The Charles County Sheriff’s Office arrested five teens this week in connection with multiple incidents in which the suspects used a BB gun to assault people and vandalize numerous homes and businesses during an overnight spree last week.
Calling the arrests significant, Sheriff Rex Coffey said identifying suspects in these types of cases is crucial in preventing other crimes from occurring. “Vandalisms [sic] can be difficult to solve because they tend to be random crimes. Our officers pursued every lead until these suspects were identified and apprehended,” said Coffey.
The suspects, William Dale Middleton, 19, Keith Brandon Digiorgio, 18, Stephanie Hall, 19, Cody Moore, 17, and Brandon Clark, 17, all of Waldorf, were arrested on Nov. 17 and charged with three counts of first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree assault, 38 counts of destruction of property under $500, two counts of destruction of property over $500 and reckless endangerment.
The adults were remanded to the Charles County Detention Center and the juveniles – charged as adults – were remanded to Boys Village.
Details of the assaults and vandalism are as follows:
On Nov. 4 at 10 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s officers responded to Sheffield Circle in Waldorf for an assault. Investigation revealed the victim was walking down the street when the suspects drove by and shot him in the leg with a BB gun. Soon after, officers received calls about two additional assaults as well as calls from homeowners in various neighborhoods in Waldorf who said their homes and cars had been vandalized by someone using a BB gun. A description of the suspect vehicle was broadcast and officers canvassed the area throughout the night. In all, a total of 38 homes and cars were vandalized and three people were assaulted.
Two events helped link the suspects to the crimes. During their canvass, officers recovered important evidence from the yard of one of homes that was vandalized. Then on Nov. 6, officers stopped a car matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle. They observed hundreds of pellets inside the car and recovered a BB gun near the front passenger seat. The occupants were subsequently linked to the evidence that was recovered during the canvass and ultimately to the assaults and vandalisms.
“This was a situation where citizen involvement and good police work helped us identify and apprehend the suspects. Increasing patrols in the neighborhoods where the crimes occurred really paid off,” said Coffey. “You can expect that type of police work from our agency, day in and day out.”