Roots for Resilience, a Maryland Department of Natural Resources initiative to support climate adaptation on the Eastern Shore, has approved seven grants totaling more than $4.5 million to protect large areas of healthy saltmarsh habitat. These living shoreline projects will protect coastal areas and islands from shoreline erosion, providing a buffer for local communities...
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UPDATE 6/23/2026: Maryland State Police are releasing the identities of the three men involved in a fatal airplane crash in Prince George’s County this past weekend. The pilot, identified as Yoav Bomrind, 26, of Israel and two passengers, identified as David Rabinovich, 19, of Israel and Elad Naidik, 20, of Canada were pronounced deceased on...
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The Homicide Unit is investigating a fatal shooting that occurred late Friday night. The victim is 18-year-old Daijah Cherry of Washington, DC. A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case. On June 19, 2026, at approximately 11:05 pm, officers responded to a...
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SMNEWSNET.COM is currently unable to obtain dozens of requested booking photographs from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office because the agency says it did not keep local copies of the photos after they were taken. The issue involves three closed Maryland Public Information Act requests submitted by SMNEWSNET.COM for booking photographs from late May...
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UPDATE 6/22/2026: On June 20, at 2:14 a.m., officers responded to Friendly Tavern & Liquor located in the 3000 block of Leonardtown Road in Waldorf for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located two male victims. The first victim was transported to a hospital for treatment of multiple gunshot wounds to the...
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Mark Travis Grove, 41, of Mechanicsville, has been charged with second-degree assault, while Bernard Wood Jr., 24, and Bernard Wood, 60, both of Lusby, have each been charged with malicious destruction of property valued at $1,000 or more after a May 31, 2026, dispute outside West Marine on HG Trueman Road in Solomons, according...
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Jezenia T. Beale, 21, of Lexington Park, has been charged with third-degree burglary and three counts of malicious destruction of property valued under $1,000 after deputies said she forced her way into an apartment on Great Mills Road in Lexington Park and damaged several items on June 19, 2026. According to allegations filed by...
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On Sunday, June 21, 2026, at approximately 4:55 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of 1020 Stone Avenue in Waldorf, for the automated crash notification with a male overheard moaning and groaning. While responding to the crash, an additional 911 caller reported a vehicle was speeding and crashed into...
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On Saturday, June 20, 2026, at approximately 4:40 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Crain Highway and Mattawoman Drive in Waldorf, for the serious motor vehicle collision involving a motorcycle and multiple vehicles. Multiple 911 callers reported a vehicle struck at least 6 or more other vehicles including...
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The Robbery Unit identified and charged a suspect in connection with the armed robbery of an armored truck outside of a bank in late 2025. The suspect, 31-year-old Jerronta Bryant of Capitol Heights, is now in custody. Detectives are actively working to arrest additional suspects. A cash reward is being offered for information leading...
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On Sunday, June 21, 2026, at approximately 6:05 p.m., police responded to the Royal Farms located at 21779 Tulagi Place in Lexington Park, for the reported robbery. The 911 caller reported a black male wearing a black shirt and brown pants approached the victim, grabbed him by the shirt and stole an undisclosed amount of...
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Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office were called to Lowe’s in the 45000 block of Worth Avenue in California on Thursday, June 18, at about 1:39 p.m. for a reported shoplifting. Upon arrival, it was reported that a male subject entered the store, placed various tools and equipment items in a shopping...
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The Maryland Department of Transportation is Serious About Safety and launching, in partnership with the Maryland State Police, a joint summer initiative to publish fatal motor vehicle crashes statistics from across the State. The campaign aims to raise public awareness of roadway fatalities and encourage safe driving habits during the peak summer travel season, also known...
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A federal jury convicted a Maryland man for his role in conspiring to commit an insurance fraud scam. The jury found Davion Percy, 40, of Suitland, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with the auto-insurance fraud scheme. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of...
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On Thursday, June 18, 2026, at approximately 8:20 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the 4600 block of Clayton Road in Waldorf, for the reported gunshot victim. The 911 caller reported a 41-year-old male accidentally shot himself in the left hand while cleaning a firearm. Bleeding control instructions were provided to...
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D’Marrell Mitchell, 36, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 224 months in federal prison for his role in a violent multi-state robbery spree that targeted pharmacies and cell phone stores in the District, Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “D’Marrell Mitchell and his...
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Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Melissa Decker has been selected as the Southern Regional Office nominee for the 2025 James C. Robertson Deputy State Fire Marshal of the Year Award. She was nominated by Deputy Chief John Nelson, commander of the Southern Regional Office. Decker will join nominees from each regional office and the...
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State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced that Collin Andrew Hixson, 35, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 30 years in prison with 10 years and 302 days of active incarceration for the sexual abuse of a minor while he was a houseguest in a Mechanicsville home in May 2025. “The Defendant was welcomed into...
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The St. Joseph Catholic Church released the following information this week. “Seeking your help to locate an individual who caused damage in our cemetery. We believe that on Thursday, June 11, 2026 between 8:36pm and 8:50pm, the driver of the pictured car, hit a headstone and flagpole in our cemetery. The bumper and a...
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On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at approximately 11:45 a.m., emergency medical services responded to the T.C. Martin Elementary School located at 6315 Olivers Shop Road in Bryantown, for the reported injuries after a fall. 911 callers reported a “10-year-old female student was conscious and alert after she tripped and fell on her face.” The...
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On Thursday, June 18, 2026, at approximately 3:05 a.m., police and firefighters responded to the area of 7570 Mason Springs Road in La Plata, for the reported vehicle on fire. 911 callers reported a vehicle was currently on fire, while parked on the side of the road near this address with unknown occupants or...
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Charles Edward Karpiak, 57, of Charlotte Hall, was arrested on June 17, 2026, and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and wearing a handgun while under the influence. The charges were filed in District Court in St. Mary’s County following an arrest by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Karpiak is accused of committing...
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Adolfo Lopez-Olguin, 42, of North Beach, has been charged with possession with intent to distribute narcotics, possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, and two counts of possessing or using a false government identification document after a Calvert County Sheriff’s Office investigation that began in 2025 and ended...
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Richard Allan Watson, 57, of Lusby, has been charged with concealing a dangerous weapon, inhaling or smelling an inhalant, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance that was not cannabis after Calvert County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a drug violation at the Walmart on N. Solomons Island Road in Prince...
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Joseph Valentino Thomas, 37, of Dowell, is facing new charges in St. Mary’s County after authorities say he fled from a traffic stop in Leonardtown and was later linked to multiple bags of cocaine and crack cocaine found near where his vehicle had stopped. Thomas is charged with possession with intent to distribute narcotics,...
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