the scene on foot. The victim’s friends used the victim’s vehicle to transport him to the hospital.

The suspect is described as a black male, about 5’3” to 5’6” tall with a medium build and corn-row-style hair and was wearing dark clothing at the time of the incident. Anyone with information is urged to contact Salisbury Police at 410-548-3165, or Crime Solvers of Delmarva at 410-548-1776.

Kitchen Knife Attack

SALISBURY — A Salisbury man was arrested on attempted murder and assault charges last weekend after allegedly attacking an elderly woman with a knife during a domestic dispute.

Around 5:25 a.m. last Saturday, Salisbury Police responded to a residence on Camden Ave. for a reported stabbing. Upon arrival, the officers met with an adult female victim who told police a man known to her had assaulted her and two other individuals in the residence, one of whom was a 71-year-old female.

The victim told police the suspect, later identified as John Robert Costello, 35, of Salisbury, has been staying at the residence and had been involved earlier in a domestic assault on the victim’s niece. A short time later, Costello allegedly attacked the 71-year-old female with a kitchen knife without provocation, according to police reports.

The elderly victim sustained severe cutting injuries to her face, right hand, left hand and right arm. The suspect then fled the residence in the victim’s vehicle. Salisbury Police obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect and broadcast a description of the suspect and the vehicle. Later the same day, around 12:15 p.m., officers located Costello driving the victim’s vehicle and conducted a traffic stop in the area of Gordy Rd. and Windsor Drive.

Costello was taken into custody without further incident. He was charged with attempted second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and possession of a dangerous and deadly weapon. The elderly victim was treated and released.

Chronic Burglar Sentenced Again

SNOW HILL — A West Ocean City man, arrested in July on first-degree burglary charges after police were able to connect him and another man to a break-in and jewelry theft in June, pleaded guilty last week to theft and was sentenced to over 15 years in jail, all but one of which was suspended.

Back on June 17, a Worcester County Sheriff’s deputy took an initial report of a burglary at a residence on Gray’s Corner Rd. The victim reported roughly $2,000 in jewelry had been stolen from her home. Through the course of the investigation, detectives learned the jewelry had been sold to a local pawn shop. With the cooperation of the pawn shop management, detectives were able to identify Stavros D. Kominos, 24, of West Ocean City, and Ryan Scheidegger, 22, of Willards, as the suspects.


Upon further investigation and interviews with the suspects, Kominos and Scheidegger were arrested July and charged with first-degree burglary and theft under $10,000.

Last week in Circuit Court, Kominos pleaded guilty to a first-degree burglary charge and was sentenced to 10 years in jail, all but one of which was suspended. Kominos also pleaded guilty to theft over $1,000 and under $10,000 and was sentenced to five years in jail, all of which was suspended, netting a total of one year in jail for both convictions. He was also placed on supervised probation for five years following his release and he will not be eligible for parole until he serves at least half of his sentence.


For Kominos, the burglary arrest comes after the suspect was charged with and later found guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary in 2008. In March 2008, OCPD officer responded to a reported break-in at the Isle of Wight trailer park and soon learned the investigation wasn’t about a single burglary but a string of burglaries.


Kominos was identified as a suspect and was later located in Florida and extradited to Worcester County. Last September, Kominos was found guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary and was placed on probation. His arrest for the most recent burglary on Gray’s Corner Rd. triggered a violation of that probation. In addition to his conviction in the latest burglary, Kominos was also sentenced to a year in jail for violating probation on his prior conviction, which he will serve concurrently.

Probation, Fine For Weed

OCEAN CITY — A Waldorf, Md. man arrested in June while smoking weed in his car in a downtown parking lot pleaded guilty this week in District Court to possession of marijuana and was placed on probation for one year and fined $500.

Around 9:30 a.m. on July 2, an OCPD officer on bicycle patrol in the area of Somerset Street observed two men sitting in parked vehicle while the passenger, later identified as Rommero Smith, 22, of Washington, D.C., counted a large sum of money. According to police reports, Smith was counting what appeared to be hundreds of dollars.

The officer pulled around to get a better vantage point for the suspicious activity, and as he approached the driver’s side door, he detected the strong odor of freshly burned marijuana. The officer called for backup and got the suspects to exit the vehicle, placing them under arrest for suspicion of possession of marijuana.

The driver, identified as Antonio Belton, 22, of Waldorf, Md., was arrested as the officer began a search of the vehicle. The officer found marijuana in several different containers and wrappings throughout the vehicle, according to police reports. For example, on the front passenger seat was a drawstring bag containing nine smaller baggies of marijuana and a large sum of currency.

Smith was then searched and was found to be in possession of three large wads of cash, each one totaling $1,000, for a total of $3,000 held together with a rubber band. Smith denied the drawstring bag containing the marijuana was his, but the officer found a pair of size 44 shorts in the bag, which is Smith’s size. The waist sizes of the other occupants in the vehicle were all 34 or less, according to police reports.

Smith was charged with possession of marijuana and paraphernalia and possession with intent to distribute, while Belton was charged with possession of marijuana. This week in District Court, Belton pleaded guilty to possession and was placed on probation for one year and fined $500. Smith, meanwhile, had his case forwarded to circuit court and is scheduled to appear for trial next month.