Time Served For Snoozer

OCEAN CITY – A local man who partied a little too hard in
celebration of the nation’s birthday and was found by resort police after he
decided to take a nap on the sidewalk came before Judge Daniel R. Mumford to
face his charge of disorderly intoxication Monday morning in District Court.

It was approximately 2:38 a.m. on July 4 when OCPD Officer
Carl Perry was dispatched to the area of 39th Street and Coastal Highway for a
report of a man who had passed out on the sidewalk.

Upon arrival, Perry found the subject and awoke him from
his sleep. According to court documents, the subject, later identified as Jason
N. Butcher, 30, of Ocean City, had a hard time standing on his own. Officers
also noted that Butcher slurred his speech, had glassy, bloodshot eyes, and had
urinated on himself.

Perry then advised Butcher to go home, which proved to be
a problem as he fell into police cruisers and later, the street, almost
stumbling into traffic. It was then that he was placed under arrest for disorderly
intoxication.

Butcher pleaded guilty to the charge Monday and apologized
to the court for his actions. Since he failed to appear at his initial court
date back in September, a bench warrant was issued and later served in March.
Mumford sentenced Butcher to the 36 days time served for the time he had spent
awaiting his new trial date.

Violation Of Probation Leads To Jail Time

OCEAN CITY – After being given a chance to clean up his
act and put his mistakes behind him, a Parkville man now faces jail time after
violating several of his probation terms.

Brian Denby Adkins, 32, was fined $500 and placed on
unsupervised probation back in October for possession of crack cocaine,
something Judge Daniel R. Mumford said he rarely ever does when it comes to cases
like this, in hopes the defendant would immediately get clean.

However, according to Adkins’ probation officer, Adkins
began to test positive for crack cocaine several times recently during the
course of his probation and failed to appear for numerous other drug tests.

According to court records, Adkins was referred for
treatment of his addiction several times as well in hopes he would get clean
before he would have to face the charges of violating his probation. However,
Adkins refused treatment as well and the defense represented by his lawyer did
nothing to sway Mumford in sentencing.

When all was said and done, Mumford sentenced Adkins to 60
days in jail for not taking advantage of the probation he was given the first
time around.

CVS Store Shoplifted Again

OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Police Department is looking
for four individuals who recently stole approximately $2,000 worth of
merchandise from the CVS store on 120th Street.

This is the second time the store has been a victim of
shoplifting in less than a year and according to a press release from the OCPD,
it is the same subjects who shoplifted the first time back in July when they
stole $3,000 worth of items and were never caught.

According to the press release, the same four subjects
entered the CVS last Saturday afternoon. Two of them first entered and filled a
garbage bag they had brought with Prilosec OTC and Oil of Olay cosmetics. The
second pair then picked up the bag and left the store. The total value of the
items is estimated to be approximately $2,000.

Although no description of the suspects’ vehicle is
available, the first pair of individuals was a black male and female. The male
is heavyset, looks to be in his late 20’s and was wearing a red sweatshirt and
large, cross necklace. The female is possibly in her 30’s and was wearing a tan
outfit.

As for the other two suspects, they are described as black
males, middle-aged with one wearing jeans and a blue and red jacket and the
other a black jacket and dark pants. Anyone with information is asked to
contact the OCPD.

He Took It Out

BERLIN – Members
of the Berlin Police Department discovered a 29-year-old man in the Food Lion
Shopping Center last Friday lying in the parking lot with his penis exposed to
the public.

Officials located
several beers with one being open next to the man, who sources said had stolen
the beer from the Your Store convenience store across the street.

Edward Paul
Sterling was subsequently charged with theft under $100, indecent exposure and
disturbing the peace.

No Seatbelt Leads To Arrest

OCEAN CITY – A Virginia man driving without a seatbelt
probably wished he had put it on after a routine traffic stop ultimately led to
his arrest when an officer found him to be driving without a license and
carrying marijuana.

According to police reports, it was approximately 1:54
a.m. Sunday morning when OCPD Officer Charles Kelley was on patrol in the area
of Worcester Street and Baltimore Avenue when he observed a dark blue Ford
Crown Victoria heading northbound on Baltimore Avenue. From his location, he
was clearly able to see the driver was not wearing a seatbelt so he began to
follow the vehicle, eventually conducting a routine traffic stop to address the
matter.

Kelley approached the driver, identified as Kendrick
Maurice Palmer, 20, of Horntown, Va., and asked him why he wasn’t wearing his
seatbelt, in which Palmer did not reply, according to police reports. Kelley
then asked for his driver’s license, something Palmer said he did not have. As
he continued to question Palmer about his license, Kelley said he began to
notice the strong smell of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and soon
radioed for assistance.

A background check on Palmer found that he did not possess
a valid driver’s license in Maryland, Delaware or his state of residence,
Virginia. Palmer then admitted he had never owned a license and was asked to
exit the vehicle. According to police reports, Palmer stated he was driving his
friend’s car up to the Grand Hotel on 21st Street. He was then placed under
arrest for driving without a license after communications told Kelley that
Palmer did not in fact have a license with any state.

Upon search incident to arrest, Kelley found a wooden club
just behind the driver’s seat that could have been used as a weapon, as well as
a partially burnt marijuana joint in the center ashtray of the vehicle. Inside
the glove box was a wooden pipe that also contained marijuana. The search then
moved to Palmer where Kelley found more marijuana in his pant’s pockets.

In addition to being charged with driving without a
license, Palmer was also charged with possession of paraphernalia and
possession with intent to distribute.

Negotiator Needed For Stubborn Subject

OCEAN CITY – A local woman who was wanted on a warrant and
recently locked herself in her room and refused to come out finally did so
after a negotiator had to coax her to do so.

It was almost 6 p.m. last Sunday when OCPD Officer Shawn
Lindsey went to the Carousel Hotel on 117th Street in an attempt to locate an
individual by the name of Patricia Muriel Kenneally, 50, of Ocean City, who had
a warrant out for her arrest.

According to police reports, Lindsey spoke with a security
employee at the hotel and reviewed a security camera tape that overlooked the
unit Kenneally was believed to be staying in. After viewing the tape, Lindsey
saw Kenneally enter the unit approximately two hours earlier and had not left
since.

Lindsey then approached the unit, knocking several times
and making his presence as a police officer known. However, Kenneally never
came to the door yet he could hear her inside talking to her dog.

The warrant for her arrest was then verified once again
and OCPD Sgt. Scott Harner arrived on the scene in an attempt to advise
Kenneally that she had a warrant out for her arrest she needed to take care of
and that she was under arrest. Despite his efforts, she still did not come to
the door.

Soon communications notified the officers that Kenneally
was on the phone with them and said she was not going to come to the door or
make contact with the police on the scene. It was then that Animal Control
Officer Donald Spence and K-9 Officer Ronnie Townsend were dispatched to the
scene to handle Kenneally’s dog. Two more officers were also dispatched in an
attempt to make contact with the subject.

After over an hour, Kenneally still would not make contact
with the officers and advised communications she would not surrender to the
police.

Finally, OCPD negotiator Howard Caplan arrived on the
scene and made contact with Kenneally via phone and was eventually able to
convince her to come to the front door and surrender herself into police
custody.

It wasn’t until approximately 8:50 p.m. that she left the
unit and was placed under arrest for the warrant as well as resisting arrest.

Domestic Argument Turns Hostile

OCEAN CITY – A man accused of violating a peace order
filed by his girlfriend was found not guilty Monday morning by Judge Daniel R.
Mumford at District Court following a quick trial.

Charles Christopher Hebden, 33, of Ocean City, was accused
of assaulting his girlfriend after a verbal dispute that had begun at a bar
escalated when they returned home. However, records of a 911 call and
inconsistencies with actual injuries and written statements given at the time
of officers arriving on the scene prompted Mumford to find Hebden not guilty.

According to police records, it was back on March 29 at
the Kitchen Apartments on Wicomico Street when the incident took place. OCPD
Officer Edward Newcomb arrived at the scene and after speaking with the two
eventually arrested Hebden after observing his girlfriend’s right ear to be red
and swollen as if someone had hit her.

However, a follow-up on the domestic case by OCPD Officer
Lesa Beneman looked into the night further. Although Hebden’s girlfriend had a
swollen right ear, her written statement that day stated she had been hit in
the left. Hebden explained her right ear was swollen because she had hit it on
a doorknob when she tackled Hebden as he tried to call police the night of the
incident. However, he did admit to “thumping” her on the back of the head to
get her off as the extent of his defense.

Eventually Hebden called 911 and on Monday the recording
of the call was played back for Judge Daniel R. Mumford to hear. After
listening to the call, it seemed as if Hebden was trying to diffuse the
situation by requesting the presence of officers.

Following the incident, Hebden filed for assault charges
against his girlfriend from that night since he had been tackled and alleged
she had came after him and scratched him several times as he tried to speak
with the 911 operator.

When it came time for his girlfriend to testify as to how
he had violated the peace order, she declined in that her testimony might have
had an adverse effect on her later trial considering the assault charge, thus
nulling any chance she had at proving Hebden had violated the peace order.

Due to the evidence presented and the lack of a testimony
from Hebden’s girlfriend, Mumford found him not guilty.

Troopers Handle Four Accidents in Three Days

BERLIN – The Maryland State Police were extremely busy
handling car accidents over a four-day stretch last weekend including three in
the span of little over an hour on Friday.

The accident spree began shortly after midnight last
Friday when troopers from the Berlin Barrack responded to a single vehicle
accident on northbound Route 113 near Public Landing. The investigation
revealed Erica Harris, 23, of Pocomoke was driving north on Route 113 when she
lost control of her 1995 Oldsmobile due to wet conditions and the vehicle slip
off the roadway. Harris and her passengers were transported to PRMC by the Snow
Hill Fire Department and were treated for minor injuries.

About 35 minutes later, MSP troopers responded to another
motor vehicle collision at Route 50 and Route 610 at around 12:40 a.m. The
investigation revealed a 2002 Mazda Tribute, driven by Edward George, 81, of
Selbyville, Del., was traveling north on Route 610 when it pulled into the path
of a 1997 Mazda pick-up driven by Donald Bilski, 56, of Salisbury. The two
vehicles collided but there were no injuries reported.

Less than an hour later, MSP troopers responded to yet
another motor vehicle collision at Route 50 and Keyser Point Rd. in West Ocean
City. The investigation revealed a 1996 Toyota Celica driven by Cyndee Feehley,
53, of Pittsville, collided with a 2000 Honda CRV, driven by Kerri Eck, 28, of
Berlin. The force of the collision then caused Eck’s Honda to collide with a
third vehicle, a 2000 Plymouth Voyager driven by Orlando Wilkinson, 30, of
Westminster. No major injuries were reported and Feehley was found at fault and
charged with failure to control speed to avoid a collision.

Finally, around 9:15 a.m. on Monday, MSP troopers from the
Berlin barrack responded to yet another accident, this time a single vehicle
accident on Route 113 near Langmaid Rd. In this case, the driver of a 2007
Dodge, Henry Finn, 70, of New Jersey lost control of his vehicle before
traveling into a ditch and overturning. Finn refused medical treatment at the
scene.

Traffic Stop Yields Warrant, Drug Bust

BERLIN – A routine traffic stop last week along Route 113
led to the arrest of a man wanted on an outstanding bench warrant and a search
incident to the arrest led to drug possession charges being tacked on.

Around 12:15 a.m. last Thursday, a Maryland State Police
trooper conducting routine surveillance along Route 113 stopped a Lincoln
Navigator driving without its headlights on. The trooper identified the driver
through his Virginia driver’s license as Lee Roy Handy, 60. The trooper noticed
Handy acted nervous during the routine stop and ran a background check on the
suspect, which revealed he was wanted on an outstanding warrant.

A search subsequent to the stop revealed a copper smoking
device with CDS residue and charges of possession of CDS and possession of
paraphernalia were tacked on.

Illegal Wild Turkey Hunting

BERLIN – Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) last week
cited two hunters for hunting wild turkey with the aid of bait.

On
Saturday, April 21, NRP officers charged Christopher James Jordan, 47, of
Curtis Bay, and Frank Keith Amig, 54, of Bel Air, with hunting wild turkey in
Worcester County on baited land. Jordan was hunting wild turkey on private
property in the area of Bird Hill Rd., while Amig was hunting with the aid of
bait off Sandy Rd. Each were issued citations and await court date assignments.