From THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY
NEWS AND COMMENTARY
LEONARDTOWN, MD. A special effort to round up DUI DWI drivers from roadways across Maryland by the Maryland State Police had significant results in many counties. In St. Mary’s County a scheduled combined effort of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department and the Maryland State Police was set to send the combined effort of law officers ready to pounce on impaired drivers. At the last minute, a top commander of the Sheriff’s Department notified the State Police that “they would do their own thing”.
The St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Department had this statement posted on their website prior to the St. Patrick’s Day evening of boozing and cruising by the boozedroid population of the county: “Members of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Patrol and Special Operations Divisions and the Lexington Park COPs UNIT will be out in force on Tuesday, March 17th, for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. Deputies will be aggressively enforcing impaired driving laws with saturation patrol and a SOBRIETY CHECKPOINT which will be conducted in the northern end of St. Mary’s County.”
On March 18th, the Sheriff’s website made no mention of any DUI arrests for St. Patrick’s Day but sources report that they did have one arrest, which considering all of the resources expended, wasn’t much in the way of results. St. Mary’s Sheriff Tim Cameron might well be reminded that when lives are saved by the removal of DUI drivers from the roadways, the public doesn’t care if the uniforms of those arresting DUI drivers are brown or blue — or even the new police fad of all-black military uniforms.
This type of keystone cops style of law enforcement which harkens back to the days of Sheriffs Dick Voorhaar and David Zylak, doesn’t serve the public nor the progress that Sheriff Cameron has been making since he was first elected. Instead, it shows that Cameron’s reliance on old throwbacks to those days such as Maj. John Horne, gives the public a view of loyalties to petty feuds instead of serving the public.
The State Police went on with their enforcement operation and bagged eleven DUI drivers while the St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Department saturation patrol resulted in the arrest of one motorist for DUI.
On Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 7:00 pm, 15 troopers from the Leonardtown Barrack participated in a DUI Saturation Patrol focusing on all areas of St Mary’s County. The Charlotte Hall, California, Leonardtown, Lexington Park, Mechanicsville, and Hollywood areas were targeted because they have been identified as high occurrence areas for DUI arrests and DUI related accidents. During this operation, troopers stopped 107 vehicles and issued 92 citations, 71 warnings and 21 Safety Equipment Repair Orders. 11 arrests were made for Driving under the Influence. The Saturation Patrol concluded at 3:00 am.
DUI Arrests by Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack Troopers on St. Patrick’s Day
Carlos Lorenzo Lopez, 56, of Lexington Park on 3/17/15 by TFC Mersman
Brandon Michael Mohundro, 32, of Mechanicsville on 3/17/2015 by Cpl. Pilkerton
Frank Allen Thorne, 44, of Charlotte Hall on 3/17/2015 by Tpr. Coppedge
Bradley Allen Lytle, 45, of Owings on 3/17/2015 by TFC B. Ditoto
Joseph Munoz, 28, of Patuxent River on 3/17/2015 by TFC Pitcher
Jordan Michael Dixon, 25, of La Plata on 3/18/2015 by Tpr. Morris
Christine Anne Rivera, 36, of Alexandria, VA on 3/18/2015 by S/Tpr. Evans
Leonard Carol Purnell, 40, of Great Mills on 3/18/2015 by Tpr. Ruth
Austin Christopher Gandy, 39, of California on 3/18/2015 by Tpr. Krenik
Neal Nick Leva, 40, of Leonardtown on 3/18/2015 by TFC B. Ditoto
Justin Michael Myles, 34, of Baltimore on 3/18/2015 by Tpr. C. Ditoto
Of these motorists busted for DUI, one, Brandon Michael Mohundro might be asking his attorney, Anne Emery, for a multi-arrest discount as he was arrested by Tfc. Ditoto on Jan. 2, 2015 at 10:04 am for DUI while operating on Rt. 5 north of Rt. 247. As Emery is a very capable attorney, she might be able to merge the two arrests into one court date, as Mohundro is set to appear on April 8, 2015 in St. Mary’s District Court. Ms. Emery has already merged another set of charges for Mohundro for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident which resulted in injury and negligent driving for a crash that took place on Nov. 2, 2014 on Jennifer Drive near his home at 29564 Arlington Court in Mechanicsville.
A plea deal on Jan. 31, 2002 in District Court for a charge of theft resulted in the case being put on the Stet Docket.
Joseph Munoz, of Indian Way in Lexington Park was nabbed by Tfc. Pitcher while southbound on Mervel Dean Road at 11:31 pm. This road is the old Rt. 235 and he was stopped at the intersection of Clarks Mills Road, meaning its highly likely he had just left Toots Bar or Dew Drop Inn, both of which have allowed numerous intoxicated persons to leave their establishments over the years and take to the roadway.
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