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Co-Defendant in Deadly Armed Robbery Sentenced 40 Years

State v. Charles Leon Thompson, Jr., K17-240

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County announced that on Friday, June 29, 2018, Charles County Circuit Court Judge William R. Greer, Jr. sentenced Charles Leon Thompson, Jr., 34 of Waldorf, to 40 years in prison for Armed Robbery and Use of a Handgun During the Commission of a Crime of Violence.

On February 4, 2017, officers responded to the Beer 4 U Bar located in the 2100 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers discovered several victims suffering from various injuries, including Emmanuel Perkins who sustained head injuries from an earlier assault and Miaquita Gray who suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body. Gray was later pronounced deceased as a result of her injuries.

A preliminary investigation revealed that a few moments prior to the shooting, Perkins was physically assaulted and robbed by three suspects in the bathroom of Beer 4 U. After the assault, Perkins and his girlfriend, Gray, exited the bar and stood in the parking lot of the establishment. The three suspects also exited the establishment. One of the suspects brandished a gun and began firing at Perkins and Gray, fatally striking Gray. Two other victims were struck but did not sustain life-threatening injuries.

Video surveillance and witness testimony identified co-defendant Anthony Deangelo Wilkins as being involved in the armed robbery and shooting. A further investigation revealed Wilkins as the shooter and identified Charles Leon Thompson, Jr. as an accomplice to the shooting and the armed robbery in the bathroom.

Thompson entered a guilty plea to the aforementioned charges in Charles County Circuit Court in front of the Honorable Judge H. James West on December 4, 2017.

While commenting on the imposed sentence, Covington said, “The sentence laid down by the Court was fair and reasonable given the senseless killing of an innocent bystander in this case. Incapacitating violent robbers and murderers by jailing them, is the only truly proven way of reducing violent crime on our streets. This sentence takes a dangerous person off the streets for a significant time period. That is a good thing.”

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SAO Awards Dinner 2018

On Friday, June 15, 2018 the SAO held its fourth annual awards dinner. The purpose of this event is to recognize the contributions of the dedicated men and women of the State’s Attorney’s Office.   Read more

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World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2018

On June 15, 2018, in commemoration of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the SAO had the pleasure of partnering with Charles County Department of Social Services and other agencies from the tri-county area to host an educational event for seniors.  Read more

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The 2018 State’s Attorney’s Office Awards Dinner

On Friday, June 15, 2018 the State’s Attorney’s Office for Charles County (SAO) held its fourth annual awards dinner. The purpose of this event is to recognize the contributions of the dedicated men and women of the State’s Attorney’s Office.  Also, the State’s Attorney recognizes members of partner agencies for their contribution to the SAO’s twofold mission of punishing the guilty and protecting the innocent.  This year the State’s Attorney also presented awards for Community Service and Community Vigilance to citizens of the County.

 

Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office Support Staff of the Year Award:

Alexandra Posey

 

Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office Assistant State’s Attorney of the Year Award:  Francis Granados

 

The Community Service Award:  Terrence Byrd received the Community Service Award for his diligent efforts to make a positive impact in the lives of youth in our county through team sports. Through the Westlake Youth Athletic Organization, Mr. Byrd has helped countless youths develop discipline and teamwork that helps prepare them for life.

 

The Bald Eagle Force Award: Given to a team of people who worked tirelessly to bring Carlos Bell, a predatory child abuser, to justice.  Those team members were:

 

Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah K. Freeman

 

Maryland State Police Sergeant William Jenkins,

 

Charles County Sheriff Officers:

Detective/Master Sergeant Timothy Miner, Detective/Sergeant Andrew Schwab, Detective Kristen Clark, Detective Jeffery Feldman, Detective Charles Garner, Detective Christina Gilroy, Detective George Higgs, Detective John Long, Corporal Patrick Mann, Detective Ryan Smith, PFC. Amy Upshaw, Detective Edward Webster, Detective Rochelle Williams

 

Charles County Department of Social Services Child Protective Services agents:

Chelsea Glover and Kara Finamore

 

Detective of the Year Award:

Detective Elizabeth Clark of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office

 

Patrolman of the Year Award

Pfc. Samuel Hooper of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office

 

 

State’s Attorney Tony Covington said he was “[V]ery pleased to recognize individuals that have done so much to further the mission of this office.  Presenting these awards is the least we can do to show our appreciation for their dedication and hard work.  Prosecutors and police, and those folks that support their efforts, simply don’t get enough recognition. That is what tonight is all about.”

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Man Who Slit Family Puppy’s Throat Found Guilty a Second Time

State v. Stephen Eugene Paysinger, K16-227

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County announced that on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, a Charles County jury, after a 2 day trial, convicted Stephen Eugene Paysinger, 39 of Waldorf, of Aggravated Animal Cruelty. Paysinger was previously tried and convicted for the stated charge, but the case was overturned due to a legal technicality.

On February 25, 2016, officers responded to the 4900 block of Diamond Oaks Court in Waldorf and spoke with multiple witnesses.

An investigation revealed that on the evening of February 24, 2016, Paysinger entered the residence and grabbed a puppy belonging to the family who lived there. He then began choking the puppy. Afterwards, Paysinger retrieved a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the puppy. He then took the puppy outside and cut the puppy’s throat while threatening the residents of the house, including children ages 6, 11, and 17. The puppy was able to flee the residence after being cut.

One of the witnesses called 911 and police apprehended Paysinger that night. The puppy was found in the neighborhood the following morning. Fortunately, the puppy survived the brutal attack.

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Former substitute teacher charged with rape, child porn

A former Charles County Public Schools substitute teacher, who had been charged earlier this year for allegedly producing child pornography and having illicit contact with a student, has now been charged with rape after investigators learned through the course of their investigation that he allegedly had sex with an 11-year-old girl in 2007.

On June 1, Keith Allan Krikstan, 31, of Waldorf was charged with second-degree rape, three counts of child pornography possession and six counts of possession of obscene matter with intent to distribute.

According to court records, between February and April 2007, Krikstan engaged in sexual intercourse with an 11-year-old girl, when he was at least four years older than her, at approximately age 19.

In the same case, Krirkstan was also charged with possessing child pornography and obscene matter on Jan. 13.

Back in January, Krikstan was also arrested in connection with child pornography, displaying sexually explicit materials to a minor and sexual abuse of a minor after officers received information he was allegedly having inappropriate contact with an adolescent girl, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.

Krikstan was a substitute teacher at John Hanson Middle School when students reported to a sheriff’s office school resource officer that they were aware of a substitute teacher who was having inappropriate communication with another student. Officers learned Krikstan allegedly obtained a cell phone number of a female student in December 2017 and began texting her. Soon after, they kept in contact through phone and social media. Evidence showed Krikstan allegedly convinced the girl to send explicit photos to him and he allegedly sent some to her.

In January, Kimberly Hill, superintendent of CCPS, announced in a letter to parents and staff that the school system received the report on Jan. 11 and immediately removed Krikstan from John Hanson Middle School.

During a bond hearing, assistant state’s attorney Sarah Freeman told the court that detectives found more than 100 images or videos of nude underage girls.

Freeman indicated that these photos showed the private areas of the girls. She said that detectives were able to identify two victims in the photos; however, one is still unidentified.

Freeman told the court that Krikstan also placed a hidden camera in a bathroom inside the victim’s home. Detectives found 10 photos of the victim on Krikstan’s devices from the camera.

Freeman also said that all the bathrooms in John Hanson Middle School were checked for cameras in result of that finding.

“[Krikstan] having sexual relations with minors is not something new,” Freeman said.

Freeman told Circuit Court Judge Hayward J. West that in his three cases, Krikstan is facing over 100 years, which she thought would result in a flight risk and asked for no bond.

Judge West held Krikstan, who was being monitored on a home electric monitor as a result of his other pending cases, without bond in court on Monday.

“CCPS fully vetted Mr. Krikstan prior to hiring him as a substitute in September 2017. He was fingerprinted, completed orientation, training and a background check with the State of Maryland and the FBI,” Hill stated. “No criminal history was found. Since September, Mr. Krikstan has worked 34 days at multiple schools, including Hanson, North Point High School, Milton M. Somers Middle School, Dr. James Craik Elementary School and La Plata High School.”

“Part of our ongoing training includes encouraging both students and staff to say something if they see or suspect something inappropriate,” Hill stated. “We commend the students who came forward to report what they felt were inappropriate texts from an adult to a fellow student.”

The sheriff’s office and CCPS encourages parents to talk with their children about the situation, and if they report anything inappropriate to contact Det. E. Webster at 301-609-6558.

 

Originally Posted on Maryland Independent:

http://www.somdnews.com/breaking/former-substitute-teacher-charged-with-rape-child-porn/article_4d91051b-9d0b-5677-b3f3-d37c74ae2371.html

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Md. man convicted for 2nd time of slitting puppy’s throat

WASHINGTON — A Charles County, Maryland, man has been convicted again on charges that he stabbed and slit the throat of a puppy in the midst of a domestic dispute.

Stephen Eugene Paysinger, 39, of Waldorf, was convicted Tuesday of aggravated animal cruelty. The puppy survived the attack.

Court documents show that on Feb. 24, 2016, Paysinger went into a Waldorf house that he had bought with his girlfriend, who lived there with her three children. She had gotten a protective order against Paysinger, who had to be removed from the house by police when he found out about it.

Later that night, Paysinger returned to the house and went in. He then choked, stabbed and slit the throat of the family’s puppy, and threatened to kill the children, the documents said.

Paysinger had been previously convicted in the incident. He was convicted in October 2016 on the animal cruelty charge as well as four counts of assault and the violation of a protective order, and was sentenced to serve a total of 23 years in prison, including three years for the animal cruelty charge. In December 2017, all the convictions were overturned on after the Court of Appeals ruled that the trial judge improperly barred a defense witness from testifying.

 

Originally Posted on WTOP:

Md. man convicted for 2nd time of slitting puppy’s throat

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D.C. man found guilty for sexually abusing minor

After a two-day trial, a Charles County Circuit Court jury found a 34-year-old Washington, D.C., man guilty Wednesday of sexually abusing his girlfriend’s daughter for approximately two years.

In October 2017, when his case was forwarded to Circuit Court, Calvin Julius Burgess was charged with three counts of sexually abusing a minor and two counts of third-degree sex offense.

The Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office has since changed Burgess’ charges to sexual abuse of a minor: household/family member.

On June 17, 2017, the victim, who was 18 years old at the time, and her mother met with Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputies regarding an ongoing sexual relationship between Burgess, who was in a relationship the victim’s mother, and with the victim.

During an interview with police, the mother of the victim said that she intercepted several text messages between her daughter and Burgess, which were very explicit in nature.

The victim told police that the defendant would let her lay in bed with him when she was about 15 or 16 years old. She said that she and Burgess talked about falling in love and sex, per court documents.

In December 2015, the defendant and the victim engaged in a sexual act, and a couple months later they engaged in another sexual act, according to court documents.

According to court documents, in January or February of 2017, the defendant and the victim engaged in sex.

During an interview with police, the victim explained that she was willing to participate in the sexual acts, but she feels that she was taken advantage of, according to court documents.

On June 21, 2017, officers interviewed Burgess and he admitted to the two sexual acts with the victim in 2016, according to charging documents.

On the first day of the trial, assistant state’s attorney Sarah Freeman called to the stand the victim’s older siblings who lived with their mother and the defendant at the time of the incident.

On Wednesday, Freeman called the now 19-year-old victim to testify. The victim told the jury that during 2015-2017 she lived with her mother, older siblings and Burgess. She testified that she was between the ages of 15 and 17 during 2015-2017.

The victim told the jury that she was bullied in school because of her physical appearance, which caused her to suffer from depression. She testified that the summer of 2015, she attempted suicide.

The victim said that after her suicide attempt, she and Burgess got closer because his affection toward her intensified. She said they would “hang out” almost every day by laying in bed and watching T.V. Burgess then started to hug and rub on the victim, according to her testimony.

She told the jury that Burgess made her feel “really good.”

“I didn’t really have anyone else,” the victim said in court.

She said that she did not have a lot of friends and felt that she could not talk to her family about her feelings or problems; however, Burgess made her feel comfortable to talk about her feelings with him.

The victim said there came a point where both she and Burgess admitted that they loved each other, which eventually led to them being physical together, including kissing, sexual acts and sexual intercourse. The victim said she became physical with Burgess at the age of 16.

She told the jury that her relationship with Burgess made her feel good and that he made her feel loved because she felt like she did not have anyone else.

The victim said that her mother and other family members would confront them about being very close; however, she would deny it.

On the first day of the trial, the jury was shown a 45 minute recorded interview between Burgess and a detective, after the victim and her mother reported the sexual abuse.

In the interview, Burgess said that he knew the victim dealt with bullying and depression.

“I’ve lived in that house for six years,” Burgess told the detective.

Freeman showed and discussed text messages between the victim and the defendant, which supported the victim’s statements about their sexual relationship.

The state and the defense, represented by public defender Gerald Riviello, both rested Wednesday afternoon.

During closing arguments, Freeman told the jury that at the age of 33, the defendant took advantage of the victim, who was a minor, while knowing she was vulnerable.

“He is the adult and she is the child,” Freeman said.

“It’s not just morally wrong, it’s criminally wrong,” Freeman said before she asked the jury to find the defendant guilty.

During the defense’s closing statements, Riviello argued that Burgess did not commit a crime by engaging in sexual acts with the victim because it was consensual. He also mentioned that the age of consent in Maryland is 16, which the victim was during the time of the acts.

Freeman later knocked down his theory by telling the jury that according to the law, in order to convict Burgess of sexual abuse of a minor, he had to be a household member in the victim’s home, the victim had to be sexually abused and the victim had to be under the age of 18 at the time of the abuse.

“This is not sexual exploitation,” Riviello told the jury before asking them to find the defendant not guilty.

After the jury deliberated less than 10 minutes, they came back with a guilty verdict.

Burgess was taken into custody following the verdict and will be held in the Charles County Detention Center until his sentencing date, which was set for July 31.

Burgess could face up to 25 years in prison.

 

Originally Posted on Maryland Independent:

http://www.somdnews.com/independent/crime_and_courts/d-c-man-found-guilty-for-sexually-abusing-minor/article_a6bf7611-11be-50b7-aa3b-dd60737b1879.html