Fair 32°
Police & Fire
Game-Changing Tech: Drone Evidence Sends Man to Prison in Maryland Stabbing: State's Attorney Game-Changing Tech: Drone Evidence Sends Man to Prison in Maryland Stabbing: State's Attorney
Game-Changing Tech: Drone Evidence Sends Man to Prison in Maryland Stabbing: State's Attorney For the first time, investigators in Montgomery County have secured a conviction largely through evidence collected by drones, and a 45-year-old man is heading to prison.  Fairfax County resident Jovan Ali, 45, was found guilty by a jury last month of second-degree assault in connection to a stabbing in April. On Thursday, Dec. 5, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office announced that Ali has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being caught on camera by the drone. Prosecutors say that on April 17, Ali was involved in an altercation near the intersection of Georgia Av…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
PA Fire Captain Accused Of Faking University Of Maryland Training PA Fire Captain Accused Of Faking University Of Maryland Training
PA Fire Captain Accused Of Faking University Of Maryland Training A former fire captain with the Paxtang Fire Company is facing charges of forgery, reckless endangerment, and driving without a license, police announced on Thursday, Dec. 5. Steven Bartholomew, 55, allegedly created seven fraudulent training certificates from the University of Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, presenting them as proof of advanced firefighting training, according to Swatara Township Police. Bartholomew used these falsified documents, along with self-reported experience, to secure his appointment as fire captain earlier this year. Authorities say Bartholomew drove fire appa…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Flannel-Wearing Firestarter Sought After $50K Maryland Business Blaze: Fire Marshal Flannel-Wearing Firestarter Sought After $50K Maryland Business Blaze: Fire Marshal
Flannel-Wearing Firestarter Sought After $50K Maryland Business Blaze: Fire Marshal Fire investigators are turning to the public for help identifying the suspect who set a Cumberland tire shop ablaze early Saturday morning, causing $50,000 in damages. The fire broke out around 4:42 a.m. at D&K Tires on Greene Street after surveillance footage captured the suspect igniting a flammable device on a window air conditioning unit. Cumberland Fire Department crews arrived at the two-bay auto repair shop to find flames shooting from a window. Firefighters contained the blaze to an office area, but smoke, soot, and water damage spread throughout the business. Video surveillanc…

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by Zak Failla
News
Shots Fired Near Maryland YMCA Playground Leads To Lockdown, Two In Custody: Police Shots Fired Near Maryland YMCA Playground Leads To Lockdown, Two In Custody: Police
Shots Fired Near Maryland YMCA Playground Leads To Lockdown, Two In Custody: Police A daycare at the YMCA on Eastern Boulevard went into lockdown late Wednesday morning in Hagerstown after shots were fired near the facility’s playground, police said. At approximately 11:45 a.m. on Nov. 20, staff were outside with children on the playground when gunfire erupted from the direction of Cortland Manor, resulting in staff members moving children to safety inside the building and locking down the facility as a precaution..  Officers responded to the area and, following witness reports, located shell casings outside a building at Cortland Manor, police then identified an apar…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
First-Grade Teacher Left Classroom To Sell Drugs On School Property In Maryland: Complaint First-Grade Teacher Left Classroom To Sell Drugs On School Property In Maryland: Complaint
First-Grade Teacher Left Classroom To Sell Drugs On School Property In Maryland: Complaint A teacher in Maryland who allegedly left her classroom to sell drugs to people on school property is facing charges for distributing a fatal dose of fentanyl, according to federal authorities. Sarah Katherine Magid, 34, has been charged with distributing fentanyl that resulted in serious bodily injury and the death of a victim, according to a criminal complaint that was unsealed this week in District Court. Magid, a first-grade teacher at a Montgomery County school was arrested in August following a search and seizure warrant by the DEA and local police at her Burtonsville home fo…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Packing Explosive Devices Broke Into Estranged GF's Home: Maryland Fire Marshal Man Packing Explosive Devices Broke Into Estranged GF's Home: Maryland Fire Marshal
Man Packing Explosive Devices Broke Into Estranged GF's Home: Maryland Fire Marshal A man who was found with a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) after breaking into his ex-girlfriends home is behind bars and facing serious charges, according to the Office of the Maryland Fire Marshal. Andrew Ervin Romack, 62, was arrested following a joint investigation by the fire marshal and Maryland State Police following a reported burglary earlier this week at an Allegany County home. Investigators say that shortly after 1 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, troopers were called to the 20300 block of Lower Georges Creek Road, where it is alleged Romack forced his way into his estranged…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Man Arrest Made For Wild Philly Car Meetup: Police Maryland Man Arrest Made For Wild Philly Car Meetup: Police
Maryland Man Arrest Made For Wild Philly Car Meetup: Police Yet another arrest has been made relating to the wild Philadelphia car meetups that took place in September, according to police. Juawarn Williams, 21, of Rosedale, Maryland, was arrested on Thursday, Nov. 7 at his residence, the Philadelphia Police Department said. Williams was charged with: Causing or Risking Catastrophe. RIOT. REAP. Criminal Conspiracy. PIC. Fleeing Police Officer. Criminal Mischief. Disorderly Conduct-Hazard. Philadelphia police officers responded to multiple locations throughout the city for illegal car meetups with crowds ranging in size from 50 to more than 200 veh…

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by Merriell Moyer
Police & Fire
Man Packing Pellet Gun 'Made Concerning Statements' About Maryland Church, Police Say Man Packing Pellet Gun 'Made Concerning Statements' About Maryland Church, Police Say
Man Packing Pellet Gun 'Made Concerning Statements' About Maryland Church, Police Say A man who is no stranger to police in Frederick County is back under the spotlight after being busted with faux weapons at an function hosted by an area church. Halloween was filled with more tricks than treats for 49-year-old David Michael Beers, who found himself in hot water after being busted with a pellet gun during a local event. On Thursday, Oct. 31, the Frederick Police Department was tipped off by a security company contracted by a local church regarding Beers, who was "a known individual who previously exhibited aggressive behavior, (and) had made concerning statements about the c…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Virginia Stabbing Suspect First To Be Convicted Based On Drone Evidence In Montgomery County Virginia Stabbing Suspect First To Be Convicted Based On Drone Evidence In Montgomery County
Virginia Stabbing Suspect First To Be Convicted Based On Drone Evidence In Montgomery County For the first time, investigators in Montgomery County have secured a conviction largely through evidence collected by drones.  Fairfax County resident Jovan Ali, 45, was found guilty by a jury of second-degree assault in connection to a stabbing in April. Prosecutors say that on April 17, Ali was involved in an altercation near the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Sligo Avenue in Silver Spring, which was witnessed by a Montgomery County Police officer. There was also a Montgomery County Police drone above that captured Ali pulling a knife from his pocket and stabbing an adult male …

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by Zak Failla
News
Judge Departs From Sentencing Guidelines For Maryland Police Sergeant Accused Of Misconduct Judge Departs From Sentencing Guidelines For Maryland Police Sergeant Accused Of Misconduct
Judge Departs From Sentencing Guidelines For Maryland Police Sergeant Accused Of Misconduct A police officer in Maryland will find himself on the wrong side of the iron bars after using a departmental cellphone to target teens and high school students on social media while flaunting his position, state prosecutors announced. Veteran Easton Police Sgt. Jason Dyott was sentenced to four years of incarceration, with all but six months suspended, followed by three years of probation for "awful" and "embarrassing" conduct, according to a judge in Easton. "The judge found that regardless of the applicable guidelines, there were several reasons for departure from the guidelines when…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Sex Offenders To Be Actively Monitored By Baltimore County Police On Halloween Sex Offenders To Be Actively Monitored By Baltimore County Police On Halloween
Sex Offenders To Be Actively Monitored By Baltimore County Police On Halloween There will be an increased police presence in some Baltimore County neighborhoods as the department plans to proactively monitor certain sex offenders on Halloween. An alert was issued by the agency advising that officers will be monitoring registered sex offenders who are prohibited from having contact with children on Thursday, when they head out to trick-or-treat. According to the Baltimore County Police Department, a no-contact order is currently in effect for approximately 10 percent of offenders that bars them from handing out candy to children on the holiday. "Officers, both in mark…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Shooter Who Targeted Pair At Maryland Park Arrested In DC, Police Say Shooter Who Targeted Pair At Maryland Park Arrested In DC, Police Say
Shooter Who Targeted Pair At Maryland Park Arrested In DC, Police Say The shooting suspect wanted for opening fire in the parking lot of a Montgomery County park has been apprehended in Washington, DC, police say. Gaithersburg resident Kenneth Oates, 38, is facing multiple charges following an incident reported at Welsh Park in Rockville over the weekend, though no injuries were initially reported. Gunshots rang out at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the park, when Oates allegedly fired several shots in the parking lot and fled in a black Honda Civic that was later recovered in Frederick County. During the investigators, police say that detectives det…

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by Zak Failla