Police briefs

Friday, Nov. 7, 2008

Brandon Luther Brooker, 28, of Jefferson, N.C., and Ashley Dawn Brooker, 24, of Sneads Ferry, N.C., were released Wednesday on $10,000 bond each on felony cocaine charges from their arrest last weekend in a traffic stop in Mechanicsville.

St. Mary's sheriff's deputy John Logalbo arrested the pair last Sunday, the sheriff's office reports, after the suspects' 2007 Dodge Ram pickup truck was stopped for speeding on Route 5 in Mechanicsville and 10 small plastic bags of suspected cocaine were found in a larger bag under the front passenger seat.

The suspects initially were charged with misdemeanor drug possession charges, and court papers state that a case review by narcotics enforcement commander Lt. Daniel Alioto prompted additional charges against them of the possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute. Charging papers allege that the seized drugs were valued at $1,000. Calvert County sheriff's deputy Joseph Windsor and his police dog assisted in the investigation.

Ridge man charged

with assault

John T. Johnson, 45, of Ridge was released Tuesday on personal recognizance on a charge of second-degree assault filed by sheriff's deputies responding to a domestic assault earlier that day at Holland Manor Drive.

A woman dropped off at her apartment there went inside, the sheriff's office reports, and a witness told police that he later heard her screaming and saw her being held down on a staircase and being punched in the face.

The witness left to call police, the sheriff's office reports, and the woman eventually ran from the apartment building into nearby woods. The suspect was arrested by sheriff's deputy M.A. Boyer.

Car vandalized

in Lexington Park

Maryland State Police reported this week that one or more culprits etched obscenities between late last week and Sunday night into the paint of a 2004 Subaru parked off Three Notch Road in Lexington Park. Damages were estimated at $4,000, police report, and no arrests followed the initial investigation.

Reward offered in lookout for robbery suspect

Law officers in St. Mary's are seeking the public's help through the county Crime Solvers program in their lookout for Wayne Darnell Winters, a 36-year-old man wanted on charges including first-degree assault and armed robbery.

A warrant was issued earlier this week for Winters' arrest, and the sheriff's office reports he also is wanted on charges of first-degree escape, driving an uninsured vehicle and making a false report of an accident. Winters is known to frequent the Great Mills Road area of Lexington Park.

Citizens with information about the suspect's whereabouts can 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 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 fund are tax deductible.

Police Tips Line open

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 police that do not involve criminal activity.

JOHN WHARTON