Mechanicsville Woman Faces Drug, Theft, and Burglary Charges Across Three Open Cases

Whitney Anne Arnold, 39, of Mechanicsville, is currently facing three separate criminal cases in St. Mary’s County involving drug possession, a reported retail theft scheme, and an alleged unlawful entry into a vacant residence, according to court documents filed by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.

In the most recent case, deputies responded on November 30, 2025, to the Sheetz on Three Notch Road in California to assist another deputy with a wanted individual. According to the Statement of Probable Cause filed by Deputy Austin Welch, deputies learned that Arnold had an active warrant and Sgt. Bare had instructed her to exit the vehicle she was in. Sgt. Bare reported locating “a glass smoking device within the rear passenger-side door handle, which was where the defendant was located.” Arnold was placed under arrest due to the warrant. During a search of her person, Deputy Welch stated that “a folded $1 bill was located in the defendant’s right front pocket,” containing “a dark color substance,” and that “copper brillo was located in the defendant’s left rear pocket.” He explained in his statement that “I know through my training, knowledge, and experience that individuals will utilize a glass pipe to smoke crack cocaine and utilize copper brillo as a filter when smoking crack cocaine.” Deputies then searched the vehicle and reported locating a pill bottle with Arnold’s name on it that contained clonazepam, alprazolam, and clonidine hydrochloride. According to the report, “the name of the prescription on the pill bottle does not match the pills located within the bottle.” After being read her Miranda rights, Arnold “agreed to speak” with Deputy Welch and “admitted the dark substance was crack cocaine.” She is charged with three counts of CDS: possess not cannabis and one count of CDS: possess paraphernalia. She was released on a $1,000 unsecured personal bond on December 1, 2025.

In a separate case filed October 20, 2025, Arnold is charged with three theft-related offenses linked to reported incidents at the Kohl’s store on Lexington Village Drive in Lexington Park. Deputy Darrell Stewart wrote in his charging documents that he responded to the business on January 30, 2025, for a late theft report. The complainant told him that on December 18, 2024, two unidentified females and a male juvenile entered the store. The complainant described the first female, referred to as defendant #1, as “white female wearing black North Face hoodie with red/orange,” adding that “the subject also had neck tattoo.” The second female, referred to as defendant #2, was described as “white female wearing black Harley Davidson jacket with shorts.” The complainant stated that the subjects “made numerous quick selections” in several departments, then entered restrooms with the merchandise before exiting the store with concealed items and “passing all points of sale.” After they left, an associate “smelled burning smell” in the family restroom and found “18 deactivated ink tags that had recently been burnt off, along with box of shoes and multiple tags scattered throughout the restroom.”

Deputy Stewart wrote that he reviewed surveillance footage, identifying the timeline in detail. He stated that defendant #1 entered the store at 2037 hours, with her neck tattoo visible, and that defendant #2 entered at approximately 2040 hours. All three subjects, including the juvenile, were observed selecting merchandise and taking it into restrooms. At 2104 hours, defendant #2 exited the family restroom with no selections, but her Kohl’s bag was “considerably larger upon exit.” Defendant #1 also exited the restroom with no selections, and Stewart stated that her “Kohl’s bag no longer contains shoes; all of her unpaid selections are included.” The juvenile exited with no merchandise visible, but Stewart noted that “you can see that the subject has bookbag underneath his jacket.” Stewart also wrote that defendant #1 entered the Sephora section of the store, concealed a Sol De Janeiro item in the Juniors Department, and fled the store. All subjects entered a dark gray Kia with Maryland registration. The complainant reported the total loss for that date as approximately $670.98, with $302.98 attributed to defendant #1, $245.00 attributed to defendant #2, and $123.00 attributed to the juvenile.

The complainant also reported a second incident involving the same two females on December 26, 2024. The complainant described defendant #1 as “white female wearing white Nike hoodie and blue jeans,” and defendant #2 as “white female wearing gray North Face hoodie and shorts.” The complainant stated that the subjects used the “same modus operandi” as before, selected merchandise, took it into restrooms, and exited without those items. Stewart wrote that surveillance showed both defendants entering at 2102 hours. Defendant #2 picked up Adidas shoes and took them into a restroom at 2106 hours. Defendant #1 entered the same restroom at 2108 hours with merchandise. Defendant #2 exited the restroom without the shoes she had entered with, then made a small purchase. At 2116 hours, defendant #1 exited the family room without the merchandise she had carried in, but she now had a Kohl’s bag “with the unpaid merchandise.” Both subjects exited the store and entered the same dark gray Kia. Stewart stated that he identified defendant #1 as Whitney Arnold and defendant #2 as Amanda Cantrell through their Maryland driver’s licenses and prior dealings, and he wrote that the complainant was able to identify the subjects from an advertisement in the Southern Maryland News Net. Arnold faces charges of theft scheme $100 to under $1,500, theft $100 to under $1,500, and theft less than $100.

In a third unrelated case filed August 8, 2025, Arnold was charged with fourth-degree burglary following an incident on August 7, 2025. According to the Statement of Probable Cause filed by Deputy Joseph Senatore, deputies attempted to serve a bench warrant for Arnold at a residence on Dahlia Circle in California. Senatore stated that officers knocked on the door “multiple times, however, the occupants refused to exit.” After approximately 40 minutes, Arnold exited the residence and was taken into custody. Deputies contacted the property owner, who advised officers that the residence had been “vacant for approximately four months, and no one should currently be inside.” When the owner arrived at the scene, she confirmed Arnold “did not have verbal or written permission to be residing in the residence.” A walkthrough revealed that Arnold had been “sleeping on an air mattress in the master bedroom,” and that there was “no furniture or household items… indicative of regular living conditions,” as well as “no running water.” According to the report, Arnold told deputies that she had been “staying in the residence for approximately five days” without permission. Deputies verified her identity through a Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration photograph before arresting her. She was released on her own recognizance the following morning.

All three cases remain open, with upcoming court dates scheduled in the St. Mary’s County District Court.

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