OCEAN CITY CHRONICLES

BUNK MANN’S NEWEST BOOK ON OCEAN CITY HIS TORY

I’m looking forward to another couple years of continued strength and wisdom in guiding this town,” Napolitano said Magdeburger said this week she will send out a mayor ’s message in the coming days with a request for people to apply for town committees

“That will be a request so we can get going and get started , ” she said “Anyone who wants to be on a committee, we will find a place that’s in your sweet spot ”

“Ocean City Chronicles” is the final book in Bunk Mann’s 3 volume historical series which began with “Vanishing Ocean City ’ in 2014 and continued with ‘Ghosts In T he Surf ” in 2019 Centered around his articles in Ocean city ’s awardwinning newspaper the Maryland Coast Dispatch , his latest book features 285 of the most popular ones over the past 11 years It includes hundreds of photos of long vanished hotels & restaurants, the great storms & fires, deep sea fishing, boardwalk attractions & amusements, and stories of the people who turned a small 19th-century fishing village into a modern, year-round destination “Ocean City Chronicles” is a comprehensive history of Maryland’s famous oceanfront resort in a hardbound coffee table book featuring cover art by noted artist, Paul McGehee Supplies are limited so order your copy today!

Ocean City Chronicles can be ordered online at vanishingoceancity com Visit the website for fur ther information and photos

Downtown Fight Charges

OCEAN CITY – Four individuals were charged after police broke up a fight in downtown Ocean City last week

On Aug 9, around 12:10 a m , an Ocean City bike officer responded to the Somerset Street area for reports of a fight in progress involving a knife The bike cop observed individuals charging toward another group walking on the east side of Baltimore Avenue between Wicomico and Somerset streets A large fight ensued, according to police reports with the primary dispute between Steve Cruz, 24, of Ocean City, and Nayif Ramadan, 20, of Berlin Police observed Cruz and Ramadan actively striking each other Another individual, Karar Alshai Bani, 29, of Deerborn, Mich , was seen pushing Cruz to the ground and then lunging at him with unknown actions Police quickly arrived on the scene and broke up the fight

Several versions of why the fight ensued were presented to police with no indication as to who started the battle or a reason for the beef Ultimately, Cruz, Bani and Ramadan were each charged with affray and disorderly conduct Mahdi Sbih, 23, Ocean City, was charged with theft $100 to $1,500

Females Charged With Assault

OCEAN CITY – Second-degree assault charges were filed last weekend against four women fighting on a public street after bar closing time

On Aug 12, around 2:20 a m , a fight in progress in the area of Wicomico Street was reported by a reserve officer, who was watching the live City Watch security feed The fight was reportedly between four females, who were identified as Amanda Scalzo, 34, of Lancaster, Pa ; Jennifer Dodge, 46, Berlin; Megan Hall, 34, Strasburg, Pa : and Aimee Halpin, 34, Reading, Pa The four females were each actively engaged in a fight, according to the video

A police officer later watched the video and observed Dodge and Hall were initially involved in a verbal argument when Halpin attempted to separate them by holding Hall back Dodge at one point approached from behind and struck Hall in the face, according to police reports

Dodge then struck Halpin in the face, resulting in her falling to the ground Hall then grabbed Dodge by the hair, and they began fighting After Dodge pushed Hall to the ground, Dodge then punched Halpin two more times in the face Scalzo attempted to enter the fight and grab Dodge, who shoved Scalzo to the ground During the scuffle, a high heel came loose and Scalzo struck Dodge with it

Each of the four suspects were charged in the fight Scalzo, Hall and Halpin were each charged with a single count of second-degree assault and affray Dodge was charged with three counts of second degree assault and affray

Trespassing, Assault

OCEAN CITY – A Maryland teen’s disorderly conduct while trespassing on a private property led to multiple charges last week

On Aug 8, around 6 p m , an assault was reported to Ocean City police at a north-end condominium pool The victim told police he confronted a group of unruly teenagers, including one man who was spitting beer on the pool deck The victim approached the men, who he did not believe were staying at the condominium and were therefore trespassing on the private pool area

When the victim tried to quell the disorderly conduct, an argument ensued and one subject, later identified as Andrew Gange, 19, of Crownsville, became combative and threw a beer can at the victim’s head Gange then shoved the victim and tried to fight him The group eventually fled the scene before police arrived Gange, however, was spotted nearby As police officers approached, they observed Gange trying to climb a fence unsuccessfully due to his level of intoxication When police tried to speak with him, Gange attempted to run away An officer tried to stop him by grabbing Gange’s arm and Gange yanked his arm away Gange continued to fight with police to avoid being handcuffed Compliance was ultimately received through force Gange was determined to not be a resident of the condominium

Gange was charged with second degree assault, trespassing, resisting arrest and endangering public safety

Theft, Handgun Charges

OCEAN CITY – Multiple stolen credit cards were recovered thanks to a citizen tip reporting suspicious activity in a midtown parking lot

On Aug 12, Ocean City police were dispatched to 64th Street in reference to a vehicle being tampered with, according to a citizen, who was sitting on her porch and saw three males walking through a parking lot pulling on vehicle door handles The witness said the men eventually gain access to an unlocked Toyota 4Runner with Virginia registration The witness said the men used their cellphone lights to look through the vehicle before walking away Police were able to locate the three men walking across Coastal Highway

Markez Davis, 19, of Milford, Del , was one of the men stopped The witness confirmed Davis was one of the men acting suspiciously in the parking lot based on the color clothes he was wearing, but the vehicle owner reported nothing missing after conducting an inventory

During questioning, Davis agreed to show police what was in his pockets Four credit cards were presented that did not belong to Davis He told police he found the cards in Delaware Davis was also found to be in possession of a handgun with an extended magazine in his waistband Davis told police it was not a real gun and was instead created through a 3D printer Police confiscated the firearm, which was loaded with 10, 9 mm ammunition rounds Davis was placed in handcuffs

Another individual connected to the initial call for tampering with vehicles was identified as Alexander Davis Jr , who said he was friends with Markez Davis Alexander was found to be in possession of a stolen credit card The card holder was contacted and told police he suspected his vehicle was broken into the night before and was missing multiple credit cards

Markez Davis was charged with underage possession of a handgun and numerous theft counts Davis Jr and two other individuals were also charged in the incident

Stolen Vehicle Found In OC

OCEAN CITY – A vehicle stolen from Pennsylvania was found in Ocean City last weekend, resulting in theft and drug possession charges

On Aug 10, Ocean City police re- ceived a call from a citizen reporting unauthorized use of a vehicle Police interviewed the witness who reported his 2015 Audi S3 was being used by an acquaintance, Jason Schmidt, 46, of Scranton, Pa , without his permission The victim, who lived in Scranton, Pa , told Ocean City police he had spoken to Schmidt, who said he was in Ocean City The victim had called Scranton Police A local officer contacted authorities in Scranton who reported the victim was in prison and had not given Schmidt permission to use the car

Ocean City police located Schmidt outside the vehicle in question on 84th Street with his dog tied to the rear passenger tire Schmidt was placed under arrest for theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle Schmidt told police he had located methamphetamine in the vehicle’s trunk and a scale in the wheel well that he had relocated to a compartment under the passenger seat

Police searched the vehicle and found an opaque black plastic bag with a digital scale inside and a folded dollar bill wrapped around a white crystal substance known as methamphetamine Police noted the drug was concealed in three layers of packaging Police did not believe Schmidt’s story he found the drug in the trunk while cleaning up spilled dog food In the trunk police also found a glass smoking device with burn marks and a spoon with burns used to commonly prepare methamphetamine Police also located a black fixed blade knife, which is illegal in Ocean City

Schmidt was charged with theft $1,000 to $25,000, possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule 2 (methamphetamine) and paraphernalia and possession of an illegal weapon

Officer Assaulted

OCEAN CITY – A Maryland man is facing multiple charges after assaulting a police officer and vowing to burn his house down

On Aug 13, around 1:25 p m , an Ocean City police officer was on uniformed foot patrol on the Boardwalk when he observed a man riding a bicycle on the Boardwalk at a prohibited time While the officer was preparing to issue the biker a civil citation, Devonne Wedge, 21, of Bladensburg, Md , approached the officer and got within a foot of the officer

When the officer put his arm out to stop Wedge from coming any further, the man pushed the officer ’s hand away and told him not to touch him Wedge refused to comply with orders to leave the scene and stop interfering with the officer Another officer approached, ordering Wedge to leave the officer ’s space Wedge threatened the officer bodily harm, so he was placed under arrest Wedge was placed under arrest but continued to be combative The arresting officer said during transport Wedge was recorded screaming threats saying, “I am going to burn that dude’s house down, kill his family and punch the mustache off his face ” Wedge was charged with second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, obstructing and hindering a police officer, open container possession, resisting arrest and threatening to set fire to the house of a police officer

SNOW HILL – Officials opted to delay a decision regarding whether or not to accept donation of a trailer to the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office

In response to questions from the Worcester County Commissioners this week, representatives of the sheriff’s office asked to delay consideration of a request they presented regarding donation of a trailer that could be used for community events as well as a base of operations

“I would like to table this until our next meeting so we can be more prepared,” said Doug Dods of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office

Dods initially approached the commissioners Tuesday to ask if the sheriff’s office could accept donation of a trailer from Code 3, an organization that used the enclosed trailer for outreach across the nation Chief Deputy Nate Passwaters worked with Code 3 previously on education regarding opioid reduction strategies

“I was recently contacted by the executive director for Code 3 association who advised that they are going to be utilizing other platforms for their outreach endeavors and as a result of my involvement with their association, Code 3 would donate this thirty-two foot enclosed trailer to the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office,” Passwaters wrote in a memo to the commissioners

According to Passwaters the trailer was less than three years old and would cost about $25,000 if the county was to purchase it new

Dods told the commissioners Tuesday that the trailer could be used locally for community outreach for drug education

“It is currently set up with a bedroom with furniture so you can run folks through and show them where stuff can be hidden, to make them aware of it,” Dods said He said the agency’s asset forfeiture funds could cover associated costs

Commissioner Joe Mitrecic asked if the department had a truck to pull the trailer Dods said they were planning to use a Chevrolet 2500 they already had to pull it

“If this truck does not work and we have to buy a new truck, would that program be able to pay for that truck?” Commissioner Jim Bunting asked

Dods said a Chevrolet 2500 had pulled the trailer to Worcester County from Crofton Mitrecic said that didn’t necessarily matter, as it was the gross vehicle weight rating that had to be considered

“You could pall that trailer with a Kia if you want to but is it legal to do it,” he said “That’s the question ”

At Dods’ request, the commissioners agreed to table the issue