Maryland Law Blog

According to a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) report obtained by USA TODAY, the mishandling of witnesses during the suspect identification process is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions in the U.S. The majority of law enforcement agencies have not adopted federal guidelines that have long been in existence.

As reported by USA Today and published by Cincinnati.com on June 11, ignoring eyewitness rules results in wrongful convictions. A total of 75 percent of wrongful convictions which are later overturned through DNA testing are the fault of flaws in the eyewitness identification process. More than 300 convictions have been overturned through DNA testing since 1989.

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As reported by thebaynet.com, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of Maryland’s DNA Collection Act. In this past congressional session, Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law a bill that repeals the ending of Maryland’s DNA law.

The Supreme Court’s ruling was on Maryland’s DNA case — Maryland v. King. Governor O’Malley said that the ruling by the Supreme Court is significant due to the fact that it legitimizes one important weapon against violent crimes in the state.

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As reported by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and published by somd.com, members of the Emergency Services Team of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office along with detectives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations apprehended a suspect who allegedly struck a Lexington Park victim in the head with a wooden object. The victim was taken by Maryland State Police helicopter to a regional trauma center with life-threatening injuries and was listed in critical condition. The suspect was taken into custody and charged with first degree and second degree assault. Pending a review by the State’s Attorney’s Office, additional charges may be filed.

After receiving a report of an assault at a residence in Mechanicsville on Erin Drive, St. Mary’s County deputies responded and found that a 40-year-old Mechanicsville man had been in a verbal argument and had allegedly threatened to kill another male by aiming a loaded compound bow at the victim. The suspect fled but was soon contacted and arrested by the deputies. The suspect has been charged with assault first degree and assault second degree.

Continue reading "Latest Assault Arrests – St. Mary’s County" »

The Calvert County criminal defense attorneys at the firm of Alpert Schreyer know that being charged with a drug crime is a serious matter that can impact your future for a lifetime.

As reported by Star983.com, a Calvert County deputy observed a subject stopped at a red light allegedly inhaling a substance from a glass smoking device. The observation occurred at 5:28 p.m. The Calvert County deputy was in the process of conducting seat belt enforcement at southbound Maryland Route 4 and West Dares Beach Road. After a traffic stop was made, both the driver, age 20, from Huntingtown and a passenger, age 19, from Chesapeake Beach were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana (amount less than 10 grams) and use of drug paraphernalia.

In a separate incident, a deputy witnessed a man in Solomon’s Roy Rogers restaurant who was allegedly having trouble maintaining balance and stumbling in an attempt to get up from his seat. The deputy made contact with the subject, age 28, suspecting he was under the influence. The man was reportedly discovered by the arresting officer to be in possession of illegal drugs. The man was placed under arrest and charged with possession of heroin and the use of drug paraphernalia; a folded piece of paper used to store the heroin.

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As reported by SMNewsNet.com, detectives recently received a report that a Mechanicsville man was involved in the distribution of crack cocaine. Undercover purchases were successfully made leading to the suspect being indicted and arrested. The accused was held without bond upon arrest.

Detectives reportedly observed a male suspect, age 30, from Mechanicsville distribute tablets to another male, age 17, in a local business’ parking lot. The Oxycodone tablets that were allegedly exchanged along with the money were recovered, as was a prescription that had been altered. The subject who distributed the tablets was arrested and charged. Charges are pending against the male juvenile who received the tablets during the transaction.

A Piney Point area traffic stop was conducted by Captain Daniel Alioto, who was off duty at the time, and contact was made with the driver. Captain Alioto detected the odor of burnt marijuana. A vehicle search uncovered a smoking device, an amount of marijuana, and several oxycodone tablets. The suspect was charged with drug possession upon the arrival of the Vice Narcotics Support Team Deputy.

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As reported by the Charles County Sheriff’s Office in its crime reports and published by smnewsnet.com, on May 13 at approximately 2:40 a.m., officers responded to a 911 call from a homeowner. The homeowner had heard loud noises coming from the driveway area. He decided to investigate further, and when he did so, he reportedly noticed that the dome light was on in the interior of his truck and a strange man was inside the vehicle. The man fled as the owner of the home and vehicle approached the scene.

The incident occurred at the 5500 block of Hole Shot Place in Pomfret. The homeowner was able to provide officers who responded to the scene of the attempted theft a detailed description of the suspect and the suspect’s vehicle. An officer was able to locate the vehicle, make a positive identification, and conduct a traffic stop. A 25-year-old Waldorf resident was driving the car, and both the man who had broken into the victim’s truck and the man’s car were positively identified.

Continue reading "Waldorf Man Charged with Attempted Theft" »

The Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office has recently posted two arrests involving theft charges on its website.

The County Sheriff’s Office reported the arrest of a man by the Warrant/Fugitive Division on four indictments of robbery with a deadly weapon and other related charges.

The robbery charges stemmed from four indictments that occurred in 2002 and for a failure-to- appear charge issued two years later. The cold case investigation led officers to Belmont Street in Washington D.C. They were assisted in making their arrest by Metro Washington Police officers.

Prince George’s County Sheriff’s deputies arrested another burglary suspect, closing five warrants. The arrest was for first degree burglary. The man placed under arrest allegedly broke into a home in the 6800 block of Middlefield Terrace in Fort Washington in 2013 on January 28, stealing various items.

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A Waldorf gunpoint robbery ended in a high-speed chase on May 2. As reported by somdnews.com, while returning to her car after using an ATM outside a Waldorf Marketplace bank, a woman was robbed by a man with a gun. The man left the scene in an old model Honda. A woman was driving. The victim and several witnesses to the robbery were able to describe the vehicle to Charles County Sheriff’s officers.

The vehicle was spotted in Waldorf near McKendree Road on U.S. 301. When the officer attempted to pull the car over, the female driver would not stop, so officers continued pursuit of the Honda to Prince George’s County to the Brandywine Crossing Shopping Center where they were able to force the vehicle to stop. A man tried to get away on foot but was apprehended by officers. The woman driver stayed in the car and was arrested at the scene.

Diane Richardson, Charles County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, said the incident began at 11:10 a.m. when officers arrived at the scene of the robbery. She added that in the pursuit of the robbery suspects no one was injured. The man, age 27, and the woman, age 19, were charged with armed robbery. The driver was also cited with various traffic violations.

Continue reading "Wild Ride Ends in Capture in Prince George’s County" »

Courtesy of ABC2News.com, charges of felony solicitation against a former Anne Arundel County teacher have been dropped. However, the former high school teacher remains charged with exchanging naked pictures with a student. The teacher worked with Anne Arundel County students for seven years before becoming allegedly too close to a Broadneck High School senior. She taught English, was an advisor for student government, and also a girls’ basketball coach. Three of her years teaching in Anne Arundel County were spent at North County High and four at Broadneck High.

According to charging documents, the relationship began in 2010 when the teacher asked the victim if he would send her naked pictures of himself. If he would do so, she would send pictures of herself to the student. Police acted on an anonymous tip. Once the allegation was made, the spokesman for Anne Arundel County Public Schools said the teacher was removed from the classroom.

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Montgomery County police recently reported that a 20-year-old man who allegedly stabbed another man, age 18, has now been arrested. Courtesy of Gazette.Net, the man arrested has been charged with the following:

• First-degree assault
• Reckless endangerment
• Attempted first-degree murder

According to a Montgomery County Police news release, the arrest took place on April 18 in conjunction with a Wheaton stabbing that had taken place just two nights prior. On the night the stabbing occurred, police officers were responding to a report of a pedestrian down who had been hit by a car in the area of Reedie Drive and Georgia Avenue. Once officers arrived at the scene, they discovered instead a man, age 18, who had been stabbed approximately 16 times. According to the news release, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue responded and transported the victim to a local trauma center with life-threatening injuries. He was released from the hospital several days later and is now at home recovering.

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A Southern Maryland motorist who was driving when her car crashed, killing her front-seat passenger, has a scheduled appearance in a St. Mary’s Courtroom to be arraigned on a charge of criminally negligent manslaughter. Courtesy of somdnews.com, the charge stems from a car crash last year on North Sandgates Road.

A Mechanicsville area resident, age 22, was behind the wheel of a 1996 Dodge Intrepid on April 28 when the vehicle veered off the road and crashed into two utility poles. The crash occurred at 2:26 a.m. The driver’s 23-year-old passenger, riding in the front seat, also from Mechanicsville, died from the injuries she received. The driver and an additional passenger were thrown from the vehicle, found conscious nearby and were transported to a local hospital.

The criminal charge of negligent manslaughter was not, according to Laura Caspar, St. Mary’s Assistant State’s Attorney, due to the presence of alcohol in her blood. The speed the car was traveling was instead the basis of the criminal charge. Criminally negligent manslaughter is a misdemeanor version of Maryland’s felony vehicular manslaughter law.

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According to Calvert County Police News Briefs, two suspects in a violent assault and robbery have been arrested. Each has been charged with the following:

• Robbery
• Armed robbery
• Intent to injure with a dangerous weapon
• First degree assault
• Second degree assault
• Theft of less than $1,000

A vehicle belonging to one of the men arrested and charged was seized, a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup. Additional search warrants were issued after the arrests which yielded more evidence. Both men were positively identified by the victim of the robbery and assault.

The initial investigation revealed that the victim had been jumped from the rear and hit with a metal object that may have been a pipe. The suspects stole $700 cash from the beating victim, took some other items and then fled the scene, Kappatos Way at Hardesty Road in Sunderland.

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