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Westlake High School Confers 268 Diplomas at Graduation Ceremony

Westlake High School Confers 268 Diplomas at Graduation Ceremony

A flood of teal, accented with orange, washed over Regency Furniture Stadium on June 1, 2022, when Westlake High School’s Class of 2022 held graduation ceremony. The 268-member class — which racked up more than $18 million in scholarship offers — was led by valedictorian Ann Ubaka and salutatorian Casey Metzger. Both Ubaka and...
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Charles County Police Investigating Threat of Mass Violence at Robert D. Stethem Educational Center

Charles County Police Investigating Threat of Mass Violence at Robert D. Stethem Educational Center

On June 1, 2022, after students at Robert D. Stethem Educational Center were dismissed for the day, a student told a parent that they heard about another student who made a threat to commit mass violence at the Center. The parent contacted school administrators who notified a school resource officer (SRO). The SRO initiated...
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Replica Firearm Recovered from St. Charles High School Student

Replica Firearm Recovered from St. Charles High School Student

On June 1, 2022, at approximately 1:40 p.m., a student at St. Charles High School reported to a school administrator that another student was in possession of a handgun. The student was located and a replica handgun, which turned out to be a pellet gun, was recovered from the student’s backpack. The Charles County...
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Maurice J. McDonough High School Celebrates a Sense of Community at Graduation

Maurice J. McDonough High School Celebrates a Sense of Community at Graduation

Orange and purple reigned May 31 when Maurice J. McDonough High School’s Class of 2022 graduated at a ceremony held at Regency Furniture Stadium. The class was the second of seven that will graduate from Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) through June 3. The 223 graduates made up one of the smallest classes in...
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Charles County Summer School Starts July 6, 2022, All Courses Free for Students

Charles County Summer School Starts July 6, 2022, All Courses Free for Students

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) 2022 summer school program starts Wednesday, July 6. The schedule includes a mix of make-up and original credit courses. All make-up credit courses will be taught in person and original credit courses will be virtual through the Apex Learning and Zoom online platforms. Costs for all summer school courses...
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Replica Firearm Recovered From Student at La Plata High School Student

Replica Firearm Recovered From Student at La Plata High School Student

On June 1, 2022, at approximately 9:30 a.m., a staff member at La Plata High School reported to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer (SRO) that a student might be in possession of a firearm. The SRO located the student in a classroom and recovered a replica handgun, which turned out to...
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UPDATE: Police Identify Two Students Responsible for Raising Confederate flag at La Plata High School

UPDATE: Police Identify Two Students Responsible for Raising Confederate flag at La Plata High School

UPDATE 6/1/2022:  Charles County Sheriff’s detectives have identified two La Plata High School students as the people responsible for raising a Confederate flag in the school’s parking lot during the overnight hours of May 18, 2022. Investigators worked closely with the Charles County Public Schools and have also consulted with the Charles County State’s...
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Suspected Marijuana Edibles Recovered from Student at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School

Suspected Marijuana Edibles Recovered from Student at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School

On June 1, 2022, a school administrator at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School notified a Charles County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer (SRO) of a student in possession of suspected marijuana edibles. The SRO recovered the edibles from the student and notified a parent. Parents are asked to talk with their children about the dangers...
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St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Seeking Wanted Individual, Shawn Starcher

St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Seeking Wanted Individual, Shawn Starcher

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the whereabouts of Shawn Christopher Starcher, age 49 of Waldorf. Starcher was placed on pretrial supervision with a GPS device for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Attempting to Elude Police by Failing to Stop. On May 28, 2022, Starcher violated the conditions of his...
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Police Arrest Waldorf Man for Church Burglary and Robbery of a Citizen

Police Arrest Waldorf Man for Church Burglary and Robbery of a Citizen

On May 16, 2022, at 7:00 a.m., officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a burglary at a church located in the 100 block of Village Street in Waldorf. Through investigation, officers identified the suspect as Stephan Matthew Somosky, 33, of Waldorf, and obtained an arrest warrant. On May...
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Fourteen Businesses Pass Alcohol Compliance Checks, Two Do Not

Fourteen Businesses Pass Alcohol Compliance Checks, Two Do Not

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Alcohol Enforcement Unit recently conducted a series of alcohol compliance checks within St. Mary’s County at 16 businesses on Friday, May 27, 2022. Fourteen of the 16 businesses visited were found to be compliant, while two businesses failed to ask a minor for identification. The covert compliance checks...
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St. Charles High School Kicks Off 2022 Graduation Ceremonies

St. Charles High School Kicks Off 2022 Graduation Ceremonies

The 336 graduates of St. Charles High School kicked off the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) 2022 commencement season May 31 at Regency Furniture Stadium. Principal Richard Conley in his farewell address to the Spartan Class of 2022 commended the students on braving four years of school like no others in recent history. The...
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Charles County Class of 2022 Includes Over 2,000 Graduates with Over $166 Million Offered in Scholarships

Charles County Class of 2022 Includes Over 2,000 Graduates with Over $166 Million Offered in Scholarships

The Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Class of 2022 will be honored during outdoor graduation ceremonies set for May 31 through June 3, 2022, at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf. CCPS has partnered once again with Regency Furniture Stadium and the Charles County Government to provide nearly 2,100 seniors with graduation ceremonies. The Class...
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Calvert County Parks & Recreation Invites Citizens to Participate in the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson on June 23, 2022

Calvert County Parks & Recreation Invites Citizens to Participate in the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson on June 23, 2022

The Calvert County Department of Parks & Recreation invites citizens to join children and adults around the world for the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) Thursday, June 23. The WLSL is a global event to raise awareness that swimming lessons can help prevent drowning and save lives. All ages and swim experience levels are...
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Maryland Natural Resources Urges Waterway Safety as Boating Season Hits Full Throttle

Maryland Natural Resources Urges Waterway Safety as Boating Season Hits Full Throttle

The outdoor temperature is rising, and Maryland’s waterways are about to get a lot busier. The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) reminds anglers, boaters, swimmers, and all waterway users to take proper precautions. In 2021, Maryland had 145 reportable boating accidents; 51 of those accidents caused injuries, and six were fatal. These numbers are...
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Charles County Sheriff’s Office Receives Certification to Submit the FBI’s Data Collections Standard Through National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Receives Certification to Submit the FBI’s Data Collections Standard Through National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

In accordance with mandatory federal data collection standards, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is pleased to announce the Agency has successfully achieved certification to implement the FBI’s new National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is one of 36 law enforcement agencies out of 142 in Maryland to have already...
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Be Alert for Increased Traffic for St. Mary’s County High School Graduations This Week

Be Alert for Increased Traffic for St. Mary’s County High School Graduations This Week

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office reminds drivers that high school commencement ceremonies will be held this week and to expect increased traffic around those facilities. Wednesday, June 1, 2022: Leonardtown High School graduation. Students and staff will begin to arrive starting at 7 am, with spectators arriving at 8 am. Commencement exercises start...
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Charles County Sheriff’s Office Visits Girl Scout Troop from La Plata Church of Christ

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Visits Girl Scout Troop from La Plata Church of Christ

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank a local Girl Scout Troop from La Plata Church of Christ for inviting them to be a part of their day this weekend! They wanted to learn more about police work and so Officers M. Neel, B. Aber, and H. Ptack responded! The scouts were...
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Police in Charles County Investigating Motor Vehicle Collision That Killed Pomfret Man

Police in Charles County Investigating Motor Vehicle Collision That Killed Pomfret Man

On Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at approximately 1133 hours, Troopers from the Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack responded to United States Route 301 (Crain Hwy) in the area of Turkey Hill Road for a report of a serious motor vehicle collision. Due to the circumstances, the Maryland State Police CRASH Team responded to...
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Raccoon Bite and Suspected Rabid Raccoon in the Mechanicsville Area

Raccoon Bite and Suspected Rabid Raccoon in the Mechanicsville Area

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has been notified of a raccoon with behavior suspicious for rabies and a history of biting a person near the intersection of 27350 Three Notch Road and New Market Turner Road in Mechanicsville. Anyone who may have been bitten by a raccoon in this area on or...
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Registration Of Unserialized, Privately-Made Firearms In Effect As of Today, June 1, 2022

Registration Of Unserialized, Privately-Made Firearms In Effect As of Today, June 1, 2022

Effective today, (6/1/22), Title 5 of the Public Safety Article requires a personal identification number for all unserialized firearms and unfinished frames and receivers, commonly referred to as 80% lowers (ghost guns) or build kits. Beginning June 1, 2022, a person who currently possesses non-serialized firearms, including unfinished frames or receivers, will be required...
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St. Mary’s County Health Department Announces Start of Beach Water Monitoring Season

St. Mary’s County Health Department Announces Start of Beach Water Monitoring Season

The Environmental Health Division of the St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) tests the water quality of public beaches in St. Mary’s County from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Water quality advisories for beaches monitored by SMCHD can be found online at smchd.org/beach. Results are typically updated weekly on Fridays, pending sampling schedule and...
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LifeStyles Welcomes the First Residents at the New White Plains Emergency Shelter

LifeStyles Welcomes the First Residents at the New White Plains Emergency Shelter

The doors swung open, and the first families walked in. Men, women and children, each of them arrived wide-eyed and knowing that stepping inside this building meant that they did not have to worry about where they would sleep on Thursday night. Or the next night. Or any night in the near future. Thursday...
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Charles County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Unit Announces 2022 Youth Summer Sports Camps

Charles County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Unit Announces 2022 Youth Summer Sports Camps

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Unit has announced the dates for the 2022 youth summer sports camps: Football Camp will be held at St. Charles High School, located at 5305 Piney Church Road in Waldorf, from July 6-8 from 7:45 a.m. until 1 p.m. The program is being offered to youths currently in...
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La Plata Man Arrested After Burglarizing and Stealing from La Plata Business

La Plata Man Arrested After Burglarizing and Stealing from La Plata Business

On Monday, May 30, 2022, at approximately 2:46 a.m., officers responded to the 6200 block of Crain Highway for the report of a commercial intrusion alarm. First arriving officers found the front window of a business broken out. After searching the business for the suspect(s), officers were able to review a video tape of...
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