CUMBERLAND, Md. – A tractor-trailer crash that blocked Interstate 68 for hours, a drunk-driving wreck that left a woman critically hurt, and a string of weekend arrests kept Cumberland police on high alert.
Just before midnight Saturday, officers rushed to the Crosstown Bridge on I-68 eastbound after a 2021 Freightliner overturned and blocked the highway. The driver, identified as 25-year-old Kumar Mohit of Roseville, Calif., was rescued from the wreckage and taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. State and county crews shut down the roadway from LaVale to Cumberland for nearly seven hours while the truck and trailer were cleared. Investigators believe speed played a role.
Less than two hours later, on Sunday around 1:55 a.m., a 2009 Saturn Vue smashed into a utility pole on Park Street, snapping it in half and knocking out power across the neighborhood. Two passengers were rushed to the hospital, including a 26-year-old woman from Ridgeley, W.Va., who suffered life-threatening injuries. The driver, Richard Louis Webb Jr., 50, of Cumberland, was arrested at the scene. Police said he was intoxicated and driving without a valid license. Webb faces multiple DUI and traffic charges and was later released pending trial.
Later Sunday, police responded to reports of a trespasser at UPMC on Willowbrook Road. Officers arrested 56-year-old Eric Roger Marmaduke of Cumberland after he refused to leave a closed medical building. He was cited for trespassing and released.
That same night, officers on patrol in Pershing Street broke up a disturbance after a man allegedly yelled at patrons and resisted police commands. The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Noah Ryan Shaffer of Cumberland, was charged with disorderly conduct, intoxicated public disturbance, and obstructing and hindering. He was released on his own recognizance after an initial court appearance.
Also Sunday, 22-year-old Paityn Adison Gordon of Cumberland was arrested on a warrant tied to a May 1 crash on Industrial Boulevard. Investigators said Gordon was at fault in that wreck and later found to be driving an uninsured vehicle. She was released pending trial.
In a separate incident, officers responding to a burglary call at a Greene Street business discovered the front door glass smashed. Surveillance video and witness statements led police to identify the suspect as 42-year-old William Morgan Stewart Sr. of Cumberland. Stewart was arrested nearby and charged with multiple counts, including burglary and malicious destruction of property. He was taken to the Allegany County Detention Center awaiting a court appearance.
Police said they were assisted by the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, volunteer fire companies, and the State Highway Administration throughout the weekend.
Key Points
- A tractor-trailer overturned on I-68, shutting the highway for seven hours; the driver was hospitalized.
- A DUI crash on Park Street left a Ridgeley woman with life-threatening injuries; the driver was arrested.
- Police made multiple weekend arrests for trespassing, disorderly conduct, uninsured driving, and burglary.
Cumberland saw no shortage of chaos as crashes and arrests stretched across the weekend.
