St. Mary’s News

Avenue Man Faces Second-Degree Assault Charges in St. Mary’s County

Avenue Man Faces Second-Degree Assault Charges in St. Mary’s County

Joseph Franklin Burch, 27, of Avenue, has been charged with second-degree assault following an incident on July 28, 2024, according to court documents filed in the District Court for St. Mary’s County. The charge stems from an alleged altercation at the defendant’s residence on Burch Road. According to the statement of charges filed by...
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Fort Washington Man Charged with Multiple Offenses Following Lexington Park Incident

Fort Washington Man Charged with Multiple Offenses Following Lexington Park Incident

Andre Timothy Green, 35, of Fort Washington, was arrested after an altercation at a residence in Lexington Park, on November 25, 2024. The charges stem from incidents that occurred at a home on the 46800 block of Flower Drive and involved multiple individuals, according to court records and the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office....
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One Injured After Vehicle Strikes Wentworth Nursery Greenhouse, Police Investigating

One Injured After Vehicle Strikes Wentworth Nursery Greenhouse, Police Investigating

On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at approximately 3:21 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the Wentworth Nursery located at 41170 Oakville Road in Mechanicsville, for the serious motor vehicle collision involving a structure, entrapment, and hazardous materials. Multiple 911 callers reported a white pickup truck ran the red light at Three...
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Prosecutors Successfully Argue for Murderer’s LIFE Sentence to Endure

Prosecutors Successfully Argue for Murderer’s LIFE Sentence to Endure

State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced today that a convicted murderer’s sentence of LIFE without the possibility of parole will stand. Earlier this year, Dana Collins, 63, asked the Court to reconsider his sentence stemming from a 1995 murder. The State argued against Collins’s motion. The Court agreed with the State, denied Collins’s motion, and...
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Lexington Park Woman Arrested After Handgun Found During Traffic Stop

Lexington Park Woman Arrested After Handgun Found During Traffic Stop

On November 27, 2024, Rayshona T. Jones, 35, of Lexington Park, was arrested after a traffic stop conducted by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Vice Narcotics Investigation Division near Willows Road in Lexington Park. During the traffic stop, officers asked Jones, who was the front-seat passenger in a 2017 Hyundai Genesis, to exit...
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Fourteen of 18 Businesses Pass Tobacco and Alcohol Compliance Checks

Fourteen of 18 Businesses Pass Tobacco and Alcohol Compliance Checks

On November 26, 2024, The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Alcohol Enforcement Unit conducted a succession of Tobacco and Alcohol compliance checks within St. Mary’s County. The covert compliance checks involved using an underage Sheriff’s Office Confidential Informant (CI). The CI is 19 years of age and was wearing jean pants and a long-sleeved...
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Lexington Park Man Arrested on Drug Charges Following Traffic Stop

Lexington Park Man Arrested on Drug Charges Following Traffic Stop

On November 27, 2024, John F. Dorsey, a 36, of Lexington Park, was arrested after a routine traffic stop in St. Mary’s County led to the discovery of narcotics and drug paraphernalia. According to court documents, Deputy Joseph Senatore of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office initiated the stop after observing a gold Toyota...
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UPDATE: Police Arrest 25-Year-Old Wanted Man in Hollywood After His Fifth Violation of a Protective Order Within the Past Year

UPDATE: Police Arrest 25-Year-Old Wanted Man in Hollywood After His Fifth Violation of a Protective Order Within the Past Year

Kaimrhon Emmanuel Bonaventure, 25, of Douglas Georgia, was arrested in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, on November 27, 2024, for violating a protective order and attempting to break into a residence in Hollywood, Maryland. He faces charges including violating a protective order, third-degree burglary, and fourth-degree burglary. According to court records, officers from the St....
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Suttler Post Farm’s 6th Annual Holiday Open House Fundraiser For Hospice Of St. Mary’s Set for December 14th and 15th, 2024

Suttler Post Farm’s 6th Annual Holiday Open House Fundraiser For Hospice Of St. Mary’s Set for December 14th and 15th, 2024

The community is warmly invited to Suttler Post Farm’s 6th Annual Holiday Open House, taking place on December 14 and 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Suttler Post Farm. This cherished event will benefit Hospice of St. Mary’s, offering a festive celebration for a meaningful cause. This year’s open house will feature...
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Natural Resources Police Toy Drive Underway for 2024 Holiday Season

Natural Resources Police Toy Drive Underway for 2024 Holiday Season

The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) is conducting its annual “Boatload of Toys” holiday gift drive at several locations across the state in advance of the 2024 holiday season. NRP officers are collecting donations of new, unopened toys for local children in need. The program is part of the national United States Marine Toys for...
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Maryland’s ‘Gift of Trees’ Available for 2024 Holiday Season

Maryland’s ‘Gift of Trees’ Available for 2024 Holiday Season

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering holiday shoppers a different type of gift this year–one that can be in honor of a loved one, to benefit future generations, and improve the environment. The Gift of Trees is a program where Marylanders purchase native trees — either a single tree or a grove...
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Firefighters from Maryland and Virginia Respond to Large Boat Fire in Colonial Beach

Firefighters from Maryland and Virginia Respond to Large Boat Fire in Colonial Beach

On Sunday, December 1, 2024, at approximately 12:50 p.m., firefighters from Virginia, Maryland and NDW Dahlgren responded to the 1700 block of Castlewood Drive in Colonial Beach, VA, for the report of multiple boats on fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find an approximate 30 foot boat on fire threatening other boats and...
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Cocaine Found During Routine Traffic Stop in Lexington Park

Cocaine Found During Routine Traffic Stop in Lexington Park

Alehandro Brown, 52, of Lexington Park, was arrested on November 26, 2024, following a traffic stop initiated by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Brown faces multiple charges, including drug possession and tampering with evidence. The charges stem from a routine traffic enforcement operation that escalated into a search and seizure of illegal substances....
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UPDATE: Video Footage Captures Home Invasion in St. Mary’s County; Suspect Charged with Attempted Murder

UPDATE: Video Footage Captures Home Invasion in St. Mary’s County; Suspect Charged with Attempted Murder

UPDATE 11/2/2024: Robert Eric Hyatt Jr., 38, of Fort Washington, has been arrested and charged with numerous crimes, including attempted first-degree murder, after an alleged violent home invasion in St. Mary’s County. On November 29, 2024, deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a home invasion at an...
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Archaeologists Work with Indigenous Peoples, Department of Natural Resources to Uncover History at Chapel Point State Park

Archaeologists Work with Indigenous Peoples, Department of Natural Resources to Uncover History at Chapel Point State Park

Before John Smith arrived and even before the glaciers melted to create the Chesapeake Bay, Indigenous Peoples had called the land that is now Maryland home. Indigenous sites in Maryland have been dated as early as 12,000 years ago by archaeologists. Many Indigenous People lived along the then Susquehanna River, using the resources provided...
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Christmas on the Square & Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in Leonardtown is Here!! Friday Nov.29th, 2024

Christmas on the Square & Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in Leonardtown is Here!! Friday Nov.29th, 2024

The holiday season begins in Leonardtown when Santa arrives for Christmas on the Square & the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in the Town Square on Friday, November 29, 2024. The festivities begin at 4:30 PM with holiday music, entertainment, sleigh rides, train rides, hayrides, live nativity, balloon art, face painting, children’s crafts, hot drinks, food, holiday...
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Four Flown to Trauma Centers After High Speed Rollover in St. Inigoes While Fleeing Police

Four Flown to Trauma Centers After High Speed Rollover in St. Inigoes While Fleeing Police

On Thursday, November 28, 2024, at approximately 9:20 p.m., Officers from the Department of Natural Resources Police advised a vehicle fled at a high rate of speed after an attempted traffic stop and requested additional police. Officers located the vehicle overturned on Beachville Road a short time later and requested fire and rescue personnel...
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St. Mary’s County Woman Arrested After Stabbing in Lexington Park

St. Mary’s County Woman Arrested After Stabbing in Lexington Park

Raven Savannah Gardiner, 22, of Leonardtown, has been charged in connection with an altercation that left a man with multiple stab wounds and another woman injured. The incident, which occurred on November 10, 2024, in the North Essex Drive area of Lexington Park, involved an attempt to break up a fight that escalated into...
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Santa Claus Coming to Southern Maryland on December 10th, 2024 Courtesy of the U.S. Navy

Santa Claus Coming to Southern Maryland on December 10th, 2024 Courtesy of the U.S. Navy

Good boys and girls of all ages across Southern Maryland should keep their eyes on the skies as Adm. Saint Nicholas conducts pre-deployment mission planning over parts of Southern Maryland on Dec. 10 from 11:00 to 1:00 p.m. ET. Regional residents looking up might spot Nicholas, known by his festive call sign “Claus,” as...
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Commissioners of St. Mary’s County & NAS PAX Announce Joint Meeting

Commissioners of St. Mary’s County & NAS PAX Announce Joint Meeting

The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County (CSMC) and the Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS PAX) will hold a joint meeting on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 9 a.m. in the Frank Knox Building, located just outside of NAS PAX Gate 2 at 21866 Cedar Point Road, Patuxent River. “Our partnership...
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Rock in the Holiday Season with Historic St. Mary’s City

Rock in the Holiday Season with Historic St. Mary’s City

December 2024 marks the return of a beloved holiday tour, along with a fresh approach to celebration! Historic St. Mary’s City is thrilled to unveil an entire weekend filled with holiday magic, offering activities that will delight every member of your family. Enjoy everything from an outdoor rock show to crafting your own fresh...
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Cannabis-Related ER Visits Increased Ahead of Recreational Legalization, State Dashboard Shows

Cannabis-Related ER Visits Increased Ahead of Recreational Legalization, State Dashboard Shows

by Danielle J. Brown, Maryland Matters November 24, 2024 Cannabis-related emergency room visits climbed steadily through July 2023, when recreational use was first legalized in Maryland, but have never reached that peak again, fluctuating up and down in the months since. That was just one of the findings of a new Maryland Health Department...
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No Injuries Reported After Vehicle Strikes St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters in Leonardtown

No Injuries Reported After Vehicle Strikes St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters in Leonardtown

On Monday, November 25, 2024, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office advised a vehicle struck the building and was checking for injuries. Firefighters and emergency medical services were dispatched and responded, however, before their arrival, all units were placed in service as no injuries were reported. The elderly...
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St. Mary’s County Museums to Host Free Family Holiday Events & Exhibits 2024

St. Mary’s County Museums to Host Free Family Holiday Events & Exhibits 2024

St. Mary’s County Government’s Museum Division, which oversees Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, St. Clement’s Island Museum, and the Old Jail Museum is pleased to present special events and exhibits during the holiday season at each historic site. Piney Point Lighthouse Museum Holiday Family Open House (Sunday, December 1, 2024, from 10 a.m. – 5...
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Holidays and the Dangers of Impaired Driving: Maryland Laws and Recent Crash Data

Holidays and the Dangers of Impaired Driving: Maryland Laws and Recent Crash Data

As families and friends gather for Thanksgiving celebrations, the holiday season also brings increased risks on Maryland’s roads due to impaired driving. Thanksgiving consistently ranks among the busiest travel times of the year, and with that comes a sharp uptick in traffic incidents involving alcohol or drugs. Law enforcement agencies and safety advocates are...
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