Suspect arrested as crowd becomes unruly

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010

A suspected robber struggled violently with police while they attempted to take him into custody Jan. 15, resulting in additional charges for assaulting police officers.

Delonta Devonce Dandridge, 23, of Sunderland was spotted in the area of Kent Road by detectives from the Calvert County Sheriff's Office, and tried to flee after being told by Det. Nicholas DeFelice not to run.

Dandridge was wanted on an outstanding warrant, charging him with armed robbery and first degree assault for a Dec. 4, 2009, incident in which he allegedly approached two men who were in a vehicle at the Sunderland Wine and Spirits and demanded money, pushing an "unidentified weapon" to one of the men's stomachs. Through viewing surveillance videos, and with citizens' information, detectives identified Dandridge as the perpetrator in the robbery in which the car keys were stolen, charging documents state.

After Dandridge saw DeFelice on Jan. 15, he allegedly fled into a trailer on Kent Road, charging documents state.

Dandridge was found in an area of Kent Road that DeFelice said in charging documents was known as "the bottom" and whose "residents have been known to [be] generally hostile toward law enforcement" during his career.

Lt. Steve Jones of the Calvert Investigative Team said that in the past, large groups of people have congregated in the area when police have responded there.

"Historically, we've made drug arrests over the years there," he said.

When Dandridge fled into the trailer on Jan. 15 shortly after 8 p.m., detectives DeFelice and J. Ewig pursued him to the outside of the trailer and called for back up units, giving Dandridge "loud verbal requests to exit the trailer," but he did not respond, charging documents stated.

During that time, numerous family members of Dandridge's and other area residents began to arrive on the scene and they began to "create a hostile situation" as expletives and "racial slurs" were yelled at the police, according to charging documents. When Dfc. John McCarroll, Deputy Stephen Esposito and Cpl. Todd Smith arrived on the scene, along with K-9 partner Keloh, they situated themselves around the trailer as "onlookers and crowd continued to be unruly and rowdy." Dandridge charged out of the door of the trailer and struggled violently with the officers, who were attempting to take him into custody. After several minutes "with Dandridge continuously resisting violently and striking officers, he was eventually taken into custody," according to charging documents. Keloh, the police dog, suffered small lacerations to his chin and on the inside of his mouth.

Dandridge was arrested and taken away from the growing crowd as police dispatched a "distress signal-13" to the Calvert County Control Center as the officers on the scene were "grossly outnumbered by the citizens in the area."

During the incident, several onlookers in the crowd told police that they did not have a search warrant and lawyers and the NAACP would be contacted in regards to the officers' behavior, charging documents state.

Joyce Freeland, president of the NAACP, said Monday that she had not heard of the incident.

The police allegedly assaulted during Dandridge's arrest received "minor injuries," Jones said.

After his arrest, Dandridge was transported to Calvert Memorial Hospital and treated. He was given a bail review on Jan. 19 by District Court Judge Robert Riddle.

Riddle remanded him to the Calvert County Detention Center ordering him to be held in default of a $75,000 100 percent bond, court records state.

Along with armed robbery, first-degree assault and two thefts under $100 charges from the Dec. 4, 2009, incident, Dandridge's charges from Jan. 15 include four second-degree assaults on law enforcement, resisting arrest, inflicting harm on a law enforcement animal and disorderly conduct, judicial records state.

charvat@somdnews.com