Walter Jay Brown Jr., 47, of Leonardtown
Walter Jay Brown Jr., 47, of Leonardtown, is being held without bond following his arrest on September 24, 2025, for allegedly assaulting a man with a shovel in a residential driveway. Brown has been charged with first-degree assault and second-degree assault in connection with the early morning incident on Blacksmith Shop Road.
According to charging documents from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of an assault in progress shortly after midnight.
Upon arrival, Deputy J. Steeber spoke with a witness who stated that “her husband was hit on the head with a shovel several times.”
Deputies then located the alleged victim, who was bleeding heavily from a large gash on the back of his head while sitting in a bathtub.
The victim told deputies that he had just returned from shopping with his wife and was exiting a vehicle when he was “immediately hit in the back of the head with a shovel wielded by defendant Walter Jay Brown Jr.” He added that “there was no prior argument and this incident was unprovoked.”
Emergency responders transported the victim to MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital for treatment of what law enforcement described as a “severe head wound.” Blood was found next to the truck Garrow exited, trailing from the vehicle to the side door of the residence and pooled on the sidewalk—evidence which investigators say aligned with the victim’s account.
When questioned, Brown acknowledged that he and the victim “got into an argument.” He claimed the confrontation escalated when the victim “retrieved [a] large stick and began swinging it towards his family.” Brown admitted to grabbing a shovel and hitting the victim in the head “approximately one time.” Officers noted the shovel was made of hard plastic but determined it presented “an obvious danger of causing serious bodily harm.”
Following his arrest, Brown appeared before a District Court commissioner and elected to waive his right to an attorney for the initial appearance.
The commissioner found probable cause for both charges and ordered Brown held without bond, citing a “reasonable likelihood [the] Defendant poses a danger to the safety of the alleged victim, another person, or the community.” The court also issued a no-contact order prohibiting Brown from contacting or harassing the victim in any form.
Walter Jay Brown Jr., 47, of Leonardtown
