Donald Leo Parks, 32, of Lexington Park, is facing criminal and traffic charges after court documents say he allegedly drove a red moped away from a St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputy during an attempted traffic stop and later attempted to conceal suspected synthetic cannabinoid under the vehicle.
According to court documents, Deputy Joseph Senatore of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office was conducting routine patrols on May 10, 2026, while parked on Great Mills Road in Lexington Park. The deputy reported seeing a red moped leave a nearby business on Great Mills Road and enter the roadway without a rear registration sticker, described in the charging documents as an ORV sticker.
Deputy Senatore wrote that he attempted to stop the moped in the area of Great Mills Road and Midway Drive. After the deputy activated his emergency lights, the operator allegedly looked directly at him and continued driving away. The moped then traveled from Midway Drive onto Great Mills Lane before entering the backyard of a property on Great Mills Lane, according to the statement of probable cause.
Court documents identify the operator as Parks. The deputy reported getting out of his vehicle and chasing on foot in an attempt to locate the moped. According to the charging documents, Parks was seen trying to place the moped on the ground in the backyard and attempting to discard multiple items from his pockets.
A search of the area where the moped was placed allegedly uncovered a ziplock bag containing about one gram of a green leafy substance. Deputy Senatore wrote that, based on his training and experience, he identified the substance as a variation of synthetic cannabinoid, commonly referred to as “K2.” The documents state that Parks verbally admitted the collected substance was “K2.”
Parks is charged in the criminal case with possession of a controlled dangerous substance that was not cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, and altering physical evidence in a criminal proceeding. The charging documents allege the paraphernalia was a ziplock baggie used to store synthetic cannabinoid, and that Parks concealed suspected synthetic cannabinoid under the moped because he believed it could be used in a future official proceeding.
Court records also show several traffic charges connected to the same May 10, 2026 incident.
Parks is charged with the following:
- attempting to elude police in an official police vehicle by failing to stop
- driving on a revoked license and privilege
- driving while his license was suspended under specified Maryland transportation provisions
- driving on a suspended license and privilege
- driving or attempting to drive without the required license and authorization
- knowingly driving an uninsured vehicle
- failing to securely fasten or properly place a registration plate
- operating an unregistered motor vehicle on a highway
- failing to attach vehicle registration plates at the front and rear
Records in the District Court for St. Mary’s County show the criminal case was filed May 10, 2026, and the traffic case was filed May 12, 2026. The criminal case lists an unsecured personal bond of $3,500, which was posted on May 10, 2026.
