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Police & Fire
Mailbox Explosions Shake Maryland Neighborhoods Overnight: Fire Marshal Mailbox Explosions Shake Maryland Neighborhoods Overnight: Fire Marshal
Mailbox Explosions Shake Maryland Neighborhoods Overnight: Fire Marshal Investigators are calling for community assistance following a series of explosive mailbox incidents that rocked neighborhoods in Manchester and Westminster over the weekend, officials in Carroll County announced. The string of explosions came to light Sunday, Jan. 12, after the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a damaged mailbox in the 3000 block of Traceys Mill Road.  What started as a single complaint quickly escalated, with investigators uncovering eight additional incidents scattered across the area, including the 4000 block of Wentz Road in Manchester and t…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Man Charged With Arson After Vehicle Torched In Parking Garage: Fire Officials Maryland Man Charged With Arson After Vehicle Torched In Parking Garage: Fire Officials
Maryland Man Charged With Arson After Vehicle Torched In Parking Garage: Fire Officials More than a month after a vehicle was torched in Montgomery County, authorities announced that a suspect has been taken into custody. Edward Kamara, 27, has been arrested following an investigation into an incident reported late on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in the 9700 block of Key West Avenue that caused upwards of $40,000 in damage to a vehicle parked in an area garage. Kamara was arrested at his home in Lanham, according to a Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson said, where he was charged with:  Second-degree arson; First-degree malicious burning; Malicious destruction. He is rep…

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by Zak Failla
News
Arsonist Who Killed Mother, Toddler In Maryland Townhome Over Housing Dispute Learns Fate Arsonist Who Killed Mother, Toddler In Maryland Townhome Over Housing Dispute Learns Fate
Arsonist Who Killed Mother, Toddler In Maryland Townhome Over Housing Dispute Learns Fate The Maryland man who burned down a home that resulted in the death of his girlfriend and her toddler daughter may spend the rest of his life in prison, the Charles County State's Attorney's Office announced. Vincent Anthony Fisher, II, 49, was convicted in September following a near two-week trial for his role in a fatal incident in March 2022 that resulted in the deaths of Rashawn Cline and Dashawn Cline. On Monday, Dec. 23, authorities announced that Fisher has been sentenced to 104 years in prison. During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie told the judge, “Ther…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
MD Man Busted For Using Curious Methods In Effort To Burn Down Home With People Inside: PD MD Man Busted For Using Curious Methods In Effort To Burn Down Home With People Inside: PD
MD Man Busted For Using Curious Methods In Effort To Burn Down Home With People Inside: PD A tense situation unfolded over the weekend in Charles County as La Plata police arrested a man accused of trying to set his home on fire with several people inside. Officers responded to the 600 block of Hemlock Court on Saturday, Dec. 7 at around 4:15 a.m. after a call taker overheard someone making arson threats during a 911 call, police said.  Upon arrival, officers learned the suspect, identified as Michael Darnel Lassiter, 59, was reportedly attempting to ignite a fire using the oven, stove burners, and cooking oil. According to a witness, Lassiter’s actions endangered the other…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Deputy Fire Chief In Maryland Accused Of Setting Blaze He Helped Extinguish Deputy Fire Chief In Maryland Accused Of Setting Blaze He Helped Extinguish
Deputy Fire Chief In Maryland Accused Of Setting Blaze He Helped Extinguish A Cecil County fire official has been arrested for allegedly setting a brushfire on the property of a local addiction treatment center, leaving a community stunned. Robert "Bobby" Bennett, 39, the deputy fire chief of Hacks Point Volunteer Fire Company, was taken into custody Tuesday morning after investigators identified him as the person allegedly responsible for a blaze earlier this month, according to the Maryland Fire Marshal. The incident occurred on Tuesday, Nov. 4 when a brushfire burned two acres of land on Grove Neck Road at the Recovery Centers of America’s property, officials sa…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Serial Arsonist Telling Tall Tales Admits To Setting Series Of Maryland Fires: State's Attorney Serial Arsonist Telling Tall Tales Admits To Setting Series Of Maryland Fires: State's Attorney
Serial Arsonist Telling Tall Tales Admits To Setting Series Of Maryland Fires: State's Attorney A firebug responsible for a series of arson incidents in Montgomery County has copped to the crime and faces up to 80 years in prison, according to the state's attorney's office. Fernando Herrera-Rivera, 24, pleaded guilty this week to four counts of second-degree arson in connection to multiple incidents reported in September 2023. Specifically, Herrera-Rivera admitted to lighting fires involving:  A vehicle along Russell Avenue; A Gaithersburg Police Department building on Fulks Corner; A beer and wine store in the 400 block of South Frederick Avenue; A market in the 400 block…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Arrested For Arson After Altercation Involving Maryland Neighbor: Fire Marshal Man Arrested For Arson After Altercation Involving Maryland Neighbor: Fire Marshal
Man Arrested For Arson After Altercation Involving Maryland Neighbor: Fire Marshal An argument over stolen property led to arson charges for a 30-year-old Maryland man who allegedly attempted to start a fire outside of a neighbor's home on Sunday afternoon. Lexington Park resident Cesar Augusto Gonzalez-Lopez was arrested at around noon on Monday afternoon when members of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office were called to the 46000 block of Sue Drive to investigate a blaze, according to the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Investigators say that a dispute over allegedly stolen property the previous night between Gonzalez-Lopez and the homeowner led to th…

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by Zak Failla
News
Maryland Dad Who Killed Mother, Grandmother In Front Of Infant Learns His Fate Maryland Dad Who Killed Mother, Grandmother In Front Of Infant Learns His Fate
Maryland Dad Who Killed Mother, Grandmother In Front Of Infant Learns His Fate The Maryland man who set an apartment on fire with an infant inside and killed his child's mother and grandmother in Southeast DC more than three years ago may spend the rest of his life in prison. Clinton resident Keenan Turner, 35, was sentenced to 68 years in prison in connection to the April 2021 murders of Wanda and Ebony Wright, the shooting of a third victim, and the attempted murder of an infant when he set the fire, federal authorities announced. Prosecutors say that Turner's intention in committing the offenses was "solely to avoid paying child support."  They had been pushi…

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by Zak Failla
News
Arsonist Convicted Of Killing Mother, Toddler In Maryland Townhome Over Housing Dispute Arsonist Convicted Of Killing Mother, Toddler In Maryland Townhome Over Housing Dispute
Arsonist Convicted Of Killing Mother, Toddler In Maryland Townhome Over Housing Dispute The Maryland man who burned down a home that resulted in the death of his girlfriend and her toddler daughter faces up to 140 years in prison, the Charles County State's Attorney's Office announced. Vincent Anthony Fisher, II, 49, has been convicted following a near two-week trial for his role in a fatal incident in March 2022 that resulted in the deaths of Rashawn Cline and Dashawn Cline. First responders in Charles County were called on March 31, 2022, to a townhome in Waldorf that was fully engulfed in flames with Fisher outside suffering from injuries that took place from an assault tha…

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by Zak Failla
News
Maryland Man Ditched GPS Monitor While Awaiting Trial For Assault, Arson Arrest, Sheriff Says Maryland Man Ditched GPS Monitor While Awaiting Trial For Assault, Arson Arrest, Sheriff Says
Maryland Man Ditched GPS Monitor While Awaiting Trial For Assault, Arson Arrest, Sheriff Says A Maryland man arrested for multiple assault offenses and for threatening arson in St. Mary's County has escaped, officials say. Markko Darvelle Morsell, 34, is wanted for escape after removing his electronic monitoring device and fleeing the area following his latest arrest.  At the the time, Morsell was on pretrial release for charges that include three counts of second-degree assault, theft of $100 to under $1,500, and making threats of arson. He was described as being 6-foot-3 weighing approximately 320 pounds.  Anyone with information regarding Morsell or his whereabouts ha…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Two Who Torched Maryland Home, Blocked Door With Mattress Accused Of Attempted Murder: State PD Two Who Torched Maryland Home, Blocked Door With Mattress Accused Of Attempted Murder: State PD
Two Who Torched Maryland Home, Blocked Door With Mattress Accused Of Attempted Murder: State PD Two Maryland men who tried to set a house on fire with people inside on the Eastern Shore were arrested this week after being caught red-handed with the fuel they used to set it, state police say. Lascelles David Beckford, 37, a Somerset County resident, and Dante Jamar Stone, 34, of Salisbury, went through great lengths in an attempt to torch the home of two people they were familiar with, according to officials. The incident was reported at around 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13 in the 12000 block of Independence Court in Princess Anne. Investigators say that they believe Beckford and Ston…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Suspect Arrested For Threat Of Arson After Shed Burned To Ground: Maryland Fire Marshal Suspect Arrested For Threat Of Arson After Shed Burned To Ground: Maryland Fire Marshal
Suspect Arrested For Threat Of Arson After Shed Burned To Ground: Maryland Fire Marshal A 34-year-old man is facing an arson charge after being apprehended in connection to a shed fire in Maryland last month, according to the state fire marshal. Kwame Custis has been charged with the threat of arson following an incident on July 2 on Cannon Street in Chestertown that saw a shed burned down, causing $10,000 in damages. Shortly before midnight on July 2, members of the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company were called to the residence when a neighbor reported seeing a fire in a nearby shed.  According to the fire marshal, the homeowners were alerted to the fire and two adjace…

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by Zak Failla