At approximately 4:20 p.m., 5th District officers responded to Holy Cross Germantown Hospital in the 19800 block of Observation Drive for the report of an individual suffering from a gunshot wound. Upon arrival, officers located 16-year-old, Cesar Segovia of Gaithersburg deceased, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

At approximately 4:40 p.m., 5th District officers responded to the 19700 block of Crystal Rock Drive for the report of a shooting that just occurred. Upon arrival, officers located 21-year-old, Jeffrey Baffour Akowuah of Germantown, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Despite lifesaving efforts by fire rescue, Akowuah was pronounced deceased at the scene.


Naz’s Halal (13025 Wisteria Drive) in Germantown has announced it will be giving away free food from 12-2pm at its grand opening this Saturday, May 14. The restaurant is located in the former site of the Water Factory, near Planet Fitness. Naz’s menu includes rice platters, sandwiches, gyros, wings, salads, and more.

In December we told you Naz’s would expanding to Germantown, Rockville (1040 Rockville Pike), Takoma Park (7653 New Hampshire Ave) and White Oak (11209 New Hampshire Ave). We will post opening information for those locations as soon as it becomes available.


A 16-year-old and a 21-year-old are dead after a shooting that occurred Wednesday, May 11 in Germantown. Montgomery County Police responded to reports of a shooting on the 19600 block of Crystal Rock Drive around 4:10pm.

No information regarding suspects or a motive has been released. This is an active homicide investigation and Montgomery County Police are expected to release more information today. Crystal Rock Drive was closed for several hours after the incident occurred between Route 118 and Middlebrook Road as part of the investigation.


Update: Anaya Tillie-Santos has been located safe and unharmed.

Tillie-Santos is 5-feet, 3-inches tall and weighs approximately 110 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and carrying a black bag.  Police and family are concerned for her welfare.


Construction is ongoing on the 7.24 acres located approximately 0.30 miles southwest of I-270, 1.5 miles from Little Bennett Regional Park and Clarksburg Town Center; and directly north of West Old Baltimore.  The Subject Property is directly across the realigned Clarksburg Road (MD121) from the Clarksburg Premium Outlets and a new and very familiar tenant has signed on- Popeyes.

Popeyes has made plenty of recent moves within Montgomery County, recently opening new locations in Briggs Chaney, Downtown Silver Spring, and Gaithersburg. The fried chicken chain announced last month that it is set to open more than 200 new locations in the United States and Canada this year with additional locations in several other places around the world. Over half of the new Popeyes locations that are scheduled to open in 2022 will feature double drive-thrus, but it’s still unclear whether or not this location will have a drive-thru.


Redwall Castle (built in the 1930s) is located off of Richter Farm Rd. in Germantown, Maryland (22 miles northwest of Washington, DC). It has been available for rent via rental sites AirBNB and VRBO like for a few years now. Per the listing on AirBNB, “it is excellent for families (w kids) and groups.” The castle is made up of a main house and a separate carriage house. The main house has 5 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, and is for rent. The carriage house is used by the owner and outdoor open wood fire pits are available. There’s even a theater room.

The building was designed by the first licensed woman architect in the US, following British author Brian Jacques’s fairy-tail Redwall stories. It is composed of a main house (which is for rent) and a separate carriage house (owner occupied), with 6 acres (29,000 Square Yards) of land for outdoor activities. Guests must rent it for a minimum of two nights and have the full access and complete use of the 5 bedroom (4.5 bath) main house. It’s currently going for just over $500 per night.


Gladys Beltre was last seen on Monday, May 9, 2022, at approximately 9:45 a.m., in the 12500 block of Hawks Nest Lane. Beltre is approximately 5-feet, 2-inches tall and approximately 120 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black North Face rain jacket and blue jeans.

Police and family are concerned for her welfare.


Representatives from Naz’s Halal (13025 Wisteria Drive) in Germantown have told us that the restaurant will be opening on May 14. Naz’s offers rice platters, sandwiches, gyros, wings, salads, and more, and is located in the former site of the Water Factory, near Planet Fitness. In December we told you Naz’s would expanding to Germantown, Rockville (1040 Rockville Pike), Takoma Park (7653 New Hampshire Ave) and White Oak (11209 New Hampshire Ave). We will post opening information for those locations as soon as it becomes available.

The first location outside of New York was also in MoCo, at the Burtonsville Town Center, next to Tropical Smoothie Cafe. That location opened in August 2020 and has become a local favorite with late night hours, remaining open until 2am Sunday through Thursday and 4am on Friday and Saturday. Since the Burtonsville opening, Naz’s Halal has expanded to California and Rhode Island.   Five additional Maryland restaurants will be opening in the upcoming year. Those will be located in Baltimore, Bowie, Denton, Ellicott City, and Waldorf.


Medication Copayment and Insurance Premium Assistance Now Available for Medicare Patients

HealthWell, A Germantown-based, nationally recognized, independent non-profit organization founded in 2003, has served as a safety net across over 85 disease areas for more than 727,000 underinsured patients. Since its inception, HealthWell has provided over $2.7 billion in financial support through more than 1.1 million grants to access life-changing medical treatments patients otherwise would not be able to afford.


Dr. James Ryan, the the oral surgeon accused of second-degree murder for the death of his girlfriend earlier this year, was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday.  According to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, now that Ryan has been indicted, motions and a trial date will be scheduled next week. Ryan was arrested on March 22 and charged in connection with the death his of 25-year-old girlfriend, Sarah Harris.

Ryan is accused of providing controlled substances, including Propofol, ketamine, diazepam, and midazolam to Harris, who died from a drug overdose on January 26. In addition to second-degree murder, Ryan’s charges also include reckless endangerment and possession of a controlled or dangerous substance with the intent to sell or distribute. Ryan is an oral surgeon who owns a practice on Observation Drive in Germantown. If convicted of all charges, Ryan could face 78 years in prison.


Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division, identified 15-year-old Malik Hney of Kensington and 14-year-old Justin Acosta from Germantown, as suspects and obtained warrants for their arrests. Hney and Acosta were arrested on May 3.

During the course of the investigation, Major Crimes detectives discovered evidence connecting 16-year-old Malachi Hney of Kensington to the April 22 homicide, and he was arrested on Thursday, May 5.


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