Crime

Columbia Man Found Guilty of Second-Degree Murder in the Death of a Montgomery County Teen

By MCS Staff

Shawndel Arnez Weems, age 24, of Monarch Mills Way in Columbia, was found guilty today by a Howard County jury of second-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Simeon Mukuna.

On February 6, 2021, officers from Howard County Police Department arrived at the 7500 block of Monarch Mills Way for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival officers located the victim, Simeon Mukuna, lying on the ground suffering from gunshot wounds. Medics responded and immediately began rendering aid. Mukuna died on the scene.

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MoCo Government

Montgomery County wins 31 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards

By Patrick Herron

“I want to congratulate all of our NACo Achievement Award recipients,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “Our government is committed to being innovative, equitable, transparent and responsive to our residents, businesses and visitors. These awards are a national recognition for the incredible work that is being achieved by our departments and employees. I want to thank all of our employees for their hard work to earn their Achievement Awards.”

“The Montgomery County government strives to have the best services of any local government in the nation,” said Montgomery County Chief Administrative Officer Richard Madaleno. “I am very appreciative of the ingenuity and persistence to consistently improve our services. Congratulations to all the employees and departments for this notable recognition.”

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Gaithersburg

Saints Row Brewing Now Open in Olde Towne Gaithersburg

By Patrick Herron

Saints Row Brewing is now open at 15 Fulks Corner Ave, Suite 101, the former site of Brawling Bear Brewery. Saints Row was previously located on Taft St. in Rockville.  The new location gives Saints Row twice the brewing capacity than at their previous location, as well as a “more robust customer experience with enhanced and improved taproom functionality.” The breweries expansion will include wholesale distribution throughout Montgomery County.  Like their previous location, they will have a rotating schedule of food trucks and special events. As part of the grand opening there will be a Hops and Shop” Makers Market event this Saturday, May 21, from 12-5pm in the breweries parking lot.

Photos of the new location below:

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Damascus

Montgomery County Police Continue to Investigate a Vandalism Valued at $500,000 – Victim Offering Reward Up to $50,000

By Patrick Herron

On Wednesday, April 21 at approximately 9:30 p.m., a suspect was observed driving onto a storage yard area of a farm located on Long Corner Road. The suspect climbed to the top of a tanker truck used to fertilize fields. The next day, the owner of the farm discovered that the liquid fertilizer in the tanker truck had been contaminated with an herbicide, but not before the truck was used to apply fertilizer to approximately 1000 acres of corn.  One week later, employees on the farm discovered additional contamination of fertilizer in another piece of farm equipment.

Anyone with information regarding the person(s) responsible for this vandalism and is interested in the reward, should call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS(8477). To speak to investigating detectives directly, please call the 5th District Investigative Section at 240-773-6273.

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North Bethesda

MoCo DEP Provides Reason For Bright Green Creek in North Bethesda

By MCS Staff

The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection has explained the vibrant green color of a creek located behind Commonwealth Drive in North Bethesda (in the area of Old Georgetown Rd and Nicholson Ln). Photos below by Instagram user @rachelwulfe.

It appears that dye testing was performed yesterday, which is what turned the creek green. The dye used is a non-toxic marking agent that turns water a vibrant green color. The color can be visually alarming, and folks often report this as antifreeze dumped into the water. This is the same stuff the use to dye rivers green for St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago and other cities. Most antifreeze these days is orange.”

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Restaurants

BoBaPop Tea Bar Joins Kyoto Matcha Dessert in Rockville

By Patrick Herron

BoBaPop Tea Bar has opened up inside the Kyoto Matcha location at 33 Maryland Ave Unit A in Rockville Town Center.  According to a post on Kyoto’s Instagram page, “We’re so excited to announce that we have Bobapop-Teabar joining our Rockville location! Come and try our refreshing drinks and pair it with a delicious dessert from Kyo Matcha.” BoBaPoP opened its location at 312 Main Street in the Kentlands in 2018 and was the first of the Vietnamese based company’s stores to open in the United States. BoBaPop opened their second MoCo location at 19847 Century Blvd, Unit J in Germantown, the former site of August 32, back in November.  The company has over 150 stores worldwide.

Kyoto Matcha opened its Rockville location in 2019. Their menu features ice cream, cakes, soba, mochi, and more flavored with matcha, purple sweet potato (ube), rose, maple, and other Japanese delicacies.  According to their website, Kyoto Matcha, is an international chain of Matcha desserts that is “dedicated to creating top-quality raw materials. Due to the influence of the Japanese-style matcha culture, the Kyoto Matcha is based on the brand mission of “Let the Tea Return to the Forest”, rooted in the traditional Japanese tea culture and dedicated to the promotion of Matcha culture.”  Kyoto has an additional MoCo location at 967 Rose Ave in North Bethesda.

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North Bethesda

Final Paving Underway on WB Randolph Road Following 9 Month Closure

By Cordell Pugh

Final paving is underway today at Westbound Randolph Road in Rockville/N. Bethesda. Wesbound Randolph Road has been closed since August 30th of last summer. The closure was needed for underground electrical work as part of Pepco’s new White Flint Substation. Traffic heading westbound on Randolph Road has been diverted to Parklawn Drive and then directed to Rockville Pike (MD-355). The Road is expected to open soon.

Final paving underway today on Westbound Randolph Road. Westbound Randolph has been closed at Parklawn Drive for ~9 months. Crews have been installing underground infrastructure for @PepcoConnect’s new White Flint substation on Nebel Street. #MDTraffic @TheMoCoShow @WTOPTraffic pic.twitter.com/lLsz3Mu7Y8

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Rockville

Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police Special Victims Investigations Division Ask For Assistance in Locating Missing 15-Year-Old From Rockville

By Patrick Herron

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 Rockville.  Heidi Paola Rivas was last seen on Thursday, May 19, 2022, at approximately 7 a.m., in the 12400 block of Braxfield Court.

Rivas is 5-feet, 3-inches tall and weighs approximately 90 pounds. She has brown eyes and long brown hair. She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, gray sweatpants and glasses. She was carrying a black backpack.  Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

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Poolesville

Poolesville to Host 4th of July Fireworks Event

By MCS Staff

The Town of Poolesville and Upper Montgomery County Fire Department will be presenting a a fireworks show in Poolesville this July 4th. The show will take place at the soccer fields on Hughes Rd and Sugarland on Monday, July 4th (gates open at 5pm).

New food trucks will be at the event, including the Big Greek Cafe truck, Corned Beef King, Flip Side Gastro, Rosie’s Funnel Cakes, Grandma Kona’s Ice, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and more to come. There will be music by Jeff Carmella and representation from many local churches.

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