Southern Maryland News Net

ALERT: Fraudulent Website Impersonating the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) has recently become aware of a fraudulent website operating under the domain fireheros.org. This unauthorized site is a direct and deceptive copy of our official website, www.firehero.org, and is impersonating our organization in an attempt to solicit cryptocurrency donations under false pretenses. (No S after firehero) This is a serious case of phishing and brand impersonation. The site unlawfully uses our name, logo, and copyrighted content in an effort to mislead supporters and exploit the generosity...
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Lexington Park Man Faces Multiple Charges After Pointing Loaded Rifle at Deputy

Dajuan Emanuel Fletcher, 32, of Lexington Park, is facing four criminal charges, including first-degree assault and firearm use during a felony, after sheriff’s deputies say he pointed a loaded AR-style rifle at one of them during a response to his apartment earlier this week. Fletcher was arrested on April 8, 2025, and remains held without bond following an initial court appearance in the District Court for St. Mary’s County. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 6, 2025. According...
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72-Year-Old Male Flown to Trauma Center After Being Run Over by Forklift in Charlotte Hall

On Thursday, April 10, 2025, at approximately 2:24 p.m., firefighters and emergency medical services responded to Underwood Farms Way located off of Mount Wolf Road in Charlotte Hall, for the reported traumatic injuries. The 911 caller reported a 72-year-old male was run over by a forklift, with the victim having unknown injuries due to the caller not being on scene. Crews arrived on the scene and requested a helicopter to land nearby, and advised they applied a tourniquet to...
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Loaded Gun Discharges in Billingsley Elementary School Classroom, No Injuries Reported

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office Released the Following Statement: At approximately 10:24 AM this morning, a 9-year-old student at Billingsley Elementary accidentally discharged a loaded handgun, during class, while reaching into their book bag to retrieve a paper. The bag was in the students lap at that time. The teacher and a school resource officer who was nearby responded immediately and the gun was recovered from the book bag. No one was injured. It is not clear at this...
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UPDATE: Pennsylvania Man Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder in 2023 Huntingtown Homicide

UPDATE 4/9/2025: Brandon Ross Holbrook, 49, of Reedsville, Pennsylvania, was found guilty on April 8th, 2025, in Calvert County Circuit Court on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, stemming from a September 2023 homicide in Huntingtown. Holbrook was convicted of first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony violent crime, and altering physical evidence. These charges relate to the death of an adult male victim whose body was discovered following a missing persons report. According to...
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UPDATE: Three Airlifted to Trauma Centers After Serious Motor Vehicle Collision in Lusby

UPDATE 4/9/2025: On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 5:28 p.m., Solomons Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department (Company 3) was dispatched to a motor vehicle collision at Rousby Hall Road and northbound Route 4 in Lusby. Crews responded with Squad 3, Ambulance 37, and Paramedic Ambulance 203, who arrived on scene to find a T-bone style collision involving three vehicles, with one occupant trapped. The crew from Squad 3 removed the driver’s side door to access the patient. St....
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UPDATE: Leonardtown Man Convicted of Assault and Setting Fire to Super Eight Motel in St. Mary’s County

UPDATE 4/8/2025: State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced today that Anthony Cleaver Mason, 65, of Leonardtown, Maryland, was convicted of assault, arson, and reckless endangerment in connection with a fire that displaced several motel guests and caused extensive damage to a California, Maryland motel. On June 3, 2024, deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported disturbance at a motel on Three Notch Road. Upon arrival, deputies discovered that Mason had barricaded himself inside a third-floor room,...
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Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Four Counts of Soliciting Child Porn From 12-Year-Old Victim

Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Adam Marks, 37, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, to 5 years in prison for four counts of Soliciting Child Porn. Marks will also have to register as a Tier II Sex Offender. On March 17, 2025, Marks entered a guilty plea to the above-mentioned charges. On April 26, 2024, a detective with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office...
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Police Investigating and Seeking Assistance After Suspicious Disappearance of Waldorf Woman

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the disappearance of Lesbia Mileth Ramirez Guerra, age 23, of Waldorf, who was reported missing by her boyfriend on April 2nd, 2025. Guerra was last physically seen on the evening of March 31st, 2025, at her residence on Adams Court in Waldorf, where she lives with several individuals, including her boyfriend, who is the father of her two children. During the investigation, detectives identified unusual and suspicious activity at Guerra’s residence...
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Port Republic Woman Faces Felony Assault, Protective Order Violations, and Witness Tampering Allegations

Gail Lynne Hawkins, 67, of Port Republic, is facing multiple criminal charges following a domestic dispute that allegedly escalated to gunfire, a string of protective order violations, and a recently uncovered effort to influence a witness in an ongoing criminal case. According to court documents filed by the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and the Calvert County State’s Attorney, the defendant, identified as Gail Lynne Hawkins, was arrested after deputies responded to a 911 call from her residence on the...
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Five Injured After Three-Vehicle Collision in Leonardtown, Maryland State Police Investigating

On Friday, April 4, 2025, at approximately 2:55 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Point Lookout Road and Fairgrounds Road in Leonardtown, for a motor vehicle collision with unknown injuries. Before crews arrived on the scene, 911 callers then reported three vehicles with one trapped and a infant in one of the vehicles. The incident was upgraded to a serious motor vehicle collision with entrapment which brought additional first responders to the scene....
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UPDATE: Waldorf Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for First-Degree Child Abuse, After Forcefully Throwing 7-Year-Old Child Onto Ground

UPDATE 4/02/2025: State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, March 27, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge West sentenced Renee Daytona Roberts, age 45, to 15 years in prison for First-Degree Child Abuse: Severe Injury. Roberts will be on supervised probation for five years upon release. On March 13, 2025, Roberts pled guilty to the aforementioned charge. On January 8, 2024, officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Patient First in Waldorf for the...
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Charles County Public School Employee Indicted on Charges of Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Other Related Charges

Detectives from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division (CID) arrested John Alan Lynch, 28, of Indian Head, after a Charles County Grand Jury indicted him in connection with charges of sexual abuse of a minor, sexual solicitation of a minor, and solicitation for prostitution. An arrest warrant was issued and Lynch was taken into custody today. The facts of the case are as follows: On January 23, 2025, Lynch, who was a building service worker at Henry...
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Police Investigating Burglary to Cyreene Pharmacy in Leonardtown

On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 2:55 a.m., police responded to the Cyreene Pharmacy located at 25805 Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown, for the reported burglary in progress. Deputies arrived at the business at approximately 3 a.m. and discovered that the power to the building had been switched off at a breaker box. Upon further inspection, they found evidence of forced entry into the pharmacy and observed clear signs of theft inside. The Criminal Investigations Division has assumed the...
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Man Sentenced to Life Plus 20 Years in Prison for First-Degree Murder of Stepdad

State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced that Marvin Orlando Johnson, 39, of Mechanicville, was sentenced to Life, plus an additional 20 years in prison, for the premeditated murder of his stepfather on May 24, 2023 Following a four-day jury trial in July 2024, a St. Mary’s County jury found Johnson guilty of first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence for shooting and killing his stepfather. On May 24, 2023, deputies from...
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Lexington Park Man Accused of Pointing BB Gun at Neighbor Over Driveway Dispute

A neighborhood disagreement over a shared driveway led to criminal charges for Jeffrey Keith Reid, 58, of Lexington Park, who authorities say pointed a realistic-looking BB gun at his neighbor and threatened to shoot him. According to court documents filed in the District Court for St. Mary’s County, Reid was arrested on April 8,...
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Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust Acquires Their 56th Conservation Easement With 136-Acre Farm in Mechanicsville

Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust has acquired its 56th conservation easement in St. Mary’s County with the addition of 136 acres on Flora Corner Rd. in Mechanicsville. The property is owned by Joseph Carrico and has been in his family for more than 100 years. It’s used primarily for row-crop farming and recreational hunting. “The...
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Traffic Notice: Wildewood Boulevard Turn Lane & Sidewalk Retrofit Project to Begin April 14th, 2025

St. Mary’s County Government’s Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T) will be installing a new right-turn lane and sidewalk on Wildewood Boulevard, between White Oak Parkway and Maryland Route 235 (Three Notch Road). The project is scheduled to begin on or about Monday, April 14, 2025, with completion in approximately 30 days, weather...
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At Sea-Air-Space Expo, Navy Leaders Discuss Making Platforms Ready for Combat Surge

Together with other Navy leaders, Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, Commander, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), spoke Monday morning on a panel at the Sea-Air-Space Conference and Exposition. The panel focused on aircraft, ships and submarines and the many ways the Navy is looking to have a combat-surge ready fleet by the year 2027. Acting...
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Southern Maryland National Heritage Area Celebrates Legislation Expanding Economic Growth and Heritage Tourism

The Southern Maryland National Heritage Area and the Maryland Heritage Areas Coalition proudly celebrated the passage of SB0980, allowing more funds to support Maryland’s heritage and economy. The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Paul Corderman and Michael A. Jackson, increases funding for the Maryland Heritage Areas Program—from $6 million to $12 million annually and raises...
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Maryland’s Spring Turkey Season Opens for 2025

Maryland’s statewide spring wild turkey season opens this month, beginning with the Junior Turkey Hunt on April 12th, 2025. The regular spring turkey season opens for all hunters on April 18 and runs through May 23, 2025. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) anticipates that hunters should have ample opportunity due to recent increases in turkey...
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Calvert County Public Schools Kindergarten Registration for the 2025-2026 School Year

Calvert County Public Schools is strongly encouraging all parents to register their child by July 1, 2025. This will support adequate staffing for each school. Your child must be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2025, in order to be eligible for kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year. Only a parent or legal guardian may register...
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School Resource Officer Jaime Davis on Her Way to Four-Year Degree after CSM

St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Deputy Cpl. Jaime Davis wears many hats. She serves as the School Resource Officer at Leonardtown High School, is raising her teenage son, and is about to graduate from the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) after more than 20 years pursuing her degree. Davis began taking community college courses after...
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Calvert County Administrator Julian “Mark” Willis Announces Retirement

Calvert County announces the retirement of County Administrator Julian “Mark” Willis, effective June 30, 2025. Willis, a dedicated public servant and leader, has played an integral role in shaping the county’s growth and development through his esteemed career. Willis was appointed county administrator in 2020, following his tenure as the director of planning &...
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Virginia Man Faces Attempted Murder Charges After Reported Road Rage Arrest in Prince George’s Counyu

A Virginia man faces attempted murder charges after his arrest following a reported road rage incident in Prince George’s County. The accused is identified as Marco Williams, 46, of Alexandria, Virginia. Williams is charged with attempted first-degree murder, felony assault, firearms offenses, and additional crimes. Williams was arrested on April 9th, 2025, in Fairfax...
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Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters 2025 – Event to Remember and Honor Our Fallen Heroes

This May, our grateful nation will come together to honor its fallen fire service heroes during the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, the official national tribute to firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty last year. As part of this heartfelt commemoration, we invite landmarks, buildings, fire departments, and communities across...
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Governor Moore Signs Legislation to Strengthen Maryland’s Workforce

4/8/2025 – Governor Wes Moore presided over the first bill signing ceremony of 2025, which included bills under the Moore-Miller Administration’s legislative agenda to strengthen Maryland’s workforce. The legislation signed today strengthens the apprenticeship pipeline in Maryland, creates pathways to meaningful employment for Marylanders with disabilities, and helps to fast track license approval for...
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Charles County Sheriff’s Office Warrant Unit Seeking Fugitive’s Whereabouts

Officers assigned to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office US Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Task Force are seeking the whereabouts of Antwone Demetrious Grooms, 35, of Washington, D.C., Grooms has three warrants for his arrest. Grooms is 5’7” and weighs approximately 145 lbs. He has been known to carry firearms. Anyone with information on...
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UPDATE: Time Change for the St. Mary’s County 42nd Annual Easter Egg Festival in Leonardtown!

UPDATE!! Please note the time change for the upcoming Easter Egg Festival taking place this weekend: Saturday, April 12, 2025 New Time: 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Previously scheduled for 11:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The event will still be held at St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds, and all planned activities will continue as scheduled—just...
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Maryland State Police Aviation Command Regrets to Announce Passing of Retired Sergeant Christopher Tappan

It is with profound sadness that the Maryland State Police – Aviation Command announces the death of retired Sergeant Christopher Tappan after a courageous battle with cancer. Sgt. Tappan joined the Maryland State Police in 2004, working the Bel Air Barrack until transferring into MSPAC in 2007. Sgt. Tappan was previously assigned to Troopers...
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Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Couch Fire at Hotel Charles, Fire Marshal Investigating

On Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at approximately 5:27 a.m., firefighters responded to the Hotel Charles located at 15110 Burnt Store Road in Hughesville, for the reported smoke in the building. Firefighters from Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s Counties responded to the scene with first arriving units finding nothing evident from the 2-story commercial structure....
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Calvert County Relaxes Chicken and Poultry Laws

Calvert County Government announced that backyard chickens just got easier! Always dreamed of starting your own flock? The new Calvert County Zoning Ordinance (effective March 1, 2025) now allows chickens and poultry on non-farm properties 1 acre or larger without special exception. Smaller lots still need special exception approval, and all other livestock requires...
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