News

Arthur Christopher Edelen, K16-1112

Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County announced that on November 14, 2017, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Arthur Christopher Edelen, 54 of White Plains, to 42 months in prison for the killing of Ernest Young III.

On March 24, 2016, troopers from the Maryland State Police responded to the intersection of Maryland Route 5 and Roosevelt Place in Hughesville for the report of a two vehicle collision involving a passenger van and a motorcycle. Upon arrival, troopers discovered Young, who was operating a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, had possible life-threatening injuries as a result of the collision. Young, a husband and father of two, was subsequently transported to Prince George’s Hospital Center, where he succumbed to his injuries two days later.

On scene, troopers observed Edelen, who was operating a Honda Odyssey van, slow with his movements and stumbling. Troopers also detected an odor of alcohol coming from Edelen’s breath, as well as observed he had bloodshot and glassy eyes. A breath test was later conducted and Edelen’s blood alcohol content was registered at .11.  In Maryland, it is presumed that a person is under the influence of alcohol if their breath test result is higher than ,08.

An investigation into the collision revealed that Edelen, who was initially traveling northbound Route 5, attempted to cross the southbound lanes of Route 5 from a crossover to enter Roosevelt Place, but failed to yield to oncoming traffic. Young, who was already traveling southbound Route 5, collided into the passenger side of the Honda Oddysey van that Edelen was operating.

Edelen did not sustain major injuries as a result of the collision and was arrested at the scene. Edelen was previously charged with Driving While Impaired in 2009 in St Mary’s County.  He received a suspended sentence and probation.

Covington, commenting on Edelen’s sentence, said “I won’t complain about Edelen’s sentence.  Judge West imposed a sentence consistent with what other Judges are doing throughout Maryland.  In fact, his sentence was a little higher than most which, to me, is a good sign.”  Covington, however, went on to criticize how drunk drivers are treated in the Criminal Justice System as a whole. “My criticism continues to be that in our society and our court system as a whole, we do not view drunk driving as the very selfish and criminal act that it is. Our penalties- a ten year maximum sentence- for killing someone while drunk driving is ridiculously light and provides little, if any, deterrence. Drunk driving, especially in this day of mass transit, Uber, Lyft, etc., is absolutely preventable. Unfortunately, our legislators haven’t provided significant maximum sentences or any mandatory minimum sentences for judges to impose. Also, because of how our society still appeases drunk drivers, judges throughout the state do not impose behavior-changing sentences for simple DUIs nor for DUIs that result in death. We need to wake up to the fact that there are almost as many drunk driving deaths in this country as there are murders every year. In Maryland alone, somebody is killed by a drunk driver every other day. It should be unacceptable to everyone that a family here in this state has to grieve every other day and figure out how to go on without a loved one. Drunk driving deaths are preventable and the Criminal Justice System is positioned to have the most impact on decreasing these totally unnecessary deaths.”

La Plata, MD – Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, Maryland, in conjunction with Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry and Superintendent of Charles County Public Schools Dr. Kimberly Hill, advises that on Friday, October 20, 2017, the Grand Jury for Charles County returned a 206 count indictment for Carlos Deangelo Bell of Waldorf. This third indictment against Bell includes the previous allegations found in two prior indictments filed on June 30, 2017 and July 28, 2017, as well as charges for additional victims uncovered during the ongoing investigation.

The 206 count indictment covers 28 identified alleged victims and 14 unidentified alleged victims. The time frame of the alleged conduct spans approximately 2 years from May of 2015 through June of 2017. The ages of the alleged victims at the time the offenses were committed range from 11 years old to 17 years old.

In open Court today, Bell was served with this latest indictment and served with the State’s notice that, if he is convicted of certain crimes alleged in the indictment, the State will be seeking a life sentence. Bell is still being held without bond. Trial on these charges is scheduled for January 8, 2018.

At this time, the State is not aware of any alleged victim having tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus. Previous reporting to the contrary made by certain media outlets was inaccurate.

The investigation into Carlos Bell’s activities is still ongoing. The Sheriff’s Office continues the effort to identify any and all alleged victims in this matter. The State’s Attorney’s Office strongly encourages parents/guardians to speak with any child that may have had contact with Carlos Bell and immediately report any relevant information to the Sheriff’s Office.

Child Sex Abuser Pleads Guilty

State v. Clyde Douglas Parks, Jr., C-08-CR-17-000004

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County announced that on Wednesday, October 18, 2017, former District Heights Police Officer Clyde Douglas Parks, Jr., 48 of Waldorf, entered a guilty plea in front of Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier to the Sexual Abuse of a Minor.

On May 24, 2017, the Charles County Department of Social Services received a mandatory report of child sexual abuse involving Parks.  The report was then screened by Child Protective Services and sent to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) for investigation.

Detectives from the CCSO made contact with the victim who revealed that over the course of approximately two years she was repeatedly abused by Parks.  The abuse included Parks showing the victim pornographic material and Parks engaging in repeated sexual acts with the victim. The abuse began when the victim was approximately 8 years old and continued for approximately two years.  The abuse came to light some 10 years later when the victim was interviewed in May of 2017.  During the course of the investigation, Parks admitted to the sexual contact as described by the victim.

The maximum sentence for Child Sexual Abuse is 25 years incarceration.  A sentencing hearing is set for January 10, 2018.

Shooter Gets 58 Years in Prison

Accomplices Also Sentenced

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Tyreq Kaylin Tilghman and his three co-defendants for their respective roles in the murder of Mason Atkins and the assault of Nicholas Brennan during an event that occurred on Mona Farm Place in La Plata on September 25, 2016.

Tyreq Kaylin Tilghman, 19 of Waldorf, was sentenced to 58 years in prison for the Second Degree Murder of Mason Atkins, the Unlawful Use of a Firearm in a crime of violence, and the First Degree Assault of Nicholas Eric Brennan.

Kevin Averell Jones, 19 of Waldorf, was sentenced to 7 years for the Second Degree Assault of Nicholas Brennan. Talivah Laraih Salahuddin and Shanya Imari Milstead, also sentenced for the Second Degree Assault of Brennan, were both sentenced to a 10 year period of incarceration with all of the time suspended except for the time they had served prior to sentencing.  Both Salahuddin and Milstead were placed on unsupervised probation.

In the early morning of September 25, 2016, officers responded to 10400 block of Popes Creek Road for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers found two teenaged victims, Mason Atkins and Nicholas Brennan, suffering from gunshot wounds. Atkins, who suffered a gunshot wound to both his neck and finger, was rendered first aid and CPR by officers, but was pronounced deceased at the scene. Brennan, who ultimately survived his injuries, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was flown to a hospital for treatment.

An investigation into the murder revealed that the victims showed up to a bonfire party on Mona Farm Place uninvited and were turned away. The victims, who were unfamiliar with the area, left the location of the party, drove a short distance, then stopped their vehicle on side of the road to decide what to do next. Tilghman, a passenger in a different vehicle, also arrived uninvited to the party on Mona Farm Place and was subsequently turned away along with the other occupants of the vehicle he was travelling in. The vehicle Tilghman was travelling in passed the victims’ parked vehicle.  At that time, a verbal confrontation between the occupants of each vehicle occurred. As a result of this argument, Salahuddin, Jones and Tilghman got out of their vehicle and approached the victims’ vehicle. Once at the victims’ vehicle, Jones began punching Mason Atkins through the open passenger side window.  Jones also tried to pull Atkins, who was still seated in the vehicle, out of the vehicle through the window. At that point, Atkins, in effort to defend himself, pepper sprayed Jones. Tilghman, who was also hit by the pepper spray, then used a handgun to shoot multiple times into the vehicle, killing Atkins and injuring Brennan. After the shooting, Tilghman and his accomplices returned to their vehicle and Milstead, who had remained in the vehicle, drove away.    Brennan, who was suffering from a gunshot to the chest, also drove away in effort to get to a safe location and call emergency personnel while simultaneously rendering aid to Atkins.

The defendants were ultimately identified through good police work. As part of the investigation, a CCSO detective identified the closest gas station on the probable escape route of the defendants, assuming that the defendants would need to treat the effects of being pepper sprayed. The Detective’s instincts were proven correct as he recovered a video from that gas station. The video shows the defendants pull into the gas station, park at one of the pumps and Salahuddin entering the gas station and purchasing water. Salahuddin then takes the purchased water to the car where Tilghman and Jones can be seen using the water to rinse out their eyes. This video was the key piece of evidence that lead to the identification of the defendants.

At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney John Stackhouse told the judge, “Tilghman took his brother’s gun out of a safe, then took the gun to a party, then gets out of a car with the gun, then kills somebody and almost kills somebody else. He made the choice to fire that gun at point blank range into a defenseless Mason Atkins. Tilghman needs to be held accountable for the life he senselessly took and that means spending as much of his life in jail as the statutes allows.”

Stackhouse, in recommending a sentence for Jones, told the Court that, “This murder does not occur without Kevin Jones assaulting Mason as he sat in his car essentially unable to defend himself. And the resulting level of harm that Jones begot is off the charts. Because of Jones’ actions, the parents of Mason Atkins had to do something that no parent should ever have to do – bury their child. Kids should outlive their parents, not the other way around. Your sentence, your Honor, should not be limited by the guidelines.  Jones earned and deserves a sentence more than that.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Freeman, in commenting on Milstead’s and Salahuddin’s role in this murder said, “No one argues that these two young women went out that night to kill somebody. But you have to make good choices in life.  They didn’t that night.  Had they made better choices perhaps Mason Atkins might still be here.  We will never know.  But their present predicament should be a lesson for everyone, especially young folks, that they need to think about the consequences of their actions and see beyond the moment directly in front of them.”

Sentence Summary

State v. Tyreq Kaylin Tilghman, K16-1009:  Overall Sentence 58 Years

Count 1, Second Degree Murder, 25 years

Count 5, First Degree Assault of Nicholas Brennan, 18 years

Count 6, Use of Handgun in Crime of Violence, 15 years

All sentences to run consecutively

State v. Kevin Averell Jones, K16-998

Count 7, Second Degree Assault of Nicholas Brennan, 7 years

State v. Talivah Laraih Salahuddin, K16-1003        

Count 7, Second Degree Assault of Nicholas Brennan, 10 years suspend all but 126 days, credit 126 days served, 1 year unsupervised probation

State v. Shanya Imari Milstead, K16-999

Count 7, Second Degree Assault of Nicholas Brennan, 10 years suspend all but 21 days, credit 21 days served, 3 years unsupervised probation

State’s Attorney Hosts Opioid Abuse Awareness Event
Gives Out 200 Book Bags to Students

State’s Attorney Tony Covington, Deputy State’s Attorney Karen Piper Mitchell, and Executive Assistant Kristen Williams pass out information to fight drug abuse, book bags and other giveaways to students and parents.

On September 16, Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County hosted an Opioid Abuse Awareness fundraising event at the Southern Maryland Blue Crab’s game. As part of the event, the State’s Attorney’s Office, in partnership with Charles County Emergency Medical Services, had an opioid drop-off center for community members to drop off their unwanted and unneeded prescription medications, as well as receive educational resources to combat opioid abuse.

Over 200 students attending the event received a free Under Armour book bag from the State’s Attorney’s Office. Students also received Chick-fil-A La Plata cards for free meals. Both adults and youth received wristbands to raise awareness about opioid abuse, as well as brochures with more information about opioid abuse, prevention and treatment. During the event, over 75 students signed a pledge to make good decisions and stay away from drugs and alcohol – 9 of the children walked the field with State’s Attorney Covington as he addressed the Regency Furniture Stadium crowd about opioid abuse.

Proceeds from the tickets purchased through the fundraiser will be donated to a drug addictions treatment program.

Covington commented on the evening saying “This was a great event for our community. We were able to reach a number of people – especially kids – and let them know this opioid abuse really is an epidemic. Thousands are dying. That isn’t exaggerated hype – it is real. I hope parents understand the need to educate their kids that painkillers, even though prescribed by a doctor, are still dangerous and can lead to deadly consequences. Also, I can’t say enough about G.S. Proctor and Associates, Terrence Byrd of Under Armour, Chick-fil-A La Plata, Charles County Emergency Medical Services and, of course, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs for their great support of this important community awareness event.”