Press Releases

State v. Dimitrius Martaz Hamlett, C-08-CR-19-000909

 LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, November 5, 2020, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Donine Carrington Martin sentenced Dimitrius Martaz Hamlett, 26, to 12 years in prison for Armed Robbery, Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence, and Conspiracy to Commit Robbery. Upon release, Hamlett will be on supervised probation for five years.

On June 24, 2020, Hamlett entered a guilty plea to the aforementioned charges.

On October 1, 2019, officers responded to 228 Market located in the 10900 block of Berry Road in Waldorf for the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, officers made contact with store employees Demetrius Alleyne and Richard Johnson. Alleyne and Johnson reported that the suspect entered the store and pointed a gun at them while demanding money. At one point during the robbery, the suspect shot into the ceiling of the store. After stealing money, the suspect, later identified as Hamlett, fled in a black Chevrolet Impala SS.

An investigation revealed that the owner of the Chevrolet Impala SS was co-defendant Lawrence Trequan Fields. Several days before the robbery, Hamlett, Fields, and co-defendant Quintin Marcell Johnson made a plan to rob the store. However, on the day of the robbery, Fields stayed at a hotel with his girlfriend and let Hamlett and Johnson use his vehicle. At approximately 4:11 p.m. on the day of the incident, Johnson dropped Hamlett off at 228 Market and waited until the robbery was complete. After retrieving the money, Hamlett and Johnson fled in the Chevrolet Impala SS.

Days later, the men robbed a store in Prince George’s County using the same vehicle. The men also also planned to rob another store, but did not follow through with the plan. On October 10, 2019, all three men were apprehended.

On June 26, 2020, Johnson entered a guilty plea to Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery. On September 18, 2020, he was sentenced to 20 years with all but 6 years suspended by the Honorable Judge Patrick J. Devine. He will be on supervised probation for five years upon release.

On February 25, 2020, Fields entered a guilty plea to two counts of Conspiracy to Commit Robbery. On July 23, 2020, he was sentenced to 410 days by the Honorable Judge H. James West.

C-08-CR-19-000909

Count 1 – Armed Robbery

• 20 Years Suspend All but 12 Years

Count 10 – Use of Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence

• 20 Years Suspend All but 12 Years, First 5 Years Without Possibility of Parole, Concurrent to Count One

Count 22 – Conspiracy to Commit Robbery

• 15 Years Suspend All but 12 Years, Concurrent to Count One and Count 10
• 5 Years Supervised Probation

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State v. Blake-Joshua Isaiah McKinney, C-08-CR-19-001090

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, October 15, 2020, Blake-Joshua Isaiah McKinney, 18, entered a guilty plea in Charles County Circuit Court to Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon. Following the plea, McKinney was sentenced by the Honorable Judge William R. Greer, Jr. to 20 years with all but 5 years suspended in prison. Upon release, McKinney will be on probation for a period of five years.

On December 6, 2019, officers responded to the CVS Pharmacy located in the 7000 block of Indian Head Highway in Bryans Road for the report of an armed robbery in progress. Upon arrival, officers discovered McKinney attempting to leave the store and blend in with other customers. McKinney and a juvenile co-defendant were apprehended at the scene.

An investigation revealed that prior to the robbery, McKinney and his juvenile co-defendant exited a black Nissan Maxima and entered the CVS with ski masks covering their faces. They proceeded to jump over the pharmacy counter and demand narcotics; however, the pharmacist was unable to open the safe. The suspects then started taking money from the cash registers. Throughout the robbery, McKinney was armed with a handgun.

An off-duty police officer was present in the store and became aware of the robbery. As the suspects were leaving, the officer identified himself as a police officer, drew his agency-issued firearm, and ordered them to stop. In response, both suspects fled to the rear of the pharmacy. The officer gave chase to the juvenile, who attempted to flee in the Nissan Maxima driven by co-defendant Alonzo Lamont Gholston. Gholston reached to pick up a handgun, prompting the officer to fire his weapon. However, no one was injured.

The juvenile was unsuccessful in his attempt to escape and was apprehended. During this time, McKinney shed his clothing in the store, hid the gun, and attempted to blend with other customers; however, he was also unsuccessful.

The Nissan Maxima was later identified and the driver, Gholston, was apprehended after a vehicle pursuit by an officer. It was discovered that the vehicle was reported stolen earlier in the day.

On September 18, 2020, Gholston entered a guilty plea in Charles County Circuit Court in front of the Honorable Judge H. James West to Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery. He was then sentenced to 10 years with all but 3 years suspended in prison. Upon release, he will be on supervised probation for a period of five years.

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State v. Daquan Isaiah Skinner, C-08-CR-19-001020

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Wednesday, September 30, 2020, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier sentenced Daquan Isaiah Skinner, 18, to 20 years with all but 10 years suspended in prison, with an additional 25 years suspended time, for Home Invasion and the Use of a Firearm during the Commission of a Crime of Violence. Upon release, Skinner will be on supervised probation for a period of five years.

On July 22, 2020, Skinner entered a guilty plea to the above mentioned charges.

On November 8, 2019, officers responded to the 3300 block of Stump Neck Road in Indian Head for the report of a home invasion with a shotgun. Upon arrival, officers made contact with victims Cynthia Lenox, James Lenox, who was injured but conscious, and a juvenile victim. The victims reported that two suspects entered the residence, one armed with a rifle, and demanded cash and other valuables. The juvenile victim was able to identify one of the suspects as Skinner. The other suspect was later determined to be co-defendant Antone Jacoby Coleman.

An investigation revealed that during the evening hours of November 8^th, the victims were inside of the residence sleeping, but were awakened by their dog growling. James Lennox went to investigate and was confronted by two male suspects, one armed with a rifle. An altercation ensued between Lenox and the gunman. The second suspect then joined the struggle. James Lennox was punched in the face and stabbed repeatedly.

During the robbery, Cynthia Lenox and the juvenile victim also came into contact with the suspects and were held by gunpoint. The suspects fled the residence after stealing multiple valuables, including money, a cellphone, television, PlayStation 4, and Gold Chevrolet Malibu.

On the way to the scene of the crime, an officer noticed a Chevrolet Malibu leaving the general area of the incident and conducted a felony stop on the vehicle. Skinner, Coleman, and co-defendant/getaway driver Johnathan Spencer Phillips were located in the vehicle. The rifle, broken knife blade, PlayStation 4, television, and other stolen items were also located inside of the vehicle.

All three men were apprehended.

On July 22, 2020, Coleman entered a guilty plea to Home Invasion and Armed Robbery. Following his plea, the Honorable Judge Amy J. Bragunier sentenced him to 25 years with all but 10 years suspended, with an additional 20 years of suspended time. Upon release, he will be on supervised probation for a period of five years.

On July 22, 2020, Phillips entered a guilty plea to Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery. On Wednesday, September 30, he was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Amy J. Bragunier to 20 years with all but 4 years suspended in prison. Upon release, he will also be on supervised probation for a period of five years.

Daquan Isaiah Skinner, C-08-CR-19-001020

• Home Invasion
  • 25 years suspended
• Use of a Firearm during the Commission of a Crime of Violence
  • 20 years suspend all but 10 years
  • 5 years supervised probation

Antone Jacoby Coleman, C-08-CR-19-001024

• Home Invasion
  • 25 years suspend all but 10 years
• Armed Robbery
  • 20 years suspended
  • 5 years supervised probation

Johnathan Spencer Phillips, C-08-CR-19-001024

• Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery
  • 20 years suspend all but 4 years
  • 5 years supervised probation

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State v. Shawn Marshall Myers, D-042-CR-20-000656

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, September 25, 2020, Shawn Marshall Myers, after a bench trial before District Court Judge W. Louis Hennessy, was convicted of two counts of Failure to Comply with an Emergency Order. Immediately after the trial, Judge Hennessy sentenced Myers, 42 of Hughesville, to 1 year of active incarceration to be served at the Charles County Detention Center. Upon release, Myers will be on unsupervised probation for a period of three years.

On March 22, 2020, multiple officers responded to Myers’ residence located in the 15200 block of Lukes Lane in Hughesville for the report of a large party violating Governor Larry Hogan’s State of Emergency and Large Gathering Orders. Large gatherings were strictly prohibited under the orders. Myers had approximately fifty people in attendance at his residence. Upon arrival, officers told Myers that his party violated the current mandate. Myers was argumentative with officers but eventually agreed to disband his party.

Less than a week later, on March 27, 2020, officers responded back to Myers’ residence for another report of a party exceeding fifty people. Officers told Myers to disband the party, but again he was argumentative claiming he and his guests had the right to congregate. Beyond being argumentative, Myers directed his guests to stay in defiance of Governor Hogan’s Orders and the officers’ lawful orders to disband the party. Officers tried to reason with Myers and obtain his cooperation to no avail.Myers was then apprehended.

Count 1 –Failure to Comply with an Emergency Order

• Guilty
• 6 months suspended/$1,000 fine suspended

Count 2 –Failure to Comply with an Emergency Order

• Guilty
• 1 year in jail and $5,000 fine
• 3 years unsupervised probation

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State v. Anthony Tyrone Williams, Jr., C-08-CR-19-000369

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, September 18, 2020, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Anthony Tyrone Williams, Jr., 25 of Waldorf, to 25 years with all but 12 years suspended in prison for Sexual Abuse of a Minor.

On January 9, 2020, Williams entered a guilty plea to the aforementioned charge.

On February 6, 2019, a detective with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office met with the then 14-year-old victim at the Center for Children in La Plata, MD. The victim reported that Williams had inappropriate contact with her through Instagram, Facetime, and text message. The victim also reported that Williams had sexually assaulted her. Williams was an instructional assistant at Mattawoman Middle School in Waldorf, MD, where the victim attended school.

An investigation revealed that in December of 2018, Williams obtained the victim’s Instagram account information and began contacting the victim through Instagram. Williams then began contacting the victim through Facetime and text message. During those communications, Williams asked the victim to send videos of herself unclothed and to Facetime him while she was in the shower. The victim refused.

On one occasion, the victim was walking home after school when Williams approached her in his vehicle and told the victim to get inside of the vehicle. Williams then drove the victim to his Waldorf residence and had sexual intercourse with her. After intercourse, Williams drove the victim back to her neighborhood, where she then walked home.

On February 5, 2019, the victim’s mother was made aware of the inappropriate communications between Williams and the victim by a friend of the victim. The victim’s mother then contacted school officials, who contacted law enforcement once the victim revealed there was inappropriate touching.

Upon release, Williams will be on supervised probation for five years.

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State v. Michael Rashid Moore

 LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, September 11, 2020, Charles County Circuit Court Judge William R. Greer, Jr. sentenced Michael Rashid Moore, 23 of Waldorf, to 35 years in prison for the Attempted First-Degree Murder of Ronald Murphy, Jr., Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence, and Conspiracy to Commit the First-Degree Murder of Walter Thomas.

On January 29, 2020, Moore entered a guilty plea to the aforementioned charges.

On March 3, 2019, officers responded to an apartment complex in the area of Amber Leaf Place in Waldorf for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers found victim Murphy lying on the floor of an apartment bedroom, suffering with multiple gunshot wounds. Murphy was treated on scene then transported to the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center, where he was further treated. At the hospital, two bullets were discovered to have traveled to his neck and one bullet traveled to his lung; however, thankfully, he survived.

Two days later, on March 5, 2019, officers responded to the 3000 block of Gallery Place in Waldorf for the report of a missing person. Officers canvassed the area and discovered victim Walter Thomas lying face down by a bike path in the area of Freemantle Court. Thomas, who suffered a single gunshot wound, was unresponsive and pronounced deceased at the scene.

An investigation into the shootings revealed that months prior to Murphy’s shooting, Moore and an acquaintance of Murphy got into a physical altercation. On March 3, 2019, Moore saw Murphy outside of his apartment complex in the area of Amber Leaf Place and Wakefield Circle.During the evening hours, Moore waited by the dumpster and saw Murphy leaving in his vehicle. Moore approached the rear of Murphy’s vehicle and began shooting, because of the prior altercation. Before fleeing, Moore fired off five rounds at Murphy while he was driving his car. Murphy was shot three times in his back.

 During the course of the investigation, Moore admitted to detectives that he shot Murphy. Moore also stated that he conspired with another individual to cover up the shooting by doing a random armed robbery that would result in another shooting if the victim gave resistance. Moore supplied the bullet for the shooting.

 On the evening of March 4, 2019, Thomas was walking with a friend in the area of Fairchild Court in Waldorf. The men were approached by a suspect who commanded them to not run away. Thomas’ friend was able to flee unharmed; however, Thomas was shot. Thomas attempted to flee the area but collapsed a short distance away.

 During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Tiffany L. Campbell called Moore’s actions “senseless, tragic, and selfish” and asked for the maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, pursuant to Moore’s plea agreement.

C-08-CR-19-000377

Count 1

• Attempted First-Degree Murder of Ronald Murphy, Jr.
• 80 Years Suspend All But 35 Years

 Count 2

• Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence

• 5 years without parole, Concurrent with Count One

C-08-CR-19-000502

Count 1

• Conspiracy to Commit the First-Degree Murder of Walter Thomas
• 80 Years Suspend All But 35 Years, Concurrent with Other Counts
• 5 Years Supervised Probation Upon Release

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On June 3, 2020, I issued a statement that, among other things, advocated for the creation of a Civilian Review Board (CRB) to review citizen claims of excessive force by police in Charles County.  On June 12^thand 26^thCharles County Sheriff Troy Berry, issued releases that, among other things, advocated for the re-constitution of the Board of Public Safety (BPS) to provide “review andoversight of the entire criminal justice system in Charles County.”  I have been repeatedly asked if the Sheriff is proposing the BPS as a substitute for a CRB. I do not know the answer to that question.  I can say, however, that I would not support any use of the BPS as a substitute for a properly organized CRB.

I have many reasons why I would not support the BPS as an oversight body for excessive force complaints that I will not address in this release.  To hear my reasons, please listen to our “Civilian Review Board” podcast which can be found on the State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO) website, www.CCSAO.us.

So everyone is clear on the type of CRB that I will support, below I have outlined the structure/make-up of what I believe would be an effective CRB. This list is not exhaustive nor is it touted as the only way an effective CRB can be organized.  For more details about the makeup of a CRB, again please listen to our “Civilian Review Board” podcast.

Civilian Review Board (CRB)

• The CRB will review all use of force resulting in death or serious bodily injury, all instances of use of deadly force and any citizen complaint of excessive use of force.
• The CRB will be independent from and operate independently from all police agencies.
• The CRB will be comprised of 9 volunteer members who must be residents of the County. None of the CRB members will be elected officials, police officers of any jurisdiction, or a person with a vested interest in the County or a police agency.
• The CRB members will be selected by a combination of the County Board of Commissioners, Charles County legislative delegation, County police agencies, Ministers Coalition, and willing community groups like the Women of Action Charles County, NAACP, Lifestyles etc.
• In addition to the 9-member board, there will be a non-voting police advisor and a non-voting legal advisor attached to the CRB.
• Initially, CRB will have a full-time investigator and a full-time administrator.Staff may increase depending on the volume of cases.
• The CRB will have the same subpoena authority that all State’s Attorneys in Maryland have under Maryland’s Criminal Procedure Article, Section 15-108.
• After review, the CRB will issue a report of its findings to the public.
• If appropriate, the CRB will make public recommendations to the involved police agency and the State’s Attorney.
• The CRB report and recommendations shall be maintained and available to the public.

Click here for podcast.

Update: Published in the Maryland Independent under Letters to the Editor.

In 1963, while standing in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.”  Since then those unspeakable horrors have relentlessly continued to be visited upon men of color.  The latest heartbreaking outrage is the murder of George Floyd by four police officers in Minnesota.

I offer my heartfelt condolences to Mr. Floyd’s family, loved ones and friends. I know, however, that condolences are not enough.  Neither is outrage. We have all been outraged and sent our sincere condolences to far too many victims already:  Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Oscar Grant, Kelly Thomas, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Laquan McDonald, Philando Castile, Terence Crutcher, Antwon Rose II, O’Shae Terry. The list keeps growing —but it does not have to. To stop this list from getting longer, to stop the dreadful brutality, all of us, today, right now, must couple our sincere outrage and sympathies with purposed, solution-focused action. With action we can achieve the change we want and need. The action must come from leaders and citizens alike.  It is everyone’s responsibility.

As a leader here in Charles County, I want to tell you about actions I am taking to hopefully be a part of the solution to this curable national problem. To begin, I am calling upon the recently formed Charles County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) to immediately schedule forums or meetings to allow community organizations and citizens to present their solution-focused, actionable proposals designed to eliminate police brutality. We must first devise an action plan before we can execute it.

I am also calling for a Charles County Civilian Review Board that will review allegations of abuse and brutality by police officers.  Please understand this is not a criticism of our local police agencies.  My long-time advocacy of such a body stems from the recognition that no matter how “good” a police agency is, for the community to believe accountability is possible, the system of review must be designed to be impartial and transparent. A civilian review body, like those operating in many jurisdictions throughout the land, provides that structure.

Also, I have reached out to the police agencies operating in Charles County to review protocols and procedures for the investigation and prosecutorial review of brutality allegations.  Likewise, I am reviewing with my prosecutorial colleagues across the State legislative proposals that will improve accountability.

Sadly, for the umpteenth time, Americans have had to take to the streets to demand accountability and justice for another soul killed by the police. Now is the time for the unjustifiable killing of black men to stop.  Our lives matter too.

To make the killings stop all of us must engage in persistent, consistent, and permanent action. In short, we must follow through.  If we do, we can ensure that George Floyd’s death continuously has meaning. Let his death not be in vain. Instead, let his death mark the day when we, as one nation, under God, began the eradication of police brutality so one day soon we can —at least on this point — “be satisfied.”

Governor Hogan issued Executive Order 20-04-18-01 on Saturday, April 18, 2020 which, in the light of COVID-19, details some circumstances and factors that Division of Correction (DOC) prisoners may be released early from confinement.  While the Order applies to all inmates in the custody of the DOC, it does not apply to those inmates in the custody of local detention centers like the Charles County Detention Center.  Nevertheless, I welcome this executive order and view the spirit contained within it as guidance for the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in Charles County.

As the State’s Attorney, I am intent that my office does everything it can to help prevent the spread and impact of COVID-19. While doing so, the public must also be protected from criminal behavior in our streets. This intersection of public safety based on a pandemic, on one hand, and public safety based on crime, on the other hand, makes decision-making more difficult than ever before. The Charles County community, however, should be confident that, based on my observations, all of the decision-makers in the Charles County CJS are making fully informed and well-considered decisions that they sincerely believe are in the best interest of everyone – including detained individuals – in our community.

From the beginning of this crisis, the State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO) has worked with the other branches of the CJS to reduce the jail’s population. Even though at the start of the crisis the detention center was occupied at less than 30%, the CJS still sought to reduce the population as low as possible while at the same time maintaining public safety. Many actions have been taken. For instance, at the Sheriff’s request, the Courts and the SAO cooperated to, almost immediately, put an end to work release and weekend sentences at the jail, thereby reducing the number of people coming in and out of the detention center daily.

The SAO has been reviewing the situation of every detainee in the detention center, whether or not a detainee or counsel has made a request for release, to determine whether their release would be appropriate and, if so, under what circumstances would they be released.  As a result, many detainees have already been granted some type of release either by way of furlough, a reconsideration/modification of sentence, home detention, case dismissal, etc.

Also, well before the Governor’s latest order on this subject, the SAO has reviewed the situation of a number of inmates under the jurisdiction of DOC and housed someplace other than our local detention center.  At the time of this press release, at least one of those individuals has been released.

Because of the proactive and robust efforts by the Charles County CJS to reduce our jail population, the number of cases that fall under the umbrella of the Governor’s new order may be small.  That notwithstanding, the SAO, with the Governor’s order in mind, will re-look at the situation of every detainee/inmate in the local jail and make our recommendations to the Court if and when appropriate.

I ask everyone to follow the advice of public health experts and comply with all executive orders concerning COVID-19.  It truly can be a matter of life or death.

State v. Melvin Edward Johnson, C-08-CR-18-000580

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, February 20, 2020, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier sentenced Melvin Edward Johnson, 63, to 20 years in prison for Home Invasion, First-Degree Assault, Attempted First-Degree Arson, two counts of Second-Degree Assault, Reckless Endangerment and related charges. He also received an additional 35 years of suspended time and will be on unsupervised probation for a period of five years upon release.

On July 1, 2018, officers responded to a residence in the 3300 block of Old Washington Road in Waldorf for a report of a home invasion and violation of a peace order. Upon arrival, officers discovered victim Agnes Reed, who was soaking wet and had a strong odor of gasoline emanating from her clothing. They also observed a portion of the residence’s driveway actively engulfed in flames. Officers were able to make contact with multiple people who were inside of the house at the time of the incident. They reported that Johnson forcefully broke into the residence by smashing a sliding glass patio door, then rushed into the residence and began throwing gasoline on Reed. He proceeded to pour gasoline throughout the house, including a bedroom located towards the back of the house. Johnson was able to successfully ignite a fire in the bedroom, scorching the carpet. A physical confrontation ensued after male occupants of the house tried to restrain Johnson; however, Johnson was eventually able to escape outside. While outside, Johnson lit a cup of gasoline on fire and attempted to throw it onto Reed; however, he hit the driveway instead. At the time of the incident, the residence was occupied by four people. Reed also had an active peace order against Johnson ordering him to have no contact with her.

At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney John A. Stackhouse addressed the judge, “When you look at this case in a vacuum, it really is a dangerous and vicious thing to do.” He furthered, “This is a shocking thing to do. She’s lucky that she wasn’t ignited. I don’t know how she would’ve survived that. It was just wildly out of control.”

Sentence
• First-Degree Assault of Agnes Reed
o 20 Years

• Second-Degree Assault of George Toye
o 598 Days Credit Time Served

• Second-Degree Assault of Kelvin Dickens
o 10 Years Suspended Consecutive to Other Counts

• Reckless Endangerment Ralph Sargent
o 5 Years Suspended Consecutive to Other Counts

• Home Invasion
o 20 Years Concurrent to Other Counts

• Attempted Arson
o 20 Years Suspended Consecutive to Other Counts

• Peace Order Violation
o 1 Year Credit Time Served

• Malicious Destruction of Property
o 60 Days Credit Time Served
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