the trailer in white cursive lettering with "Welding and Fabrication" also painted on the
side in black and orange lettering. The wheels of the trailer are described to have tandem
wheels on each side.
Family friendly and striving to be a worthy choice for your Internet browsing. Comments and material submissions welcome: tkforppe@yahoo.com . Pocomoke City-- an All American City And The Friendliest Town On The Eastern Shore.
Ocean City Dog Walk 2010 |
The 8-year-old shepherd (pictured here with his partner Pfc. Freddie Howard) passed away Tuesday from a degenerative disk disorder in his spine.
K-9 Officer Delon came to the OCPD in 2005 from the Czech Republic and has spent over 1,000 training hours as the OCPD’s only explosives K-9. Delon also trained with Dover Air Force Base and the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office.
Thankyou for your service K-9 Officer Delon.
John Edward Cropper, 46, was first given a harsher, 10-year sentence by Worcester County Circuit Court Judge Thomas C. Groton III. The judge suspended all but 18 months of the sentence, telling Cropper if he slipped up again, he'd face the remaining years behind bars.
Additional charges of malicious destruction of property and trespassing merged with the arson charge. Cropper's sentence also includes five years of supervised probation and $1,170 in fines and court fees. The judge authorized the 18 months to be served on work release.
Assistant Worcester County State's Attorney Diane Cuilhe sought a harsher sentence -- second-degree arson carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail and a $30,000 fine -- based on Cropper being charged with a string of arsons in 1987.
According to Joel Todd, who was a deputy state's attorney at the time, Cropper became the main suspect in a series of Ocean City arsons in the 1980s. Officials eventually found probable cause to charge him, but in court he was found not criminally responsible.
Cuilhe said prosecutors believe Cropper poses a risk as a repeat offender based on comments he made to authorities at the time of the 1987 incidents: "I light 'em and I fight 'em."
In court, Cropper apologized for the fires set this spring, saying he's raising a 13-year-old son who "would greatly resent it" if his father were jailed. He also said he works full-time as an engineer on a clamming boat and can't miss work.
The judge noted Cropper's record of minor offenses, which include arrests for theft, burglary and drug possession.
Ocean City Police said on the evening of March 28, an officer on patrol stopped Cropper as he was walking near the Cropper Concrete plant. Though they share a name, the plant's owners and the defendant are unconnected.
Cropper, who rents a home on nearby St. Louis Avenue, claimed he was looking for his dog. The officer testified to noticing a strong smell of lighter fluid or gasoline on him. The officer let Cropper go and, with another officer, did a property check of the plant.
Inside a maintenance building, the officers smelled smoke and eventually found two small fires burning. The officers put out the fires and quickly brought Cropper back for questioning.
Cropper at first denied that he had been on the concrete plant grounds. But police found dirt on his boots that matched that of the property, and found his hands reeking of a flammable liquid, as well as black marks on his hands.
NEWS RELEASE; OCEAN CITY & OCEAN PINES TAXICAB ROBBERY – UPDATE
Ocean City Police have identified and charged a suspect in the taxicab robberies that took place on December 30, 2010. On January 1, 2011, Ocean City Police arrested
Thomas Scaniffe, 17, of Ocean Pines.
Scaniffe was charged as an adult with armed robbery, robbery, first degree assault, second degree assault, two counts of theft less than $1,000 and resisting/interfering with an arrest. After his initial appearance by an Ocean City District Court Commissioner, Scaniffe was held on a $250,000 bond and transferred to Worcester County Jail.
On December 30, 2010, at approximately 1:15 a.m., the Ocean City Police responded to the area of 5th Street and Edgewater Avenue in reference to an armed robbery.
Officers interviewed the victim of the robbery, who was an on-duty taxicab driver. The victim told officers he received a call from a restricted phone number requesting a cab ride from Ocean Pines to Ocean City. The cab driver picked up two males at approximately 12:50 a.m. on Marview Drive and brought them to Ocean City. Once at 5th Street, the two males assaulted the taxicab driver, taking money and other items.
A second similar incident took place on December 30, 2010 at 9:30 p.m. A taxicab driver responded to Brandywine Drive in Ocean Pines. Two males entered the cab, demanded money, and assaulted the driver with a weapon.
The investigation is ongoing. Ocean City and Ocean Pines Police ask anyone with knowledge about the incident or the suspects to contact the Ocean City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 410-723-6604.
Officers interviewed the victim of the robbery, who was an on-duty taxi-cab driver. The victim told officers he received a call from a restricted phone number requesting a cab ride from Ocean Pines to Ocean City. The cab driver picked up two males at approximately 12:50 a.m. on Marview Drive and brought them to Ocean City. Once at 5th Street, the two males assaulted the taxi cab driver, taking money and other items.
The victim described the suspects as follows: The first suspect is a white male, approximately 22-26 years of age, 6 foot tall and wearing a hooded sweatshirt and knit hat. The second suspect is a white male, approximately 22-26 years of age, approximately 5’-7” to 5’-9”, wearing a sweatshirt and knit hat.
A second similar incident took place on December 30, 2010 at 9:30 p.m. A taxi-cab driver responded to Brandywine Drive in Ocean Pines. Two males entered the cab, demanded money, and assaulted the driver with a weapon.
The victim described the suspects as follows: The first suspect is described as a bi-racial male, possibly “Hawaiian,” believed to be in his 20s, wearing blue jeans. The second suspect, a white male, is believed to be in his 20s, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and carrying an edged weapon.
The Ocean City Police Department and the Ocean Pines Police Department are conducting a joint investigation of the armed robberies. Taxi-cab and pizza delivery businesses should be aware of these incidents and use crime preventive measures during their course of business. Those needing assistance in acquiring crime preventive measures are encourage to contact the Ocean City Police Department’s Office of Community Service at 410-723-6610.
Ocean City and Ocean Pines Police ask anyone with knowledge about the incident or the suspects to contact the Ocean City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 410-723-6600.
Ocean City Police officers responded to a 911 call for a domestic dispute at 11:07 am Monday. When officers arrived at the apartment on 82nd Street, a man with a knife was attacking a woman, according to police.
Police say the suspect would not drop his weapon. One officer then shot the man.
The suspect is identified as Marvin Jefferson Mitchell, 27, of Berlin, Maryland. The female is Mitchell's estranged wife, Shanna Mitchell, 25, also of Berlin, Maryland.
Police say the couple's two children were inside the apartment during the stabbing and officer-involved shooting.
The police officer involved has been placed on paid administrative leave pending review of the incident.
Both the suspect and victim received care by the Ocean City Fire Department Paramedics before being transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center. They are both hospitalized and in stable condition.
Shanna Mitchell had obtained an active Protective Order against her husband.
Marvin Mitchell has been charged by the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation with nine charges, including 1st Degree Attempted Murder, Reckless Endangerment and Violation of a Protective Order.
Around 8 a.m., a fleet of large, black sport utility vehicles with tinted windows and out-of-state license plates rolled up in front of Telescope Pictures on 16th Street. The crowd having breakfast at a diner across the street watched as federal agents wearing bulletproof vests and dark jackets got out of the vehicles and entered the business.
“They were wearing flak jackets and ski masks. They just rolled up and jumped out of all these cars with plates from Maryland, Virginia and D.C. tags. I’ve never seen anything this serious,” said City Council President Jim Hall, who was eating breakfast in the diner at the time and watched the raid unfold.
The agents’ jackets identified them as members of the “IRS Criminal Enforcement Division,” and some were wearing firearms. Hall said they removed some people from the property who appeared to be living in apartments above the business, and then began to empty the place.
“They took computers, books, boxes, everything,” he said.
Telescope Pictures is the company holding the city franchise to provide beach photographers. The photographers take pictures of beachgoers, who can go to the 16th Street offices to purchase their photos at the end of the day. The company is owned by Patrick McLaughlin and is also known as United Beach Photo Inc.
The company holds the two beach photo franchises and the night before the IRS raid, McLaughlin was the only bidder in an auction to hold the franchises for the next four years. Hall did not know whether the city would be able to accept his bids or have to hold another auction.
McLaughlin is perhaps the biggest player in direct business with the city through its franchises. Aside from the beach photo franchises, he also holds approximately half of the city’s beach equipment rental stand franchises, has a small stake in an ice cream vending truck franchise and holds three of the resort’s taxicab medallions.
The IRS agent in charge of the Telescope Pictures case declined to comment on the details of search and seizure or the case in general and the IRS media contact did not return calls seeking comment about the case. Calls made to the Telescope Pictures office were met by a recording announcing the office was closed for the season.
Christine Cullen, Staff Writer
As the associations of Maryland sheriffs and chiefs of police meet for a joint training conference in the resort next week, about 150 of them from 88 police agencies will spend Tuesday afternoon running and diving into the cold ocean water.
Though they'll be more than four miles north of the Boardwalk, the event will be known as the Chiefs & Sheriffs Boardwalk Plunge. Only members of law enforcement are eligible to participate. Each swimmer has to raise at least $50 to enter.
So far, police have raised about $14,000 with pre-registrations. Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino so far is in the Top 5 among all fundraising participants.
"I'm excited about it," she said. "I'm hoping the water's going to warm up a little bit. It's going to be kind of cool to be doing it in Ocean City."
Next week, the ocean temperature will be about 56 to 58 degrees, as long as there isn't a cold snap, according to Lee Gerachis, owner of Malibu's Surf Shop.
Several other chiefs also will participate, including Chief Michael Tabor of the Crisfield police and Chief Scott Keller of the Princess Anne police.
Keller said the annual police chiefs conference brings viewpoints of police all over the state and makes for great interaction among his peers for networking and training.
"It's close to here, so we don't have to drive all the way up to Sandy Point for that other one," said Keller, who also will be joined by his second-in-command, Capt. Warren Gadomski. "We got our bathing suits ready. It might be a little colder than we're used to."
Keller was referring to the Polar Bear Plunge held annually at Sandy Point State Park, in the shadow of the Chesapeake Bay bridge, an event hosted annually by Maryland State Police as a fundraiser for Special Olympics of Maryland.
Jumping into the Atlantic Ocean for charity isn't new to Ocean City. The annual Penguin Swim to benefit Atlantic General Hospital will celebrate its 17th year on New Year's Day.
All the police Special Olympics fundraisers fall under the umbrella of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, the signature fundraiser for cops and Special Olympics worldwide.
Howard County Police Lt. John Newnan, who is chairman of Maryland's Torch Run, said the state of Maryland raises the most money worldwide for Special Olympics and that Maryland cops raised $4.1 million in the 2009-10 fundraising year, which ended in September.
"It's a pretty amazing movement, and we're all dedicated to it in our communities," he said.
Not every conference attendee will be braving the icy shorebreak on Tuesday.
"It's too damn cold," said Somerset County Sheriff Bobby Jones. "I might watch it from a balcony window. I got nothing against people who want to jump into the ocean in November, but I'm not going to do it."
Visit www.boardwalk plunge.com.
If you goWHAT. Inaugural Maryland Chiefs & Sheriffs Boardwalk Plunge
WHERE. Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel, 10100 Coastal Highway, Ocean City
WHEN. 4:30 p.m. Tuesday
INFO. www.boardwalk plunge.com; 410-789-6677, ext. 103
Officers called to the beach near 74th Street around 2 a.m. Saturday for a report of a missing person found a friend performing CPR on Taylor. Levy says Taylor appeared to have just been in the ocean. Paramedics took Taylor to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin where she was pronounced dead.
Levy says police are still investigating the incident, which is not believed to be suspicious.
Taylor’s body has been taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland in Baltimore for an autopsy.
Officers will spend 24 total hours on the roof of Dunkin' Donuts at 119th Street in Ocean City. They were on their feet from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. yesterday, and will wrap it up today from 6 a.m.-noon.
"It's a spoof on the cops in doughnut shops thing, it is," said police spokesman Pfc. Mike Levy. "But you know what? I'll come to this Dunkin' Donuts every day because I know they support us and the community at large. I think it's going to be an awesome event."
Just shy of lunchtime, as the helicopter for television station WBOC hovered overhead, a gaggle of officers waved from the roof. Beside them was a costumed McGruff the Crime Dog, and Sparky, the Dalmatian firefighters' mascot. The costumes didn't last in the 80 degree heat.
Two sheriff's deputies were in costumes of their own because they lost a bet.Heather Horner, an administrative assistant with the Sheriff's Office, decided she would raise $500 for the event on her own. Some of the deputies didn't think she could pull it off and agreed to dress in drag on the Dunkin' Donuts roof if she did.
"They thought it was a joke," she said with a smile.
Horner worked the phones, grilled Facebook friends and hit the pavement. She raised $1,054 in less than two days.
Detective Dale Trotter ended up doing princess waves from the rooftop, wearing a blonde wig, fuchsia nail polish and glittering eye makeup ---- not to mention the false bosom under his Torch Run T-shirt ---- while having a good laugh at his own expense. By 4 p.m. Saturday, officers had raised about $4,300 toward their goal, said police spokeswoman Jessica Waters, who said she was pleasantly surprised by the generosity."People come to Ocean City for a vacation, and they've already spent all this money to get here, all the money to stay here," she said. "Then they come in to get breakfast and they give to a community they don't even live in. It's nice to see people constantly give back."John Trout, a morning DJ with radio station Froggy 99.9 took to the roof as well. He went on the air hourly to remind listeners that their donations were needed.
"We have seen hundreds of people stop in from all over the country," he said. "There's a lot of generosity out here, from young people driving in VWs to senior citizens, retired people coming up for the weekend. The Special Olympics knows no boundaries as far as age groups of people willing to give."
All seven Ocean City Council members stood on the roof early Saturday for about an hour. Councilwoman Margaret Pillas stayed, though, pledging not to leave the roof until the 20 friends she invited to donate showed with cash in hand.
She also initiated a side contest, starting at $50, to get Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino to eat a doughnut. DiPino does not partake in the glazed goodies. But, for the person with the highest bid, not only will the chief eat one, she will let someone feed it to her.
This is the second time for the promotion in Maryland, which originated among police in Illinois. Last year, the Dunkin' Donuts in Laurel, Md., and Laurel Police Department raised more than $7,000.
This year, Ocean City joins College Park, Glen Burnie, Laurel and Westminster among the Maryland municipalities with a Cops on Rooftops fundraiser. For next year's event, Levy said organizers would like to see police take to the rooftops of every Dunkin' Donuts franchise on the Eastern Shore.
He lauded Special Olympians for having the courage to go beyond their abilities, and for breaking down stereotypes and the image many people have of them.
"Some of the feats these athletes perform are amazing ---- they're amazing for everybody," Levy said. "Special Olympics gives them an opportunity to excel, and that's what we want to do for them, make sure they still have that opportunity."
Ocean City Police will welcome Special Olympics donations even after the event ends. For more information, call 443-235-4446.
Great job!! Sounds like it was great fun too!