The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is searching for James Edward Harding Sr., age 83, who is missing from the Ellenwood Park area in La Plata, MD. Mr. Harding has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He was last seen early this morning around 3:30 a.m. leaving his home. Mr. Harding, a retired police officer, is...
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Dolphins have been reported across several Chesapeake Bay waterways this week, including the Patuxent River, Potomac River, South River, Severn River, West River, Magothy River, and Corrottoman River. Residents and visitors heading out on the water this summer are encouraged to keep watch for dolphins and other marine wildlife, while also maintaining a safe...
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On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at approximately 6:15 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Route 234 in the area of Allen’s Fresh, for the reported vehicle in the water. The 911 caller, a firefighter, reported a Jeep was off the roadway and in the water with the vehicle...
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Today, June 10, 2026, 4 members of our Department, alongside members of the Charles County Volunteer Rescue Squad and employees from Charles County Department of Emergency Services, were recognized by Mr. Billy Maddox for a CPR life save that occurred back in August 2025. Crews responded to Mr. Maddox’s residence for a medical emergency...
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A La Plata man used his employee number when he played Pick 5, making three $1 bets on the combination, which is how he usually plays. All three Pick 5 tickets were straight bets, so when his numbers came up in the evening drawing on June 5, he got a $150,000 payday. Speaking June...
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Joseph Evans of Benjamin Stoddert Middle School was recently named the 2026 Assistant Principal of the Year for Charles County Public Schools (CCPS). Evans, a graduate of North Point High School, has risen through the ranks of CCPS in the past decade. He began his career as a substitute teacher before transitioning to an...
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Westlake High School’s 303 members of the Class of 2026 graduated June 3, led by valedictorian Christopher Chubbs Jr. and salutatorian Bianca Lepe. Lepe talked about strength and how she gains it from her family. This year, her family lost both grandmothers and Lepe’s older sister, Cristin, passed away in January. The family relied...
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The Spartans of St. Charles High School brought with them a wealth of memories June 4 during the graduation ceremony for the school’s Class of 2026. Led by valedictorian Carly Newman and salutatorian Ryan Gloria, 396 St. Charles graduates earned more than $31 million in scholarship offers. Newman asked her fellow graduates to go...
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Four Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) teams placed at the state MESA Day competition last month at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) competition challenges students in elementary through high school to use ingenuity and creativity to tackle specific science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) challenges. Teams...
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A Maryland Lottery scratch-off sold in Hyattsville delivered a $1 million prize last week, while another ticket in Leonardtown produced a $100,000 win. In addition, one lucky Pick 5 player purchased three $50,000 winning tickets in Charles County. During the week of June 1-7, a total of 23 tickets statewide delivered prizes of $10,000...
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Chesapeake Life Center is excited to host “Come S.I.T. Awhile,” a grief retreat from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 25 at the Center for Hope & Healing on Hospice of the Chesapeake’s John & Cathy Belcher Campus, Pasadena, Maryland. The retreat is made possible by Sisters In Truth, a traveling seminar retreat organization...
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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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