Vontasha Romechia Simms, 58, of Waldorf, an active Democratic candidate for Charles County Commissioner President, is scheduled for a July 10, 2026, status hearing in Charles County District Court in connection with misdemeanor charges from a November 2025 VanGo bus incident in La Plata. The case remains active months after Simms’ arrest because of...
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Taniya Marie Jordan, 21, of Great Mills, Haley Alexis Revolorio, 21, of Great Mills, and Tashanna Diamond Meath-Butler, 25, of Waldorf, were charged after St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a large crowd and multiple disturbances at the Wawa on Three Notch Road in California on May 23, 2026. The charges stem...
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Jimmy Darrell Broyles-Kennedy, 55, of Waldorf, has been charged with impersonation of a police officer after Maryland State Police said he used emergency lights and a siren while driving a personal Chevrolet Tahoe in Charles County. The charge carries a possible penalty of up to two years in jail and/or a $2,000 fine. The...
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As quantum technology begins to reshape the future workforce, the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is working with industry and economic leaders to prepare students to enter this emerging field. On May 20, CSM hosted the Southern Maryland Regional Quantum Forum: Unlocking the Future, to develop training pathways for emerging quantum careers. The forum...
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Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, June 4, 2026, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Jason Shawn Smoot, Jr., 20, to 6 years in prison for Robbery. Upon release, Smoot will be on supervised probation for a period of five years. If he violates the terms...
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On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, school administrators and the school resource officer at Davis Middle School learned that a 12-year-old student had brought energy drinks mixed with alcohol in plastic bottles with the intent to sell them at school. Further investigation showed that two additional students, ages 11 and 12, had consumed the drinks...
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Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order to create a 12-month statewide task force on immigrant rights protection. The task force brings together State agencies in partnership with the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Comptroller, and other state leaders to coordinate efforts to address the fraud and exploitation of immigrant Marylanders. Immigrants...
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“A Message to Our Community Dear Friends, Supporters, Volunteers, Adopters, and Animal Advocates, My name is Dr. Lisa Connors, and I am honored to begin serving as President of the Humane Society of Charles County, effective June 4, 2026. As we move forward together, I want to thank our community for its passion, advocacy,...
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A Charles County, Maryland, man faces indictment in connection with an attack on two federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at the Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Airport. Cornelius Queen, 32, is charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers and interfering with security screening personnel at the airport. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the...
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The next generation of College of Southern Maryland (CSM) nurses received their pins during the Nursing Recognition Ceremony on May 14, welcoming graduates to the profession. The ceremony honored 45 nursing graduates as they begin careers in healthcare. Caroline Combs, dean of the School of Health Sciences, opened the ceremony by acknowledging the graduates’...
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Jerrell Jeffrey Tyson, 35, of Laurel, is charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct after authorities said he threatened an officer during a disturbance call in Waldorf on May 30, 2026. Tyson’s listed address appears differently across filings, including Laurel and Hyattsville. Officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office were called at about 3:02...
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Jeronda Artina Williams, 42, of Waldorf, has been charged with robbery, theft of $100 to under $1,500, second-degree assault, affray and disorderly conduct after an alleged fight and phone theft at a Waldorf gas station business on May 28, 2026. According to the allegations, an officer with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded at...
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Marque Desean Gilmer, 38, of Suffolk, Virginia is facing firearm, alcohol-related driving and traffic charges after La Plata police said a traffic stop on Crain Highway led officers to a loaded stolen handgun inside his vehicle. Gilmer is charged with illegal possession of ammunition, possession of a stolen regulated firearm, transporting a loaded handgun...
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On Friday, June 5, 2026, at approximately 12:26 a.m., firefighters from Mechanicsville and Charles County responded to the area of 37440 Lockes Crossing Road in Mechanicsville, for the reported commercial vehicle on fire. Multiple 911 callers reported a propane truck was on fire with multiple explosions. Additional callers reported the operator was out of...
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On Friday, June 5, 2026, at approximately 4:20 a.m., firefighters from Waldorf and surrounding departments from Charles and Prince George’s County responded to the 5700 block of Yellowtail Court in Waldorf, for the reported house on fire with possible entrapment. Dispatchers advised they were receiving multiple calls reporting the entire house was on fire...
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Matthew Scott Quiles, 40, of Waldorf, is facing multiple theft charges in Charles County after authorities say he stole merchandise from two home improvement stores and took cash deposits from a business where he had worked as a manager. The allegations involve three separate incidents in Waldorf: a May 18, 2026, theft at Lowe’s...
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Tyrone Lorenzo Parker, 38, of La Plata, has been charged in Charles County District Court with first-degree assault and second-degree assault after court documents say he attacked a male victim with an unknown metal object at a Waldorf park-and-ride in March 2026. According to charging documents filed by Detective David Garrison of the Charles...
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SMECO has awarded four scholarships for 2026 to high school seniors who live in the cooperative’s service area. Recipients receive awards based on scholastic achievement, financial need, and school and community involvement. Since beginning the scholarship program in 1993, SMECO has presented awards to 136 students. Each of the following students will receive a...
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The Warriors of La Plata High School celebrated the graduation of its Class of 2026 Thursday, June 4, at Regency Furniture Stadium. The class was led by valedictorian Ella Luton with the salutatorian role shared by Joyce Kang and Gavin Wu. Luton urged her fellow graduates to live their life not dictated by fear,...
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Kijah Renee Powers, 22, of Lanham, has been charged in Charles County District Court with misdemeanor theft of property valued at $100 to under $1,500 after court documents say she was accused of taking merchandise from Target on Western Parkway in Waldorf on May 30, 2026. According to the statement of probable cause, a...
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A former U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee pled guilty in federal court, today, to charges stemming from a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act scheme that enabled him to illegally obtain more than $176,000. Simeon Bakare, 55, of Waldorf, Maryland, pled guilty to wire-fraud charges in connection with the scheme....
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Tyrand Dupres Butler, 48, of Waldorf, has been charged with drug and firearm offenses after detectives with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Enforcement Section served search warrants on his vehicle and residence on May 29, 2026, as part of an investigation into suspected cocaine distribution. According to court documents, detectives obtained a search...
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On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at approximately 9:30 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Rosewick Road near the train tracks in La Plata, for a motor vehicle collision involving an unoccupied school bus. 911 callers reported a single vehicle struck a school bus which reportedly had no students...
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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources asks residents and visitors enjoying coastal and tidal waterways to remain alert for marine mammals and sea turtles throughout the summer and into early fall. Dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, whales, and other marine wildlife are regular seasonal visitors to the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries, the Atlantic...
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The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) celebrated the Class of 2026 during its 67th Commencement as hundreds of graduates crossed the stage to embark on new academic and professional journeys. Family and friends filled the CSM La Plata Campus to cheer on the graduates and celebrate their accomplishments. CSM President Dr. Yolanda Wilson opened...
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