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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Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general and state agencies in opposing the Securing and Establishing Consumer Uniform Rights and Enforcement over Data Act (SECURE Data Act), a federal data privacy bill that would supplant the privacy protections provided by the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act as well as...
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State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced that William Elliot Mitchell, Jr., 62, of Bushwood, Maryland, was sentenced to five years with eighteen months of active incarceration for the unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. On April 21, 2025, deputies with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Woodbush Drive in reference...
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Garfield Linden Northey, 50, of Lusby, has been charged in Charles County District Court with second-degree burglary, theft of $1,500 to under $25,000, and malicious destruction of property valued at $1,000 or more, according to court documents. The charges stem from an alleged May 3, 2026, break-in at a Charles County yacht and country...
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Ionta Eugene Proctor, 41, and Alize Margaret Phipps, 23, both of Waldorf, are charged in separate Charles County District Court cases with felony theft of property valued at $1,500 to under $25,000 after court documents say they were found in a Ford F-150 reported stolen from Prince George’s County. The cases were filed May...
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On Sunday, May 31, 2026, at approximately 7:45 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Hawthorne Road and Quailwood Parkway in La Plata, for the reported motor vehicle collision involving a motorcycle. 911 callers reported the motorcyclist was unconscious and laying in the roadway. Crews arrived on the scene...
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The Chesapeake Ghost baseball organization has officially announced the formation of its new 14U Showcase Baseball Team. Designed for athletes looking to break out of local brackets and test themselves on a grander stage, the program promises high-level player development, national exposure, and a culture built on accountability and fierce competitiveness. The 14U Ghost...
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On Saturday, May 30, 2026, at approximately 6:55 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services from Charles and St. Mary’s County responded to the 7000 block of Traeleigh Lane in Charlotte Hall, for the inaccessible rescue after an ATV crash. 911 callers reported an ATV crashed with two patients down and bleeding. Upon arrival,...
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The Charles County Economic Development Department joins the American Center for Manufacturing & Innovation (ACMI) and the Energetics Technology Center to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Maryland Energetics Innovation Hub (MEIH), a new campus designed to accelerate energetics production, process innovation, and advanced manufacturing. “We are thrilled to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Maryland...
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Governor Wes Moore issued a directive to the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Environment to implement a coordinated and urgent response to the late April freeze, which resulted in a significant crisis for Maryland’s agricultural community and ongoing drought designation that is affecting the majority of Maryland counties. This directive builds upon...
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A suspect wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in the town of Capitol Heights is in custody. He is 20-year-old Roland Andre Carter, Jr., of no fixed address. He’s charged with the murder of 19-year-old Ky-Mari Bowman of Waldorf. On February 4, 2026, at approximately 3:20 pm, officers responded to the 500 block...
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Parren Eric Swann, 61, of Oxon Hill, is facing charges in Charles County that include two counts of first-degree assault, illegal possession of a regulated firearm, use of a firearm in a felony or violent crime, carrying a handgun, transporting a loaded handgun in a vehicle, two counts of second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment...
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On May 26, 2026, detectives arrested Parren Eric Swann, 61, of Oxon Hill, in connection with a May 10 assault on Brookwood Drive in White Plains. The assault occurred at approximately 5:17 p.m. when the victim turned onto Brookwood Drive from Billingsley Road and saw a vehicle traveling toward her on the wrong side...
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UPDATE 5/28/2026: Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, May 14, 2026, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Scott Anthony Goldsmith, 55, to 48 years in prison for the Second-Degree Murder of Timothy Louis Portzen and the First-Degree Assault of a second victim. On March 9, 2026,...
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Driving, putting, fun, and networking are back again this year as Leadership Southern Maryland (LSM) celebrates its 13th Annual Golf Tournament on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at Chesapeake Hills Golf Course in Lusby, Md. All golfers and nongolfers are welcome and encouraged to join regional leaders from throughout Southern Maryland to enjoy a day...
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