Frederick, MD – The Frederick Police Department’s evening and midnight patrol officers displayed excellent teamwork and proactive policing over the weekend. Officer L. Abed initiated a traffic stop on Saturday evening and called in reinforcements due to suspicious behavior by the vehicle’s occupants.
OFC Walsleben, K-9 handler Corrado, and OFC Malatesta promptly responded to assist Abed. During the field investigation, Officer Walsleben noticed a semiautomatic handgun in plain view inside the vehicle.
All three occupants were taken into custody without incident, with one of the suspects found to have an outstanding arrest warrant.
- Maryland man sentenced to 14 years for string of armed robberies across three counties
Greenbelt, MD – A Waldorf man who carried out a violent robbery spree across multiple Maryland counties while wielding a pistol-grip shotgun has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, officials announced Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Daniel Michael Harris, Sr., 44, for committing four armed robberies and brandishing a firearm during crimes of violence. The case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes with assistance from the FBI Baltimore Field Office and police agencies in Prince George’s, Charles, and Montgomery counties.
Court documents show Harris and co-conspirators carried out the robberies between March and April 2023. On March 23 and March 28, Harris hit two convenience stores in Prince George’s County, stealing cash and cigarettes while pointing a shotgun at clerks. Days later, on April 5, he robbed a Charles County store, holding an employee at gunpoint and pinning a customer against the wall while his accomplices emptied the register. On April 6, Harris struck again in Montgomery County, taking cash along with an employee’s purse and phone.
Investigators linked Harris to the crimes after Prince George’s County police stopped a vehicle used in two of the robberies. Although the suspects fled, DNA recovered from a bottle inside the car matched Harris. A later search of his storage unit turned up the same shotgun used in the robberies, along with clothing he wore during the crimes.
Law enforcement leaders credited interagency cooperation for securing Harris’s conviction. “This sentence removes a violent offender from our communities,” said officials, underscoring the importance of DNA evidence and coordinated police work.
The man who terrorized store clerks at gunpoint will now spend more than a decade behind federal bars.
- Former Maryland office manager admits to stealing $1.7 million from Ocean City builder
Baltimore, MD – A former office manager who exploited her position of trust to steal more than $1.7 million from an Ocean City home builder has pleaded guilty to federal charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and tax evasion, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Tammy Barcus, 56, of Berlin, Maryland, admitted that between 2016 and 2024 she forged a company owner’s signature on more than 500 business checks and funneled the money into accounts she controlled. Prosecutors said Barcus concealed the theft by falsifying company accounting records and hiding the income from the Internal Revenue Service.
As part of her role, Barcus had access to the company’s payment systems and accounting books and worked with significant independence. She used that authority to forge checks, divert funds, and commingle stolen money into her personal bank accounts.
The embezzled money was used for personal expenses, while fraudulent edits in the company’s records allowed the scheme to remain undetected for years. Barcus also misled the IRS by failing to report the illicit income on her taxes.
She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for wire fraud, five years for tax evasion, and a mandatory two-year consecutive term for aggravated identity theft. Sentencing is scheduled for February 9, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Maddox.
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes and IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter.
- Maryland Lottery Winner Walks Away with $50,000 Pick 5 Reward
DEALE, MD – A Maryland Lottery regular from Anne Arundel County finally claimed what he called his first “brag-worthy” win, walking away with $50,000 from a Pick 5 drawing after four decades of playing.
He couldn’t believe it when the lottery results were in.
The longtime player visited Maryland Lottery headquarters on September 30 to collect his prize, which came from a $1 ticket purchased at Park’s Drive-In Liquors on East Bay Front Road in Deale. The winning numbers, 26212, were drawn from a variation of his ex-wife’s birthday.
“I’ve had some wins over the years, but nothing worth bragging about until now,” he said, describing the win as long overdue.
For more than 40 years, the Anne Arundel resident has played Lottery games using number combinations tied to family birthdays. This time, the strategy paid off with a top-tier Pick 5 prize. He told officials he has only shared the news with his children, promising them a “very good Christmas.”
The retailer also benefits, receiving a $500 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
- Severn homes riddled with bullets lead to gun and drug arrests
Severn, MD – Multiple homes struck by gunfire in a Severn neighborhood this summer led to a sweeping police investigation, search warrants, and several juvenile arrests, authorities announced.
On July 7, officers responded to reports of property damage in the 8100 block of Meade Village Road. Several houses there and on nearby Meade Village Circle had been hit by bullets, police said. Western District detectives launched an investigation and eventually identified four suspects tied to the shooting.
On Sept. 23, search warrants were carried out at two residences in Severn. Police said one juvenile was arrested without incident, while another was cited for drug offenses, with more charges expected. A third juvenile suspect was already in custody for a separate June shooting in Hanover. A fourth suspect was located days later when detectives executed a warrant in Hanover on Sept. 26.
During the searches, police recovered two 9mm handguns, ammunition, and narcotics including 221 Suboxone strips, nearly 17 grams of MDMA pills, powdered MDMA, and more than 63 grams of cannabis.
What began as bullet holes in neighborhood homes ended with seized guns, drugs, and suspects behind bars.
- Cecil County woman doubles Pick 5 luck with $100,000 lottery win
North East, MD – A Cecil County woman who usually buys just one Pick 5 ticket per drawing struck it big when she accidentally purchased two tickets with the same number, netting her a total of $100,000.
The longtime lottery player selected the numbers 78048 for the Sept. 30 drawing, a combination she has been playing consistently for about a year. When those numbers hit, both of her $1 straight-bet tickets paid out $50,000 each.
With her husband by her side, she claimed her prize at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore on Oct. 1. Though he doesn’t normally play, he said he often encourages her to use numbers spotted on license plates or those tied to family dates.
“It just struck my fancy,” the winner said, adding that she has no immediate plans for the winnings. With children, grandchildren, and even a great-grandchild, she admitted there will be plenty of ways to put the money to use.
This is not her first time winning. In 2014, she scored a $10,000 prize on a $20 scratch-off ticket, making this windfall ten times larger than her previous payout.
She purchased the winning tickets at the Wawa store on Pulaski Highway in North East. The retailer will receive a $1,000 bonus — $500 for each winning ticket.