Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office have arrested and charged Thomas Campbell Bolling Von Goetz, 56, of Avenue, after incidents at two local churches disrupted religious services and endangered citizens. On December 24, 2024, shortly after 5 p.m., Von Goetz entered Holy Angels Catholic Church in Avenue during a Mass. He approached...
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On December 20, 2024, Sheriff Ricky Cox and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office welcomed four new deputies following the final inspection and graduation exercises from the Southern Maryland Criminal Justice Academy (SMCJA) Police Entrance Level Training Program Session 54 at Chopticon High School in Morganza, MD. The deputies were among a total of 17...
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Angela Marie Hanson, 52, of California, Maryland, has been indicted on charges of embezzlement and theft following allegations of financial misconduct during her tenure as Finance Manager for Historic Sotterley, Inc. According to court documents, Hanson is accused of stealing nearly $15,000 over a five-month period from October 31, 2023, to April 15, 2024....
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Richard William Ellis, 47, of Newburg, is facing 51 criminal charges, including 16 counts of first-degree assault, after allegedly pointing a firearm at a school bus in an incident on September 20, 2024. The Charles Circuit Court issued an arrest warrant for Ellis on December 20, 2024, and he is currently being held without...
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This holiday season, the Southern Maryland News Net would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible community of St. Mary’s County and the dedicated men and women of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. They put together a video featuring a few of the many voices of community leaders, businesses, and residents...
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With the Mega Millions jackpot going over one billion dollars this week, player attention is focused on the multi-state jackpot games, resulting in five Mega Millions wins of $10,000 or more across Maryland in the past week, and two big Powerball wins, one for $150,000 in Dunkirk and one for $50,000 in Perry Hall....
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On Monday, December 23, 2024, at approximately 8:07 p.m., firefighters from Mechanicsville, Hollywood, Leonardtown, Hughesville, Bay District and Seventh District responded to the 26800 block of Three Notch Road in Mechanicsville, for the reported structure fire with injuries. The 911 caller reported a candle had caught the house on fire, advised one female patient...
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UPDATE 12/23/2024: Tireke Allen Straughn, 21, and Tywon Deontae Straughn, 23, both of Saint Inigoes, and Howard Anthony Straughn Jr., 25, of Easton, were arrested on December 23, 2024, following an investigation by the Natural Resources Police Southern Region. All three face multiple charges stemming from an incident on November 28, 2024, involving firearms...
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UPDATE 12/24/2024: Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, December 19, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Vincent Anthony Fisher, II, 49, to 104 years in prison for two counts of First-Degree Arson and the Second-Degree Murders of Rashawn Cline and Dashawn Cline. Fisher was found...
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On December 22, 2024, a routine welfare check at a gas station in Lexington Park led to the arrests of four individuals on charges ranging from drug possession to providing false information to law enforcement. Senior Trooper Oyler and Trooper Abdel Wahab of the Maryland State Police, Leonardtown Barrack, were dispatched to the Shell...
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Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office (SMCSO) are investigating a death preliminarily linked to an unreported traffic collision. On Sunday, December 22, 2024, at approximately 2:15 a.m., deputies and Emergency Medical Services responded to a residence in the 21000 block of Montfort Road in Bushwood for a report of an unresponsive individual....
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Kick off the New Year with an exciting lineup of events at the Calvert Marine Museum! Get your tickets for the first Maritime Performance Series concert of the season, and don’t miss a special day of celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The museum is also thrilled to announce the 2025 themes for...
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Maryland hunters reported harvesting 30,833 deer during the two-week firearm season from Nov. 30 through Dec. 14. The firearms season harvest was almost 9% higher than last year’s official count of 28,312 deer. “The two week firearm season continues to be our most popular deer season,” Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Karina Stonesifer said. “We’d like to thank...
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On December 19, 2024, a traffic stop in Lexington Park resulted in the arrests of two individuals, Zuri Kali Harrison, 22, of Great Mills, and Cindi Lynn Sweeney, 45, of Lexington Park. Both were arrested after a search of the vehicle revealed multiple controlled dangerous substances (CDS) and related paraphernalia. According to the St....
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Maryland’s sports wagering market generated $11,798,035 in contributions to the state during November 2024, the largest single-month total the program has produced since its launch in December 2021. Sports wagering contributions to the state are directed to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund, which supports public education programs. The largest previous single-month contribution was...
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Southern Maryland player plans to use scratch-off prize to pay bills, enjoy the holidays A Southern Maryland woman sprang into action after discovering she was the first $50,000 top-prize winner on the new Cash to Go scratch-off. The loyal player said she was “moonwalking” with excitement after she discovered her big win. “I couldn’t...
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For decades, the late Joseph “Bubby” Knott brought Christmas magic to St. Mary’s County. Through his remarkable displays at Flat Iron Farm, he transformed a quiet corner of Southern Maryland into a holiday wonderland. Families from near and far came to share in the warmth, wonder, and good will that Bubby poured into each...
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Demetrius Demell Carroll, 30, of Nanjemoy, has been indicted by a St. Mary’s County Grand Jury on charges stemming from a false bomb threat made at the Walmart located on Miramar Way in California, Maryland. The indictment, issued on December 16, 2024, accuses Carroll of transmitting false information concerning the detonation of a destructive...
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UPDATE 12/19/2024: The case involving Antwian Marquis Johnson, 38, of Prince Frederick, and Shannon Marie Johnson, 37, of Great Mills, has officially moved forward in the legal system, now advancing to the Circuit Court for St. Mary’s County, Maryland. This development follows their arrests on December 5, 2024, and the subsequent indictment on numerous...
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Bruce Bernard Franks, Jr., 32, of Dameron, is facing legal trouble after being indicted on multiple charges related to illegal firearms and ammunition possession. The indictment stems from an extensive investigation conducted by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)....
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A Calvert County man faces multiple charges after an altercation at the Backroad Inn in Leonardtown on December 13, 2024. Austin Tyler Selig-Miller, 21, of Lusby, was arrested by deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office following reports of a disturbance at the bar. According to court documents, security personnel at the Backroad...
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Two men St. Mary’s County men were arrested on December 14, 2024, after a routine traffic stop led to the discovery of illegal drugs. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office initiated the stop near Foxchase Drive in Lexington Park after identifying a silver Hyundai Sonata with suspended registration due to an insurance lapse. The...
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On Thursday, December 19, 2024, at approximately 9:00 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Hurry Road and Lacey Family Way in Chaptico, for the reported motor vehicle collision involving a school bus. 911 callers reported the bus had 15 to 20 children on board with no injuries being reported,...
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The Maryland Department of Agriculture has released new guidance urging Maryland dairy cattle and poultry farmers to remain vigilant and practice enhanced biosecurity on their farms due to the continued circulation of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) detections in wild birds in the Atlantic Flyway. First detected in poultry in early 2022, HPAI has...
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Maryland State Police will be increasing highway safety patrols over the next two weeks as millions of Marylanders hit the roads for holiday travel. State Troopers from all 23 barracks will conduct saturation patrols and checkpoints focused on impaired, aggressive and distracted driving. The State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort (SPIDRE) team, a specialized...
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