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Three Calvert County Men Charged After Animals Found in Feces-Filled, Unsanitary Conditions

Walter Charles Webb, 69, of Huntingtown; Antwoine Demetric Webb, 47, of Huntingtown; and Brandon Alexander Webb, 44, of Port Republic, face numerous animal cruelty allegations following a July 31, 2026 investigation in Calvert County that authorities say uncovered dogs, birds and a turtle living in unsanitary conditions with inadequate water, shelter, space and veterinary care. READ HERE to understand why there are no booking photos. The allegations center largely on a property on Solomons Island Road in Huntingtown, where...
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NASA’s Dark Universe-Seeking Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launches

Release – Jennifer M. Dooren, NASA; Now on a three-month, million-mile journey to its final orbit, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will soon reveal the universe’s darkest secrets. The mission launched at 7:26 a.m. EDT Sunday aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Roman pairs a large field of view with crisp infrared vision to explore vast swaths of the sky and probe deeply into cosmic history. This...
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13-Year-Old Flown to Children’s With Serious Injuries After Electric Dirt Bike Crash in Prince Frederick

On Sunday, August 30, 2026, at approximately 1:18 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the 800 block of Yardley Drive in Prince Frederick, for the reported traumatic injuries after an E-Bike crash. 911 caller reported a 13-year-old male on an electric dirt bike crashed and was unconscious with a head injury. Maryland State Police Aviation Command was placed on standby due to the nature of the call. Trooper 7 launched to land nearby while fire and...
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One Injured After Vehicle Strikes Brick Wall in Lexington Park

On Sunday, August 30, 2026, at 2:22 a.m., police responded to the area of Three Notch Road and North Shangri-La Drive in Lexington Park, for the automated crash notification. A few minutes later, the incident was upgraded after additional callers reported a vehicle into a structure. EMS, and Firefighters from Bay District, Solomons, Hollywood, and NAS Patuxent River were dispatched to the scene with first arriving units finding a single vehicle off the roadway and into a brick wall...
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UPDATE: Woman Dies from Injuries After High Speed Chase and Crash at Charles County / Prince George’s County Line

UPDATE 9/1/2026: The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General has identified the decedent and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) officers involved in the fatal police-involved collision that occurred on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Brandywine, Prince George’s County, Maryland. The deceased is identified as 33-year-old Alexis Cummings of Temple Hills, Maryland. The involved CCSO officers are identified as PFC Eddie Vanover, a 5-year veteran, and Cpl. Justin Bottorf, a 13-year veteran. Both...
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4-Year-Old Male Flown to Trauma Center After Being Runover With Lawnmower in Indian Head

On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at approximately 8:00 p.m., firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the 10 block of First Street in Indian Head, for the reported traumatic injuries. 911 callers reported a 4-year-old male was run over with a lawnmower, with the child no longer trapped underneath of the machine. Due to the nature of the call, Maryland State Police Aviation Command was placed on standby. Crews arrived on the scene to find the child suffering serious...
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UPDATE: Lexington Park Woman Faces Probation Violation After Animal Cruelty Convictions

UPDATE 8/27/2026: Kenjewel Faye McCullough, 46, of Lexington Park, is back before a St. Mary’s County Circuit Court judge in connection with an alleged violation of the probation she received after pleading guilty to six animal cruelty-related charges in January 2025. The case was reopened on June 9, 2026, for a probation violation. A summons was issued that day and was served on June 17, 2026. McCullough appeared for an initial probation violation hearing on July 14, 2026. McCullough...
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Sunderland Man Faces 33 Animal Cruelty Charges After Dog Found Tethered With 13.4-Pound Chain

Jerome Ellsworth Couplin Jr., 56, of Sunderland, is facing 33 misdemeanor animal cruelty-related charges after authorities alleged that dogs, goats, sheep and chickens at a Valley Lane property were kept without adequate food, water, shelter, space or veterinary care. The charges stem from an August 5, 2026, investigation by the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and include 24 counts alleging a failure to provide necessary care and nine additional animal cruelty counts alleging deprivation of necessary sustenance or unnecessary suffering...
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Teen Flown to Trauma Center After Incident in St Mary’s County Technical Center Parking Lot

On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at approximately 6:47 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services were dispatched to the St Mary’s County Technical Center located at 24005 Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown, for the motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian. 911 callers reported a 16-year-old male hit his head in the parking lot and was actively seizing, with dispatchers advising to all responding units the patient was possibly struck by a vehicle. Police arrived on the scene to find...
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Second Drowning in St. Mary’s County Reported; Victim Transported to Hospital

On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 4:22 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the 24000 block of Half Pone Point Road in Hollywood, for the reported drowning, victim in the water. 911 callers reported a 75-year-old male fell from a pier into the water, with the victim not appearing to be conscious or breathing. Additional callers advised they were unable to remove the victim from the water, but were able to hold him above water and...
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Waldorf Woman Charged With Fentanyl Distribution After St. Mary’s County Traffic Stop

Kristina Elaine Sharpe, 37, of Waldorf, is facing nine drug-related charges following an August 20, 2026, traffic stop in Lexington Park, including felony possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, possession of Xanax, possession of amphetamine, three counts involving drug paraphernalia, intentionally removing or altering a prescription label, and possession of cocaine while confined at the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center. According to an account filed by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Sgt....
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59-Year-Old Port Tobacco Woman Charged With Arson After House Fire Investigation

A Port Tobacco woman has been charged after Deputy State Fire Marshals determined she allegedly intentionally set a fire inside a Charles County home last month. On Monday, July 27, 2026, at around 2:00 a.m., firefighters responded to a reported house fire in the 8400 block of Wooddy Road in Port Tobacco. The Office of the State Fire Marshal was later requested to investigate the cause of the fire. During the investigation, Deputy State Fire Marshals determined the fire...
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Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Search Leads to Manufacturing, Distribution and Possession Charges

Timothy Patrick Hogan, 34, of Lusby, faces felony charges of manufacturing a controlled dangerous substance and possession with intent to distribute, while Kevin Tyshawn Bannister, 38, of Prince Frederick, and George Thomas Young, 41, of Leonardtown, each face a misdemeanor charge of possessing a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis following a Calvert County Sheriff’s Office drug investigation in Lusby. The allegations against Bannister and Young specifically involve suspected methamphetamine. The investigation centered on a property on Susan Lane...
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Death Investigation Ongoing After Drowning in Leonardtown

On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at approximately 9:25 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to Solitude Lane in Leonardtown, for the reported drowning. The 911 caller reported they arrived at the residence to perform yard work when they observed a victim face down in the pool and not moving. Fire and rescue personnel arrived on the scene and confirmed an unknown aged victim was at the bottom of the pool. Sadly, the victim was pronounced deceased on...
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11-Year-Old Flown to Children’s Center After Striking Tree on Dirt Bike in Mechanicsville

On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at approximately 5:00 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Woodridge Drive in Mechanicsville, for the serious motor vehicle collision involving a dirt bike. 911 callers reported a 11-year-old male struck a tree while operating a dirt bike. Crews arrived on the scene to find the child suffered injuries to the upper body and requested a helicopter to land nearby. Maryland State Police Aviation Command Trooper 7 landed at...
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California Man Held Without Bond After Robbery, Theft Cases as Other Charges Remain Pending

Joseph Dale Thomas, 67, of California, is facing robbery, theft, second-degree assault, resisting or interfering with arrest, malicious destruction of property, cocaine possession, drug paraphernalia and additional theft charges stemming from a series of separate incidents in St. Mary’s, Calvert and Charles counties during July and August 2026. He was ordered held without bond...
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19-Year-Old Flown to Trauma Center After Being Kicked in Face by Horse in Mechanicsville

On Monday, August 31, 2026, at approximately 7:07 p.m., firefighters and emergency medical services were dispatched to the 26000 block of Friendship School Road in Mecahnicsville, for the reported traumatic injuries with helicopter activation. 911 callers reported a 19-year-old female was kicked in the jaw by a horse, with the teen being semi-conscious, bleeding...
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Mechanicsville Man Held Without Bond After Woman Suffers Facial Fractures in Assault at Leonardtown Bar

Stephen Michael Smith, 34, of Mechanicsville, is charged with first-degree assault and second-degree assault after authorities say an adult female victim suffered severe facial injuries, fractures and temporary vision loss during an alleged assault in Leonardtown on August 29, 2026. Smith remained held without bond following a bail review on August 31, 2026. According...
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Police Investigating Incident After EMS Respond to Multiple “Overdoses” at Ryken High School

On Monday, August 31, 2026, at 4:54 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services were dispatched to the St. Mary’s Ryken High School for the reported overdose. The staff member called 911 reporting two 17-year-old males were conscious and alert with trouble breathing after taking an unknown substance. The caller advised it was believed...
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Police Arrest Father and Son; Recover Nearly $1.7 Million in Fentanyl, Drugs, and Guns

Detectives in Charles County assigned to the Narcotics Enforcement Section initiated an investigation that led to the arrest of a Maryland father and son charged with illegally distributing more than a kilogram of fentanyl. What began as a local case in Waldorf quickly expanded into a larger, multi jurisdictional effort as our detectives uncovered...
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Early College Students Begin College Careers at CSM

As students across Southern Maryland return to school, some high school juniors and seniors are jumpstarting their college careers at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) through the Early College program. For Julianna Conte, the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school made Early College an easy choice. Now in her second year, she plans...
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Moore-Miller Administration Announces $10 Million in FY27 Protection Against Hate Crimes Grants to Support Maryland’s Vulnerable Communities

Governor Moore and the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy (GOCPP) today announced $10 million in State Fiscal Year 2027 Protection Against Hate Crimes (PAHC) grant awards to more than 100 nonprofit organizations, houses of worship, and community centers across 16 Maryland counties and Baltimore City. The awards will fund security guards, access...
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Noise Advisory – NAS Patuxent River Sets Noise Advisory for September 14-30, 2026

Communities surrounding Naval Air Station Patuxent River are advised that noise-generating testing events are scheduled to take place Sept. 14 – 30, 2026. Test events could occur anytime from 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Pilots at NAS PAX will be conducting Field Carrier Landing Practices (FCLPs). FCLPs are simulated carrier landings conducted to prepare...
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PG County Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking Offenses

A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. According to court documents, Brandon Sartor, 33, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, between December 2024 and April 2025, used physical violence, threats, sexual assault, and the withholding of drugs to compel two women to engage in repeated...
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Man Flown to Trauma Center After Concrete Wall Falls on Him in Piney Point

On Saturday, August 29, 2026, at approximately 10:26 a.m., firefighters and emergency medical services from Second District, Leonardtown, Bay District, Calvert and Charles County were dispatched to the 16000 block of Piney Point Road in Piney Point, for the reported technical rescue after a collapse. 911 callers reported they were doing construction at the...
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One Transported After Early Morning 2-Alarm Fire at Green Acres Nursing and Rehab Center in La Plata

On Friday, August 28, 2026, at approximately 4:10 a.m., firefighters from Charles and St. Mary’s County were dispatched to the Green Acres Nursing and Rehab located at 10200 LaPlata Road, for the reported structure fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find fire showing from the attic space. Due to the nature of the...
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Solomons Man Arrested After Police Say He Hindered Welfare Check, Damaged Sheriff’s Office Vehicle

Kevin Paul Goetz, 38, of Solomons, is charged with obstructing and hindering and malicious destruction of property valued at $1,000 or more after police say he interfered with a welfare check and damaged a Calvert County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle during a domestic-dispute investigation on August 23, 2026. The incident began shortly before midnight...
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Lexington Park Man Charged After Deputies Say Cocaine Found During Traffic Stop

William Ambrose Fenwick, 37, of Lexington Park, has been charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of contraband in a place of confinement following an August 22, 2026 traffic stop in Lexington Park. According to allegations filed in St. Mary’s County District Court, a...
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PG County Man Wanted for Murder Taken Into Custody in Colorado by U.S. Marshals

The suspect wanted for a fatal shooting in February is in custody in Colorado. He’s identified as 30-year-old Jabari McCoy of Capitol Heights. He’s charged with the murder of 45-year-old David Downs of Capitol Heights. On February 23, 2026, at approximately 11:20 am, officers responded to a shooting in the 5200 block of Marlboro...
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69-Year-Old Woman Killed by Suspect Fleeing Traffic Stop at High Speed in Prince George’s County

UPDATE 8/29/2026: The Prince George’s County Police Department is investigating a fatal collision that occurred Wednesday afternoon in Bowie. The victim is 69-year-old Deborah Saffran of Bowie. The adult male driver who struck the victim after fleeing a traffic stop remains hospitalized. On August 26, 2026, at approximately 2:45 pm, officers attempted to conduct...
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Maryland Man Sentenced to Decade in Federal Prison for Armed Robbery

A Maryland man received a federal-prison term, for the armed robbery of a Prince George’s County convenience store. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang sentenced Zebedee Alexander Johnson, 36, to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, in connection with the crime. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of...
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Qualifying Maryland Farms Now Eligible for Five-Year Nutrient Management Plans

Qualifying agricultural operations are now eligible to extend their nutrient management plans from three to five years following a regulatory update outlined in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 15.20.07. The update applies to no-land, pasture-only and organic poultry operations that are considered low-risk because they do not spread manure or other sources of nutrients...
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