Charles News

SMECO Helps Stock Food Bank

SMECO Helps Stock Food Bank

SMECO recently helped fight hunger in the region by supporting the Southern Maryland Food Bank. Through donations of food and cash by its employees, the cooperative was able to stock the charity’s shelves with more than 3,100 pounds of food. The donations will enable the food bank to feed more than 140 families. The...
Read More »

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: Supporting Our Community Together

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: Supporting Our Community Together

September marks National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the complexities of suicide and promoting resources for prevention. Suicide is a significant public health issue, affecting individuals and communities across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the 11th leading cause of...
Read More »

Welcome Back Hawks! CSM Students Set to Return for the 2024 Fall Semester

Welcome Back Hawks! CSM Students Set to Return for the 2024 Fall Semester

Holiday: Labor Day Weekend (College closed).  All campuses of the College of Southern Maryland will be closed for the Labor Day weekend from Aug. 31 – Sept. 2. The college will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Welcome back Hawks! Fall sessions for students start Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, for seven-week and 15-week classes at all College...
Read More »

UPDATE: Pedestrian Killed in Charlotte Hall Identified as 39-Year-Old South Carolina Man

UPDATE: Pedestrian Killed in Charlotte Hall Identified as 39-Year-Old South Carolina Man

UPDATE 9/1/2024: On Sunday, September 1st, 2024, at approximately 1:37 a.m., First Responders were dispatched to a motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian in the area of Three Notch Road and Carpenter Lane, Charlotte Hall, Maryland. The preliminary investigation indicates that a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse, operated by Samuel Robert Simmons, 41, of Saint Inigoes,...
Read More »

Archery Deer Hunting in Maryland Opens September 6th, 2024

Archery Deer Hunting in Maryland Opens September 6th, 2024

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will open the archery hunting season for white-tailed and sika deer on Sept. 6. The season runs intermittently through Jan. 31, 2025. Archers may use vertical longbows and vertical recurve bows Feb. 1 and Feb. 3-4, 2025 during the third annual Primitive Deer Hunt Days. Hunters should consult the 2024-2025...
Read More »

Bryans Road Man Arrested for Assault and Violating Protective Order

Bryans Road Man Arrested for Assault and Violating Protective Order

Cozell Ryan Johnson, 37, of Bryans Road, was arrested on August 29, 2024, following a domestic-related incident in which he allegedly violated a Final Protective Order and assaulted an adult female. According to court documents, officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Hilton Court after receiving a report of...
Read More »

Charles County Man Arrested After Domestic Assault Involving Firearm

Charles County Man Arrested After Domestic Assault Involving Firearm

Damon Clyburn Glenn, 43, of Accokeek, was arrested on August 28, 2024, following an alleged domestic assault involving a firearm. Glenn has been charged with first-degree assault, a felony, after an incident at an apartment in Waldorf. Authorities responded to a report of a domestic-related assault at approximately 9:22 a.m. at the 2000 block...
Read More »

Maryland State Police Step Up Enforcement To Ensure A Safer Labor Day Weekend

Maryland State Police Step Up Enforcement To Ensure A Safer Labor Day Weekend

The Maryland State Police urge all motorists to prioritize safety during the Labor Day weekend and avoid impaired, distracted, and aggressive driving to protect yourself and others on the road. From August 30 to September 2, state troopers from all 23 barracks will conduct saturation patrols across Maryland. The State Police Impaired Driving Reduction...
Read More »

Road Rage Incident with Baseball Bat in Charles County Leads to Charges for Accokeek Woman

Road Rage Incident with Baseball Bat in Charles County Leads to Charges for Accokeek Woman

Tanika Lee Lopez, 45, of Accokeek, is facing charges of malicious destruction of property valued at less than $1,000 following an incident that allegedly occurred on August 29, 2023, in Waldorf, according to court documents from the District Court for Charles County. According to the charging documents, Lopez is accused of damaging a vehicle...
Read More »

Two Men Face Drug Charges in Charles County After Police Pursuit in Waldorf

Two Men Face Drug Charges in Charles County After Police Pursuit in Waldorf

Two men from St. Mary’s County are facing multiple drug-related charges following a traffic stop earlier this year in Charles County. Delontey Montario Butler, 31, of Lexington Park, and Demetrius Devon Hall, 27, of Chaptico, were charged with misdemeanors for the possession of controlled dangerous substances and drug paraphernalia after a high-speed chase ended...
Read More »

UPDATE: No Injuries Reported After House Fire in Colton’s Point

UPDATE: No Injuries Reported After House Fire in Colton’s Point

On Thursday, August 29, 2024, at approximately 12:22 p.m., firefighters from Seventh District, Leonardtown, Mechanicsville, Bay District, Second District, Hollywood, and Charles County responded to the 38000 block of Bayview Road in Colton’s Point, for the reported porch on fire. The 911 caller reported her back porch was on fire. Additional 911 callers then...
Read More »

Governor Moore Honors Rural Legacy Program for 25 Years of Conservation Success

Governor Moore Honors Rural Legacy Program for 25 Years of Conservation Success

Maryland’s Rural Legacy Program is celebrating 25 years of active land preservation across the state this year. Since its inception, the program and its partners have protected more than 125,000 acres of ecologically valuable properties, productive farms, and forests, representing a public investment of more than $405 million. In recognition of this milestone, Governor Wes Moore...
Read More »

Two Transported with Minor Injuries After Vehicle Drives Into Potomac River at Marshall Hall Park Boat Ramp

Two Transported with Minor Injuries After Vehicle Drives Into Potomac River at Marshall Hall Park Boat Ramp

On Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 12:23 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the Marshall Hall Boat Ramp in Bryans Road, for the reported motor vehicle collision with one vehicle in the Potomac River. Firefighters, along with High Angle Rescue Techs, Swift Water Rescue and Dive teams from Waldorf, Indian Head,...
Read More »

La Plata Home Depot Employee Arrested After Stealing Over $4,000

La Plata Home Depot Employee Arrested After Stealing Over $4,000

Kelvin Deonta Thomas, 40, of La Plata, has been charged with multiple counts of theft following his arrest on August 22, 2024. Thomas, who was working at the Home Depot store in Charles County, conducted fraudulent transactions that resulted in thefts totaling over $2,600. According to court documents, Officer W. Saunders of the Charles...
Read More »

Charles County Woman Arrested for Shoplifting at Safeway in Waldorf

Charles County Woman Arrested for Shoplifting at Safeway in Waldorf

Brittane Renee Clerkin, 26, of Waldorf, has been charged with theft following an incident at a Safeway in Waldorf on August 22, 2024. According to the police report, Officer PFC Fromme of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office was on routine patrol in the Smallwood Village Center when a citizen informed him of a possible...
Read More »

Charles County Woman Arrested After Altercation at Chipotle in La Plata Over Fresh Steak

Charles County Woman Arrested After Altercation at Chipotle in La Plata Over Fresh Steak

A local woman was arrested last week after an altercation at a Chipotle restaurant in La Plata. Paloma Alicia Holmes, 36, of La Plata, was charged with disorderly conduct following an incident on August 22, 2024. According to court documents, officers from the La Plata Police Department were called to the Chipotle on Drury...
Read More »

Two Brothers Charged with First Degree Asssault After Fight at Their Residence in Waldorf

Two Brothers Charged with First Degree Asssault After Fight at Their Residence in Waldorf

Reginald Damon Blake, 34, and his brother, Damonte Kevin Blake, 29, both of Waldorf, have been charged with first-degree and second-degree assault following an altercation in their home on August 23, 2024. The incident involved a physical fight between the brothers, who share a residence with their mother. According to court documents, Officer T....
Read More »

Waldorf Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for 5 Counts of Child Pornography: Film in Sex Act After Hiding Camera in Smoke Detector

Waldorf Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for 5 Counts of Child Pornography: Film in Sex Act After Hiding Camera in Smoke Detector

Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Monday, August 26, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge William R. Greer, Jr. sentenced Dustin Marcel Brown, 39, of Waldorf, to 35 years in prison for five counts of Child Pornography: Film in Sex Act. Brown will be on supervised probation for five years...
Read More »

Fire Safety Tips, Precautions and Facts for Back to College Campus Students

Fire Safety Tips, Precautions and Facts for Back to College Campus Students

By Ridge Volunteer Fire Department Vice President and Lieutenant Scot Best: Going to college is an exciting time for students and their parents. Living in a new “home away from home” not only gives young adults more freedom to make their own choices, but it also provides them an increased level of personal responsibility...
Read More »

Suspect Sought After Armed Robbery of White Plains AutoZone

Suspect Sought After Armed Robbery of White Plains AutoZone

On Friday, August 16, 2024, at 8:29 p.m., officers responded to the AutoZone located at 4120 Royal Bengal Place in White Plains for the reported armed robbery. A preliminary investigation revealed the suspect, who was wearing all black with a mask and gloves, entered the business, displayed a handgun, and demanded money. The employees...
Read More »

Waldorf Man Arrested in Calvert County for Theft of License Plate

Waldorf Man Arrested in Calvert County for Theft of License Plate

Ronald Anthony Davis, 38, of Waldorf, was arrested on August 20, 2024, at Calvert Health Medical Center in Prince Frederick, Maryland, following allegations of theft involving a license plate. According to court documents, Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy First Class (DFC) Plant was conducting routine patrol duties in the parking lot of Calvert Health...
Read More »

Chesapeake Bay Hypoxia Report – Early Summer 2024

Chesapeake Bay Hypoxia Report – Early Summer 2024

Data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Old Dominion University show a higher than average volume of hypoxia—waters with less than 2 mg/l oxygen—in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia in early June, that improved to less than average size in late June though late July. Summary results from...
Read More »

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Two Shot in White Plains

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Two Shot in White Plains

On Friday, August 16, 2024, at 9:38 p.m., officers responded to the 2300 block of Eden Woods Drive in Waldorf for the report of gunshots. A large amount of shell casings were located in the parking lot of the leasing office. One unrelated vehicle in the parking lot was damaged. Officers then received a...
Read More »

Police Investigate Non-Fatal Shooting, Possible Road Rage Incident in Waldorf

Police Investigate Non-Fatal Shooting, Possible Road Rage Incident in Waldorf

On Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at 9:28 p.m., officers responded to EMS 3 in Waldorf for the report of a shooting. When officers arrived, they learned the victim was a passenger in a car being driven by an acquaintance and was traveling on Route 5 near Post Office Road in Waldorf. A vehicle got...
Read More »

Police Investigating Motorcyclist Shot on Flaherty Place in Waldorf

Police Investigating Motorcyclist Shot on Flaherty Place in Waldorf

On Friday, August 23, 2024, between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., an adult male reported he was riding a motorcycle in the area of Flaherty Place in Waldorf, when he thought he was struck by a rock. He went home and realized he was bleeding and then went to a nearby hospital where he...
Read More »