On March 3, 2017, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Smokey Joe’s restaurant located in the 22000 block of Three Notch Road in Lexington Park for a reported “hold up” alarm.
The investigation revealed suspicious persons were in the parking lot with one of the suspects wearing what was described as a large knife in his waistband.
When deputies arrived on the scene, the suspects fled the parking lot. A short vehicle pursuit ensued from the business ending at Pegg Lane when the suspect attempted to evade deputies by leaving the roadway and jumping over railroad ties. Shortly, the vehicle was located abandoned on Ronald Drive in Lexington Park.
Due to prior encounters with law enforcement, the suspect Clinton Maurice Gantt, 40, of no fixed address, was quickly identified.
Gantt was located on March 5, 2017, and transported to the St. Mary’s County Detention Center where he has been charged with Concealing Dangerous Weapon, served a warrant for the violation of an active protective order, and issued multiple traffic citations including negligent and reckless driving.
He is currently being held at the St. Mary’s County Detention Center, and additional charges are pending upon review with the State’s Attorney’s Office