Thomas Emanuel Gross, 39, of Lexington Park
Thomas Emanuel Gross, 39, of Lexington Park, was ordered held without bond following his arrest on felony and misdemeanor drug charges stemming from a search warrant executed earlier this year, according to court documents filed in the District Court for St. Mary’s County.
Gross faces four charges: one felony count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) and three misdemeanor counts, including two counts of possession of CDS not cannabis and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Each charge carries potential penalties ranging from fines to several years in jail. The felony offense carries a maximum of five years in prison and/or a $15,000 fine, while the misdemeanor possession charges each carry up to one year and/or a $5,000 fine.
According to a sworn statement of probable cause submitted by Deputy First Class James Morgan of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, detectives executed a search and seizure warrant on October 9, 2025, at 46475 Chapman Drive in Lexington Park.
The operation was part of an ongoing investigation into what authorities described as “the ongoing involvement of Thomas Emanuel Gross and a co-defendant, Sierra Sada Green, in the distribution of controlled dangerous substances in St. Mary’s County.”
During the search, deputies reported locating:
- A piece of foil paper containing cocaine (Schedule II)
- A tied plastic bag containing inositol powder, identified as “a known cutting agent used by CDS distributors in St. Mary’s County”
- A digital scale containing brown residue on the weighing platform
- A voluminous amount of used and unused plastic packaging materials
- Multiple buprenorphine and naloxone sublingual films (Schedule IV substances)
- A quantity of nitrile gloves
- Several food stamp cards belonging to other individuals
All items were reportedly found “within areas accessible to both Gross and Green,” according to the statement signed by Deputy Morgan.
Deputy Morgan wrote that, “based on my training, knowledge, and experience, the aforementioned items and the manner in which they were located indicate that both Gross and Green possessed CDS with the intent to distribute.”
He added that food stamps are “a common form of payment accepted by drug distributors,” and that nitrile gloves “are a common tool used by drug distributors to package and prepare CDS.”
Morgan noted that he had “attended and successfully completed the Southern Maryland Criminal Justice Academy,” where he was instructed in the “detection and identification of controlled dangerous substances.”
Gross was formally charged on October 9, 2025, and transported to the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center following his arrest.
That evening, Gross appeared before a District Court commissioner for his initial appearance, and the commissioner ordered Gross held without bond, determining that there was a “reasonable likelihood the defendant poses a danger to the safety of the alleged victim, another person, or the community.
Thomas Emanuel Gross, 39, of Lexington Park
