Month: November 2021

When Captain John Smith sailed up the Patuxent River in 1609, he described a number of Native American settlements located along the shoreline.  The largest was located at the confluence of the Patuxent and Battle Creek, in what is now Calvert County.

In fact, Indigenous Peoples had been using these lands for thousands of years for hunting, fishing, oystering, and crabbing.  Artifacts dating back centuries can still be found on the shores of the Patuxent and the Chesapeake Bay.  Many are on display at Jefferson-Patterson Park.

Friday, November 26, 2021 is Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  For those wishing to learn more about the history of these peoples in Calvert County, I invite you to visit Jefferson-Patterson Park or to contact the Piscataway-Conoy Tribe, which was officially recognized by the State of Maryland on January 9, 2012.

Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey announced that Donald Allen Hayes, 31, of Lusby, was sentenced to a total of 9-1/2 years incarceration for sex abuse of a minor and related charges.  The sentence was imposed on November 8, 2021, by the Honorable Mark S. Chandlee of the Calvert County Circuit Court.  Because the charge is a crime of violence under Maryland Law, Hayes must serve at least half of his sentence before being considered for parole.

Hayes pleaded guilty in July 2021.  In addition to his prison sentence, Hayes will be required to serve 5 years of supervised probation upon release and register as a sex offender.

In conjunction with Calvert County Public Schools, the State’s Attorney’s Office is offering criminal justice students the opportunity to “shadow” attorneys in Court as they prosecute criminal and serious motor vehicle cases.  Students from all four Calvert County High Schools have signed up to participate in November and December.

State’s Attorney Robert Harvey hopes that this program will evolve into a long-term commitment, giving students the chance to learn about the role of prosecutors in the criminal justice system.  Students interested in participating should contact their criminal justice instructors.

Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey announced that on November 5, 2021, Wilbur Richard Hawkins, Jr., 39, received 18 years incarceration for the sexual abuse of two minor children, ages 8 and 13.

On March 16, 2020, the victims reported the abuse to detectives at the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office.  A one-party consent phone call was initiated between the victims and the Defendant.  During the call, Hawkins admitted to the abuse.  He was arrested and ultimately confessed to Detectives William Rector and Wayne Wells.

Upon his release from prison, Hawkins will be required to register as a sex offender for life and will be on lifetime supervision by the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Rebecca N. Cordero.

Robert Harvey, Calvert County State’s Attorney, announced that on November 5, 2021, Marco Joseph Decesaris, III, 72, of Prince Frederick was sentenced to 6 months incarceration for felony theft.  Decesaris, the owner of Marco’s Quality Storage Buildings, LLC, took money from victims after promising to build them sheds.  The sheds were never delivered and the victims were not able to get their money back.

Prior to sentencing, the State’s Attorney’s Office was able to obtain restitution for each of Decesaris’ victims.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney, Benjamin G. Lerner.

In 2020, 56 Marylanders lost their lives to domestic violence, according to a report published by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence.  This is the highest number of fatalities recorded since 2007.

Fortunately, Calvert County had zero domestic violence-related deaths in 2020.  Nevertheless, domestic violence remains a serious problem in our County.  In 2019, the State’s Attorney’s Office handled 343 DV cases.  From July 1, 2020 to September 14, 2021, we handled 382 cases.

The Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office has a Domestic Violence Unit assigned to prosecute these kinds of cases.  It is currently staffed by one attorney, one victim advocate and one investigator.  In addition, an attorney in the District Court Division has been designated to handle a DV docket once per month (there are two dedicated DV dockets in District Court each month).  The Unit may be contacted at 410-535-1600 x2369.

Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey has requested funding for another full-time domestic violence prosecutor in his 2023 budget submission to the Board of County Commissioners.