Charles News

Man Flown to Trauma Center After Single Vehicle Strikes Tree in Waldorf

Man Flown to Trauma Center After Single Vehicle Strikes Tree in Waldorf

On Sunday, June 21, 2026, at approximately 4:55 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of 1020  Stone Avenue in Waldorf, for the automated crash notification with a male overheard moaning and groaning. While responding to the crash, an additional 911 caller reported a vehicle was speeding and crashed into...
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One Injured, One Transported to Trauma Center After Six Vehicle Collision Involving Motorcycle in Waldorf

One Injured, One Transported to Trauma Center After Six Vehicle Collision Involving Motorcycle in Waldorf

On Saturday, June 20, 2026, at approximately 4:40 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Crain Highway and Mattawoman Drive in Waldorf, for the serious motor vehicle collision involving a motorcycle and multiple vehicles. Multiple 911 callers reported a vehicle struck at least 6 or more other vehicles including...
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Police Investigating Two Shot at Friendly Tavern & Liquors in Waldorf

Police Investigating Two Shot at Friendly Tavern & Liquors in Waldorf

On Saturday, June 20, 2026, at approximately 2:20 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services were dispatched to the Friendly Tavern & Liquors located at 3190 Leonardtown Road in Waldorf, for the reported shooting. Police arrived on the scene to find a vehicle covered in blood with a 28-year-old male suffering a graze wound...
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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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Maryland Department of Transportation Provides Ongoing Fatal Crash Updates During Summer Travel Season

Maryland Department of Transportation Provides Ongoing Fatal Crash Updates During Summer Travel Season

The Maryland Department of Transportation is Serious About Safety and launching, in partnership with the Maryland State Police, a joint summer initiative to publish fatal motor vehicle crashes statistics from across the State. The campaign aims to raise public awareness of roadway fatalities and encourage safe driving habits during the peak summer travel season, also known...
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Former Police Chief, PGPD Officers and Capital Police Officer Convicted and Plead Guilty in Connection with Insurance Fraud Scheme

Former Police Chief, PGPD Officers and Capital Police Officer Convicted and Plead Guilty in Connection with Insurance Fraud Scheme

A federal jury convicted a Maryland man for his role in conspiring to commit an insurance fraud scam. The jury found Davion Percy, 40, of Suitland, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with the auto-insurance fraud scheme. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of...
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Man Transported to Trauma Center After Accidentally Shooting Himself While Cleaning Gun in Waldorf

Man Transported to Trauma Center After Accidentally Shooting Himself While Cleaning Gun in Waldorf

On Thursday, June 18, 2026, at approximately 8:20 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the 4600 block of Clayton Road in Waldorf, for the reported gunshot victim. The 911 caller reported a 41-year-old male accidentally shot himself in the left hand while cleaning a firearm. Bleeding control instructions were provided to...
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Watershed Education and Stewardship Grants Support Programming in Anne Arundel, Charles, and Prince George’s Counties

Watershed Education and Stewardship Grants Support Programming in Anne Arundel, Charles, and Prince George’s Counties

Two Maryland organizations will receive support for education and stewardship programming to enhance environmental education in the state. Outdoor education and stewardship funding is made possible from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant. Specific amounts will be contingent upon federal funding availability and approval. The following organizations were awarded funding through...
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MDOT SHA Performing Concrete Repairs on Benedict Bridge Starting Monday, June 22nd, 2026

MDOT SHA Performing Concrete Repairs on Benedict Bridge Starting Monday, June 22nd, 2026

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration will perform concrete bridge deck (riding surface) repairs on the MD 231 bridge over the Patuxent River at the Calvert / Charles County line starting 9 a.m. Monday June 22. This weekday work, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be completed by mid-July, weather...
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Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Melissa Decker Nominated for Fire Marshal of the Year

Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Melissa Decker Nominated for Fire Marshal of the Year

Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Melissa Decker has been selected as the Southern Regional Office nominee for the 2025 James C. Robertson Deputy State Fire Marshal of the Year Award. She was nominated by Deputy Chief John Nelson, commander of the Southern Regional Office. Decker will join nominees from each regional office and the...
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St. Joseph Catholic Church in Charles County Seeking Identity of Hit and Run Suspect That Struck Cemetery Headstone

St. Joseph Catholic Church in Charles County Seeking Identity of Hit and Run Suspect That Struck Cemetery Headstone

The St. Joseph Catholic Church released the following information this week. “Seeking your help to locate an individual who caused damage in our cemetery. We believe that on Thursday, June 11, 2026 between 8:36pm and 8:50pm, the driver of the pictured car, hit a headstone and flagpole in our cemetery. The bumper and a...
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10-Year-Old T.C. Martin Elementary School Student Flown to Children’s Center After Alleged Assault

10-Year-Old T.C. Martin Elementary School Student Flown to Children’s Center After Alleged Assault

On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at approximately 11:45 a.m., emergency medical services responded to the T.C. Martin Elementary School located at 6315 Olivers Shop Road in Bryantown, for the reported injuries after a fall. 911 callers reported a “10-year-old female student was conscious and alert after she tripped and fell on her face.” The...
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Fire Marshal Investigating Vehicle Fire in La Plata, No Known Injuries Reported

Fire Marshal Investigating Vehicle Fire in La Plata, No Known Injuries Reported

On Thursday, June 18, 2026, at approximately 3:05 a.m., police and firefighters responded to the area of 7570 Mason Springs Road in La Plata, for the reported vehicle on fire. 911 callers reported a vehicle was currently on fire, while parked on the side of the road near this address with unknown occupants or...
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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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UPDATE: Police Investigating Head-On Minibike Collision That Left 16-Year-Old in Serious Condition, 19-Year-Old Dead

UPDATE: Police Investigating Head-On Minibike Collision That Left 16-Year-Old in Serious Condition, 19-Year-Old Dead

UPDATE 6/16/2026 @ 12:30 p.m.: On Monday, June 15, 2026, at approximately 11:21 p.m., Troopers from Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack along with deputies from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to Maryland Route 224 (Riverside Rd) in the area of Wilson Landing Road for a report of a serious motor vehicle collision....
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MD 225 Hawthorne Road Culvert Replacement Project to Begin, Five-Month Closure Planned

MD 225 Hawthorne Road Culvert Replacement Project to Begin, Five-Month Closure Planned

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration will soon begin a major culvert replacement project on MD 225, also known as Hawthorne Road, at the crossing of a branch of Mattawoman Creek in Charles County. The project will replace the existing roadway crossing and culverts, identified as structure CH1685180. SHA officials said the...
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State of Maryland Announces $375,000 for Community Development Projects in Southern Region

State of Maryland Announces $375,000 for Community Development Projects in Southern Region

On June 1, 2026, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development announced that Southern Maryland counties have received a combined $375,000 through the state’s State Revitalization Programs for projects and activities that promote community development and economic growth in Fiscal Year 2027. The state’s six State Revitalization Programs support revitalization and redevelopment projects...
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Community Parks and Playgrounds Program to Invest $5 Million in Local Outdoor Recreation for Fiscal Year 2027

Community Parks and Playgrounds Program to Invest $5 Million in Local Outdoor Recreation for Fiscal Year 2027

Gov. Wes Moore’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes $5 million in Community Parks and Playgrounds grant funds for 26 projects in municipalities across 15 counties. This competitive grant program managed by the Department of Natural Resources provides funding to municipal governments to rehabilitate, expand, or improve existing parks; create new parks; or purchase and...
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Home Destroyed and Two Pets Rescued After House Fire in NSWC Indian Head Base Housing

Home Destroyed and Two Pets Rescued After House Fire in NSWC Indian Head Base Housing

On Saturday, June 13, 2026, at approximately 7:10 p.m., firefighters from NSWC Indian Head and surrounding departments in Charles County were dispatched to the 4000 block of Parsons Road, located in the on base housing section of NSWC Indian Head, for the reported structure fire. A short time after dispatch, the incident was upgraded...
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Charles County Board of Education Approves $553.5 Million FY2027 Operating Budget

Charles County Board of Education Approves $553.5 Million FY2027 Operating Budget

The Board of Education of Charles County at its June 9 meeting unanimously approved the fiscal year 2027 operating budget. The $553,532,999 budget represents a $26.02 million increase, or 4.9%, over the fiscal year 2026 operating budget.   The CCPS operating budget is primarily funded through state and county dollars, with about 39% coming from the overall Charles...
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Governor Wes Moore Announces $31.5 Million for Ecological Restoration Projects to Improve Water Quality in Local Waterways and the Chesapeake Bay

Governor Wes Moore Announces $31.5 Million for Ecological Restoration Projects to Improve Water Quality in Local Waterways and the Chesapeake Bay

Governor Wes Moore announced the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is awarding $31.5 million in grants from the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund for 25 ecological restoration projects encompassing 188 sites throughout the state that will improve water quality and wildlife habitats. “The Chesapeake Bay is the centerpiece of our tourism and seafood...
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Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Southern Maryland Until 11pm Tonight

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Southern Maryland Until 11pm Tonight

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect until 8:30 p.m. EDT for portions of St. Mary’s County, Calvert, Charles, Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties The storm was located near Coles Point, or near Tall Timbers, and moving east at 15 mph. Hazards include: Wind gusts up to 60 mph Hail up to 0.75...
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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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MDOT SHA Performs Routine Maintenance on MD 231 (Benedict Bridge) This Weekend

MDOT SHA Performs Routine Maintenance on MD 231 (Benedict Bridge) This Weekend

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration will perform routine maintenance on the MD 231(Hallowing Point Road) bridge over the Patuxent River at the Calvert/Charles County line on Sunday, June 14, 2026. Maintenance crews will clean the bridge deck (riding surface) between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., weather permitting. One lane of the...
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Fashion for a Cause Raises More Than $300K for Community Health Programs

Fashion for a Cause Raises More Than $300K for Community Health Programs

Hospice of the Chesapeake’s annual Fashion for a Cause event drew a sold-out crowd ready to celebrate community, style and families who depend on the nonprofit’s services. When the night was over, more than $300,000 had been raised for community health programs. The event, held June 4 at the Fluegel Alumni Center, Annapolis, Maryland,...
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