Arundel digest

Police seek help in identifying hit-and-run driver

GLEN BURNIE - County police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the driver of a sport utility vehicle that struck and killed a Glen Burnie man early Saturday morning on Ordnance Road.

Police said Matthew Ryan Burgess, 30, of 1011 Stane Road, was for unknown reasons, standing in the 100 block of W. Ordnance Road about 1:50 a.m. when he was struck by a sport utility vehicle traveling east.

After striking Burgess, the driver of the sport utility vehicle continued on Ordnance Road without stopping.
Burgess was taken by ambulance to Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, where he was pronounced dead.
The sport utility vehicle that struck Burgess is described as a 1995 to 2001 Ford Explorer or a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer.

The vehicle will have visible damage to the driver’s side turn signal, front quarter panel, driver’s side mirror, and possible windshield damage on the driver’s side near the roof support, said Justin Mulcahy, a county police spokesman. He asks employees of local repair shops to look out for any vehicles matching the description with damages around the front, driver’s side.

Anyone with information is asked to call the county police Traffic Safety Section at 410-222-8673, or 410-222-8610. Those with tips can also contact Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.

Police arrest fleeing suspect

ODENTON - A Prince George's County man was charged with breaking into an Odenton business Friday and fleeing from county police in a getaway vehicle.

Officers were called to Physiotherapy Associates at 1132 Annapolis Road about 5:35 p.m. for a report of a possible burglar seen exiting the closed business, said Justin Mulcahy, a county police spokesman.

Police broadcasted a lookout for a maroon minivan the man was seen driving from the scene.

An officer spotted the van driving west on Annapolis Road, Mulcahy said. The officer tried to stop the van near the intersection of Ridge Road, but the driver wouldn't pull over.

Officers continued to follow the van to Coca-Cola Drive in Hanover, where Maryland State Police troopers had laid "stop sticks" in the roadway.

The van drove over the sticks and crashed, Mulcahy said.

The driver got out of the van and ran to a wooded area, where police quickly caught him.

Nakym Sheffield, 31, of 2318 Brooks Drive in Suitland, was charged with second-degree burglary, destruction of property, theft under $1,000 and multiple traffic offenses, police said.

Bank robbery suspect at large

CROFTON - A Crofton bank was robbed Friday afternoon, county police said.

Employees of Old Line Bank at 1641 Route 3 told police a man walked into the business at just after 3 p.m.

The man approached the teller and demanded money, said Justin Mulcahy, a county police spokesman. He did not imply that he had a weapon.

After taking the cash, the man ran out of the bank.

No one was injured in the incident.

The robber is described as black, in his late 40s, 6 feet tall, with a clean-shaven face and thin build. He was wearing a blue-jean jacket and blue jeans.

Police are investigating whether the man was also involved in the robberies of a PNC bank in Crofton earlier this month and the Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union in Glen Burnie in late October.

Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP.

State OKs funding for sewage plants

ANNAPOLIS - The state Board of Public Works has approved grants for two local sewage plant upgrades.

The three-member state board last week approved spending $1 million for design upgrades to the Patuxent Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Annapolis Water Reclamation Facility.

The two sewage plant upgrades eventually will reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in the treated effluent that comes from the plants.

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus fuel the growth of algae blooms that suck oxygen from the water in rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.

The money for both plants comes from the Bay Restoration Fund, better known as the $30 "flush fee" that property owners pay.

The Annapolis upgrade is expected to cost $14 million total and should be complete in 2012.

The Patuxent upgrade should cost $5.18 million and is scheduled to be complete in 2011.

- From staff reports