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Tuesday, dec 3
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Washington County Sheriff’s Office
Police & Fire
Man Threatened To Burn Down Maryland Home During Dispute With Landlords: Fire Marshal
A dispute between a landlord and tenant turned fiery and landed one man behind bars in Washington County after he threatened to burn down the home he was renting, according to the Maryland Fire Marshal. Randy Sigler, 65, who was renting a home in Hagerstown, is facing up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for threatening arson during a dispute with his landlord and her husband. Officials say that shortly after 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17, members of the Washington County Sheriff's Office responded to a home in the 13600 block of Grandview Drive to investigate a reported dispute between …
Police & Fire
Man Threatening To Blow Up, Burn Down Maryland Motel 6 Arrested: Fire Marshal
A 28-year-old man threatened to blow up a Maryland hotel he was staying at that led to a temporary evacuation, according to the fire marshal. Hagerstown resident Michael Sean Hafer is facing charges after being arrested for threatening to blow up and burn down the Motel 6 he was staying at in the 11300 block of Massey Boulevard. Additionally, investigators say that he also told guests he was making pipe bombs to carry out the nefarious - and hollow - scheme. At around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7, members of the Washington County Sheriff's Office were called to the hotel when Hafer made …
Police & Fire
Men Soliciting Sex From Minors Busted During Undercover Operation: Washington County Sheriff
Three human trafficking suspects have been taken off the streets following an investigation by the Washington County Sheriff's Office. This week, the agency's Digital Investigations & Forensics Unit arrested three men during an operation focused on Internet-based chats targeting adults who sought out minors for sex, officials say. Investigators used different social media platforms via covert chats and undercover law enforcement officers to chat with and meet up with those adults who solicit sex from children. During the operation, multiple Internet-based contacts and in-pers…
News
Text Miscommunication Lead To Clearing Of At-Risk Youth Facility In Washington County: Sheriff
The campus of the Cedar Ridge Children's Home in Washington County was temporarily cleared on Monday morning when a miscommunication led to officials believing that there may have been an active shooting situation. Members of the Washington County Sheriff's Office were called to the Cedar Ridge Children's Home in Williamsport at around 11:40 a.m. on April 22, where there was a reported active shooter who was on the grounds. Deputies cleared the campus and conducted an extensive investigation, which found no active threat on the property, it was later determined that a student sent a text me…
Police & Fire
Scammers From NY Thinking They Were Collecting $60K Land Behind Bars In Maryland: Sheriff
A couple of New Yorkers tried to pull a fast one on a woman in Maryland, but were ultimately apprehended after getting greedy and attempting to go to the well one too many times. The Washington County Sheriff's Office was advised this week about a scam involving a pair who had been collecting large amounts of cash from a Hagerstown woman, prompting an investigation that led to the arrests of Jinghai Fang and Binbin Ge. In late March, investigators say that the woman received a notification on her tablet that one of her accounts had been hacked, so she called the supplied number and fo…
Police & Fire
Shooter Apprehended 30 Minutes After Man Found Dead In Washington County Home, Sheriff Says
A midday shooting suspect was apprehended after a man was found dead inside a Hagerstown home, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Shortly before 1:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon, deputies were called to the 17400 block of Maple Leaf Court, where they found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside an area residence. 17400 block of Maple Leaf Court Google Maps street view The man - who has not been identified - died from his injuries. Multiple agencies canvassed the surrounding area following the shooting, and the suspect was found after approximately 30 m…
News
Man Accused Of Murdering Maryland Judge Found Dead, Sheriff Says (
Developing
)
Pedro Argote, the man wanted in connection to the murder of Maryland Circuit Judge Andrew Wilkinson has been found dead in Williamsport, authorities announced. The Washington County Sheriff's Office issued an alert on Thursday morning advising that Argote was found in a wooded area between Clear Spring Road and Bottom Road approximately a mile away from where his Mercedes was found during the manhunt tracking him. There is a significant police presence in the Williamsport, MD area. The Washington County Sheriff's Office asks the... Posted by Washington County Sheriff's Office, Maryla…
News
Search For Maryland Judge's Suspected Killer Pedro Argote Continues Nationwide
Fresh leads have been called in, but a man suspected of killing a Maryland Circuit Court judge remains at large, even after his Mercedes was found "hidden" in the woods over the weekend. Pedro Argote is on the lam as local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies continue their investigation into the murder of 52-year-old Judge Andrew Wilkinson, who was found shot to death in his Hagerstown driveway while his family was inside their home on Friday night. Following the grisly discovery of the judge's body, there may have been a break in the case days after the Maryland Circuit Court jud…
News
Suspected Judge Killer's Mercedes Found In Maryland, Sheriff Says (
Developing
)
There may have been a break in the days after a Maryland Circuit Court judge was shot and killed in Washington County by a wanted man who is in the midst of a contentious custody hearing. On Saturday afternoon, the Washington County Sheriff's Office issued an alert that there will be a "significant" police presence in Williamsport after a silver Mercedes being driven by Pedro Argote was located in the area. There is a significant police presence in the Williamsport, MD area. The Washington County Sheriff's Office asks the... Posted by Washington County Sheriff's Office, Maryland on S…
News
'Armed, Dangerous' Suspect At Large After Targeted Murder Of Maryland Judge: Sheriff (
Updated
)
A contentious divorce may have led to the murder of a Maryland Circuit Court Judge who was found gunned down in his Washington County driveway while his family was inside their residence, officials say. At around 8 p.m. on Thursday night, deputies were called to the 19100 block of Olde Waterford Road in Hagerstown, where they found 52-year-old Judge Andrew Wilkinson suffering from gunshot wounds outside of his home. He was rushed to Meritus Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Judge Andrew WilkinsonWashington Count…
News
Judge Found Shot To Death In Driveway Of Maryland Home: Sheriff (
Developing
)
A manhunt has been launched after Maryland Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson was killed at his Washington County home. At around 8 p.m. on Thursday night, deputies were called to the 19100 block of Olde Waterford Road in Hagerstown, where they found the 52-year-old judge suffering from gunshot wounds in his driveway. He was rushed to Meritus Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. On Friday morning, the agency issued a BOLO for 49-year-old Pedro Argote, who was described as being 5-foot-7, weighing 130 pounds with blac…
News
Officer Risks Life To Save Man In Mental Health Crisis Trying To Walk Into MD Traffic (
Video
)
Not all heroes wear capes. Disaster was averted on the shoulder of a Maryland highway when members of the Hagerstown Police Department risked their own lives to come to the aid of a man suffering from a mental health crisis who wanted to wander into traffic. On Monday, July 10, officers were called to the 1900 block of Dual Highway, where there was a man shouting that he was going to jump into the roadway. First on the scene was Master Police Officer Biden, who was flagged by a Good Samaritan that directed him to the shoulder of I-70 underneath the Route 40 overpass, where a man continua…
Police & Fire
DUI Driver Busted With Pills After Plowing Through Washington County Sheriff's Vehicle
An intoxicated driver was busted with prescription pills after playing bumper cars with a parked Washington County Sheriff deputy’s cruiser outside an area courthouse. West Virginia resident Christian Edward Cooker, 38, is facing DUI and other charges in Maryland following a crash involving a marked sheriff’s office vehicle and several others, according to the agency. Deputies didn’t have to go far at approximately 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8, when they were called to the Washington County Sheriff-Judicial Division Courthouse, where there was a reported crash involving multiple vehicles. …
Business
MD Robber Stole At Least $15K From Three Central PA Banks, State Police Say
A Maryland woman who threatened to shoot tellers during three separate robberies months apart has been arrested on Thursday, February 2, according to the Pennsylvania state police. The woman pictured was identified as Tiffany Lawanda Martin after being linked to two cars used in the robberies at: Community State Bank on Lincoln Way West in St. Thomas Township on Sept. 19. Community State Bank on North Main Street in Mercersburg Borough on Nov. 1. F&M Trust Bank on Waterfall Road in Harrisonville on Jan. 20. Each time she would arrive in the vehicles with Maryland license plates w…
Police & Fire
Ex-Virginia State Police Trooper Dead After Abducting California Teen, Killing Her Family
A former Virginia State Police trooper was killed in a shootout with police who say he traveled across the country to Riverside, California, where he abducted a teenage girl he met online, before killing her mom, grandmother, and grandfather. Austin Lee Edwards, 28, of North Chesterfield, parked in a neighbor’s driveway and allegedly set the family’s home on fire before kidnapping the teen he “catfished” on Friday, Nov. 25, according to the Riverside Police Department. Edwards had previously worked as a trooper with Virginia State Police in Henrico County from early January until his resign…
Police & Fire
Mother, Man Charged With Child, Sex Abuse In Death Of 5-Year-Old Boy In Maryland: Sheriff
A man and mother of a 5-year-old boy are facing multiple charges in Maryland after the child was allegedly assaulted, sexually abused, and later died in a children's hospital in Washington, DC. Williamsport resident Timothy Lee Haseldon, 33, and the boy’s mother, Catherine Thrasher, 30, of Hagerstown, are both in custody after allegedly abusing the boy, the Washington County Sheriff's Office announced. Shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 22, deputies from the sheriff's office responded to a White Pine Drive residence in Hagerstown, where there was a reported unconscious child, according…
Police & Fire
One Dead After Head-On Crash, Car Fire In Maryland: Sheriff
One person was killed and two hospitalized after being involved in a head-on crash in Maryland that led to a massive car fire, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said. A 2017 Toyota was traveling east on Halfway Boulevard near the area of Oak Ridge Drive at approximately 10 p.m. on Thursday, July 14, when the driver lost control and entered the oncoming lanes, striking a Chevy Malibu in Hagerstown. As a result of the collision, the Toyota caught fire, according to the sheriff's office. The two occupants of the Malibu were transported to Meritus Medical Center for treatment of their in…
News
Mass Workplace Shooter Indicted By Maryland Grand Jury
A grand jury in Maryland has indicted West Virginia resident Joe Louis Esquivel following the fatal mass shooting at Columbia Machine, Inc. in Washington County last month. Esquivel, 23, is facing a total of 34 charges, according to WBALTV, after he opened fire at his workplace, killing three and critically injuring others. The charges Esquivel faces include multiple murder, attempted murder, assault, and weapons offenses. Deputies responded to Columbia Machine Inc. on Bikle Road at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 9 in Smithsburg, where they found four victims, three of whom were…
Police & Fire
Hero Cops: New Details, IDs Of Troopers Involved In Mass Maryland Shooting Released
Law enforcement agencies in Maryland are celebrating the state police troopers that came to the aid of their colleague who was struck by a bullet before apprehending a mass shooting suspect. Joe Louis Esquivel, age 23, of Hedgesville, West Virginia, is facing more than two dozen charges after opening fire at his Washington County workplace, killing three, and injuring two others, including a Maryland State Police trooper on Thursday, June 9. On Monday, June 13, the department identified the trooper who was struck as Det. Sgt. Phillip Martin, who was assigned to the Criminal Enforcement Div…
Police & Fire
Suspect Charged For Maryland Mass Workplace Shooting That Killed Three
West Virginia resident Joe Louis Esquivel, 23, is facing a host of charges in connection to the fatal mass shooting at Columbia Machine, Inc. in Maryland. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced that the Hedgesville resident is facing multiple murder, assault, and other charges after the shooting in his workplace that left three dead and one critically injured. Specifically, Esquivel was charged with: Three counts of first-degree murder; Three counts of second-degree murder; Five counts of first-degree assault; Five counts of second-degree assault; First-degree attempted murder…
Police & Fire
New Details Released In Mass Maryland Workplace Shooting
What started as a normal day of work for employees at a concrete production plant in Washington County turned bloody when a gunman opened fire during the latest mass shooting in the US. New details have emerged regarding the fatal Maryland shooting that took the lives of three people and left the gunman and a state police trooper hospitalized. Investigators said that the suspect was working a regular shift before he began shooting, according to new information released by investigators in Washington County. Deputies responded to Columbia Machine Inc. on Bikle Road at approximately 2:30 p.m…
News
Victims Of Smithsburg Workplace Rampage Identified
Joshua Wallace went to work at Columbia Machine Inc. in Smithsburg the same way he would any other day. With just two hours left on the clock, he was getting ready to start his weekend. That's when his coworker — a 23-year-old Hispanic man from West Virginia whose name has not been released — came inside and shot Wallace and three other employees. Wallace, 30, Mark Alan Frey, 50, Charles Edward Minnick, Jr., 31, are dead, while Brandon Chase Michael, 42, remains critical. "This is not how this was supposed to end," reads a GoFundMe campaign launched in Wallace's memo…
Police & Fire
Details Released In Mass Maryland Manufacturing Plant Shooting
UPDATE: Victims of Smithsburg workplace shooting identified. The gunman who killed four people and injured several others was being sought for homicide when he struck a 25-year Maryland State Police veteran Thursday, June 9, authorities said. Deputies responded to Columbia Machine Inc. on Bikle Road at approximately 2:30 p.m., where they found four victims, three of whom were pronounced dead at the scene, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. The fourth remains critical. The shooter fled the scene before law enforcement agencies arrived, and a description was released to responding…
Police & Fire
Details Released In Deadly Mass Smithsburg Shooting
Details have been released in the mass Smithsburg shooting that left three people dead Thursday, June 9. Deputies responded to Columbia Machine Inc. on Bikle Road at approximately 2:30 p.m., where they found four victims, three of whom were pronounced dead at the scene, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. The fourth remains critical. The shooter fled the scene before law enforcement agencies arrived, and a description was released to responding units. The suspect vehicle was tracked down by Maryland State Police troopers near Maplesville Road and Mount Aetna Road, where they excha…
Police & Fire
Mass
Casualty
: Multiple People Reported Dead, Officer Hurt In Smithsburg Shooting (
Video
)
UPDATE: Victims of the Smithsburg workplace shooting identified. Multiple people were killed and two hospitalized including a state trooper in a shooting in Smithsburg Thursday, June 9, according to developing reports. A neighbor in a Facebook Live video reported seeing shots fired into a car around 3 p.m. at a business located at 12912 Bikle Road. "They just shot up that f***ing car," said Harleigh Rae from behind the camera, adding a state trooper was struck. Posted by Harleigh Rae on Thursday, June 9, 2022 Authorities said only that the responding trooper was shot in the shoulder …
Police & Fire
Valley Mall Shooting Suspect Charged With Attempted Murder In Maryland: Sheriff
A Washington County man has been charged with attempted murder after a shooting outside the Valley Mall, the sheriff’s office announced. Hagerstown resident Matthew Steven Lookabaugh, 21, was apprehended by members of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office after allegedly shooting a teen in the parking lot of the mall following an altercation. A sheriff’s office spokesperson said that deputies were dispatched to the mall on Valley Mall Road at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 8. Upon arrival, they located a 19-year-old teen inside Dick's Sporting Goods, who was treated by deputies…
Police & Fire
Standoff
: Maryland Gunman Shoots At Deputies, Into Neighbor's Home, Authorities Say
A suspect was in custody and an assault rifle was seized after a standoff with police in Washington County where a man fired several rounds at deputies and into a neighboring home, authorities said. Gerald Wayne Koogle, 42, opened fire at officers shortly before midnight on Friday, June 3 in his Hagerton home as police investigated a report of a domestic incident at the residence, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies responded to the 16900 block of Longfellow Court in Hagerstown after a woman was heard on a 911 call stating that a man was threatening her before the pho…
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