Paul Leo Herbert, 33, of Mechanicsville
A Mechanicsville man has been arrested after damaging a vehicle in the parking lot of MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, in Leonardtown, on August 24, 2024.
According to court documents, Paul Leo Herbert, 33, of Mechanicsville, was charged with malicious destruction of property valued at less than $1,000. St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Deputy Zachary Wolfe responded to the hospital parking lot around 5:38 p.m. after receiving a report of a disturbance. Upon arriving, Deputy Wolfe found Herbert sitting on a curb holding an exterior mirror that had been removed from a 2006 Chrysler 300.
Herbert, who appeared to be very intoxicated, admitted to breaking the mirror off the car. When asked about the incident, Herbert stated, “I broke it off a car in the parking lot.” He claimed he thought the vehicle belonged to a friend and that he “broke it to mess with them,” but later realized it was not his friend’s car. Herbert admitted, “I knew I broke the mirror and did it on purpose; it just happened to be the wrong car.”
Witnesses, including hospital security staff, reported seeing Herbert interacting with the mirrors of multiple vehicles in the parking lot. A security officer stated that Herbert had been discharged from the hospital earlier that day after being brought in by Police. The witness added that Herbert had been in the parking lot for about an hour, pulling on mirrors of several cars before eventually breaking the mirror off the Chrysler.
Herbert’s story about the incident changed multiple times during his interaction with Deputy Wolfe. At one point, he claimed that he had backed into the car with his own vehicle, although his car was not present at the hospital.
Herbert was arrested at the scene and taken to the St. Mary’s County Detention Center, and was released on his own recognizance pending further court proceedings.
