Police briefs

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009

Zachary Andrew Angel, 19, of Park Hall was released Sunday on $25,000 bond after his arrest on a charge of first-degree assault from an alleged attack last summer at a party off Medley's Neck Road in Leonardtown.

Charging papers allege that Angel and several other people began punching and kicking Jessie Ward in the face, head, arms and ribs as Ward arrived at the Aug. 1 gathering, and that Ward lost consciousness after he was knocked to the ground.

Ward's friends pulled him off the ground, court papers state, and drove him to Calvert Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for a broken jaw, broken cheekbone and broken ribs.

Several of the bruises on his head and arms were in the shape of shoeprints.

Ward suffered some temporary vision impairment in his left eye from the cheek injury, according to a charges application filed by St. Mary's sheriff's deputy Timothy Snyder.

In addition to the assault charge, Angel was charged with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct.

Additional suspects have been developed through the police investigation, according to court records.

California man charged with assault

A judge has ordered that Gary E. Joy, 27, of California remain jailed in lieu of $200,000 bond on charging papers alleging he grabbed a shotgun and racked it during a confrontation with a girlfriend in their home.

The suspect was charged with a first-degree assault on Saida Byrne in the charging papers also alleging that he grabbed her and threw her onto a bed during a scuffle over an MP3 player, before he packed the gun and other belongings in a van during the Sept. 30 incident at the Baringer Drive residence.

Joy also was charged with property destruction through the investigation by sheriff's deputy Timothy Reese.

Mailbox explodes in St. James

One or more culprits placed a destructive device inside a plastic mailbox along Route 235 in the St. James community, state investigators report, before it exploded at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday and destroyed the box.

The loss of the property owned by Joseph Norris was estimated at $50, the state fire marshal's office reports, and the agency requested that anyone with information about the incident call its regional office at 443-550-6820.

Reward offered in probe of burglary at Wildewood home

Law officers in St. Mary's are seeking the public's help through the county Crime Solvers program in their probe of a burglary reported Sept. 24 at a home in California's Wildewood community, where a female resident arrived and confronted an intruder who promptly ran away.

Citizens with information about this case can call detective R.J. McCoy at 301-475-4200, ext. 9119, or collect a cash reward by calling Crime Solvers 24 hours a day at 301-475-3333. They can withhold their name and later collect their reward through a number-identification system.

St. Mary's County Crime Solvers is a nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement in solving open investigations that may not have been closed without the extra incentive of anonymity and an offer of a reward of up to $2,000, providing the information leads to an arrest or indictment.

The Crime Solvers board of directors meets for about one hour on the second Thursday of every other month at 7:30 p.m., in the conference room of the sheriff's office at 23150 Leonard Hall Drive in Leonardtown. To be considered for membership on the Crime Solvers board, attend a meeting or call the sheriff's office at 301-475-8008.

Contributions to the Crime Solvers reward fund can be mailed to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, Crime Solvers Division, P.O. Box 275, Charlotte Hall, MD 20622.

Contributions to the Crime Solvers fund are tax deductible.

Police Tips Line open in Leonardtown

Maryland State Police in Leonardtown operate a Tips Line at 301-475-2936, inviting anyone with information about a crime that has occurred, or they expect may occur, to anonymously report that information 24 hours a day to authorities.

Citizens may use the same telephone number to report concerns to state police that do not involve criminal activity.

jwharton@somdnews.com