LA PLATA, MD— The State’s Attorney’s Office for Charles County (SAO) is returning with its fourth year of the “Drive Sober” initiative to spread awareness of the grave dangers of driving impaired and help the public take preventative measures. The “Drive Sober” initiative will run during the holiday season – November 25, 2024, through January 1, 2025 – which is one of the deadliest times on the roadways due to drunk driving.
As in prior years, the SAO remains committed to offering the community safe rides home through rideshare. On Wednesday, November 27, 2024 (Thanksgiving Eve) from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Thursday, November 28, 2024, drivers 21+ years of age can download the Uber app and use the SAO’s code for up to $15 off a ride in Charles County to prevent impaired driving. The code will be available on our official Drive Sober webpage (www.ccsao.us/DriveSober). For the first time, the SAO will also offer an Uber code on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. on January 1, 2025. Limited quantities are available.
The SAO will continue to distribute rideshare gift cards, nonalcoholic drink vouchers, and keychain breathalyzers throughout the initiative.
The SAO will also display a new billboard featuring State’s Attorney Tony Covington imploring motorists to “Drive Sober. Make it home for the holidays.”
Further information on where to pick up the “Drive Sober” materials, the effects of impaired driving, and more can be found on the SAO’s website, www.ccsao.us/DriveSober.
State v. George Christopher Floyd, C-08-CR-24-000006
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, November 14, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge William R. Greer, Jr. sentenced George Christopher Floyd, 44, of Waldorf, to 25 years in prison for the Second-Degree Murder of Triston Treshaun Irvin, as well as related charges. Floyd will be on supervised probation for five years upon release.
On June 27, 2024, a Charles County jury, after a 4-day trial, and approximately 2.5 hours of deliberation, convicted Floyd of Second-Degree Murder, as well as related charges.
On October 8, 2023, officers responded to a residence in Waldorf for the report of a subject not breathing. When officers arrived, they located the 18-year-old victim unresponsive on a bathroom floor. Officers also made contact with Floyd, the victim’s stepfather. Floyd reported to officers that he put the victim in an arm-bar neck restraint because the victim was trying to run away. The victim ultimately became unresponsive as a result of the strangulation. Emergency Medical Services rendered aid to the victim and then transported him to the hospital for further treatment. However, he, unfortunately, died as a result of the strangulation.
An investigation revealed that Floyd, the victim’s mother, and the victim had a verbal disagreement the night before the murder but went to bed peacefully. Floyd entered the victim’s bedroom at approximately 4:50 a.m. the next morning and demanded that the victim clean his room. Shortly after, Floyd began to strangle the victim. The victim’s mother entered the bedroom after hearing the commotion, then requested three of the victim’s friends, who were sleeping over, and his younger teenage brother to help defuse the situation.
Floyd ordered the young men to help him restrain the victim and pray over him. At one point, Floyd ordered one of the victim’s friends to get olive oil, which Floyd then used to put a cross on the victim’s forehead. However, Floyd kept strangling the victim with an arm-bar for approximately 15-20 minutes while the victim was lying on the floor. During this time, the victim was not moving or talking, but Floyd continued to hold his arm around the victim’s neck. When Floyd got up and saw that the victim was not responsive, he and the other young men attempted to render aid but did not immediately call emergency personnel. When the victim remained unresponsive for approximately 5-10 minutes, Floyd called 911.
At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney John Stackhouse told the judge, “This was a horrific way to die. This is a prolonged suffering that this 18-year-old had to go through. It’s just terrible. This is the worst depraved heart murder that [we’ve] seen.” He also stated that the victim was “an 18-year-old college kid, a church-going young man who lost his life.” The incident “happened in his own room, where he is supposed to be safe. His friends had to see it, including his little brother, it’s horrible. It’s hard to wrap your mind around how terrible that is. If this case doesn’t garner 40 years, I don’t know what would.”
Assistant State’s Attorney Kate Edmands furthered that the victim “was just the type of man that we want in this community.” She stated that the “real tragedy is that he will never get to be a father, a husband. He will no longer get to be a big brother. A son. The community is safe if Mr. Floyd is locked up.”
Before sentencing Floyd, the Honorable Judge Greer told him, “The tragic loss of life is a direct result of the decisions you made.” He furthered that due to Floyd’s lack of remorse and responsibility, “it still appears that you are a danger to the public.”
Sentence
Count 1 • Second-Degree Murder • 40 years with all but 25 years suspended
Count 4 • False Imprisonment • 20 years with all suspended • Consecutive to Count 1
Count 5 • Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Assault • 20 years with all suspended • Concurrent to Count 4 • Consecutive to Count 1
Count 6 • Conspiracy to Commit False Imprisonment • 20 years with all suspended • Concurrent to Counts 4 and 5 • Consecutive to Count 1
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, November 1, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Damion Anqwan Wilson, 42, of La Plata, to 20 years in prison for First-Degree Assault, Possession of a Firearm with a Felony Conviction, and Possession of Cocaine.
On August 21, 2024, Wilson pleaded guilty to the aforementioned charges.
On January 17, 2024, officers responded to the Dash In located in the 600 block of Charles Street in La Plata after being waved down by the victim. An investigation revealed that Wilson and the victim, who were unknown to each other, made contact while at the Dash In. At some point during the interaction, Wilson brandished a firearm, pointed it at the victim, then walked away. The victim called the police after the incident and reported to officers what Wilson looked like.
Officers located Wilson near the gas station. Wilson began to flee from officers, who then gave chase on foot. Wilson dropped his weapon while trying to escape. After a struggle, officers were able to apprehend Wilson.
In September 2022, Wilson was paroled after serving time for the second-degree murder of Gayle A. Cooke. Cooke worked at the State’s Attorney’s Office for Charles County as a Victim Witness Coordinator. Cooke was shot and killed in 2000 by Wilson during a domestic dispute that Wilson was having with Cooke’s daughter.
During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney John Stackhouse told the judge, “I’ve been doing this job for a very long time; there are some cases that pop up and are very concerning. This is one of those cases.” He furthered that Wilson did not take “responsibility for the horrible crime he did in 2000.” Instead, “he comes out of prison and points a gun at somebody else.” He stated that this incident is “about as serious as you can get” when coupled with someone on parole for murder and requested an above-guideline sentence to “protect the community.”
Before sentencing Wilson, the Honorable Judge West stated that this is “the type of case that shows, at its very best, the level of poor decision-making in spite of a past record. It’s astonishing. The decision-making, type of offense, and the history give great concern.”
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, October 25, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Monise A. Brown sentenced Antoine Jamel Bailey, 21, to 8 years in prison for two counts of Armed Robbery. Upon release, Bailey will be on supervised probation for five years.
On October 17, 2024, Bailey pled guilty to the aforementioned charges.
On September 11, 2023, officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Bank of America located in the 3200 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf for the report of an armed robbery.
An investigation revealed that a female victim went to the bank’s ATM to withdraw money. As she was walking back to her vehicle, she saw the suspect, later determined to be Bailey, walk toward her; however, she thought he was going to the ATM. When the victim got into her vehicle, Bailey pulled out a handgun and pointed it at her brother, who was located on the passenger side of the vehicle. The brother’s window was rolled down halfway.
Bailey demanded that the two victims give him all their belongings. The female victim gave Bailey her purse, keys to her vehicle, and cell phone. Her brother gave Bailey his cell phone. Bailey then fled the area.
On September 19, 2023, officers in Prince George’s County apprehended Bailey during an armed robbery at another Bank of America. Bailey matched the description of the suspect of the armed robbery that occurred in Charles County on September 11, 2023, and his DNA was located on the exterior of the victim’s vehicle. Cell phone records also placed Bailey in the area during the robbery on September 11, 2023.
During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie told the judge, “This crime was exceptionally violent and targeted innocent citizens going about their lives.” He furthered that, “This is an extremely serious case to the State.”
State v. Katravien Tyrieus Vercher, C-08-CR-23-000463
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, a Charles County jury, after a 3-day trial, convicted Katravien Tyrieus Vercher, 25, of Waldorf, of five counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor and one count of Third-Degree Sexual Offense.
On March 22, 2023, officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Waldorf for the report of child sexual abuse. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the juvenile victims’ mother. The mother reported that Vercher sexually abused three of her children over the course of three years.
An investigation revealed that Vercher moved in with the victims and their mother at their Waldorf residence in 2020. Vercher began abusing the victims within a few months of moving in. The victims were 5, 6, and 10 years old when the incidents first began. In the first incident, Vercher asked the 10-year-old victim if she wanted to play a game, and she responded yes. Vercher then began making sexual advances toward the victim. The sexual contact with the 10-year-old victim continued repeatedly over the course of three years and progressed in nature. He also came up with a code phrase to use with the victim when they were around other people, indicating he wanted sexual contact.
Vercher engaged in sexual acts with the other two minor victims as well. On one occasion, the two youngest victims were present during the sexual act at the same time.
One of the victims eventually reported the abuse to their mother, who then called the police.
During the course of the investigation, Vercher admitted to making comments about the 10-year-old victim’s appearance and being attracted to what she was wearing. He also admitted to slapping her buttocks.
A sentencing date for Vercher has been set for December 16, 2024. He faces 115 years in prison.
State v. Vincent Anthony Fisher, II, C-08-CR-22-000544
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, September 27, 2024, a Charles County jury, after a 10-day trial, convicted Vincent Anthony Fisher, II, 49, of two counts of First-Degree Arson and two counts of Second-Degree Murder of Rashawn Cline and Dashawn Cline.
On March 31, 2022, officers and fire department personnel responded to a townhome in Waldorf for the report of a residential house fire. Upon arrival, the home was fully engulfed in flames. Fisher was located outside of the residence and was suffering from injuries from an assault that took place before the fire. After extinguishing the fire, fire department personnel located two deceased victims, later identified as 27-year-old Rashawn Cline and her eighteen-month-old daughter, Dashawn Cline, in an upstairs bedroom.
An investigation revealed that Fisher, who lived at the residence, was involved in a physical altercation with two other males, one being another resident of the house, before the fire started. The altercation began inside the residence but continued outside after Fisher jumped out of his second-story window. When the altercation was over, Fisher remained at the house with the victims while the other males left. Soon after the males left, Fisher intentionally started a fire on a mattress located in the living room of the residence before going outside. The fire extended to the remaining rooms of the first floor and upstairs to the second floor, where the victims were located. The fire completely destroyed the residence.
Video footage from a neighbor’s house captured Fisher walking toward the home before the fire started.
Two lighters were discovered in Fisher’s pants when he was apprehended. During the course of the investigation, it was also found that Fisher had Phencyclidine (PCP) in his system during the incident.
Before the incident, Fisher was told by another resident that he could no longer live at the townhome due to his drug use. Fisher started the fire on the last night he could stay at the residence.
A sentencing date for Fisher has been set for December 19, 2024. He faces up to 140 years in prison.
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, August 29, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Monise A. Brown sentenced Pio Arnoldo Flores, 56, of Bryantown, to 12 years in prison for the Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Flores will be on supervised probation for five years upon release from prison. Flores will also have to register as a Tier III sex offender after his release and comply with lifetime sexual offender supervision conditions.
On April 16, 2024, Flores pled guilty to the aforementioned charge.
On November 14, 2023, officers with Charles County Sheriff’s Office made contact with the then 16-year-old victim after receiving a report from the Department of Human Services alleging child sexual abuse. The victim reported that Flores began assaulting her in April 2020 when she was 13 years old. An investigation revealed that Flores began touching the victim inappropriately, which eventually progressed to sexual acts with the victim. The last incident was on October 29, 2023.
Flores knew the victim since she was an infant.
At sentencing, the Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to the case told the judge that Flores committed “the worst of the worst acts that constitute Sex Abuse of a Minor.” She also stated that “the psychological scars will affect this young lady for the rest of her life.”
Sentence Count 1: Sex Abuse of a Minor • 20 years with all but 12 years suspended • Five years of supervised probation
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Monday, August 26, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge William R. Greer, Jr. sentenced Dustin Marcel Brown, 39, of Waldorf, to 35 years in prison for five counts of Child Pornography: Film in Sex Act. Brown will be on supervised probation for five years after his release. Upon his release, he is also required to register as a Tier II sex offender for 25 years.
Brown pleaded guilty to the aforementioned charges on March 8, 2024.
On August 29, 2023, officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Waldorf for the report of a suspicious item located inside the residence. Officers spoke with the victim’s mother upon arrival. The victim’s mother reported that she located a hidden camera inside a ceiling-mounted smoke alarm in her then-16-year-old daughter’s bedroom.
An investigation revealed that Brown, who was known to the victim and her mother, installed the camera in the victim’s bedroom without their knowledge. Two micro-SD cards were recovered from inside the residence. The SD cards contained over 4,000 video clips. One of the SD cards contained 81 videos identified as pornography.
During the investigation, Brown admitted to installing the camera.
During sentencing, the Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to the case told the judge, “This young lady, her mother, and [Brown’s] children will forever be changed and impacted by [Brown’s] actions.” She furthered that Brown was supposed to protect the victim, not act in his own “selfish, self-satisfying interest.”
State v. Joseph John Bonaiuto, Jr., C-08-CR-24-000064
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, August 22, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Donine Carrington Martin sentenced Joseph John Bonaiuto, Jr., 56, of Waldorf, to 8 years in prison for First-Degree Assault and Fourth-Degree Sexual Offense. Bonaiuto will be on supervised probation for five years upon release. Upon his release, he is also required to register as a Tier I sex offender for 15 years.
On June 24, 2024, Bonaiuto pleaded guilty to the aforementioned charges.
On December 26, 2023, officers responded to Bonaiuto’s residence in Waldorf for a welfare check after receiving a call from Bonaiuto’s brother stating that he was holding the victim hostage. The victim, who was Bonaiuto’s significant other, opened the door when the officers arrived and appeared to have been crying before their arrival. Officers also made contact with Bonaiuto, who stated that he pointed a firearm at his head and the victim’s head.
An investigation revealed that during the evening hours of December 25, 2023, Bonaiuto and the victim were located inside their residence when Bonaiuto became frustrated with the victim. After taking a walk, Bonaiuto went to his bedroom to retrieve his firearm. Bonaiuto unloaded the firearm, put it to his head, and pulled the trigger. He then went downstairs with the unloaded firearm and ordered the victim to get on her knees. Bonaiuto asked the victim if she was scared of him; the victim replied yes. He then put the firearm to the victim’s head and pulled the trigger. Bonaiuto dropped the firearm after the victim flinched. Shortly after, he forced the victim to perform a sexual act on him. During the assault, Bonaiuto let the victim have breaks to cry, blow her nose, and get a drink. After the assault, Bonaiuto and the victim eventually went to sleep. Bonaiuto slept in his bed while the victim slept on the couch.
The next day, Bonaiuto drove to the courthouse to obtain divorce paperwork. He also drove to his daughter’s residence and told her some of the details of the assault. The daughter reported the assault to Bonaiuto’s brother, who called the police.
Bonaiuto admitted to officers that he assaulted the victim over the course of hours and told them that he was being a “disgusting degenerate to her” and treated her “as badly as she deserved to be treated in that moment”.
During sentencing, the Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to the case asked that Bonaiuto be sentenced to 20 years in prison with an additional 6 years suspended due to “the gravity of the offense.” She told the judge that Bonaiuto “needs to be held accountable for his actions” and that the victim did not deserve to be treated in the “inhuman, cruel, violent, self-serving manner” that Bonaiuto treated her.
Before sentencing Bonaiuto, the Honorable Judge Carrington Martin told him, “For hours upon hours, [the victim] was abused by you.” She furthered that “the consequences of your actions, regardless of the sentence, is you hurt her.”
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, August 23, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Andre Taylor, 63, to Life in prison for the First-Degree Murder of Vickie Lynn Belk. Taylor was convicted of the aforementioned charge by a Charles County jury on July 18, 2024.
On August 28, 1979, Belk’s then-boyfriend reported her missing to the Prince George’s County Police Department after last seeing her the day before at their shared place of work in Washington, D.C. Belk had not returned to her apartment in Suitland, MD.
On August 29, 1979, a local teenager called 911 after noticing a body on the ground in a wooded location in the area of Metropolitan Church Road and Route 227. Officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to the location and discovered the body of a woman with a gunshot wound to the right side of her head and undressed from the waist down.
On August 30, 1979, Belk was positively identified as the woman who was discovered in the wooded area. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore ruled her cause of death to be from the gunshot wound.
Investigators recovered, processed, and maintained evidence during the initial investigation; however, the case went cold. In the following years, several detectives worked on the case. In more recent years, Detective Sergeant John Elliott of the CCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division continued the investigation and worked with various agencies to pursue leads.
As forensic technology advanced, the evidence of the murder continued to be re-examined. In 2022, the CCSO’s Forensic Science Section re-evaluated the evidence and submitted Belk’s clothing for testing with newer technology. A profile was developed and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national DNA database.
On November 1, 2022, Noelle Gehrman, the Deputy Director of the CCSO’s Forensic Science Section, was notified of a DNA match between the profiles developed from the evidence obtained from the Belk case and Taylor.
While investigating Taylor’s background, detectives learned that he was arrested for violent crimes that occurred in Washington, D.C. It was also discovered that Taylor lived at a residence in Bryan’s Road around the time of the murder. The address was less than 4 miles from where Belk’s body was discovered. Taylor also had connections to the area of Washington, D.C. where it is believed that Belk was abducted.
Detectives began trying to locate Taylor, but he had no known address since 2019. In collaboration with the United States Homeland Security Investigations, DC Metropolitan Police Department Homicide, and the U.S. Secret Service Baltimore Field Office, detectives of the CCSO were able to locate Taylor in Washington, D.C., where he resided.
On June 22, 2023, Taylor was arrested by detectives assigned to the CCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division, CCSO’s Warrant/Fugitive Unit, the United States Marshals Service, Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, and members of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In an interview with detectives, Taylor admitted to actions that amounted to the rape of Belk, but he denied having any part in her murder.
At the time of the murder, Belk was 28 years old, and Taylor was 18 years old. There is no evidence that indicates that Belk and Taylor knew each other before the incident.
During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney John Stackhouse told the judge that the incident caused “generational trauma because it went on for 45 years. [Belk’s] son grew up without a mother. Her parents had to bury their daughter. Her parents had to lay on their deathbed not knowing who killed their daughter. Her grandchildren never got a chance to meet their grandmother. – Yet all throughout this case, I’ve never seen a family with so much grit, determination, and grace.” He furthered that “when you victimize someone like this and then murder them, it really doesn’t get more horrific than that.” Echoing the word of Belk’s son, he asked the judge to “use the power you have to get justice, and justice in this case is Life.”
Before sentencing Taylor to Life in prison, the Honorable Judge West said that Belk “had a presence or spirit that has endured in ways that I’ve honestly never seen before,” furthering that the “victim leaves a tremendous legacy, and the family carries on a tremendous legacy.” He also stated that “the crime is a horrific loss of a life – the violence was extreme. The amount of fear and terror that preceded the violence doesn’t exist in most cases. [The incident was] so heinous, I can’t think of a lesser sentence that would be appropriate.”
