Joseph Lenord Bourne, 39, of Waldorf
Joseph Lenord Bourne, 39, of Waldorf, faces misdemeanor charges of possessing a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis and possessing drug paraphernalia following a July 4, 2026, traffic stop in Waldorf.
A Charles County Sheriff’s Office officer reported seeing a white Chevrolet Impala with dark window tint and a cracked windshield turn from St. Charles Parkway onto St. Ignatius Drive at about 4:28 p.m. The officer stopped the vehicle near St. Ignatius Drive and High Street.
Bourne was seated in the front passenger seat. According to the officer, Bourne moved slowly, had delayed speech and struggled while searching the glove compartment for the vehicle registration. The officer described those observations as possible signs of drug impairment.
The officer said the driver suddenly reached between the driver’s seat and door while being asked again for the registration. Because the officer knew from a previous encounter that the driver kept pocketknives in the door compartment, the officer restrained him and opened the door. Several knives and loose pink pills were reportedly found inside the compartment.
The discovery prompted a drug investigation, and Bourne was temporarily detained in a separate patrol vehicle. During a search of the Impala, the officer reported finding a brown leather bag on the front passenger seat where Bourne had been sitting. Inside the bag was a glass smoking device containing suspected drug residue.
Police also reported recovering a tied plastic bag containing an off-white powder and larger rock-like pieces, along with a closed plastic container holding several white rock-like substances. The items were found in an open compartment of the front passenger door, next to where Bourne had been seated.
The substances were taken to a Charles County Sheriff’s Office station for field testing. According to the officer, a sample from the tied bag tested positive for cyclohexyl fentanyl and cocaine base. A sample from the plastic container also tested positive for cocaine base. Field tests provide preliminary results and do not constitute a final laboratory determination.
Bourne was taken without incident to the Charles County Detention Center in La Plata. He was formally charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia.
At an initial appearance on July 5, 2026, a judicial officer ordered Bourne released after he posted a $1,500 unsecured personal bond. The officer noted that Bourne had a previous failure to appear and ordered him to avoid criminal activity while on release and appear for all scheduled proceedings. Bourne was represented remotely by a court-appointed attorney during the hearing and was later found eligible for representation by the Charles County Public Defender’s Office.
A court date is scheduled for August 19, 2026, at 9 a.m. in Charles County District Court.
