Adults cleared, juvenile cases proceed in park thefts
Police tallied losses of Myrtle Point visitors
All charges against a Waldorf teenager from a theft investigation in May at a St. Mary’s park were dismissed last week, af- ter two other Charles County young adults left court earlier this year with no convictions in the case.
Two teenage boys also were charged, however, by police responding to the reports of thefts from vehicles at Myrtle Point State Park in California. A prosecutor said this week that the two youths admitted in juvenile court to misdemeanor theft scheme offenses, and are awaiting their disposition hearings where full restitution for all unrecovered items will be requested.
“They either stole from the cars, or went by and took stuff [off] people’s blankets,” St. Mary’s Assistant State’s Attor- ney John Pleisse said Monday at his office in the county courthouse, where he said about eight victims have been identi- fied. “We have a task on our hands to contact all the people,” he said, “and see what restitution they want [for what] they hav- en’t gotten back.”
District court charging papers filed after the arrests by St. Mary’s sheriff’s deputies, aided by Maryland State Police, stated that a witness saw the door handles of at least 100 cars being pulled on in the parking lot, and that the items reported missing included three cellphones, a gold watch, a wallet and a pair of shoes.
Jelonnie D. Johnson, 19, of Waldorf was the last adult arrested in the case to have the charges against him disposed of in court. A prosecutor dismissed them on Nov. 1 in their entirety, including eight theft charges, four rogue-and-vagabond of- fenses, three drug-relat- ed charges and a single charge of making a false statement to a law officer.
“Not one victim and not one state’s witness showed [up] for trial,” Assistant State’s Attor- ney Michael Kane later said at the county courthouse, adding that another postponement of the trial originally set for last September was not allowed. “The state’s motion for a continuance was denied,” Kane said.
At a court proceeding in early October, online court records state, a judgment of ac- quittal was granted to 20-year-old Christian J. White of Waldorf on eight theft charges, four rogue-and-vagabond charges and three drug-related charges.
In addition, online court records state, prosecutors at a court proceeding in July for 18-yearold Damon L. Pleasant of Waldorf dismissed eight theft charges, four rogue-and-vagabond charges and three drug-related charges filed against him through the police investigation.