On Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at approximately 10:00 p.m. an armed robbery was reported to the Calvert Control Center. Three Asian males had just closed the Chinese Dynasty Restaurant located at 13322 H. G. Trueman Road in Dowell and had exited the restaurant via the back door. As they started to leave in their SUV, a black male appeared from the alley, opened up the back right door, displayed a small silver handgun and yelled commands while pointing the gun at the three victims in the SUV. The driver took off trying to get away from the suspect. The suspect jumped into the SUV. The suspect wrestled with the two back seat passengers. The suspect dropped the gun but bit the right arm of one of the passengers. The driver stopped the SUV in a lighted area near the KFC Restaurant and the suspect escaped on foot. Efforts to locate the suspect yielded negative results. The suspect was not successful in stealing cash, other valuables or the SUV. The bite victim sustained a single bite wound to the arm which did not require any medical treatment. Det. H. Rich and Det. R. Hawkins processed the crime scene and took steps to secure evidence. The suspect, whose face was obscured by clothing or a mask, was described as a young black male approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, approximately 150 pounds with a thin build. Very few leads were initially developed.
Based on the suspect’s general description, a very large group of nearly 200 possible culprits was initially identified. The list was eventually reduced to less than 12 suspects but one suspect in particular, Michael James Coates, Jr., 25 of no fixed address, remained a possibility as most of the others were discounted or eliminated. An overall crime analysis of Southern Calvert County revealed that Michael James Coates, Jr. was listed as a possible suspect in an unsolved burglary which occurred in May 2012 at a private residence off Newtown Road in Dowell.
In September 2012 Coates agreed to meet with Det. H. Rich and evidence obtained from him was sent to be analyzed and compared to evidence recovered during the processing of the initial crime scene. In October 2012 forensic analysis positively linked Michael J. Coates, Jr. to the July 31st armed robbery.
Warrants were issued in November 2012 for Michael J. Coates, Jr. Coates turned himself in to the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office on March 14. He was charged with three counts of armed robbery, three counts of robbery, three counts of first degree assault and one count of second degree assault. As of March 15, Coates remains in the Calvert County Detention Center on a no bond status.
