Kicking, Spitting Leads To Assault Charges

Kicking, Spitting Leads To Assault Charges
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OCEAN CITY – A Gaithersburg man was arrested on assault, resisting arrest and other charges last weekend after repeatedly refusing to leave the property of a midtown nightclub.

Shortly after midnight last Sunday, Ocean City police bicycle officers in the area of Seacrets on 49th Street were flagged down by nightclub security staff in reference to a disorderly subject on the premises in the parking lot. The officers located a man, later identified as Zachary Adam Hirsh, 24, lying in the bushes along the pavement while talking on his phone.

When Hirsh saw the officers and the security staff standing near him, he allegedly said to whomever he was talking with to hold on, then turned to the officers and, “I’ll [expletive deleted] kill you [expletive deleted],” and “get back.” After several attempts to get Hirsh to get up and leave the premises or risk being arrested for trespassing, the suspect stumbled to his feet and began walking backward toward Coastal Highway.

On several occasions, Hirsh allegedly held his arms spread wide apart and said to the officers, “Now what? I’m off the property.” This happened several times, according to police reports, and each time the officers informed Hirsh he was still on private property. Meanwhile, cars started backing up behind Hirsh and the officers that were following him.

Hirsh finally arrived on the public sidewalk and he was warned not to come back on private property or he would be arrested for trespassing. Nonetheless, he ignored the warning and walked quickly back onto to Seacrets’ property, cutting between cars to avoid police. OCPD officers advised Hirsh he was under arrest and attempted to handcuff him, but the suspect resisted, flailing his arms in an effort to avoid being taken into custody.

After administering take down maneuvers, the officers were able to get Hirsh down on the ground on his stomach in the middle of the sidewalk. Once on the ground, Hirsh continued to resist arrest, kicking at the officers and refusing to allow police to handcuff him. Even after two bursts of pepper spray, Hirsh refused to yield and the officers had to administer knee strikes in order to get control of the suspect.

While waiting for the transport wagon, Hirsh continued to be combative, according to police reports. He allegedly refused to stand on his own feet and became dead weight, falling to the ground where he was standing. While on the ground, Hirsh kicked the arresting officer in the shins several times, according to police reports. At one point, Hirsh spit a large amount of saliva on the arresting officer’s leg. The transport wagon ultimately arrived and Hirsh was put in Violent Person Restraining Device.

The investigation revealed Hirsh allegedly assaulted a Seacrets security staff member before police arrived, which is why he was being asked to leave the premises in the first place. It was shortly after the initial incident that OCPD officers found him in the bushes talking on his phone. Hirsh was charged with two counts of second-degree assault, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct. A background check revealed he was wanted in Montgomery County on an outstanding warrant.

First Stole, Then Vandalized Scooter

OCEAN CITY – A New Jersey man was arrested last weekend on several charges including theft, malicious destruction of property and driving under the influence after a wild sequence events that began with dining and dashing, stealing an employee’s scooter and later running over it repeatedly.

Around 9 p.m. last Sunday, OCPD officers responded to the American Legion on 23rd Street for a reported hit-and-run that had just occurred. The officers met with witnesses who said a dark-colored Chevy Trailblazer with yellow-colored tags backed over a motor scooter in the parking lot. The witnesses told police the three occupants of the vehicle got out and fled the scene on foot after backing over an object, but the driver, later identified as Ricaldo Camacho, 24, of South River, N.J., got back in the vehicle and began to drive around the parking lot in an effort to dislodge the scooter from underneath the truck.

During this process, the truck repeatedly ran over the scooter before it became dislodged. The other occupants than returned to the scene and bent the license plate, which witnesses said was yellow in color, so that it could not easily be read. While officers were on the scene investigating the hit-and-run on the scooter, they received a call about an unruly bunch at a shopping center on 18th Street in a Chevy Trailblazer with New Jersey tags, the yellow with black writing variety.

OCPD officers responded to the 18th Street shopping center and saw the Chevy matching the description with Camacho behind the wheel. The front and rear of the truck were damaged with the front and rear bumper nearly ripped off the vehicle. An OCPD officer approached Camacho, who turned off the vehicle and placed the keys on the dashboard when he saw the officer approach.

All three occupants were asked to step from the vehicle and exhibited signs of intoxication upon exiting the truck. Camacho was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence while police sorted out the other events leading up to that point. Meanwhile, a manager at Fish Tales reported his scooter had been stolen outside of the restaurant and bar. The Fish Tales manager was brought to the American Legion on 23rd Street and identified the scooter that had been run over in the hit-and-run incident as his. Other officers reviewed surveillance tapes from Fish Tales and observed Camacho and the other two men with him loading the scooter into the back of the Trailblazer. It was also learned that Camacho and his associates had walked out on a check totaling nearly $50 before stealing the manager’s scooter and fleeing the scene.

The witnesses from the American Legion were then brought to the shopping center at 18th Street where they identified Camacho as the driver that fled the scene of the hit-and-run and the Trailblazer as the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run over the scooter. Camacho was charged with driving under the influence, two counts of theft and malicious destruction of property.

Not Long Island And Not Iced Tea

OCEAN CITY – A Pennsylvania man was arrested on drug possession and resisting arrest charges last weekend after Ocean City police observed him walking down the Boardwalk drinking alcohol he claimed at first was iced tea and later said it was more like a Long Island iced tea.

Around 10:40 p.m. last Sunday, an OCPD officer on bike patrol in the area of 7th Street and the Boardwalk observed a man drinking from a large blue plastic cup inconsistent with any of the drink cups used by merchants in the area. As the officer walked by, the suspect, later identified as Samuel Louis Wyland, 20, of Manor, Pa., took a long drink from the cup, according to police reports.

The officer approached Wyland and another man, who was carrying a clear plastic Gatorade bottle containing what appeared to be beer. The officer noted in his report the other man was not in violation of any laws because the container was closed. However, he spoke with Wyland and asked him if he had any alcohol in the blue cup. Wyland at first said “No, it’s just iced tea,” but then told police after a pause, “Iced tea with a little bit of alcohol. It’s a Long Island iced tea.” When asked if he was 21, Wyland told police he was 20, but that he would turn 21 soon.

Wyland was then arrested for public consumption. When the officer was attempting to place handcuffs on the suspect, he resisted and tried to flee the police. Another officer eventually had to tackle Wyland on the Boardwalk, but he continued to struggle, refusing to give up his arms so he could be handcuffed. The officers had to use force including several knee strikes and a strike to the suspect’s elbow to force his arm behind his back.

Once Wyland was in custody, the arresting officer noticed what appeared to be a white lollipop on the ground in the area where the scuffle occurred. Based on the markings on the object, the officer was able to determine it was Fentanyl, a prescription pain killer classified as a schedule II controlled dangerous substance. Wyland denied having any knowledge of the Fentanyl or possessing the illegal drug.

Wyland was ultimately charged with public consumption, resisting arrest and possession of CDS, not marijuana.

Urinating And Running

BERLIN – A New Jersey man was arrested for drunk driving and other charges last week after he got out of his vehicle to go to the bathroom on the side of Route 113.

Around 2:40 a.m. last Saturday, a Worcester County Sheriff’s deputy was on routine patrol along Route 113 near Ironshire Rd. in Berlin when he observed a vehicle stopped on the shoulder. As the deputy pulled behind the vehicle, he noticed a man, later identified as Clayton Childs, 26, of Highland Park, N.J., urinating near the rear of the vehicle.

As the deputy exited his vehicle, Childs ran down Route 113. After a brief foot chase, Childs was taken into custody. He appeared to the deputy to be intoxicated and had been driving the vehicle, so he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and failure to obey an officer. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner and later released pending trial.

Underage Drinking, Driving

BERLIN – One Berlin juvenile was arrested for drinking and driving and another was cited for underage drinking after a Berlin Police officer observed erratic driving.

Shortly after midnight last Tuesday, a Berlin Police officer on patrol observed a vehicle on Route 346 near Barrett Rd. first cross the white line on the right side, then brake suddenly without reason before crossing the double yellow center line. The officer stopped the vehicle and made contact with the driver, a 16-year-old female from Berlin, and suspected her of being intoxicated. The driver told police she had not been drinking.

After a battery of field tests were conducted, the juvenile was arrested for driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated and a license restriction. The officer also made contact with the passenger, another 16-year-old female from Berlin, and found she had also been drinking. She was issued a citation for underage possession of alcohol.

The driver was taken to the MSP Berlin barrack and was administered a breath test which returned a positive result. The driver was charged on a juvenile charging docket before being taken home to an upset mother, according to police reports.

Salvia Charges Dropped

OCEAN CITY – Prosecutors have agreed to drop the charges against one of three Boardwalk merchants charged in August with possession of salvia just one day after the town of Ocean City passed an emergency ordinance banning the substance.

Worcester County Deputy State’s Attorney Paul Haskell last week agreed to drop the charges of possession of salvinorin against Liron Katna, owner of the Ocean Wave store on the Boardwalk. Katna was cited along with other Boardwalk merchants for possession of salvia after Ocean City passed its ordinance banning the substance on August 3.

On Aug. 4, OCPD detectives went into stores known to carry salvia before the substance was made illegal by the town council and issued summonses for several merchants including Katna, who at the time explained to detectives he had taken the now-illegal substance off his shelves and was storing it in the back until the distributors could come and take it back.

Katna was able to convince Haskell his story about storing salvia until it was picked up by the distributor and the prosecutor agreed to drop the charges against the merchant. Meanwhile, two other Boardwalk merchants still face salvia possession charges and have court dates scheduled for later this month.

Protective Order Violation

SNOW HILL – A Queenstown, Md. man was arrested for violating a protective order last weekend after getting pulled over for speeding.

Shortly after 9 p.m. last Saturday, a Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputy pulled over a vehicle for speeding along Route 12 near Snow Hill.  After making contact with the driver, identified as Keith Donnell Jones, 30, of Queenstown, the deputy discovered the suspect had a protective order against him and that he was in violation of the final protective order. He was arrested and taken before a judicial officer and later released pending trial.

Concealed Weapon, Drug Arrest

OCEAN PINES – An Ocean Pines man was arrested for alleged drug possession and carrying a concealed weapon last week after a routine traffic stop.

On Aug. 20, Ocean Pines police stopped a vehicle in the south section of the community near Moby Dick Drive and Seafarer Lane for a traffic violation. A search incident to the stop revealed the driver, later identified as Skylar Snead, 19, of Ocean Pines, was in possession of a switchblade knife and suspected marijuana. Snead was arrested and charged with possession of a concealed deadly weapon, possession of the marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner and later released on his own recognizance pending trial.

Riot Antagonists Convicted

OCEAN CITY – Two of the main antagonists in a major riot on the Boardwalk over Memorial Day weekend were found guilty on various charges last week in District Court.

The near-riot on May 24 involved hundreds of individuals and as many as 40 Ocean City Police officers and resulted in nine arrests and several officers assaulted. The seeds of the skirmish were planted earlier in the evening when a minor fight broke out in the area of Wicomico Street near the Pier building. OCPD officers responded to the scene and made their way through the big crowd, eventually locating the group of about 10 individuals involved in the argument.

According to police reports, OCPD officers were able to break up the argument and disperse the crowd, but a smaller group continued to make their way down the Boardwalk and continued screaming and cursing in the presence of families still enjoying the holiday weekend night. While officers attempted to restore order a second time, one of the combatants, later identified as Marlon Ennis, 24, of Salisbury, continued to act disorderly, and refused to respond to the officers’ request to stop screaming and using profanity.

As one officer attempted to arrest Ennis, he resisted and assaulted to officer numerous times, touching off what would become a full-scale riot. Last week in District Court, Ennis was found guilty of second-degree assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Several members of Ennis’ group joined the fray and began assaulting the arresting officers. During Ennis’ arrest, a female suspect, later identified as Mary Elizabeth Elzey, 21, of Baltimore, also assaulted police officers in her attempt to prevent them from arresting Ennis. Last week in District Court, Elzey pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was placed on probation for one year and fined $300.

However, the arrests of Ennis and Elzey only fueled the melee as several other fights related to the first incident broke out on the Boardwalk. What started as a trickle of OCPD officers turned into a wave as 40 officers responded to the scene as well as units from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police. The fight escalated with combatants jumping on the backs of police officers, who were first trying to break up the fight and soon were just trying to protect themselves.

The crowd was not really under control until two OCPD mounted units arrived and began moving people away from the fight. By the time the riot was under control, the Boardwalk was closed from Thrashers at the south end of the pier building to Somerset Street. At the end, there were scores of OCPD officers on the scene with about a dozen suspects lying on the ground in handcuffs. In all nine arrests were made.