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UPDATE: Family Displaced After House Fire on Father’s Day; GoFundMe Started to Assist

UPDATE: Family Displaced After House Fire on Father’s Day; GoFundMe Started to Assist

UPDATE 6/23/2026: On Sunday, June 21, 2026, at approximately 6:57 a.m., firefighters from Bay District, Hollywood, Solomons, Leonardtown, Ridge, and Second District were dispatched to 23165 Mirfield Lane in Lexington Park, for the reported structure on fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find a two-story single family home with fire showing from the...
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Sheriff’s Office Says It Cannot Provide Dozens of Booking Photos Because It Did Not Keep Local Copies

Sheriff’s Office Says It Cannot Provide Dozens of Booking Photos Because It Did Not Keep Local Copies

SMNEWSNET.COM is currently unable to obtain dozens of requested booking photographs from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office because the agency says it did not keep local copies of the photos after they were taken. The issue involves three closed Maryland Public Information Act requests submitted by SMNEWSNET.COM for booking photographs from late May...
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Applebee’s in California, Maryland Permanently Closes

Applebee’s in California, Maryland Permanently Closes

The Applebee’s restaurant, located at 45480 Miramar Way, California, Maryland, is shut down and no longer operating. The location had served customers in the California and Lexington Park area for years as one of the chain casual-dining options near First Colony and the Route 235 business corridor. No official public statement explaining the closure...
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Calvert Deputies Say Dispute at Solomons Marine Store Led to Pepper Spray and Vehicle Damage Charges

Calvert Deputies Say Dispute at Solomons Marine Store Led to Pepper Spray and Vehicle Damage Charges

Mark Travis Grove, 41, of Mechanicsville, has been charged with second-degree assault, while Bernard Wood Jr., 24, and Bernard Wood, 60, both of Lusby, have each been charged with malicious destruction of property valued at $1,000 or more after a May 31, 2026, dispute outside West Marine on HG Trueman Road in Solomons, according...
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Lexington Park Woman Arrested After Breaking Into Apartment, Damaging Guitar and Phone

Lexington Park Woman Arrested After Breaking Into Apartment, Damaging Guitar and Phone

Jezenia T. Beale, 21, of Lexington Park, has been charged with third-degree burglary and three counts of malicious destruction of property valued under $1,000 after deputies said she forced her way into an apartment on Great Mills Road in Lexington Park and damaged several items on June 19, 2026. According to allegations filed by...
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Father’s Day Gift Guide 2026: Shop Local, Celebrate Dad

Father’s Day Gift Guide 2026: Shop Local, Celebrate Dad

Father’s Day is a chance to celebrate the dads, grandfathers, stepdads, and father figures who have helped shape our lives. Whether they’re teaching us how to change a tire, helping with a home project, coaching from the sidelines, or simply being there when we need them most, Father’s Day is an opportunity to say...
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Two Arrested Following Thefts at Lowe’s and Aldi in St. Mary’s County

Two Arrested Following Thefts at Lowe’s and Aldi in St. Mary’s County

Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office were called to Lowe’s in the 45000 block of Worth Avenue in California on Thursday, June 18, at about 1:39 p.m. for a reported shoplifting. Upon arrival, it was reported that a male subject entered the store, placed various tools and equipment items in a shopping...
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Charlotte Hall Man Charged With Assault, Wearing a Handgun While Under the Influence

Charlotte Hall Man Charged With Assault, Wearing a Handgun While Under the Influence

Charles Edward Karpiak, 57, of Charlotte Hall, was arrested on June 17, 2026, and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and wearing a handgun while under the influence. The charges were filed in District Court in St. Mary’s County following an arrest by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Karpiak is accused of committing...
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North Beach Man Arrested After Drug Dealing Allegations Tied To Tiki Bar and Plaza Mexico in Calvert County

North Beach Man Arrested After Drug Dealing Allegations Tied To Tiki Bar and Plaza Mexico in Calvert County

Adolfo Lopez-Olguin, 42, of North Beach, has been charged with possession with intent to distribute narcotics, possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, and two counts of possessing or using a false government identification document after a Calvert County Sheriff’s Office investigation that began in 2025 and ended...
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Deputies Arrest Lusby Man Found With Multiple Duster Cans and Collapsible Baton at Walmart in Calvert County

Deputies Arrest Lusby Man Found With Multiple Duster Cans and Collapsible Baton at Walmart in Calvert County

Richard Allan Watson, 57, of Lusby, has been charged with concealing a dangerous weapon, inhaling or smelling an inhalant, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance that was not cannabis after Calvert County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a drug violation at the Walmart on N. Solomons Island Road in Prince...
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Convicted Drug Dealer on Parole Arrested in New Cocaine Distribution Case in St. Mary’s County

Convicted Drug Dealer on Parole Arrested in New Cocaine Distribution Case in St. Mary’s County

Joseph Valentino Thomas, 37, of Dowell, is facing new charges in St. Mary’s County after authorities say he fled from a traffic stop in Leonardtown and was later linked to multiple bags of cocaine and crack cocaine found near where his vehicle had stopped. Thomas is charged with possession with intent to distribute narcotics,...
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Leonardtown Man Charged After Struggle During Dameron Search Warrant Service

Leonardtown Man Charged After Struggle During Dameron Search Warrant Service

Deshawn Campbell, 18, of Leonardtown, has been charged with obstructing and hindering, resisting or interfering with arrest, and second-degree assault after authorities say he struggled with deputies during the service of search warrants in Dameron on June 16, 2026. The charges stem from an operation at a residence on Three Notch Road in Dameron,...
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Deputies Say Suspected Crack Cocaine Found During Lexington Park Traffic Stop

Deputies Say Suspected Crack Cocaine Found During Lexington Park Traffic Stop

Steve L Thomas, 56, of Lexington Park, has been charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia after a June 2, 2026 traffic stop near Great Mills Road and FDR Boulevard in Lexington Park. According to allegations filed in District Court for St....
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La Plata Police Plan Sobriety Checkpoint for Thursday, June 18

La Plata Police Plan Sobriety Checkpoint for Thursday, June 18

The La Plata Police Department will conduct a multi-jurisdictional sobriety checkpoint on Thursday, June 18, 2026, within the Town of La Plata as part of an effort to reduce alcohol- and drug-impaired driving. The initiative is supported in part through grant funding from the Maryland Highway Safety Office. Police said the checkpoint is intended...
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Maryland State Police Arrest Man After Six Same-Day Police Contacts In St. Mary’s County

Maryland State Police Arrest Man After Six Same-Day Police Contacts In St. Mary’s County

Jerome Lamont Holt, 64, of an unknown address, is facing charges of disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and trespassing on private property after police said he caused a disturbance at a Shell gas station on Point Lookout Road in Callaway on June 8, 2026. According to the allegations, a Maryland State Police trooper from...
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Lexington Park Man Charged With Felony Assault, Resisting Arrest and Disorderly Conduct After Incident in St. Mary’s County

Lexington Park Man Charged With Felony Assault, Resisting Arrest and Disorderly Conduct After Incident in St. Mary’s County

Javontay K Nolan, 19, of Lexington Park, has been charged with multiple offenses, including two counts of second-degree assault, two felony counts of second-degree assault on law enforcement or emergency personnel, disorderly conduct, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, and resisting or interfering with an arrest. The charges stem from an incident...
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Indian Head Man Arrested After Deputies Find Cocaine, Methamphetamine and Hidden Compartments During Search Warrant

Indian Head Man Arrested After Deputies Find Cocaine, Methamphetamine and Hidden Compartments During Search Warrant

Jerry Carlos Bannister, 54, of Indian Head, is facing seven drug-related charges after the Charles County Sheriff’s Office said investigators found crack cocaine, cocaine, methamphetamine, Suboxone strips, cash, packaging materials and hidden compartments during a June 3, 2026, search at his home on Stump Neck Road in Indian Head. Bannister is charged with possession...
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Wanted Glenn Dale Woman Charged After Assaults During Arrest at Bollywood Masala in California

Wanted Glenn Dale Woman Charged After Assaults During Arrest at Bollywood Masala in California

Angela Kathleen Klosek, 50, of Glenn Dale, has been charged with two counts of second-degree assault, resisting or interfering with arrest, disorderly conduct, and failing to obey a reasonable and lawful order after deputies said she refused to comply during an arrest at a California restaurant on May 24, 2026. According to charging information,...
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Wanted Lexington Park Man Faces New Drug Charges Amid Series of Protective Order and Assault Arrests

Wanted Lexington Park Man Faces New Drug Charges Amid Series of Protective Order and Assault Arrests

Corey Coniel Contee, 55, of Lexington Park, faces multiple charges in St. Mary’s County, including possession of a controlled substance other than cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, violation of a protective order, second-degree assault, and possession with intent to distribute a narcotic, following several incidents reported between January 2026 and May 2026. The latest...
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Wanted Baltimore County Man Charged in St. Mary’s Identity Fraud Case After Traffic Stop

Wanted Baltimore County Man Charged in St. Mary’s Identity Fraud Case After Traffic Stop

Mario Jose Fuentes-Mendez, 25, of Middle River, has been charged with fraud-personal identity to avoid prosecution after Maryland State Police said he gave false names during traffic stops in St. Mary’s County. The charge stems from a June 4, 2026, traffic stop on Three Notch Street in Lexington Park. According to the allegation, a...
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Upper Marlboro Man Charged After Calvert Traffic Stop Leads to Rifle Discovery

Upper Marlboro Man Charged After Calvert Traffic Stop Leads to Rifle Discovery

Jykiel Eugene Barnes, 26, of Upper Marlboro, has been charged with failing to obey a reasonable and lawful order from law enforcement and resisting or interfering with an arrest after a June 6, 2026 traffic stop in Prince Frederick during which deputies reported finding a loaded rifle inside his vehicle. According to court documents,...
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Police in St. Mary’s County Investigating Multiple Victims Shot in Lexington Park

Police in St. Mary’s County Investigating Multiple Victims Shot in Lexington Park

On Saturday, June 13 2026, at approximately 6:40 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the 46000 block of Hilton Drive in Lexington Park for the reported shooting. Multiple 911 callers reported multiple victims shot. Maryland State Police Aviation Command Trooper 7 and Trooper 2 were pre-launched to land nearby. Crews arrived...
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Leonardtown Woman Charged With Indecent Exposure, Trespassing at Lexington Park Liquor Store

Leonardtown Woman Charged With Indecent Exposure, Trespassing at Lexington Park Liquor Store

Shyann A. Haley, 34, of Leonardtown, has been charged with failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, disorderly conduct, indecent exposure, and trespassing on private property after deputies said she refused to leave a Lexington Park business and caused a disturbance on June 3, 2026. According to court filings, a deputy with the...
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Waldorf Man Charged With Assault, Trespassing and Drug Possession in Charles County

Waldorf Man Charged With Assault, Trespassing and Drug Possession in Charles County

Jamanti Malik Battles, 30, of Waldorf, has been charged with theft less than $100, possession of a controlled dangerous substance that was not cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, second-degree assault and trespassing on private property after an alleged dispute at a Waldorf residence on June 6, 2026. According to allegations filed in the case,...
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Temple Hills Man Arrested for Stealing Crab Cakes, Shrimp and Lobster Bisque From Waldorf Sam’s Club

Temple Hills Man Arrested for Stealing Crab Cakes, Shrimp and Lobster Bisque From Waldorf Sam’s Club

Lamont Anthony Campbell, 52, of Temple Hills, has been charged with theft of property valued between $100 and $1,500 after authorities say he failed to pay for several items at a Sam’s Club in Waldorf on June 7, 2026. The charge is a misdemeanor. According to charging documents, an officer with the Charles County...
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