Up County Archives - Page 122 of 203

Police and Family Concerned for Missing 15-Year-Old

Published April 21, 2023 at 11:42AM

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing 15-year-old from Silver Spring.

Harmonee Sykes was last seen on Monday, April 17, 2023, at approximately 7 a.m., leaving her residence in the 19600 block of Scenery Drive in Germantown. Harmonee is approximately 5-feet, 9-inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. She has dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. She was last seen wearing a green sweater, blue jeans and black shoes. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

Boyds Man Sentenced to Over Three Years in Federal Prison for Purchasing and Distributing Drugs Through the Darkweb

By MCS Staff

Published April 20, 2023 at 11:02PM

The Defendant Laundered the Drug Proceeds by Converting Bitcoin into Cash, and Through a Series of Transactions, Transferring the Money into Bank Accounts He Controlled

Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland: U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Vishesh Aragam Guruprasad, age 31, of Boyds, Maryland yesterday to 42 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for a drug distribution conspiracy involving the purchase and sale of drugs through darkweb marketplaces, and money laundering.

Montgomery Parks Observes Mental Health Month “With Parks in Mind”

By MCS Staff

Published April 20, 2023 at 4:11PM

Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month “With Parks in Mind,” a free, kick-off event on Saturday, May 6, from 2 – 4 p.m. at Germantown Town Center Urban Park. This event launches the month-long campaign, “Every Mile for Every Mind” a series of walks to encourage people to spend time outdoors hiking a Montgomery Parks trail. These events are coordinated in partnership with local mental health organization, EveryMind.

What: With Parks in Mind: Mental Health Awareness

Tuesday Evening House Fire Causes Approximately $125K in Damage

By Patrick Herron

Published April 19, 2023 at 4:30PM

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a fire in the 10500blk of Tralee Ter in Damascus on Tuesday, April 18. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the fire originated on the exterior of the three-story townhome and spread to the 2nd fl and attic. The cause of the fire is believed to be an outdoor electrical outlet. Damage is estimated to be ~$120K and there were no injuries reported. Four adults and four children have been displaced. We will post an update if additional information becomes available.

Per @mcfrsPIO on Twitter: “Update (4/18 ~7p) 10500blk Tralee Ter, Damascus; 3-sty TH; exterior fire spread to 2nd fl/attic; Origin/Cause, near floor level elevated deck, vinyl siding, *only ignition source outdoor electrical outlet; Damage ~$120K; 4 adults/4 kids displaced; no injuries; passerby called 911”

Body Located in Lake Churchill in Germantown Identified as Missing Man

By Patrick Herron

Published April 19, 2023 at 11:40AM

Per MCPD: The body of an adult male recovered in Lake Churchill on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, has been identified. Officers were called to the area of Afternoon and Summersong Lanes at approximately 8 a.m., for the report of a body in the water. The body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and identified as 30-year-old Ankit Bagai of Germantown.

Bagai was reported missing and last seen on Sunday, April 9, 2023, at approximately 11:30 a.m., in the 12000 block of Panthers Ridge Drive. No foul play is suspected.

Body Recovered From Lake on Tuesday Morning in Germantown

By MCS Staff

Published April 18, 2023 at 9:58AM | Updated April 18, 2023 at 10:29AM

A body was recovered at Lake Churchill in Germantown on Tuesday morning, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer. Piringer noted that today’s activity may be related to an exhaustive search that took place at the lake on Easter Sunday (April 9th), where nothing was found.

On Sunday, April 9, MCFRS responded to a call at Lake Churchill in Germantown for a report of “someone in the water” from what has been described as a reliable source by MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer. The call came at approximately 1pm. Crews searched on land and and with boats in the water and nothing was found at the time. Below is a video from the April 9 search.

Germantown is The Most Culturally Diverse Area in The U.S., Per Study

By MCS Staff

Published April 18, 2023 at 7:13AM | Updated April 18, 2023 at 7:51AM

The personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2023’s Most Diverse Cities in America this week and MoCo claimed the top three spots with Gaithersburg, Germantown, and Silver Spring coming in as the three most diverse cities/areas the United States (Rockville was also ranked 13th). Germantown ranked first in cultural diversity. Categorized rankings available below.

To determine the places in the U.S. with the most mixed demographics, WalletHub compared the profiles of more than 500 of the largest cities (areas) across five major diversity categories: socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household and religious.

Carnival at Clarksburg Outlets From April 19 to April 30

By Francesca Luca

Published April 17, 2023 at 2:07PM

The Jolly Shows Carnival will be at the Clarksburg Outlets (22705 Clarksburg Road Clarksburg, MD 20871) from April 19 to April 30. There will be over 30 attractions, including carnival rides, games, and food wagons. According to their website, “We are a new generation of carnival operators who strive to be more progressive and professional. We realize that we must produce a premium product for our customer’s hard earned money. We won’t forget our proud traditions, but we are committed to overcoming the stigmas which have hindered our industry for far too long.” Tickets can be purchased here.

Unlimited Ride Specials Pre-Sale Information (ends April 19 at 5 pm): 1 Wristband: $25 (save up to $5); 4-Pack: $85 (save up to $35); 50 Ride Tickets: $45 (save $15)

Montgomery College and County Partners to Host Narcan Training Thursday, April 27

By Patrick Herron

Published April 16, 2023 at 9:17PM | Updated April 16, 2023 at 9:59PM

Per Montgomery College: The Montgomery College community is invited to attend a free Narcan training on Thursday, April 27 at 6 p.m. on the Germantown Campus in Globe Hall. Attendees will learn how to prevent an opioid overdose. Specifically, participants will be trained in how to administer nasal Narcan and receive information on how to obtain Narcan. Two free Narcan kits will be provided to all attendees. This event is open to all MC students and their families, faculty, staff and Montgomery County residents. Registration is required. Register here.

This event is sponsored by the Montgomery County Prevention and Harm Reduction Services, The Community Health Program, in partnership with Montgomery College Germantown’s Office of Student Life, and Office of Public Safety, Health and Emergency Management.

Man Found Guilty in 2021 Germantown Murder; Instagram Plays Role in Investigation

By MCS Staff

Published April 14, 2023 at 4:38PM

This afternoon, in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before John Maloney, a jury found defendant, Mario Samm, 22, of Frederick, MD, guilty of murder in the second-degree and use of a firearm in commission of a crime of violence for the death of 25-year-old Jahandar Darvish. Samm faces up to 60 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 19^th, 2023.

This stems from an incident inside Darvish’s apartment on the 19300 block of Circle Gate Drive in Germantown on December 23, 2021. During an altercation, Samm fired seven rounds from two firearms, striking the victim three times. One of the other bullets went through the floor into an apartment unit below. There were no additional injuries. During the investigation it was found that social media posts of the defendant in the weeks preceding the incident, showed him with one of the guns believed to be used in the fatal shooting. Additional information below from the charging documents:

Germantown’s Recovery Point Systems Announces Jack Dziak as CEO

By MCS Staff

Published April 14, 2023 at 7:32AM

Recovery Point Systems, an Abry Partners company and a leader in cloud-based business resilience services based in Germantown, has announced that Jack Dziak, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, has been named Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Dziak is a long-time senior technology executive with over 35 years of experience in the enterprise IT, infrastructure, and communications services industries.

Per the press release: Dziak has served on Recovery Point’s Board of Directors since May and as Executive Chairman since August 2022. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he was the Founder of Dziak Advisory Services LLC, an advisory firm that provides strategic, financial, and technology consulting to the digital infrastructure, cyber security, and managed services industries and their private equity and venture investors. His previous C-suite experience includes Executive Vice President Global Products and Chief Strategy Officer at Sungard Availability Services (2011-2017), with P&L responsibility for the $1.2B global recovery and managed services business, and Chief Operating Officer of Apcela, a provider of managed network and SD-WAN services. Dziak has also held multiple executive-level leadership positions with Accenture, Neustar, Inc., Sprint Nextel, and MCI Communications. His early career was spent as the lead financial economist for the privatization of national telecommunications concerns in over 20 countries. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.S. in Economics from Virginia Tech. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).