Kelly A. Martone, 35, of Mechanicsville
Kelly A. Martone, 35, of Mechanicsville, is facing new criminal charges after allegedly providing false information to police during a response to a reported theft at the Five Below store in California, Maryland. According to court documents, Martone now faces four misdemeanor charges, and this is not her first encounter with law enforcement in 2025.
Martone was arrested on December 13, 2025, by Trooper Azeez Olayanju of the Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack.
Martone is charged with:
- Fraud–Personal Identification to Avoid Prosecution
- False Statement to Officer to Cause an Investigation
- Obstructing and Hindering a Police Officer
- False Statement to a Peace Officer
According to the charging documents, officers responded to the Five Below store on Worth Avenue in California, Maryland, at approximately 4:11 p.m. after the store manager reported a theft that had already occurred. The manager, an adult female, told officers that Martone “was seen picking up merchandise (Amora Sparkle Eye Serum Roller, price $5.30) from the store shelf, and was seen placing the merchandise into her jacket’s pocket.” She further said that Martone “continued to walk past the checkout station and walked outside the store without paying for the merchandise.”
While interviewing Martone, officers asked for her name and date of birth. She allegedly responded with “Kelly Anne Vallandingham (W/F, DOB: 06/19/1990).” A law enforcement records search produced no results. Martone repeated the false name before eventually revealing her real name. A subsequent check revealed two active arrest warrants from the Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack and the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.
Trooper Olayanju wrote, “That would be the reason Martone was giving false information.”
Martone was then searched. Officers reported locating the missing merchandise from Five Below inside her purse. Martone allegedly told them, “She did not remember placing the merchandise in her purse.”
She was arrested around 5:30 p.m., issued a trespass notice for the store property, and taken to the St. Mary’s County Detention Center. Later that evening, she was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital for medical evaluation. Troopers read Martone her Miranda rights at 8:24 p.m., and she initially agreed to answer questions but “was not cooperative, later stopped answering questions,” the report noted. The interview concluded at 8:27 p.m.
Martone appeared before a District Court Commissioner on December 14, 2025, where she waived her right to an attorney for the hearing. The commissioner ordered that Martone be held without bond, citing a “reasonable likelihood Defendant will not appear when required.” Judge James Tanavage upheld this order the following day during a bail review hearing.
She remains in custody pending a trial scheduled for February 17, 2026, at the St. Mary’s County District Court in Leonardtown.
On May 8, 2025, Martone was arrested following a traffic stop in Mechanicsville. During a search of her purse, authorities reported finding “two sealed Suboxone packages in a pink wallet” and “a clear twisted baggie with white powder (suspected cocaine).” The substances were submitted for testing, and Martone was charged with:
- Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Cocaine)
- Possession of a Schedule III CDS (Suboxone) without a prescription
Officers noted that Martone had “several active warrants” at the time of the stop. She was arrested and transported to the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center.
In a separate case, Martone was charged with theft after allegedly stealing a tip jar containing between $100 and $200 from Story Cannabis in Mechanicsville. According to a deputy’s statement, surveillance video showed Martone placing her jacket over the tip jar at the store counter and concealing it before leaving. The store had required ID upon entry, which is how she was later identified.
The store employee told deputies, “She placed her jacket over the tip jar… and left the store.” Security footage reportedly showed her “leaving the store with the tip jar concealed beneath her jacket”. She was charged with one count of theft between $100 and $1,500.
