Pocomoke City Police Search 2 Suspects In Assault Case

From the  Pocomoke City Police Department

On September 18, 2012 Pocomoke Police City responded to a call regarding a reported stabbing that occurred in the area of Cherry Street in Pocomoke City.

Upon arrival the Officers met with the victim who stated he was attacked and then stabbed by one of the suspects. The victim stated that he had been involved in a physical altercation previously involving the two suspects.

Pocomoke City Police began conducting an investigation attempting to locate any suspects or witnesses. After further investigation Pocomoke City Police were able to identify the two suspects involved and obtained Arrest Warrants for them.

Suspect #1: Mark Drummond

 B/M; Age 28

Pocomoke, MD

 Suspect #2: Laquan Townsend

B/M; Age 18

Princess Anne, MD

 Charges:  1st Degree Assault

2nd Degree Assault

 Conspiracy To Commit 1st Degree Assault

If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of these suspects please call 410-957-1600 or your local police department.

James Ballard Gets Sentenced To 30 Years In Fatal Stabbing

Written by

Jennifer Shutt

SNOW HILL -- James Edward Ballard will spend the next 30 years behind bars for stabbing and killing Russell Matthew Bailey, the maximum possible sentence for his crime.

Worcester County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Groton sentenced Ballard during a court hearing Friday.

Bailey's mother, Mattie Fletcher, spoke to the judge about how her life, and the life of her family, has changed since the death of her 18-year-old-son.

"It's just been one thing after another since the death of my son," Fletcher said. "It's been hard... I've just been trying to take it one day at a time."

Ballard was charged with first-degree murder last fall for stabbing Bailey after an altercation in Pocomoke City. He was found guilty of second-degree murder at trial.

During the jury trial, witnesses testified that Ballard, Bailey and several others were involved in a fight the day Bailey was killed. Ballard called police, and once they arrived, everyone scattered, according to witness testimony.

Ballard stayed in the area and later saw Bailey returning from behind a house on the 700 block of Ninth Street.

A witness, Keonte Laws testified at trial that once Bailey saw Ballard, Bailey turned to run away, slipping on wet grass and slamming his shoulder into the side of the house as Ballard caught up to him.

"It looked like a punch... but when (Ballard) pulled his hand back you could see the blade of the knife," Laws testified.

During the sentencing hearing, State's Attorney Beau Oglesby read the results of a pre-sentence investigation that gathered the aspects of Ballard's criminal history. He rattled off crimes ranging from possession of cocaine to violating probation to shoplifting.

"You started as a juvenile with assault and battery," Groton said from the bench, later citing additional crimes -- resisting arrest, and fleeing and eluding. "This indicates to me you are a person with no respect for authority."

Ballard took the opportunity to speak during the sentencing, and apologized to Fletcher.

"Yes, I have been in trouble half of my life," Ballard said. "I didn't mean to kill nobody."

When rendering the sentence, Groton told Ballard that it is unfortunate there are "some people in Pocomoke who feel like the way to solve these kind of problems is with guns and knives."

Source;  http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110714/WCT01/107140320/In-fatal-stabbing-man-gets-30-years?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Worcester County Times|s

Suspect Arrested For Stabbing Man Has Bail Denied

According to Major Todd Godwin, on Thursday, June 30 at approximately 12:39 a.m., the Accomack County Sheriff's Office received a report from the Eastern Shore 911 Center regarding the stabbing of a male subject at Dublin Farms Labor Camp in Horntown.

Further investigation revealed that a man had been stabbed in the head as a result of an altercation with his roommate. The victim was transported by Oak Hall Ambulance to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, MD where he was treated and released.

The suspect was identified as George Jenkins, age 39 of Sanford, Florida. Jenkins was arrested on a charge of malicious wounding and is being held in the Accomack County Jail with bond denied.

The Accomack County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Virginia Marine Police.

Source; shoredailynews.com

Ballard Found Guilty of Second Degree Murder

Jennifer Shutt

Staff Writer

Daily Times

SNOW HILL -- James Edward Ballard has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Russell Matthew Bailey III, an 18-year-old who was stabbed last fall in Pocomoke City.

Worcester State's Attorney Beau Oglesby said he will ask for the maximum sentence of 30 years at an upcoming sentencing hearing.

"If I could ask for more, I would," said Oglesby after the jury returned its verdict.

Ballard was originally charged with first-degree murder and first-degree assault after the Sept. 29 stabbing death of Bailey near Pocomoke Middle School. Oglesby said he respects the jury's verdict of second-degree murder.

"Considering the facts of the case and the evidence of the case, we can understand it," said Oglesby.

Jurors began deliberating just after 11 a.m., with an outburst from the defendant fresh in their minds. During Oglesby's closing statement, Ballard began arguing from the defense table, saying he was "irritated." While being removed by deputies Ballard threw several pieces of paper into the air.

"I called the police every time," Ballard said in court. In interviews before the trial, his family members said Ballard had arguments with Bailey and a few of Bailey's friends in the weeks leading up to the incident.

During just over an hour of deliberation, jurors weighed lengthy witness testimony including that of three men who said they saw a gun present during the fight between Ballard, Bailey and Martel Blake.

Several witnesses said at least three men threw rocks and spit on Ballard minutes before the stabbing.

After Ballard called the police, witnesses testified, the men throwing rocks ran away. After the police did not arrive for several minutes, according to witness testimony, Bailey returned to the 700 block of Ninth Street, where he met Ballard and a fight began.

Deangelo Townsend was the only witness on the street during the fight, according to public defender Burton Anderson. Townsend said he saw Bailey with a gun tucked into his hip area during the fight. He did not testify that he saw Bailey remove it or threaten Ballard with the gun.

"Just the mere presence of a gun is enough for a reasonable person to fear getting shot," said Anderson during his closing statement.

Ballard will remain in jail until he is sentenced in about 60 days.

Source;  http://www.blogger.com/goog_1994866205

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Ballard Trial Is Delayed

SNOW HILL -- The trial of a man charged in the stabbing death of Russell Matthew Bailey III has been postponed until April because prosecutors believe the defendant recently placed phone calls to witnesses.

In Circuit Court, State's Attorney Beau Oglesby requested additional time after he said he'd learned James Edward Ballard, the man charged in Bailey's murder, allegedly made Jan. 9 calls from the Worcester County Jail to two potential witnesses.

Once Oglesby learned of the calls Jan. 10, he asked the jail, which records all phone calls, to preserve the recordings. In court, Oglesby said he needs time to listen to the tapes, determine if they have any impact on the case and share the information with Ballard's lawyer.

"I didn't contact nobody," Ballard said in the courtroom.

In a conversation with his public defender that visitors in the courtroom could hear, he indicated he had made calls related to a different case, not the murder charge.

Judge Thomas C. Groton III granted the motion, saying other factors would have made trying the case difficult Wednesday.

"The court would be reluctant to proceed," Groton said, adding several people who had been summoned for jury duty had called the court, concerned about forecasted snowfall and sleet.

Ballard was charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing of 18-year-old Bailey after he confessed to police, according to charging documents, saying he'd acted in self-defense. Police allege Ballard killed Bailey with premeditation, based upon their investigation.

Bailey's body was found across the street from Pocomoke Middle School in late September. He had graduated from Pocomoke High in June.

Criminal records for Ballard from Worcester and Wicomico counties date back to 1999 and include charges for burglary, drug possession, armed robbery, assault and escaping from police custody.

The trial is currently scheduled to take place the week of April 11-15, as opposed to the one day it was scheduled to take this week. Oglesby requested a longer trial, saying witness testimony and evidence would most likely require more than one day to get through.

www.delmarvanow.com

Domestic Assult Leads To Police Shooting

OCEAN CITY, Md.- Police have released the names of the couple involved in the domestic dispute that led to an officer-involved shooting Monday morning.

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 82^nd 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.

www.wboc.com

Teen Dies After Stabbing

POCOMOKE CITY — An 18-year-old man died Wednesday after being stabbed, and Worcester County law enforcement officials are calling it a homicide.

The victim was stabbed around 3 p.m. in the area of Ninth Street and Laurel Street in Pocomoke City, according Worcester County State's Attorney Joel Todd. The victim was taken to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, where he was pronounced dead.

Todd said the victim has been identified but declined to give the boy's name. Todd said the victim's body was found behind a home and showed no signs of life. He said the Worceter County Bureau of Investigation and Pocomoke City Police are investigating. Todd said it was the third homicide this year in Pocomoke.

Pocomoke City District 3 Councilman Bruce Morrison said the body was found across the street from the town's middle school. As a result, the town's elementary, middle, and high schools were put on lockdown for a brief time as classes were about to be let out, as a matter of protocol.

"It's getting scary," he said, noting the incident occured near his home. "I don't want to see things like this happening my town. I'm very concerned about it. I'm going to talk to the City Manager about it, and we're going to see what we can do about getting it under wraps."

www.delmarvanow.com

Kudos to Councilman Morrison! I hope he will continue to work on this and all crime in the wonderful city of Pocomoke. The citizens deserve to know. The citizens NEED to know about ALL crime in the area. How can they fight something they do not have a full grasp on?

Suspect In Ocean City Stabbing Still At Large

OCEAN CITY -- Police say a 36-year-old Federalsburg man allegedly stabbed another man early Saturday in Ocean City, and that the suspect is still on the loose.

Police named Manuel Armando Escalante Jr., as the suspect in the stabbing. Escalante is approximately 5'9" and 150 pounds, and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

Ocean City Police said the incident happened about 2 a.m. July 24, in the parking lot of Yang's Palace, a Chinese restaurant at 54th Street. According to police, witnesses saw Escalante allegedly stab the victim several times.

Responding officers found the victim, a 26-year-old Berlin man, lying in the parking lot. Paramedics brought the man to Peninsula Regional Medical Center. Police are not releasing his name.

Police said Escalante allegedly approached and assaulted the man. The men knew each other and had a history of disagreements, according to police spokeswoman Jessica Waters. This incident stemmed from a prior disagreement earlier in the week, she said.

Ocean City Police are asking anyone with knowledge of Escalante's whereabouts to call Sgt. Todd Wood of the Ocean City Criminal Investigation Division at 443-235-0091.

bshane@dmg.gannett.com 410-213-9442, ext. 14

www.worcestercountytimes.com

Broadwater Academy Employee Stabbed By Wife

EXMORE,VA--According to the Northampton County Sheriff's Office, on July 15, 2010, Sheriff's Deputies responded to Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital to take a complaint of a stabbing that occurred on Heath Lane in Exmore, Va.

Upon arrival to the hospital, the victim, Leroy Weatherly, was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital where he was treated and released. According to reports, Weatherly was stabbed several times in the arm while he slept.

Police have arrested and charged Linda Weatherly, the victim's wife, 47 of Exmore, with malicious wounding of Leroy Weatherly. Linda Weatherly is currently being held at the Eastern Shore Regional Jail with no bond.

Leroy Weatherly has been on staff at Broadwater Academy for 27 years. Weatherly donates his time helping with Broadwater Academy athletics, most notably football and basketball. Weatherly is well liked and respected by students, parents and staff at the school. In 2005, the students dedicated Broadwater Academy's Annual Berserker to Weatherly.

www.shoredailynews.com