On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at approximately 3:25 p.m., firefighters from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s County were dispatched to the 39000 block of Cooney Neck Road off Route 6 in Mechanicsville, for the large brush fire threatening a barn. 911 callers reported a large field on fire spreading and threatening a barn. Crews arrived on the scene to find an approximate 3 to 7 acre field fire and quickly contained the fire. A brush fire task force was...
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UPDATE 6/24/2026: The law enforcement investigation at Point Lookout State Park concluded. No injuries were reported. The subject has been safely located. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office thanks our partners, Maryland State Police and Department of Natural Resources Police, for their assistance. We thank the public for their cooperation and patience while the precautionary park closure and investigation were conducted. Normal park operations are expected to resume today, June 25, 2o26. 6/24/26 3:18 p.m., Police Activity – Point...
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Dayvon Maurice West, 35, of Lexington Park, has been indicted on charges of theft of $1,500 to under $25,000 and misconduct in office after prosecutors alleged he stole cash from an incarcerated woman’s belongings while working as a correctional officer at the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center. West, who lives in Lexington Park, was charged by criminal summons after a grand jury returned the indictment. He is scheduled for an initial appearance on July 20, 2026, in...
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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 the scene. The NTSB leads the ongoing investigation. (BOWIE, MD) – Maryland State Police responded to a fatal plane crash that claimed three lives in...
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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 and early June 2026. Across those three requests, the Sheriff’s Office listed 69 individuals. However, 21 booking photographs were not provided. That means nearly one-third...
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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 upper body and remains in critical condition. The second victim suffered a minor injury to the lower body and refused treatment. Anyone with information is...
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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 as the 100 deadliest days. The summer months historically bring increased traffic volumes and crashes, as residents and visitors travel for vacations, holidays and recreational activities....
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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 caller reported she had swelling to her thigh as well. EMS arrived on the scene and found the child was suffering from a serious injury...
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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 with a traffic stop in Huntingtown on June 10, 2026. According to charging documents, the case began after the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement...
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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, possession of a controlled substance other than cannabis, failure to stop at a stop sign, driving on a suspended license and privilege, driving while suspended,...
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UPDATE 6/17/2026: Melvin Andrew Oshea Pinkney, 43, of California, has been charged with impersonating a police officer after Montgomery County police said he used red and blue lights to pull over a covert police vehicle in downtown Silver Spring on June 15, 2026. The misdemeanor charge carries a possible penalty of up to two years in jail and/or a $2,000 fine. According to the allegations, a Montgomery County police officer and other members of special assignment teams were conducting...
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UPDATE 6/16/2026 @ 12:30 p.m.: On Monday, June 15, 2026, at approximately 11:21 p.m., Troopers from Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack along with deputies from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to Maryland Route 224 (Riverside Rd) in the area of Wilson Landing Road for a report of a serious motor vehicle collision. Due to the circumstances, TFC A. Sabock, Advanced Collision Investigator (ACI) responded to assume the investigation. A preliminary investigation conducted by Troopers indicates a 2021...
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UPDATE 6/16/2026: State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced that Cameron David-Louis Curtis, 23, of Valley Lee, Maryland, was sentenced to 90 years in prison with 30 years of active incarceration for his role in the 2025 attempted murders of four St. Mary’s County men. Curtis was convicted by a St. Mary’s County jury of two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, four counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of...
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On Saturday, June 13, 2026, at approximately 7:10 p.m., firefighters from NSWC Indian Head and surrounding departments in Charles County were dispatched to the 4000 block of Parsons Road, located in the on base housing section of NSWC Indian Head, for the reported structure fire. A short time after dispatch, the incident was upgraded to a working fire as communications began receiving multiple calls reporting fire through the roof of the home. NDW Engine 201 arrived on the scene...
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Following a series of incidents, including the shooting of two individuals, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office has deployed extra patrols throughout the Lexington Park and Great Mills areas. On Saturday, June 13, at approximately 6:32 p.m., deputies responded to the 46000 block of Hilton Drive in Lexington Park, where they located two males suffering from gunshot wounds. Both victims were flown to an area trauma center. One victim has since been released, while the second remains hospitalized in...
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On Thursday, June 25, 2026, at approximately 12:40 p.m., firefighters and emergency medical services were dispatched to the 26000 block of Sycamore Drive in Mechanicsville, for the reported traumatic injuries. 911 callers reported a 10-year-old male was trapped on the deck after a metal rail went through the victims foot. 7 Firefighters from the...
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This week, Charles County Sheriff’s Office said congratulations and thank you to K9 Mazli as he officially retires from CCSO. Mazli began his career on March 24, 2021, alongside his handler, Corporal Tyler Willis. Throughout his years of service, Mazli proved to be a loyal partner, skilled tracker, and dedicated protector of our community....
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The Southern Maryland Studies Center (SMSC) at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) La Plata Campus received a $50,000 donation from the National Society of Descendants of Lords of the Maryland Manors to support the preservation and study of records connected to colonial Maryland manors and Southern Maryland family history. The organization, which merged...
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Chelsea Lynn Lawrence, 31, of Lothian, is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis, and Matthew Blake Bernstein, 41, of Upper Marlboro, is charged with making a false statement to an officer, carrying a concealed dangerous weapon, and obstructing and hindering after a June 17,...
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Shyann Aniqua Haley, 34, of Leonardtown, has been charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia after Maryland State Police said she was found with suspected cocaine during an investigation in Lexington Park on June 20, 2026. Trooper First Class Timothy Eckrich and Trooper Fortunato were...
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Patricia Kennedy Hammar, 61, of Chevy Chase, is facing misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, trespassing on private property, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, intoxicated public disturbance, and resisting or interfering with arrest after deputies said she refused to leave the Rod ’N’ Reel Resort in Chesapeake Beach on June 18, 2026....
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Lakesha Nicole Reed, 44, of Prince Frederick, has been charged with first-degree assault and second-degree assault after the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported domestic assault on June 16, 2026, at an apartment on Alton Court in Prince Frederick. The incident was reported as a domestic violence-related case, and Reed was later...
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Jordan S White, 25, of Henderson, Texas, is facing misdemeanor charges in St. Mary’s County for violating an out-of-state protective order and violating a protective order after authorities said he repeatedly contacted a protected adult female victim on June 19, 2026. According to charging documents filed in District Court for St. Mary’s County, a...
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State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced today that Christina Lee Calero, 47, of Leonardtown, was sentenced to five years with eighteen months of active incarceration for Theft: $100 to Under $1,500 as a subsequent offender. On August 19, 2025, deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to the JCPenney in California, Maryland, for...
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State’s Attorney for Charles County announced that on Friday, June 12, 2026, Elmer Geovanny Marquez-Orellana, 27, of Waldorf, entered a guilty plea to Sex Abuse of a Minor and Second-Degree Rape. As a part of his plea, Marquez-Orellana will have to register as a lifetime Tier 3 Sex Offender. On January 19, 2026, officers...
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UPDATE 6/23/2026: On Sunday, June 21, 2026, at approximately 6:57 a.m., firefighters from Bay District, Hollywood, Solomons, Leonardtown, Ridge, and Second District were dispatched to 23165 Mirfield Lane in Lexington Park, for the reported structure on fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find a two-story single family home with fire showing from the...
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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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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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The Applebee’s restaurant, located at 45480 Miramar Way, California, Maryland, is shut down and no longer operating. The location had served customers in the California and Lexington Park area for years as one of the chain casual-dining options near First Colony and the Route 235 business corridor. No official public statement explaining the closure...
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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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A Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince Georges, Queen Anne’s, St. Mary’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, Worcester and Baltimore City in MD until 9:00 pm. Scattered severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds and isolated tornadoes are possible this afternoon...
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