Police Beat for May 17

West County

A Severn woman was charged with drug possession Wednesday after Queen Anne's County Sheriff's deputies said they found marijuana in her purse during a traffic stop in Stevensville.

At just before midnight, a sergeant pulled over the driver of a 2008 Volkswagen for speeding on Route 8 near Baltimore Road. During the stop, the sergeant noticed several cigars on the passenger and asked if she had any drugs in the car.

The woman told the sergeant she had a small amount of marijuana in her pocketbook. He searched the bag and found a small envelope of marijuana, four small glass vials of cocaine, and drug paraphernalia.

No other drugs were found inside the car.

Erin Gail Halbig, 23, of Tower Court Road, was charged with two counts of drug possession and was later released.

North County

Purse stolen

An unidentified man snatched a woman's purse in Pasadena Monday, county police said.

At 9:40 p.m., Deborah Lee Barger-Boyd arrived at the corner of Kings Beach and Notley roads.

When she got out, a man snatched her purse off her arm and ran north onto Notley Road where he got into the passenger seat of a blue car. The car was driven toward Duvall Highway. Ms. Boyd got the license plate number and gave it to police.

She told police that her purse contained cash, about 20 credit cards and two cell phones. Police are investigating.

Man injured in fall

A man was seriously injured after falling at a Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. site near Orchard Beach Wednesday afternoon, county Fire Department officials said.

Paramedics were called to 1105 Brandon Shores Drive at about 3:15 p.m., said Division Chief Michael Cox, a county Fire Department spokesman.

At the scene, a superintendent for Bowen Engineering told county police one of his employees, Jerard Deal, 28, fell about 20 feet to a concrete base, according to the police report.

He said Mr. Deal was on top of a structure under construction and had secured his safety harness to an adjacent panel. But Mr. Deal apparently didn't know the panel was not secured to the rest of the structure, he said.

As he leaned over to do some work, Mr. Deal lost his balance and fell into the open structure, and the panel gave way. After landing on the concrete, the panel fell on top of Mr. Deal, police said.

He was taken by ambulance to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with serious injuries, Chief Cox said. Police said Mr. Deal was alert and conscious at the scene and his injuries are not considered life threatening.