Charles News

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Receives Certification to Submit the FBI’s Data Collections Standard Through National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Receives Certification to Submit the FBI’s Data Collections Standard Through National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

In accordance with mandatory federal data collection standards, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is pleased to announce the Agency has successfully achieved certification to implement the FBI’s new National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is one of 36 law enforcement agencies out of 142 in Maryland to have already...
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Charles County Sheriff’s Office Visits Girl Scout Troop from La Plata Church of Christ

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Visits Girl Scout Troop from La Plata Church of Christ

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank a local Girl Scout Troop from La Plata Church of Christ for inviting them to be a part of their day this weekend! They wanted to learn more about police work and so Officers M. Neel, B. Aber, and H. Ptack responded! The scouts were...
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Police in Charles County Investigating Motor Vehicle Collision That Killed Pomfret Man

Police in Charles County Investigating Motor Vehicle Collision That Killed Pomfret Man

On Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at approximately 1133 hours, Troopers from the Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack responded to United States Route 301 (Crain Hwy) in the area of Turkey Hill Road for a report of a serious motor vehicle collision. Due to the circumstances, the Maryland State Police CRASH Team responded to...
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Raccoon Bite and Suspected Rabid Raccoon in the Mechanicsville Area

Raccoon Bite and Suspected Rabid Raccoon in the Mechanicsville Area

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has been notified of a raccoon with behavior suspicious for rabies and a history of biting a person near the intersection of 27350 Three Notch Road and New Market Turner Road in Mechanicsville. Anyone who may have been bitten by a raccoon in this area on or...
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Registration Of Unserialized, Privately-Made Firearms In Effect As of Today, June 1, 2022

Registration Of Unserialized, Privately-Made Firearms In Effect As of Today, June 1, 2022

Effective today, (6/1/22), Title 5 of the Public Safety Article requires a personal identification number for all unserialized firearms and unfinished frames and receivers, commonly referred to as 80% lowers (ghost guns) or build kits. Beginning June 1, 2022, a person who currently possesses non-serialized firearms, including unfinished frames or receivers, will be required...
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LifeStyles Welcomes the First Residents at the New White Plains Emergency Shelter

LifeStyles Welcomes the First Residents at the New White Plains Emergency Shelter

The doors swung open, and the first families walked in. Men, women and children, each of them arrived wide-eyed and knowing that stepping inside this building meant that they did not have to worry about where they would sleep on Thursday night. Or the next night. Or any night in the near future. Thursday...
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Charles County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Unit Announces 2022 Youth Summer Sports Camps

Charles County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Unit Announces 2022 Youth Summer Sports Camps

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Unit has announced the dates for the 2022 youth summer sports camps: Football Camp will be held at St. Charles High School, located at 5305 Piney Church Road in Waldorf, from July 6-8 from 7:45 a.m. until 1 p.m. The program is being offered to youths currently in...
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La Plata Man Arrested After Burglarizing and Stealing from La Plata Business

La Plata Man Arrested After Burglarizing and Stealing from La Plata Business

On Monday, May 30, 2022, at approximately 2:46 a.m., officers responded to the 6200 block of Crain Highway for the report of a commercial intrusion alarm. First arriving officers found the front window of a business broken out. After searching the business for the suspect(s), officers were able to review a video tape of...
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Election Information from Maryland State Board of Elections

Election Information from Maryland State Board of Elections

The Maryland State Board of Elections is encouraging eligible voters interested in casting a ballot in July’s primary election to register to vote online. SBE is also urging those who are already registered to confirm their latest district and polling place information using the online voter lookup tool. The deadline to register to vote...
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National Weather Service Confirms EF-1 Tornado Travelled Through St. Mary’s and Charles County on Friday, May 27, 2022

National Weather Service Confirms EF-1 Tornado Travelled Through St. Mary’s and Charles County on Friday, May 27, 2022

The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF-1 Tornado travelled 4.16 miles through Charlotte Hall, MD, and Benedict, MD. A damage survey for 05/27/2022 tornado in Charlotte Hall, MD. Rating: EF-1 Estimated peak wind: 90 mph Path length /statute/: 4.16 miles Path width /maximum/: 100 yards Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Start date: Friday, May,...
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Hughesville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department Mourn the Loss of Charter Member “Mac” McDonagh

Hughesville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department Mourn the Loss of Charter Member “Mac” McDonagh

Clarence O’Connell McDonagh, Jr., 92, of Hughesville, MD, peacefully passed away on May 20, 2022. Known by his nicknames “Brother” and “Mac”, he was born on August 23, 1929 in Baltimore, MD, to the late Clarence and Elsie McDonagh, their third child and only son. The family moved to Hughesville when he was two...
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SMECO Awards Four Scholarships to High School Seniors

SMECO Awards Four Scholarships to High School Seniors

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) has awarded four scholarships for 2022 to high school seniors who live in the Cooperative’s service area. Scholarships are based on the applicants’ scholastic achievement, financial need, and school and community involvement. SMECO has awarded scholarships to 120 students in the 30 years since beginning the program in 1993....
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Charles County Commissioners Meeting Update May 24, and May 25, 2022

Charles County Commissioners Meeting Update May 24, and May 25, 2022

On Tuesday, May 24, Department of Emergency Services; Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism; Economic Development Department; Department of Community Services; and Department of Planning and Growth Management staff provided an update on Goal 5: Quality of Life of the Commissioners’ Goals and Objectives. Highlights included the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 and public safety radio...
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Charles County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Suspicious Person/Incident at Waldorf Bus Stop

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Suspicious Person/Incident at Waldorf Bus Stop

This morning, officers were made aware of a possible suspicious person at a school bus stop in the Millbrook neighborhood of Waldorf. Several young students from C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School who were at a bus stop said they observed a male, possibly white, in his teens, wearing black clothing and a black mask...
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Police in Charles County Investigating Motor Vehicle Accident in Parking Lot That Killed a Charlotte Hall Woman

Police in Charles County Investigating Motor Vehicle Accident in Parking Lot That Killed a Charlotte Hall Woman

On May 24, 2022, at 10:15 a.m., officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the parking lot of a restaurant in the 2900 block of Crain Highway for the report of a crash involving a pedestrian. A preliminary investigation revealed a woman exited a vehicle and while she was crossing the lot,...
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Update from Charles County Public Schools Superintendent Navarro

Update from Charles County Public Schools Superintendent Navarro

Press release posted on May 25, 2022. This update was sent to Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff, students and families on May 24, 2022. May 24, 2022 Dear Parents, Guardians and Community Members: Earlier today, the Uvalde, Texas, community experienced a heartbreaking and senseless tragedy as an armed gunman walked into Robb Elementary School...
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Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab 2022 Winter Dredge Survey Results Released, Population Hits Record Low

Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab 2022 Winter Dredge Survey Results Released, Population Hits Record Low

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the results of the 2022 Baywide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, a cooperative effort with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), which annually estimates the number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. The total abundance of blue crab in the Chesapeake Bay in 2022...
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Maryland Attorney General Frosh Announces $989,000 Settlement with Ford Motor Company Over Claims of False Advertising

Maryland Attorney General Frosh Announces $989,000 Settlement with Ford Motor Company Over Claims of False Advertising

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced, as part of multistate settlement, a more than $989,000 settlement with Ford Motor Company regarding claims that Ford falsely advertised the real-world fuel economy of model year 2013–2014 C-Max hybrids and the payload capacity of model year 2011–2014 Super Duty pickup trucks. “Ford bragged about the fuel...
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Maryland Resources Available for Preventing and Preparing for Active Assailant Events

Maryland Resources Available for Preventing and Preparing for Active Assailant Events

On behalf of the Maryland Center for School Safety and Active Assailant Interdisciplinary Work Group for the State of Maryland, we offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and communities directly affected by the horrific events in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York, as well as those across the country who are shaken by...
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources Tagging Study Offers Money for Harvesting Northern Snakeheads in the Chesapeake Bay

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Tagging Study Offers Money for Harvesting Northern Snakeheads in the Chesapeake Bay

In an effort to monitor invasive northern snakeheads in the Chesapeake Bay and Blackwater River, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announces a new tagging program in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Both agencies are placing yellow or blue tags on up to 500 northern snakeheads. Each tagged northern...
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Two Transported to Hospital and Two Flown Out After Head-on Collision on Brandywine Road at Charles/Prince George’s County Line

Two Transported to Hospital and Two Flown Out After Head-on Collision on Brandywine Road at Charles/Prince George’s County Line

On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at approximately 6:18 p.m., firefighters from Hughesville Volunteers Fire & Rescue Squad were alerted to Brandywine Road in the area of the Prince George’s County Line, for a motor vehicle collision with injuries. Hughesville Rescue Squad 2, Chief 2 and Paramedic Ambulance 28 responded, and while responding to the...
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Charles County Public School Teams Place in 2022 Maryland State Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Virtual Showcase

Charles County Public School Teams Place in 2022 Maryland State Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Virtual Showcase

Charles County Public Schools teams recently competed in the 2022 Maryland State Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) Virtual Showcase on Saturday, May 7, 2022, hosted by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Teams from J.P. Ryon, Walter J. Mitchell and William A. Diggs elementary schools; Matthew Henson and Piccowaxen middle schools; and La...
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84 CSM Graduates Earn Recognition for Pursuing Health Care Careers

84 CSM Graduates Earn Recognition for Pursuing Health Care Careers

College of Southern Maryland (CSM) students who have chosen to pursue careers in health care were celebrated Thursday, May 12 at the Health Career Readiness Recognition ceremony. Eighty-four students who completed programs to become Certified Nursing and Geriatric Nursing Assistants, Clinical Medical Assistants, Certified Dental Assistants, Phlebotomy Technicians, Veterinary Assistants, Nutrition Coaches, Medical Laboratory...
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Law Enforcement Conduct Distracted Driver/Occupant Protection Enforcement Throughout Calvert County

Law Enforcement Conduct Distracted Driver/Occupant Protection Enforcement Throughout Calvert County

On May 23, 2022, members of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office along with officers from neighboring districts and Troopers from the Maryland State Police conducted a high intensity distracted driving and occupant protection detail on major roadways throughout the County. This targeted enforcement is in support of the Maryland Highway Safety Office program called...
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State Fire Marshal Investigating Large Garage Fire in Mechanicsville, No Injuries Reported

State Fire Marshal Investigating Large Garage Fire in Mechanicsville, No Injuries Reported

5/25/2022: On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at approximately 8:45 p.m., firefighters from St. Mary’s and Charles County responded to 26446 Three Notch Road in Mechanicsville, for the reported structure on fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find a 3-bay detached garage fully engulfed in flames. 45 firefighters responded and controlled the fire in...
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