Erion Vann Burton, 20, of Waldorf
On October 8, 2021, a male suspect, later identified as Erion Vann Burton, 20, of Waldorf, arranged to meet a male victim after conversing with them through a social media app. After they met at Holly Station Drive and Eden Woods Drive, Burton told the victim to drive down Abberly Place to find a quiet place to park and talk. The victim drove to the end of the road, backed his car into a parking spot and Burton pulled out a dark colored handgun and pointed it at the victim. The victim tried to push the gun away and Burton told him to “Get the f##k out of the car”. The victim jumped out of the car, leaving behind his shoes, wallet, and phone. The victim ran to a nearby neighborhood for help and Burton fled in the victim’s vehicle. The victim described the suspect as a young, heavier set light skinned black male with reddish hair and freckles on his face and showed police a photograph of the man he met up with. The officer immediately recognized the person in the photo as Erion Vann Burton, based on several incidents where the officer had dealt with Burton in recent years including a homicide investigation and another armed carjacking that occurred under the same circumstances in 2020
In April of 2021, a judge released Burton from the Detention Center to electronic monitoring which is managed by private companies. Monitoring companies report directly to the courts and are regulated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety.
Burton failed to appear in court in September for the initial carjacking case and the rape case, at which time the courts issued a warrant for failure to appear and notified the Sheriff’s Office. Members of the Warrant Unit began searching for Burton.
On November 7, 2021, a Charles County Sheriff’s patrol officer initiated a traffic stop and located Burton inside the vehicle. Burton was in possession of a fully-loaded polymer “ghost” gun–a gun that lacks a serial number which is assembled by the user–with an extended clip for additional ammunition.
He was arrested without incident and charged with the October 2021 carjacking, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, illegal possession of a firearm due to a previous felony conviction, and other related charges.
The warrants for failure to appear were also served.
He is currently being held at the Charles County Detention Center without bond. Detective Bringley is investigating.
