Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) graduation rates for the Class of 2022 indicate that nearly 93% of students graduated on time. Graduation rate data was released this week by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The 92.6% graduation rate for the CCPS Class of 2022 is more than 5% higher than the statewide...
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The judging is complete for the 2023 Arbor Day poster contest, sponsored by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland First Lady Dawn Flythe Moore joined Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz and a panel of forestry experts to review submissions and award three Maryland schools with tree plantings this spring. “This...
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On March 4, 2023, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) received numerous complaints of vehicles operating in a reckless manner on Crain Highway between La Plata and the Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton Bridge. The complaints ranged from vehicles traveling at high rates of speed, passing on the shoulders, and vehicles blocking...
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The word that clinched the 2023 Charles County Spelling Bee for a Mattawoman Middle School eighth grader was “valedictorian.” Correctly spelling the word that defines a student with the highest academic achievements of a graduating class seems a fitting word for Alec Gallahan to nail. He advances to the Scripps National Spelling Bee held...
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On March 12, 2023, at approximately 12:15 a.m., officers responded to the area of southbound Crain Highway at westbound Maryland Route 32 for a crash involving a tow truck and a sedan. The investigation revealed a 2013 Freightliner tow truck was traveling southbound on Crain Highway near westbound Maryland Route 32 when it rear-ended...
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On the morning of March 10, 2023, Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) received an anonymous tip that a 12-year-old student at General Smallwood Middle School made verbal statements as well as on a social media platform to shoot multiple students during the school day. The School Resource Officer was notified and initiated an investigation....
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On Tuesday, March 7, Commissioners approved Charles County’s annual transportation priority letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation. Staff provided a presentation on transportation priorities, including support for Southern Maryland Rapid Transit, improvements to the US 301 Waldorf corridor, pedestrian safety enhancements at US 301/Smallwood Drive and MD 228/Western Parkway, projects to improve the Hughesville area, and Governor...
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Registration is now open for College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Velocity X Climate Innovation Hackathon where participating teams will solve real world challenges by inventing, designing and testing solutions to solve the impact of climate change. Held at the Velocity Center in Indian Head, coders and inventors are invited to join community partners for...
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On March 8, administrators at St. Charles High School recovered a bag of edibles containing suspected marijuana from a 15-year-old student. The School Resource Officer was notified and began an investigation. The State’s Attorney’s Office is being consulted regarding charges and the student faces disciplinary action by CCPS. Parents are asked to talk with...
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On Thursday, March 9, 2023, at approximately 1:30 p.m., firefighters from Mechanicsville, Leonardtown, Hollywood and Charles County responded to 29650 Whalen Road in Charlotte Hall, for the reported structure on fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find a large shed with a vehicle inside fully engulfed in flames with extensions to a nearby...
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On Thursday, March 9, 2023, at approximately 10:18 a.m., police, fire and rescue personnel responded to the Harbor Freight parking lot located at 3286 Crain Highway in Waldorf, for the reported shooting. Dispatchers advised the 911 caller stated he accidentally shot himself in the leg. Crews arrived on the scene find an adult male victim...
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On March 3, a 12-year-old student at Piccowaxen Middle School entered a classroom that he did not belong in, sat next to another student and tried to grab her hand, which she did not allow. When the teacher dismissed the class, the male inappropriately touched the victim, and then followed her towards her locker....
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As the season changes, consumers should replace their batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to ensure they have working alarms throughout their home and to take steps to prevent fires such as cleaning clothes dryer vents. Make these annual habits to help save lives!...
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On the morning of March 8, the nurse at La Plata High School requested the School Resource Officer’s assistance with a student that was hyperventilating and exhibiting abnormal behavior. The officer was able to calm the student down, and the student notified the officer that she had used a vape pen containing what was...
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Troopers arrested a Charles County man on Tuesday, March 8, 2023, after a Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation developed evidence of possession of and distribution of child pornography. The suspect is identified as David Allen Payne, 57, of Waldorf. Payne is charged with five counts of possession of child...
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On March 4, 2023, Charles County Sheriff’s detectives arrested and charged David Warren Henson, Jr., 53, of Waldorf, with sexual abuse of a minor and child pornography after it was reported that he sexually abused an adolescent female over a period of two years. Henson has been employed as a teacher at Grace Lutheran...
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On March 3 at approximately 4:53 p.m., patrol officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle in the area of Mattawoman Beantown Road at Poplar Hill Road a traffic violation. Upon making contact with the occupants, officers detected the odor of marijuana. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers located a handgun as...
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UPDATE 3/8/2023: The pedestrian has been identified as Juan Alcides Urias-Hernandes, 35, of Waldorf. UPDATE 3/5/2023: On Saturday, March 04, 2023, at approximately 8:36 p.m., Troopers from Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack responded to United States Route 301 (Crain Hwy) in the area of Acton Lane for a report of a serious motor...
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On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at approximately 1:05 p.m., firefighters responded to 2703 Morgan Drive in Waldorf, for the reported structure fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find shed fully engulfed in flames which had extended to a second shed, two salvaged vehicles and a trailer. The owner is identified as Sherina Brown...
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On Monday, March 6, 2023, at 3:43 p.m., a patrol officer observed a vehicle being driven recklessly on Billingsley Road in Bryans Road. A computer check on the vehicle’s registration indicated it had been reported stolen. The officer initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled on Billingsley Road towards White Plains. The vehicle...
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The Maryland Department of Agriculture today expanded its spotted lanternfly quarantine to include the following counties: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Washington and Wicomico, as well as Baltimore City. This quarantine is effective immediately, and restricts the movement of regulated articles...
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On Sunday, March 5, 2023, at approximately 1:21 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding in the area of Middletown Road and McDaniel Road in Waldorf. Upon making contact with the driver, the officer detected the odor of marijuana. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, the officer located...
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On Saturday, March 4, 2023, at approximately 12:48 a.m., officers responded to the 4600 block of Prestancia Place in the Sheffield neighborhood of Waldorf for a report of a suspicious vehicle. When officers arrived, the suspect vehicle fled but was located nearby on Muirfield Court. When an officer approached the vehicle to speak...
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On Monday, March 6, 2023, at approximately 2:20 p.m., 32 firefighters from Charles County responded to 3325 Middletown Road in Waldorf, for the reported shed on fire. The 911 caller reported someone set their shed on fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find a small shed with a fire contained to the interior. Crews...
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On March 5, 2023, at approximately 7:36 p.m., officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of St. Charles Parkway near St. Mark’s Drive for the report of a single-vehicle crash. Upon arrival, officers observed a vehicle had gone off the roadway and into several trees. The three occupants of the...
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