St. Mary’s News

July is Park and Recreation Month: Celebrate “The Power Of” St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks

July is Park and Recreation Month: Celebrate “The Power Of” St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks

This July, join St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks (R&P) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) as we celebrate the power of parks and recreation in bringing St. Mary’s County residents together through play, nature, well-being, and belonging. Throughout the month, Recreation & Parks will celebrate the people, places, and programs that...
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Platform Aerospace Highlights Growth in St. Mary’s County With Hundreds of New Jobs

Platform Aerospace Highlights Growth in St. Mary’s County With Hundreds of New Jobs

Platform Aerospace is excited to announce they are expanding its operations in St. Mary’s County to grow its engineering, design, and production space, creating hundreds of new jobs in Maryland over the next three years. “As our administration makes big bets on lighthouse industries and invests in Maryland businesses, companies can continue to build...
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St. Mary’s Planning Commission to Hold Public Hearing on Multiple 2050 Land Use Change Requests

St. Mary’s Planning Commission to Hold Public Hearing on Multiple 2050 Land Use Change Requests

The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing Tuesday, July 7, 2026, to receive public input on several proposed land use category change requests tied to the St. Mary’s 2050 planning process. The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Chesapeake Building, located at 41770 Baldridge Street in...
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Attempted Murder at Solomons Fireworks Puts Focus on Lexington Park Man’s Prior Release in St. Mary’s County

Devin Allen Miles, 21, of Lexington Park

Devin Allen Miles, 22, of Lexington Park, had already been arrested in a serious St. Mary’s County weapons case involving a ghost gun, ammunition, and a device investigators said could make the firearm fully automatic. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced in July 2025, but less than a year later, Miles was no...
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Incidents at Dunkin’ Donuts and Domoishi in Leonardtown Lead to Charges for St. Mary’s County Man

Incidents at Dunkin’ Donuts and Domoishi in Leonardtown Lead to Charges for St. Mary’s County Man

Donavan Dontrelle Johnson, 24, of Leonardtown, faces misdemeanor charges of malicious destruction of property valued under $1,000, disorderly conduct, and trespassing on private property after two separate incidents at Leonardtown businesses in June and July 2026. The most recent case stems from a July 3, 2026, incident at Domoishi on Washington Street in Leonardtown,...
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UPDATE: Father Dies After Re-Entering Burning Home for 10-Year-Old Child; Cause Believed to be From Discarded Fireworks

UPDATE: Father Dies After Re-Entering Burning Home for 10-Year-Old Child; Cause Believed to be From Discarded Fireworks

GoFundMe for the family has been started. Click here to assist. This tragic fire not only took the life of Chris, but the family lost all of their belongings and clothing along with it. If you can assist, even just share, it is appreciated. UPDATE 7/6/2026 – Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal...
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Hollywood Man Arrested Again After Foot Chase While Awaiting Court Dates in Other Cases

Hollywood Man Arrested Again After Foot Chase While Awaiting Court Dates in Other Cases

James Robert Anderson Jr., 44, of Hollywood, faces several St. Mary’s County District Court cases involving misdemeanor drug possession, drug paraphernalia and theft charges, including three open cases from 2026 and one closed case from late 2025. The most recent case stems from a June 25, 2026, arrest in Lexington Park. Anderson is charged...
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Northern St. Mary’s County Suffers Damage After Severe Storms; Firefighters Respond to Over 60 Calls of Service

Northern St. Mary’s County Suffers Damage After Severe Storms; Firefighters Respond to Over 60 Calls of Service

On Saturday, July 4th, 2026, firefighters, SMECO, County Roads and State Highway crews worked tirelessly through the high winds, heavy downpours, and constant lightning strikes in the tri-county area. In St. Mary’s County, firefighters responded to over 60 calls of service between 7:00 p.m., and 2:00 a.m., with the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department handling...
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St. Mary’s County Man Released After June Oxycodone Arrest, Earlier Assault Case Closed

St. Mary’s County Man Released After June Oxycodone Arrest, Earlier Assault Case Closed

Walter Jay Brown Jr., 47, of Leonardtown, was charged in two separate 2026 St. Mary’s County arrests, including a March second-degree assault case that has since been closed and a June controlled substance possession case that remains open. The first arrest followed a reported disturbance on March 15, 2026, at the Island Inn and...
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UPDATE: Mechanicsville Home Destroyed After Lightning Strike Causes Fire; GoFundMe Started for Family

UPDATE: Mechanicsville Home Destroyed After Lightning Strike Causes Fire; GoFundMe Started for Family

UPDATE 7/6/2026: The cause of the fire was a lightning strike. The fire quickly spread through the attic and second floor resulting in the family losing a majority of their belongings. Fortunately, no injuries were reported and all occupants were able to safely escape. The displaced occupants are being assisted by friends. A GoFundMe has...
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No Injuries Reported After Discarded Fireworks Causes Fourth of July House Fire in Lexington Park

No Injuries Reported After Discarded Fireworks Causes Fourth of July House Fire in Lexington Park

On Saturday, July 4, 2026, at approximately 8:40 p.m., firefighters from Bay District, NAS Patuxent River, Hollywood, Leonardtown, Second District, and Ridge were dispatched to 48798 Wentworth Court in Lexington Park, for the reported structure on fire. Dispatchers advised they were receiving multiple 911 calls advising the houses garage was on fire, with all...
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Lexington Park Woman Arrested After Valley Estates Drive Disturbance; Previously Charged in Wawa Fight

Lexington Park Woman Arrested After Valley Estates Drive Disturbance; Previously Charged in Wawa Fight

Shaniya Curshawn Mason, 25, of Lexington Park, has been charged with disorderly conduct and resisting/interfering with arrest following a June 17, 2026, incident in Lexington Park, according to charging documents. She was released on her own recognizance following an initial appearance and is scheduled for trial in St. Mary’s County District Court on July...
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Traffic Stop Leads to Drug Arrests of Lusby Woman and Wanted Valley Lee Man in St. Mary’s County

Traffic Stop Leads to Drug Arrests of Lusby Woman and Wanted Valley Lee Man in St. Mary’s County

Rose A. Jones, 44, of Lusby, is facing misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop in St. Mary’s County on June 23, 2026. According to charging documents, a deputy with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office was patrolling near Norris...
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UPDATE: Prince Frederick Man Gets 12 Months to Serve After Guilty Plea in ‘Ghost Gun’ Case

UPDATE: Prince Frederick Man Gets 12 Months to Serve After Guilty Plea in ‘Ghost Gun’ Case

UPDATE 7/4/2026: Zamahri Lydell Talley, 22, of Prince Frederick, pleaded guilty on June 1, 2026, in the Circuit Court for St. Mary’s County to one count of loaded handgun in a vehicle before Judge Amy Lorenzini. As part of the disposition, Talley was sentenced to five years in prison, with all but 12 months...
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From Robbery Conviction to Resisting Arrest: Lexington Park Man Sentenced to Nine Months, All But 34 Days Suspended

From Robbery Conviction to Resisting Arrest: Lexington Park Man Sentenced to Nine Months, All But 34 Days Suspended

Victor John-Lee Scotland, 37, of Lexington Park, has accumulated multiple criminal convictions in St. Mary’s County over the past several years, including a felony robbery conviction, a second-degree escape conviction, and, most recently, a conviction for resisting arrest. His latest conviction stems from a March 19, 2026, encounter with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s...
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Attorney General Brown and Multistate Coalition Secure More Than 50 Million Eggs and $3.3 Million After Uncovering Unlawful Scheme to Manipulate Egg Prices

Attorney General Brown and Multistate Coalition Secure More Than 50 Million Eggs and $3.3 Million After Uncovering Unlawful Scheme to Manipulate Egg Prices

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and a multistate coalition secured 53 million eggs for consumers nationwide and $3.3 million from some of the nation’s largest egg producers for colluding behind the scenes to raise prices. A bipartisan multistate investigation with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that Cal-Maine Foods (Cal-Maine), Versova/Centrum (Versova), and...
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Governor Moore Announces Energy Assistance Programs to Lower Utility Bills for 200,000 Maryland Households

Governor Moore Announces Energy Assistance Programs to Lower Utility Bills for 200,000 Maryland Households

Governor Wes Moore today announced approximately 200,000 Maryland households will receive increased help with their energy bills this year under a major expansion of the state’s energy assistance programs administered by the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS). “In our region and across the country, the rising cost of energy has gotten out of...
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Living Fossils and Symbols of Resilience: DNR Scientists Monitor Horseshoe Crabs After Population Recovery in the Region

Living Fossils and Symbols of Resilience: DNR Scientists Monitor Horseshoe Crabs After Population Recovery in the Region

Under the vibrant lights of the Ocean City boardwalk Ferris wheel and Slingshot ride, prehistoric animals scuttled onto the shore of a quiet beach by the thousands. While the setting has changed, horseshoe crabs and their close relatives have been making this same journey to the world’s coastlines for hundreds of millions of years,...
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UPDATE: Attorney General Brown Secures $8.7 Million Judgment Against Lead Paint Inspector for Fraud

UPDATE: Attorney General Brown Secures $8.7 Million Judgment Against Lead Paint Inspector for Fraud

UPDATE 7/3/2026: Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that a Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge has ordered a lead paint inspector to pay $8.7 million and permanently banned him from the industry for fraud. The ruling against Green Environmental, LLC and its principal operator, Rodney Bryan Barkley, follows Barkley’s criminal conviction and sentencing earlier...
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UPDATE: Lexington Park Felon Indicted in Connection With Sales of Firearms and Fentanyl

UPDATE: Lexington Park Felon Indicted in Connection With Sales of Firearms and Fentanyl

UPDATE 7/2/2026: The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced, today, that a grand jury issued a 13-count indictment against a Lexington Park drug trafficker, stemming from a federal drug-and-firearms investigation. Paul Dewayne Dorsey, 46, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and felon in...
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Indecent Exposure Arrest for Mechanicsville Woman After Welfare Check in California

Indecent Exposure Arrest for Mechanicsville Woman After Welfare Check in California

Amber Louise Prusha, 38, of Mechanicsville, is facing multiple misdemeanor charges in St. Mary’s County after three separate incidents in June 2026, including two trespassing allegations, theft of lodging services, and indecent exposure. The earliest incident happened June 17, 2026, at a home on Woodridge Drive in Mechanicsville. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office...
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Wanted Mechanicsville Woman Faces Cocaine Possession, Paraphernalia Charges After Lexington Park Traffic Stop

Wanted Mechanicsville Woman Faces Cocaine Possession, Paraphernalia Charges After Lexington Park Traffic Stop

Whitney Anne Arnold, 39, of Mechanicsville, is facing misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop in Lexington Park on July 1, 2026. According to allegations filed in District Court for St. Mary’s County, a deputy with the St. Mary’s County...
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Leonardtown Business Association Invites Community to Participate in the 8th Annual Scarecrow Stroll and 2nd Annual Gingerbread Lane

Leonardtown Business Association Invites Community to Participate in the 8th Annual Scarecrow Stroll and 2nd Annual Gingerbread Lane

The Leonardtown Business Association is excited to announce that registrations are now open for the 8th Annual Scarecrow Stroll and the 2nd Annual Gingerbread Lane. These popular community events invite businesses, community groups, sports teams, organizations, families, and individuals to showcase their creativity while helping make Leonardtown a fun and festive destination for residents and visitors. The Scarecrow...
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Probation Violation Reopens 2020 Armed Robbery Case Against Leonardtown Man

Probation Violation Reopens 2020 Armed Robbery Case Against Leonardtown Man

Cody Dustin Combs, 28, of Leonardtown, is back in custody after a violation of probation warrant was issued in connection with a 2020 armed robbery case in St. Mary’s County. The case was reopened on June 26, 2026, after a probation report was reviewed and an arrest warrant for violation of probation was issued...
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Two Face Theft Scheme Charges After Dollar General Incidents in Hollywood and Mechanicsville

Two Face Theft Scheme Charges After Dollar General Incidents in Hollywood and Mechanicsville

Celsie Chanee Edwards, 33, of Washington, D.C., and Patrick Joseph Young Jr., 31, of Clinton, have been charged with misdemeanor theft of property valued at $100 to under $1,500 and theft scheme involving property valued at $100 to under $1,500 after police said they took merchandise from Dollar General stores in Hollywood and Mechanicsville...
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