Sheriff’s Corner

See updates on local Crime in our area from the sheriff. You can learn more here.

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Weekly Reportable Incidents 05/10/26 - 05/16/26
As with all legal proceedings, all individuals mentioned or depicted are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Mental Health/ Emergency Petition Calls: 5
Verbal or Physical Domestic Calls: 2
DUI/DWI Arrests: 1
Incident: Trespassing
On 05/16 Sgt. Davidson responded to a Chester residence for a report of trespassing. The occupants advised a woman had shown up at their residence multiple times, verbally harassed them, and demanded they hang up an American flag. While on scene the woman returned and was trespassed from the property.
Incident: Assault
On 05/16 deputies responded to AT&T for a report of an altercation. The caller reported that the suspect had been banging on the glass trying to get into the store. When the employee opened the door, the suspect was irate and allegedly pushed the employee. Deputies were able to locate the suspect, who reported he had been assaulted first. Both were referred to the Commissioner's Office.
Incident: MDOP
On 05/15 deputies responded to a Centreville residence for a report of malicious destruction of property. The caller advised an unknown person(s) had thrown eggs at her house and that a piece of siding had been damaged. A neighborhood canvas yielded negative results.
Incident: Theft
On 05/15 deputies responded to the Queenstown Outlets for a report of theft at the Sunglass Hut. While on scene deputies observed the suspect approaching a vehicle described as the given suspect vehicle. Deputies made contact with the woman and while doing so an employee from Gap advised she had just allegedly stolen from their store as well. Further investigation uncovered numerous other stolen items from various stores. The woman was placed under arrest.
Incident: Theft
On 05/14, while Deputy Whited was conducting traffic enforcement, she was approached by a community member who advised she had received an email from a fraudulent PayPal account requesting her password. The victim provided her password and the unknown suspect then made three transactions totaling over $2,300. Only $1,000 of it was able to be cancelled.
Incident: Theft
On 05/13 deputies responded to a residence for a report of theft. The caller advised her a large amount of her family member’s pain medicine had gone missing and suspected it had been taken by someone known to the family.
Incident: Fraud
On 05/12 deputies responded to a Queenstown residence for a report of fraud. The victim advised she had received a phone call from an unknown suspect claiming to be law enforcement officer. The suspect informed the victim she had an active warrant for her arrest for failure to appear and instructed her to send $1,000 through Cash App to ‘freeze’ the warrant.
Believing the call to be legitimate the victim complied and later determined it to be a scam. The victim contacted her bank; however, they were unable to stop the transaction or recover the funds.
Incident: Theft
On 05/11 Deputy Willis responded to a Chester residence for a report of past theft. The caller advised they recently hired a contractor, that is not located in the county, to come into the home, and his son hid his tip money in a drawer under clothing. After the contractors had been in the home his son went to make a car payment and found the over $1,100 to be missing. The family believes one of the employees of the contractor stole the money.
Incident: Recovered Stolen Vehicle
On 05/10 deputies responded to Pinder Hill Road in Church Hill for a report of a suspicious abandoned vehicle. Upon arrival the vehicle was determined to have been a rental vehicle stole out of Chestertown. The vehicle lessee responded and was able to take possession of the vehicle.
Incident: Theft
On 05/10 DFC Johnson responded to a Marydel residence for a report of theft. The victim advised the tag on his boat trailer was missing and believed to have been stolen. The tag was entered into NCIC.
Incident: MDOP
On 05/10 DFC Schulz responded to a Chester community for a report of malicious destruction of property to a handicap sign. Upon view it appeared an unknown person had scratched the sign multiple times with a sharp object.
June is National Safety Month...

and Sheriff Gary Hofmann wants to remind you of a few community safety tips on how to keep your home protected from thieves, and to be aware of your surroundings while outside!

Community Safety:

  • Never leave items in your vehicle in plain view. Car thieves will often break into your vehicle for an item that has a mere dollar value.
  • Always lock your vehicle, even when parked in your own driveway or parking space.
  • Try not to carry large sums of cash on your person.

Home Safety:

  • Install exterior lighting: Use motion sensors or dusk-to-dawn lights to illuminate your home's perimeter.
  • Trim shrubbery: Keep bushes and trees trimmed to eliminate hiding places for potential intruders.
  • Display your address: Make sure your address is visible from the street for emergencies.
  • Secure your garage: Close and lock the garage door when not in use, and store valuables in a secure locking device not visible from the street.

Summer Safety:

  • Pay attention to your surroundings when walking, biking, or crossing the street.
  • If available, use designated sidewalks or paths, and cross at designated crosswalks.
  • Never rely solely on pedestrian signals — make eye contact with motorists before crossing.
  • Avoid distracting behaviors like texting, talking on the phone, or listening to music with earbuds.

Sheriff Gary Hofmann and Deputies urge you to spread the word and to remember that we are here to keepour community safe! If you need help, don’t hesitate to call. Together, we can make this summer spectacular!

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DUI Arrest
Richard Barrett, 41, of Stevensville, MD
On 05/05/26 at approximately 10:45PM, Sgt. Patchett was traveling NB on Romancoke Road when he observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the opposite direction. Sgt. Patchett’s Radar Unit was activated and captured a speed of 67mph in a posted 40mph zone.
Sgt. Patchett completed a u-turn and followed the vehicle, observing it crossing a shoulder line, and initiated a traffic stop. He made contact with the driver, identified as Richard Barrett, and observed several indicators of impairment, as well as the odor of an alcoholic beverage and the strong odor of cannabis.
Barrett agreed to submit to SFSTs, which he did not adequately perform, and was placed under arrest. During a search incident to arrest CDS and an open alcoholic beverage were located.
Charges:
DUI
DWI
Exceeding Posted Maximum Speed Limit
Driver Failure to Obey Properly Placed Traffic Control Device
Failure to Display Registration Card Upon Demand
Failure to Licensee to Notify Administration of Change of Address Within 30 Days
Reckless Driving
Negligent Driving
CDS Possession – Not Cannabis
CDS Possession Paraphernalia
Make Life Harder For Criminals

It may seem like we keep hounding this over and over, but the elderly continue to be victims of crime. Sheriff Hofmann would like to remind everyone of a few safety tips and to please share with your parents, elderly neighbors, and those who may need an extra reminder!

Car Safety

●Lock your doors immediately after entering or leaving your car.

●Park in safe areas with adequate lighting and ensure that your car is in public view. When you park, look around for suspicious persons or vehicles near your car.

●Do not leave any valuables inside the vehicle, including cell phones, money in plain sight, wallets, purses, or any electronic devices. Home Security In many burglaries, no force was used. That means the burglars got in through UNLOCKED doors and windows. Most burglaries can be prevented.

●Properly lock all windows and doors.

●Have adequate exterior and interior lighting.

●If you are going out or on vacation, use timers so that lights, radio, and TV go on and off throughout the house to indicate someone is home.

● Never leave a house key available outside: under a doormat, in a flower pot, or on the ledge of the door. These are the first places a burglar will look.

Law Enforcement Department Scam

We advise the public to be aware of phone scams involving subjects pretending to be law enforcement personnel. Suspects fraudulently identify themselves as law enforcement officers and call victims, claiming they have a warrant for their arrest. A law enforcement agency will NOT solicit by phone to advise of unpaid debts of any kind. In addition, payments related to warrants and/or citations are handled directly through the Court. The public can help combat this scam by doing the following:

●Do not call back and/or hang up if you are talking to them.

●Block the number on your cell phone. It will not help with all the fraudulent calls you may get, but it will help.

Scams that Target Seniors

Financial scams targeting seniors have become so prevalent that they’re now considered “the crime of the 21st century.

”Why? Seniors are thought to have a significant amount of money in their accounts. Additionally, seniors tend to be trusting and are willing problem-solvers. If you receive suspicious solicitations, do not provide any personal or banking information. Never do business with someone who calls you out of the blue. Instead, have a practiced "no" script, such as "I don't buy products over the phone" or "I don't talk to solicitors."

If a Crime Occurs - Report it!

Everyone should consider it their responsibility to report crime. Many criminals target favorite areas and have predictable methods of operation. Reporting all the facts about a crime helps the police assign officers to places where crimes are occurring or where they are most likely to occur. Sheriff Hofmann states that in many cases, “it is the information provided by victims and witnesses that leads to the arrest of a criminal. Please tell a Deputy or other law enforcement as much as you can; all facts are significant! The police need the eyes and ears of all our citizens!”