Helbert Barahona-Gonzalez, 44, of Lexington Park, has been charged in St. Mary’s County District Court with 19 offenses, including second-degree rape of a child under 14, sexual abuse of a minor, a continuing-course child sexual abuse charge, third-degree sex offense involving a child under 14, fourth-degree sex offense, and other charges, according to court...
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SMECO has awarded four scholarships for 2026 to high school seniors who live in the cooperative’s service area. Recipients receive awards based on scholastic achievement, financial need, and school and community involvement. Since beginning the scholarship program in 1993, SMECO has presented awards to 136 students. Each of the following students will receive a...
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UPDATE: Maryland State Police Aviation Command Trooper 2 landed nearby and transported a 38-year-old female to the MedStar Washington Hospital Center, and a 6-year-old male to the Children’s National Hospital. The collision investigation and report was handled by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. The roadway was closed for over 40 minutes while First...
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The Warriors of La Plata High School celebrated the graduation of its Class of 2026 Thursday, June 4, at Regency Furniture Stadium. The class was led by valedictorian Ella Luton with the salutatorian role shared by Joyce Kang and Gavin Wu. Luton urged her fellow graduates to live their life not dictated by fear,...
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Anthony Lee Dross Jr., 27, of Patuxent River, has been charged in Calvert County District Court with disorderly conduct and intoxicated public disturbance after an incident on May 29, 2026, near The Tiki Bar on Charles Street in Solomons, according to court documents. According to the statement of charges, DFC A. Ostazeski of the...
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Kijah Renee Powers, 22, of Lanham, has been charged in Charles County District Court with misdemeanor theft of property valued at $100 to under $1,500 after court documents say she was accused of taking merchandise from Target on Western Parkway in Waldorf on May 30, 2026. According to the statement of probable cause, a...
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Stanaja Nicole Nae Drummond, 19, of Lexington Park, is facing two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, and resisting or interfering with arrest after St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a reported domestic violence incident on Ronald Drive in...
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A former U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee pled guilty in federal court, today, to charges stemming from a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act scheme that enabled him to illegally obtain more than $176,000. Simeon Bakare, 55, of Waldorf, Maryland, pled guilty to wire-fraud charges in connection with the scheme....
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Tyrand Dupres Butler, 48, of Waldorf, has been charged with drug and firearm offenses after detectives with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Enforcement Section served search warrants on his vehicle and residence on May 29, 2026, as part of an investigation into suspected cocaine distribution. According to court documents, detectives obtained a search...
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Jimmy Arnold Mendenhall, 72, of Lexington Park, is charged with second-degree escape after court documents say he left St. Mary’s Hospital while in custody and failed to return with detention center staff to the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center. According to charging documents filed by Deputy Preston Dixon of the St. Mary’s...
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On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at approximately 9:30 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Rosewick Road near the train tracks in La Plata, for a motor vehicle collision involving an unoccupied school bus. 911 callers reported a single vehicle struck a school bus which reportedly had no students...
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Kayla Jean Gilliam, 30, of California, is facing three counts of violating a protective order in St. Mary’s County District Court after court documents say she contacted an adult male victim despite an active court order barring further contact. According to the statement of charges filed by Deputy Jacob Mills of the St. Mary’s...
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The Calvert County Department of Public Safety has contracted with MissionCIT LLC to develop a comprehensive fire, rescue and emergency medical services (EMS) master plan for Calvert County. As part of the planning process, MissionCIT is seeking feedback from county residents and individuals who are not members of volunteer fire departments or volunteer rescue...
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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources asks residents and visitors enjoying coastal and tidal waterways to remain alert for marine mammals and sea turtles throughout the summer and into early fall. Dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, whales, and other marine wildlife are regular seasonal visitors to the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries, the Atlantic...
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The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) celebrated the Class of 2026 during its 67th Commencement as hundreds of graduates crossed the stage to embark on new academic and professional journeys. Family and friends filled the CSM La Plata Campus to cheer on the graduates and celebrate their accomplishments. CSM President Dr. Yolanda Wilson opened...
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Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general and state agencies in opposing the Securing and Establishing Consumer Uniform Rights and Enforcement over Data Act (SECURE Data Act), a federal data privacy bill that would supplant the privacy protections provided by the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act as well as...
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The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and provides more daylight than any other day. Celebrate the solstice season with extended evening hours and after-hours tours at Piney Point Lighthouse Museum & Historic Park on June 19, 2026. Visitors may tour exhibits in the...
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The St. Mary’s County Board of Elections is reminding residents of important upcoming dates and resources related to the 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election and notifying the public of an updated date for the pre-Election Day mail-in ballot canvass. The pre-Election Day mail-in ballot canvass, previously announced for June 1, has been rescheduled to Friday, June 5, 2026,...
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Baltimore will host SAIL250® Maryland and Airshow Baltimore from June 24 through June 30, 2026, bringing a free, family-friendly week of tall ships, military vessels, aviation demonstrations, festivals, live entertainment, educational programming and public ship tours to the city. The event will take place at several locations, including Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, North Locust Point,...
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State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced that William Elliot Mitchell, Jr., 62, of Bushwood, Maryland, was sentenced to five years with eighteen months of active incarceration for the unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. On April 21, 2025, deputies with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Woodbush Drive in reference...
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A Maryland man received a federal prison term in connection with a multi-million-dollar money laundering scheme. Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Bright Boateng, 45, of Bladensburg, to nine years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to engage in a large, multi-member, money laundering conspiracy. Additionally, Judge Maddox ordered Boateng to...
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The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County (CSMC) began their business meeting with an invocation and the pledge, followed by approval of the consent agenda. As part of the consent agenda, the CSMC approved letters of support for the Evergreen at Cedar Lane development and the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. The Commissioners...
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Kimberly Shannon Johnson, 49, of Mechanicsville, is facing six misdemeanor drug-related charges in St. Mary’s County District Court, including two counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis and four counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court documents. The charges stem from an incident on May 21, 2026, involving...
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On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at approximately 3:15 a.m., police responded to the Sheetz located at 37692 John Knight Drive in Charlotte Hall for the reported robbery. 911 callers reported that four or five suspects jumped the counter and began stealing items, including cigarettes, before fleeing in a white station wagon that traveled northbound...
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UPDATE 6/1/2026: On April 18, 2026, St. Leonard Volunteer Fire Department Safety Officer Marc Richman suffered multiple cardiac arrests in the line of duty while operating on the scene of a structure fire. Thanks to the swift actions, skill and teamwork of fellow emergency responders, Marc received lifesaving care and was flown by Maryland...
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