Police Beat for June 30

ANNAPOLIS AREA

Assault reported (June 30)

An Annapolis woman reported being sexually assaulted sometime Saturday night after accompanying a man to his Park Place condo after watching World Cup games on TV with him at several bars.

The victim, 29, was interviewed at Anne Arundel Medical Center where she went after waking up in the man’s apartment. She told police she watched soccer matches at more than one bar with people she had just met.

When the matches were over, she went with the man back to his Park Place condo, where she apparently passed out.

The victim said she woke up some time later and discovered she was undressed.

An investigation continues.

Washer stolen (June 30)

United Rentals reported to police someone has made off with one of their pressure washers.

The unit, worth $928.24, was rented for one day in early May from the company, which is located at 10 Gibralter Ave. But the washer was never returned.

The company’s manager told police Tuesday several attempts have been made to contact the renter, to no avail.

Charges will be sought for the suspect.

Game over (June 30)

Someone broke in to a Captain’s Circle apartment an made off with video game units and a cell phone, city police said.

The victim told police she was napping around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when she heard a noise outside her apartment. She went into the living room to check it out and found both windows broken and the items missing.

Two Sony Playstations, worth at total of $700, and a pre-paid cell phone worth $80 were missing.

An investigation continues.

Vacation theft (June 30)

A Newtowne Drive woman told police Tuesday that several electronic items were stolen from her home while she was on vacation.

The victim told police that her brother, who had access to the home, called her Monday to say her door was unlocked and her computer was missing.

A Sony DVD player, E-machines computer, iPod Nano, and a pair of black sweatpants, worth a total of $1,175, were stolen.

There were no signs of forced entry, police said.

An investigation continues.

Computer copped (June 30)

A Giddings Avenue business reported a $1,500 laptop computer was stolen over the weekend, the second such theft there in a month, city police said.

An employee of The Faux Group told police a laptop was taken from her desk drawer. She said she noticed her office door had pry marks on it after she returned to work Monday, police said. She also said the lights were on; she said she had turned them off when leaving work Friday.

No other doors to the office showed signs of forced entry, police said.

The company was broken into late last month as well. Then three laptops, a projector and an iPod, all worth an estimated $5,713, were taken in a similar weekend heist.

An investigation is continuing.

Drug bust (June 30)

An Annapolis man was arrested on drug distribution charges Thursday following a traffic stop for a broken brake light, police said.

Police notice a blue Cadillac at the intersection of Cherry Grove and Forest Drive around 5:55 p.m. Thursday.

Upon searching the vehicle and driver, police found packages of suspected cocaine wrapped in lottery tickets and $260 in cash.

Jay Joseph Johnson, 50, of 419 Captain’s Circle, was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The cash and Cadillac were seized.

Motorcycle crash (June 29)

A motorcyclist and his passenger were seriously injured Saturday afternoon when the Yamaha they were riding crashed into a sport utility vehicle in front of Annapolis Harbour Center on Route 2 south, county police said.

Brittany Webber, 19, of Davidsonville, pulled a 2009 Jeep Cherokee to the intersection of Solomons Island Road northbound at Grand Oaks Drive just before 3 p.m. to make a U-turn, said Justin Mulcahy, a county police spokesman. As the traffic light turned yellow, vehicles going southbound on the highway slowed down and stopped.

Webber began to make a U-turn onto southbound Route 2 and the Yamaha went through the intersection and struck the Jeep, Mulcahy said.

Lauren Smith, 23, of Bowie, was thrown several yards off of the Yamaha and landed on the roadway, police said. Smith and the driver of the Yamaha, Bryan Rautenburg, 32, of Glendale, both suffered serious injuries and were flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.

Smith was listed in good condition yesterday, hospital officials said. Rautenburg was treated and released.

Webber was not injured.

Although no citations have been issued, an investigation into the crash is ongoing, Mulcahy said.

Man assaulted (June 28)

A man was assaulted early Saturday morning in the 1000 block of Madison Street, city police said.

The victim, a 48-year-old man, was found lying on the ground. His face was bloody and his ankle was swollen, police said.

He does not speak English and was not able to tell police what happened.

A witness said a man drove up to the victim, asking to buy drugs. When the victim said he wasn't selling drugs, the man got out of his car and started punching the victim in the face, knocking him to the ground, police said.

Police weren't able to find the assailant and no description was given.

Games, wallet taken (June 28)

Electronics and a wallet were stolen during a break-in at a home on Hoover Street early Saturday morning, city police said.

Officers were called to the home at 6:30 a.m. The victim, a 41-year-old man, said he awoke to find the back door wide open.

A PlayStation 3, 10 games, a laptop and a wallet were missing from the home, police said.

Cell phone stolen (June 28)

A just-delivered cell phone was stolen from a Tyler Avenue porch Thursday, police said.

A 30-year-old unemployed Tyler Avenue woman ordered the cell phone through the SafeLink Wireless program, which provides free cell phones and 64 minutes of airtime to qualifying households receiving public assistance.

When she arrived home just after noon Thursday she found the packaging for the phone on her porch and the phone gone.

Police told her to contact the U.S. Postal Service and the SafeLink program.

Wallet missing (June 28)

A West Annapolis woman reported her wallet missing as she shopped at neighborhood stores on Wednesday, city police said.

The 68-year-old told police she had the wallet with her when she bought some items at the Rite Aid on Taylor Avenue around 2:30 p.m. But when she went to pay for items at Graul's Supermarket next door, the wallet was missing.

The wallet contained credit and ATM cards, which the woman promptly canceled, city police said.

BROADNECK PENINSULA

Burglary arrest (June 30)

County police have linked a man to four recent burglaries on the Broadneck Peninsula.

The burglaries took place in the 300 block of Cape Town Road, the 1600 block of Wood Tree Circle and in the 300 block of Clifton Avenue.

Police identified a possible suspect and on June 17 arrested him in the 1000 block of Christmas Lane in Gambrills.

John Raymond Farrow, 34, of no fixed address, is charged with multiple counts of burglary and is being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center in Parole on $150,000 bond, police said.

Driver sought (June 29)

State police continue to search for the driver in a hit-and-run crash that killed a state highway contract worker on Route 50 three weeks ago.

Ghassen A. Sabra, 52, of Goldsboro, N.C., was struck on eastbound Route 50 near the Bay Dale Drive exit between 12:30 and 1 a.m. on June 3. The driver of the vehicle that struck Sabra did not stop. Police said Sabra's body was struck a second time by a tractor-trailer. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sabra had put traffic counting equipment across Route 50 on June 1. He had returned to the roadway June 3 and was checking on the equipment when he was struck, police said.

Members of the state police CRASH Team have viewed surveillance footage from businesses near the crash site and continue to examine evidence collected from the scene. Police still do not have a description of the vehicle that first struck Sabra.

Anyone with information is asked to contact state police at 410-761-5130. Callers may remain anonymous.

Shed and brush fire (June 28)

County firefighters spent two hours last night fighting a shed fire that spread to surrounding brush near Saint Margarets Road.

At about 5 p.m. firefighters were called to Pleasant Plains Road, near Weems Farm Road, for a shed fire, said Lt. Keith Hamilton, a county Fire Department spokesman. The blaze had spread to surrounding brush and woods when crews arrived.

It took about two dozen firefighters about two hours to get the one-alarm fire under control.

Further details were not available this morning.

MILLERSVILLE

Employee charged (June 30)

An employee of a Millersville pet store was charged with breaking into the business Saturday morning and stealing from the cash register, county police said.

Officers were called to the Pet Cottage in the 600 block of Old Mill Road at just before 10:30 a.m. to investigate a theft.

Police reviewed footage from the store’s security video and identified the suspect as a 43-year-old employee. The footage shows the employee entering the store at about 4:30 a.m. and taking cash from the register, police said.

Cammie Elizabeth Thurston was arrested at her home in the 8300 block of New Cut Road in Severn and charged with second-and fourth-degree burglary and theft under $1,000.

Citizen’s arrest (June 30)

Two men were charged with breaking into two vehicles in Millersville early Saturday morning, county police said.

Police were called to the 500 block of Brightview Drive at about 2 a.m. for reports of men tampering with vehicles.

When officers arrived, they found one suspect being held by a citizen. The second suspect ran away before police got to the scene.

The man detained by the citizen, Nicholas A. Viscomi, 20, of Norwood Drive in Millersville, was arrested and charged with theft and rogue and vagabond.

At about 6:45 a.m., police found the second suspect, a 17-year-old boy from Millersville, in the 700 block of Pumphrey Farm Drive in Millersville. He was also charged with theft and being a rogue and vagabond.

SEVERNA PARK

Girl injured in fall (June 30)

A 6-year-old girl was seriously injured Tuesday when she fell off a wall at the Severn School in Severna Park, county Fire Department officials said.

The girl fell off a 12-foot wall at the school at 201 Water St. at just before 4 p.m., said Battalion Chief Steve Thompson, a county Fire Department spokesman.

The girl broke her leg and suffered other injuries in the fall, he said.

She was taken by ambulance to the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore.

Theft arrest (June 30)

A man was charged Monday with breaking into a Severna Park home last week, taking a set of car keys and stealing a van parked at the residence, county police said.

Just before 11 a.m. an officer on routine patrol saw a red and gold Ford van on Ritchie Highway near Whites Road. The officer remembered that a van matching that description had been reported stolen from a home in the 300 block of Jennings Road on June 22 and stopped the vehicle, which had expired license plates.

Through investigation, police were able to link the man in the vehicle to last week’s break-in. The man also was linked to a break-in at a home in the 400 block of Asbury Drive in Severna Park on May 30, police said. Two lawn mowers were stolen during that burglary.

John Preston Davis, 49, of no fixed address, was charged with first, second- and fourth-degree burglary, multiple counts of theft, traffic violations and rogue and vagabond.

South County

Car strikes tree (June 30)

A man suffered critical injuries Tuesday when he crashed a car into a tree in Davidsonsville, county police and county Fire Department officials said.

The 27-year-old motorist was driving on Patuxent River Road near Mt. Airy Road at about 5:35 p.m. when he lost control of the car and crashed.

He suffered a closed head injury and other critical injuries, said Battalion Chief Steve Thompson, a county Fire Department spokesman. He was flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with life-threatening injuries.

Further details were not available.

Drug possession (June 30)

A man was charged with drug possession Tuesday after county police found suspected marijuana and prescription drugs in a Shady Side home, county police said.

Officers were called to the 1300 block of Juniper Street at about 3 p.m. to investigate a domestic situation.

Once at the home, officers received information there were drugs inside. The homeowner consented to a search and police said they found 93 grams of a marijuana, worth about $2,790, prescription pills, worth about $75, drug paraphernalia and $990 in cash.

Frank Cobb Jr., 21, of 5521 Baskin St. in Churchton, was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, possession of prescription drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.

NORTH COUNTY

Woman robbed (June 30)

A woman was robbed early yesterday morning while walking in Brooklyn Park, county police said.

The 27-year-old woman was walking on Audrey Avenue near Kramme Avenue at about 1:35 a.m. when a man pulled next to her in an older model, dark pickup truck.

The man got out of the truck and asked the woman for a cigarette. As the woman was getting the man a smoke, he grabbed her and forced her to the side of the road.

Police said the man went through the woman’s pockets, took her cash and got back into the truck. He then drove away, leaving the woman on the roadside.

She suffered minor injuries but refused medical treatment, police said.

The man is white, in his mid-30s and bald. He was wearing a gray long sleeved T-shirt and blue jeans.

Armed robbery (June 30)

A group of men robbed a man at gunpoint in Ferndale on Monday night, county police said.

The man told police he was walking on Chalmers Road near Eugenia Road at just after 10 p.m. when three men with bandanas over their faces walked up to him.

One of the men had a silver handgun and demanded his money and belongings.

The men took the man’s cell phone and ran away. The victim was not injured.

The robbers are black and were wearing blue jeans and white T-shirts.

Domestic assault (June 30)

A man was charged with smashing a beer bottle over his ex-girlfriend’s head in the parking lot of their Glen Burnie apartment complex early Saturday morning, county police said.

Officers were called to Green Hollow Drive and Shetlands Lane just before 4 a.m. for the report and found the woman suffering from a head wound, said Lt. Glenn Shanahan, a county Police Department spokesman.

She was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with what were believed to be life-threatening injuries, he said.

Police identified the woman’s ex-boyfriend as the person who attacked her, said Justin Mulcahy, a county police spokesman.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant, and at about 11 p.m. Saturday they found the man in Landsdowne in Baltimore County and arrested him.

Scott Vernon Hoffman, 39, of 8110 Glen Hollow Court, was charged with attempted second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

The woman was treated for her injuries and released, police said.

Kitchen fire (June 30)

A Pasadena home was damaged in a kitchen fire Saturday morning, county Fire Department officials said.

Firefighters were called to Michael Ryan Court and Bellhaven Road at 9:05 a.m. The homeowner had apparently left a pot on the stove and left the home, then returned and found smoke, said Lt. Keith Hamilton, a county Fire Department spokesman.

The fire was isolated to the kitchen and no one was hurt, he said.

Prostitution arrests (June 30)

A man and woman were arrested at a Linthicum hotel on Saturday and charged with prostitution offenses, county police said.

Police received an anonymous tip about a young girl prostituting herself on the Internet.

Detectives found two advertisements for the girl, who called herself “Kitty,” on a website and set up an appointment to meet at a Linthicum hotel.

At about 4 p.m. Saturday, an undercover officer went to the hotel and met with the woman. She was arrested after offering the officer sex, police said.

Police learned the woman was working with a man who would drive her to appointments in exchange for a portion of her earnings. He was arrested outside the hotel. Police are not naming the hotel in hope the business will cooperate in future investigations.

Jacqueline B. Smith, 18, of no fixed address, was charged with engaging in prostitution and engaging in assignation.

Carroll Michael Skipwith, 32, of 205 River Way Court in Owings Mills, was charged with human trafficking and human-trafficking compensation.

Accidental shooting (June 28)

A 43-year-old woman accidentally shot herself yesterday morning after finding a shotgun inside her Brooklyn Park home, county police said.

The woman found the shotgun behind a couch at her home in the 100 block of Franklin Avenue at about 11 a.m. When the woman picked up the weapon, it accidentally discharged, wounding the woman in her hand, police said.

She was taken to the Curtis Hand Center at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore.

The woman's 21-year-old daughter and her boyfriend told investigators they found the sawed-off shotgun while walking on Taney Avenue in Brooklyn Park on Saturday night, police said. They brought the gun home and put it behind the couch.

The serial number had been filed off the shotgun, police said.

The investigation is continuing and no charges have been filed.

Pedestrian stuck (June 28)

Charges are pending against the driver of a Buick LeSabre that struck a man in Glen Burnie on Friday night and left the scene, county police said.

Ronald Wooldridge, 49, of 146 Brightwater Drive in Annapolis, was standing on the side of Hospital Drive just east of Crain Highway at about 10 p.m. Police said Wooldridge stepped into the path of the silver Buick as the vehicle turned east onto Hospital Drive from Crain Highway and was struck.

Witnesses to the crash followed the Buick after it didn't stop, said Justin Mulcahy, a county police spokesman. Officers found the car shortly after the crash at Hidden Brook Drive and Secluded Post Circle, he said.

Wooldridge was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with life-threatening injuries. He remained in critical condition this morning, police said.

The crash remains under investigation. Police said charges are pending against Julian Christopher Lunn, 28, of Glen Mar Road in Glen Burnie.