Crime Archives - Page 190 of 244

19-Year-Old Driver Who Intentionally Struck Police Officer on Highway to be Held Without Bond; Had Over 200 Previous Traffic Violations

Published October 19, 2023 at 3:45PM

At a bond hearing this afternoon at District Court in Rockville, Raphael Mayorga, 19, of Frederick, MD, was ordered to be held without bond for allegedly striking Montgomery County Police Officer Patrick Kepp with his vehicle on I-270 in Gaithersburg early Wednesday morning. Officer Kepp remains in critical condition and is said to have lost the use of both of his legs. Mayorga is being charged with attempted first-degree murder.

The incident occurred around 3:48 a.m. on October, 18 after Kepp got out of his vehicle to deploy “stop sticks” near the Watkins Mill Rd exit on northbound I-270 after a citizen was almost run off the road by Mayorga. Mayorga is believed to have been traveling over 100mph when he intentionally struck Kepp with his vehicle. A second officer successfully deployed stop sticks near Clarksburg Rd, eventually bringing the Mayorga’s vehicle to a stop. A second person who was in the vehicle with Mayorga has not been charged and is being treated as a witness.

Montgomery County Police Officer Indicted for Involvement in January 6 Insurrection; Recently Involved in Shooting Death of Suspect Armed With Butcher Knife

By Patrick Herron

Published October 19, 2023 at 3:15PM

According to the United State’s District Attorney’s Office, Montgomery County Police Officer Justin Lee, 25, of Rockville, has been charged in a seven-count indictment that was unsealed today in the District of Columbia with offenses including assaulting a law enforcement officer and obstructing, impeding, or interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder. Lee is accused of “entering and remaining in the U.S. Capitol grounds while the Vice President was and would be temporarily visiting without lawful authority to do so and engaging in disruptive conduct, physical violence, and disorderly conduct while on restricted grounds of the Capitol.” Montgomery County Police released the following statement announcing his supension:

“The Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD) announces the suspension of Officer Justin Lee without pay as a result of his involvement and subsequent indictment in connection with the events of the January 6 insurrection. In July of 2023, MCPD was informed that Officer Justin Lee was the subject of an FBI investigation. Prior to his suspension, Lee had been on administrative leave for his involvement in the shooting death of an armed suspect on July 22. The Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division is currently overseeing the investigation into this incident to ensure a thorough and impartial examination of the facts.

Update: Officer in Critical Condition After Being Intentionally Struck by Driver on I-270

By Patrick Herron

Published October 18, 2023 at 2:16PM | Updated October 18, 2023 at 2:44PM

Montgomery County Police held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to give an update on an incident that occurred early this morning on I-270 north that involved an officer being struck by a driver. The injured officer has been identified as Patrick Kepp, 36, who currently serves on the Alcohol Initiatives Unit. According to Police Chief Marcus Jones, Kepp has lost the use of both of his legs and remains in critical conditions.

The suspect has been identified as Frederick Raphael Mayorga, 19, of Frederick, MD. Mayorga is said to be well known to Montgomery County Police due to several prior incidents, and has a reputation for attempting to provoke officers into high speed chases. Prior to the incident, officers were monitoring Mayorga, who was seen driving a green Dodge Challenger recklessly at the Clarksburg Outlets and on I-270. Jones said officers did not pursue Mayorga.

Maryland Attorney General Announces Guilty Plea And Sentencing of Curtis Bay Energy LP – Owner of Largest Medical Waste Incinerator in United States

By Patrick Herron

Published October 18, 2023 at 12:54PM | Updated October 18, 2023 at 1:22PM

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office (10.18.23): – Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced the guilty plea and sentencing of Curtis Bay Energy, LP (Curtis Bay Energy), the owner and operator of a special medical waste incinerator facility located in south Baltimore City, to a forty-count criminal information that resulted from a long-term investigation conducted by the Office’s Environmental and Natural Resources Crimes Unit (ENRCU). The charges to which Curtis Bay Energy pled guilty relate to the insufficient treatment and improper handling of special medical waste and the operation and concealment of an unpermitted discharge outlet.

On August 18, 2023, in sentencing Curtis Bay Energy, the Honorable Judge Martin H. Schreiber II of the Circuit Court of Maryland, placed the company on 2-years of probation and ordered the company to pay a fine of $1,000,000 to the Maryland Clean Water Fund. As a special condition of that probation, Curtis Bay Energy will fund a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) that will direct $750,000 into communities surrounding the facility for environmental projects to protect and improve the environment and reduce risks to public health. The SEP will be administered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, a nonprofit grant-making organization. This sentence is one of the largest penalties in the Office’s history for an environmental criminal case.

Police Investigating Kidnapping Incident Involving 13-Year-Old Girl in Germantown

By Patrick Herron

Published October 18, 2023 at 1:58AM | Updated October 18, 2023 at 7:09AM

Per MCPD: The Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) is actively investigating a reported kidnapping incident involving a 13-year-old girl.

Preliminarily, the girl reported that between 3 – 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, she was approached by two male suspects in a dark grey sedan near the intersection of Waring Station Road and Stoney Bottom Road in Germantown. The suspects allegedly got out of the vehicle and forced the girl into the car.

Fairfax County Man Struck By Crossbow Arrow While Walking on The Sidewalk

By MCS Staff

Published October 17, 2023 at 6:13PM

Detectives continue to investigate after a man was struck with a crossbow arrow in Bailey’s Crossroads, Fairfax County police stated in a press release.

According to police, “Around 12:05 a.m., on October 15, officers were called to the 3400 block of Carlin Springs Road in Bailey’s Crossroads for an adult man who was struck by an arrow. The man was walking on the sidewalk when his backpack was struck by the arrow which continued into his back. He was transported to the hospital due to injuries that were deemed non-life-threatening, and after receiving treatment, he was released.

Four Charged with Killing and Burying 18-Year-Old Woman in Shallow Grave in Olney

By Patrick Herron

Published October 17, 2023 at 4:39PM

Rivera-Delgado was arrested for a parole violation in Nevada and extradited to Maryland on Tuesday, September 29, 2023. The 23-year-old suspect led Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes detectives to the location where Sanchez Merino was buried. On October 1, 2023, an autopsy of Sanchez Merino was conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the death was ruled a homicide.

Update: Police Looking to Identify Suspect Wanted for 4th Degree Sex Offense

By Patrick Herron

Published October 17, 2023 at 3:41PM

The Maryland-National Capital Park Police is seeking the public’s assistance with identifying the person pictured above. The photograph was obtained via security camera footage near the intersection of Manchester Road and Hamilton Avenue. This is in reference to a 4th Degree Sex Offense that occurred on the Sligo Creek Trail in the area of Three Oaks Drive on Sunday 10/15/2023 between 3:50PM and 4:00PM. The suspect was described as a 5’8 to 5’9 medium build teenage Hispanic or light skinned black male. The suspect was wearing a black ski mask covering most of his face, blue/teal windbreaker jacket, brown or tan cloth backpack with buckle fastener, and khaki pants.

MCPD is Investigating a Shooting in White Oak; Scene Secured

By MCS Staff

Published October 13, 2023 at 10:27PM

The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) is investigating a shooting in the area of New Hampshire Avenue and Milestone Drive in White Oak.

According to a social media post by police at 10:14pm, “no injuries have been reported. One vehicle was struck by a bullet. The scene is secured.” We will provide an update if additional information is made available.

Teens Threaten to Throw “Acid” on Victim During Tysons Corner Carjacking, Liquid Revealed to Be Candy; Arrest Made in Montgomery County

By MCS Staff

Published October 13, 2023 at 12:23PM

Detectives from the Fairfax County Police Major Crimes Bureau charged a 14-year-old juvenile from Maryland in connection with a carjacking in Tysons Corner Center yesterday evening.

Per Fairfax County Police: “At 6:23 p.m., detectives from our Tysons Urban Team responded to a parking garage in the 7900 block of Tysons Corner Center in McLean for a carjacking. Two juvenile suspects approached the victim, an adult man, who was sitting in his car, and knocked on his window. When the victim exited his car, the juveniles threatened to throw “acid” on the victim. One of the juvenile suspects entered the victim’s car while the other suspect threw green liquid, which was later determined to be liquid sour candy, on the victim. The suspects fled the area in the victim’s BMW X5.

Serial Hardware Store Thief Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

By Patrick Herron

Published October 12, 2023 at 2:55PM

According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “This week, in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Michael McAuliffe sentenced defendant, Terry Tompkins, 42, of Temple Hills, to 15 years in prison suspend all but four years to serve and five years of probation upon release. Tompkins pleaded guilty on December 19^th, 2022, to one count of robbery and three counts of theft stemming from four incidents at hardware stores in June and July of 2022. The sentencing hearing was held on Wednesday, October 10^th.

In one of the incidents, on July 30^th, 2022, Tompkins exited the Ace Hardware store in the 800 block of Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring, with a cart full of copper wire and other electric cable products without paying for the items. He then attacked a store employee who attempted to film him on a cell phone. Tomkins stole the phone as he fled.