On Saturday, October 5, 2024, at approximately 11:30 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Billingsley Road and Bensville Road, for the reported motor vehicle collision with injuries. Police arrived on the scene to find a single vehicle into a utility pole, off the roadway, down an embankment and...
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The Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal is proud to announce its 130th anniversary this month, marking a significant milestone as the oldest State Fire Marshal’s Office in the United States. Established in 1894, the Office is also recognized as the second oldest state public safety agency in Maryland, following only the Maryland...
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On Friday, October 4, 2024, a student at Wade Elementary School purposely jabbed one student in the leg with a pencil and struck another student in the head with a book. The student who was injured in the leg received a penetrating wound that required treatment. The student struck in the head was transported...
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Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman joined Gov. Wes Moore and Treasurer Dereck Davis for Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting to approve more than $3.6 billion for 75 initiatives and projects throughout Maryland. The Board of Public Works approved a $2.75 million settlement following a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into discriminatory hiring practices...
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Deer mating season is right around the corner, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reminds motorists to be vigilant. The shortening of day length, called the photo period, triggers white-tailed deer breeding season. During this time, these deer travel across roads in often unpredictable patterns at all times of the day in search of a mate. Most...
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP) to resolve the United States’ claims that MDSP’s hiring process for state troopers violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Specifically, the United States alleges that MDSP...
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Governor Wes Moore today announced that the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services will cancel the debt for outstanding mandatory, parole, and administrative release supervision fees and drug testing fees for individuals who are currently under the supervision of the agency’s Division of Parole and Probation. The action will relieve administrative debt for...
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The Maryland State Police are participating in the 27th National Drug Take Back Day as part of the ongoing fight against opioid addiction. Police urge people to drop off unwanted prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 26, at any of the 23 state police barracks—no questions asked. All Maryland State...
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On October 4, 2024, at 12:17 a.m., officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a single-vehicle crash near Chapel Point Road and Brooks Farm Road in La Plata. Upon arrival, officers and EMS discovered a Chevy Tahoe that had veered off the road, struck a tree, and come to rest back on...
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Each week, SMNEWSNET.COM will provide a list of all arrests and criminal summonses issued in Charles County. In the spirit of transparency, we are committed to keeping our community informed about local law enforcement activities. This list includes arrests made by both the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police, providing a...
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Keanu Destine Grissett, age 23, of Waldorf, is facing charges of first- and second-degree assault after an alleged domestic altercation on September 26, 2024. According to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, officers responded to a distress call at Amber Leaf Apartments in Waldorf, where they encountered a female victim who reported being physically assaulted...
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As news of a major port strike across the U.S. hits the headlines, people are panic-buying toilet paper, flooding social media with reports of empty shelves at their local stores. While this scenario feels eerily similar to the shortages we saw during the pandemic, there’s an important fact to understand: There’s no actual shortage...
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Gallery Exhibit Entitled ‘NEW’: Works by Jerry Truong, Coy Gu, Andrew Wodzianski, and George Bedell. See gallery art created by the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) faculty through Oct. 18 at the Tony Hungerford Memorial Art Gallery located at the La Plata Campus. CSM’s Studio Art Professors exhibit their latest creations, resulting in a group...
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Maryland State Police will join faith-based organizations and law enforcement agencies across the state to celebrate National Faith & Blue Weekend, set for October 11-14, 2024. National Faith & Blue is a collaborative initiative that builds bridges and breaks down biases through activities and outreach amongst law enforcement professionals and the communities they serve....
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Members from the Maryland Car Rally Task Force, working in collaboration with the Maryland State Police Special Operations Division, and allied police agencies disrupted twelve unlawful exhibition driving events throughout multiple Maryland counties, including Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Howard and Baltimore, Saturday night. Police responded to several locations where up to 500 participants gathered...
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The Justice Department announced today that it is awarding $4 billion to support public safety and community justice activities in the states and territories and in local and Tribal communities. The grants, from the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will fund efforts across the country to reduce violence, expand services for crime victims and...
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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a part of the Department of Justice, has announced a public hearing regarding a significant change in how marijuana is classified under federal law. The proposal seeks to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This move, which has...
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UPDATE 9/29/2024: On Saturday, September 28, 2024, at approximately 4:33 p.m., Maryland State Police (MSP) Troopers from the La Plata Barrack responded to a serious motor vehicle collision on Maryland Route 488 at Grant Chapman Road. Due to the nature of the incident, the MSP CRASH Team was called to assume the investigation. Preliminary...
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On Friday, September 27, 2024, at approximately 9:32 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Three Notch Road and New Market Turner Road in Mechanicsville, for a serious motor vehicle collision with injuries and entrapment. Crews arrived on the scene to find a three vehicle collision involving a Dodge...
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On Friday, September 20, 2024, at 2:30 p.m., officers responded to Piccowaxen Middle School after a school bus driver returned from his bus route after a student reported seeing someone with what appeared to be a gun pointing it toward the bus as the bus was dropping students off at a bus stop. The...
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On September 23, 2024, at approximately 7:40 p.m., officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a domestic violence call on Meadow Court in Hughesville. The suspect, identified as Brandon Wayne Blitch, 38, of Hughesville, allegedly fired a gun during an argument with the adult female victim. Three juveniles were also present in...
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UPDATE 9/24/2024: The operator of a motorcycle involved in a fatal collision on Old Washington Road has been identified as Jesel Edolen Rodriguez Amaya, age 16, of Waldorf. On September 22 at 12:11 a.m., patrol officers responded to the 2400 block of Old Washington Road in Waldorf for the report of a motorcycle collision....
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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that squirrel, rabbit, fall turkey, and other small game seasons are either underway or set to open in the coming weeks. Some of these species offer generous seasons and bag limits and are abundant throughout Maryland. “Small game hunting can be an enjoyable way to spend time afield for both new...
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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will begin fall trout stocking in early October as soon as water levels and temperatures are acceptable for trout. Department crews will transport thousands of state hatchery-raised brown, golden rainbow, and rainbow trout and release them statewide in select creeks, rivers, lakes, and ponds. The department is...
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The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) announces the launch of its new five-year strategic plan, “Built for Success.” The plan emphasizes a student-centered culture with access, momentum, and mobility at the core of all of the college’s efforts. “At the College of Southern Maryland, fostering a student-centered culture is a journey that we embark...
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