On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at approximately 10:14 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the 300 block of Thompkins Lane in Waldorf, for the reported gunshot victim. Dispatchers advised that the 911 callers were Spanish speaking only, with an interpreter being used to give the information. The caller reported one victim...
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A local man facing trial for a 2024 stabbing incident is now accused of attempting to bribe a witness into altering testimony, according to court documents. Lucas Graham Hockaday, 23, of Leonardtown, has been charged with felony jury intimidation, misdemeanor jury intimidation, and obstruction of justice after allegedly conspiring to prevent a key witness...
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A federal grand jury has indicted Jorge Echeverri, 73, of Port Tobacco, Maryland, charging him with theft of government property, false statements, passport fraud, social security misuse, and false statement of citizenship. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Michael S. McCarthy, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland...
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Leadership Southern Maryland (LSM) is accepting applications for its Executive Program Class of 2026, which will run from September 2025 through May 2026. The program is open to mid- and upper-level executives living or working in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties, who have demonstrated commitment to community engagement. The LSM Executive Program is...
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John Thomas Hess, 33, of St. Inigoes, has been sentenced to 85 years in prison, with 50 years of active incarceration, for his role in a large-scale fentanyl trafficking operation. State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced that Hess orchestrated an extensive drug distribution network that funneled fentanyl throughout St. Mary’s County. During the investigation, law...
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On Sunday, March 9, 2025, at approximately 7:00 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Trinity Church Road and Ryceville Road in Charlotte Hall, for the reported motor vehicle collision with one unconscious. Crews arrived on the scene to find a single vehicle off the roadway with two patients...
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On Sunday, March 9, 2025, at approximately 6:48 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the 5400 block of Sir Douglas Drive in Bryans Road, for the reported motor vehicle collision involving a motorcycle. Shortly after dispatch, responding units were advised the 911 caller reported a child had serious bleeding with a...
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The Farmer’s Almanac calls the March full moon the “Worm Moon,” a name that originated among Native American tribes. The name marks the changing of the seasons, as the coming warm weather will prompt earthworms to stir from their winter dormancy. Among other important signs of spring, it means it’s time for fishing! In...
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On Friday, March 7, 2025, at approximately 12:25 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the Macy’s Department Store located in the St. Charles Mall in Waldorf, for the reported structure fire. Fire and emergency response units from multiple stations, including Waldorf Fire Stations 3 and 12, La Plata, Hughesville, Bryans Road,...
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On Sunday, March 9, 2025, at approximately 3:05 p.m., firefighters from Leonardtown and Second District responded to the 23000 block of Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown, for the reported large brush fire. Dispatchers advised the 911 caller was calling from the provided address and stated their was an elderly male yelling to call 911,...
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A high-speed chase in Calvert County resulted in the arrest of two suspects and the seizure of multiple controlled dangerous substances (CDS), according to law enforcement officials. On March 2, 2025, at approximately 12:49 a.m., Sgt. Mark Robshaw of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office was stationed in the median of Maryland Route 4 near...
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On March 3, 2025, patrol officers responded to the 11400 block of Leland Place in Waldorf for the report of a burglary in progress. Two juveniles who were in an upstairs room called 9-1-1 to report that someone had shattered the rear glass door and entered the house. Patrol officers arrived on the scene,...
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UPDATE 3/7/2025: Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, March 7, 2025, a Charles County jury, after a 5-day trial, convicted Elijah Bernard Barnes, 20, of the Second-Degree Murder of Rajon Lateef Jackson, III, as well as related charges. On January 13, 2023, officers responded to Harvest Fish Place in...
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On Friday, March 7, 2025, at 5:22 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Point Lookout Road and Walk This Way Court in Callaway, for the serious motor vehicle collision with entrapment. 911 callers reported a single vehicle was overturned with one possibly trapped. Crews arrived on the scene...
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The number of wildfires in Maryland during 2024 was much higher than the ten-year average, but acreage burned was significantly lower, according to the Maryland Forest Service’s Annual Wildland Fire Report. The report, which was released this month, March 2025, covers data related to wildfires on 3.2 million acres of land overseen by the Maryland...
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On Thursday, March 6, 2025, at approximately 3:25 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Three Notch Road and Southampton Drive in Lexington Park, for the reported single vehicle collision involving the NAS Patuxent River Security Fence. Crews arrived on the scene to confirm a single vehicle off the...
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Charles County Sheriff Troy D. Berry is pleased to announce that the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) has been awarded the prestigious Accreditation with Excellence designation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA®). This honor was presented to Sheriff Berry and CCSO’s Planning and Accreditation team members during a recent CALEA...
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On Thursday, March 6, 2025, at approximately 12:00 p.m., firefighters from Indian Head Volunteer Fire Department and surrounding departments responded to 19 Dale Drive in Indian Head, for the reported kitchen fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find a two-story residence with smoke showing. Upon further investigation, fighters found fire on the second...
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On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at approximately 9:24 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Point Lookout Road and Marion Drive in Mechanicsville, for the reported motor vehicle collision involving rollover and a utility pole. Crews arrived on the scene to find a single vehicle had left the roadway,...
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La Plata Police Department’s Lifesaving Project Lifesaver Program The La Plata Police Department has launched a groundbreaking initiative to support individuals with cognitive disorders, such as autism, Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia, who may be at risk of wandering. Thanks to funding from a Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant—The Kevin and Avonte Program: Reducing Injury...
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A Calvert County woman was arrested after allegedly driving under the influence and resisting arrest following a traffic accident in Solomons on February 21, 2025. According to court documents, Michelle Renee Merrill, 56, of Solomons, was taken into custody after officers responded to a reported vehicle accident near the intersection of HG Trueman Road...
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UPDATE 3/5/2025: The social media creator arrested last Friday in Charles County was arrested today in St. Mary’s County on nearly identical charges. Joshua Christian-Stanley Jackson, charged with setting fire to a vacant commercial property and making a false 911 call in Charles County, was arrested this afternoon in connection with a new arson...
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UPDATE 3/5/2025: A White Plains man has been arrested and charged after breaking into a home, causing property damage, and alarming multiple residents in a neighborhood incident on February 28, 2025. According to court documents, Michael Santa Mendez, 42, of White Plains, was taken into custody by the Charles County Sheriff’s Office after deputies...
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On Tuesday, March 4th, 2025, at approximately 6:50 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to the 6605 Revell Road in Tracy’s Landing, for the reported outside fire. A short time after dispatch, the incident was upgraded to a structure fire with multiple callers reported the house was on fire. Along with the upgraded assignment, Maryland State...
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A St. Mary’s County woman has been arrested and charged with multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses, including drug distribution, elder abuse, and financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Judy Marie Smith, 45, of California, MD, was taken into custody on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, by deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Patrol...
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