Year: 2022

CALVERT COUNTY STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE (SAO)

2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. Significant Prosecutions

 

• Harold Bernard Gross was convicted of possession of fentanyl in large volume and, on November 14, 2022, was sentenced to 5 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

 

• Travis Benjamin Ridgely was convicted of the first degree premeditated murder of Selena Noel Persinger and was sentenced on November 14, 2022 to life imprisonment suspended to 35 years of active incarceration. Ridgely will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 20 years of his sentence.

 

• Ancil Tony Hamrick, convicted in 2001 of the premeditated murder of Darlene Turley, lost his bid to have his sentence reduced. Hamrick will continue to serve a sentence of life imprisonment for the murder, plus 20 additional years for burglary.

 

• Jeffrey Scott Osborne was convicted of attempted second degree murder and sentenced on September 26, 2022, to 30 years imprisonment suspended to 13 years of active incarceration. Osborne must serve at least ½ of his sentence before becoming parole eligible.

 

• Steven Terrell Wheeler of Beltsville, MD, was sentenced on September 26, 2022, to 12 years imprisonment for the crime of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Wheeler also received an additional 7 years for a violation of probation.

 

• Ryan Christopher Carpenter was convicted of second degree rape and sentenced to 14 years of active incarceration.

 

• Bryce Everett-Earl Goggins was convicted of the armed robbery of the Fastop in North Beach and was sentenced to 20 years incarceration on April 4, 2022. The first 5 years of the sentence must be served without the possibility of parole.

 

• Rodney Carlton Rance of Lusby was sentenced to 3½ years in prison for his role in a major dogfighting ring in Southern Maryland. Rance was convicted of 14 counts of felony animal abuse.

 

• James Eric Baugher, 56, of Lusby, was sentenced on March 25, 2022, to 30 years imprisonment for sex offenses that he committed over a 7-year period with a minor child. Baugher will not be eligible for parole consideration until he is 71 years old.

 

• Christopher Morgan Hynson was sentenced to 10 years incarceration on January 24, 2022, for the crime of vehicular manslaughter.

 

 

2. Community Outreach

 

• On October 7, 2022, the State’s Attorney’s Office began its Student Shadowing Program. The Program permits Calvert County high school students the opportunity to accompany prosecutors into court and observe courtroom proceedings.

 

• For the second year in a row, the Office participated in the Day of Law Event. This event brings home-schooled students and their parents to the courthouse to learn about the criminal justice system.

 

• The State’s Attorney’s Office participated in a number of community events to include the Calvert County Fair, the National Night-Out Program, Neighborhood Watch, the Juneteenth Celebration at Jefferson Patterson Park, the Domestic Violence Victims Vigil on the courthouse lawn, the Women’s Health Fair at the hospital, and numerous Chamber of Commerce events.

 

• Prosecutors made presentations to criminal justice students at all four Calvert County high schools.

 

• State’s Attorney Harvey attended meetings of the White Sands and Kenwood Beach homeowners’ associations.

 

• Prosecutors attended the regular monthly meetings of the Calvert County Bar Association. This year’s meetings included presentations by Chief Judge John Morrissey of the Maryland District Court and Margaret Phipps, Register of Wills, among others.

 

3. Policy and Training

 

• State’s Attorney Harvey and ASA Christopher Monte provided a total of 24 hours of training to Sheriff’s Office deputies on the proper procedures for obtaining blood specimens in impaired driving cases involving fatalities or serious bodily injury. The training was provided in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit.

 

• Prosecutors provided 26 hours of training at the Southern Maryland Criminal Justice Academy on recent developments in criminal law and procedure.

 

• The Office continued its in-house training program for attorneys. Retired Judge Michael P. Whalen made presentations on the law regarding search and seizure and opening and closing statements in criminal trials.

 

• From June 12-15, 2022, 17 staff members attended the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association (MSAA) Summer Conference in Ocean City for three days of training.

 

• On April 28, 2022, State’s Attorney Harvey and several other attorneys and staff members attended a Human Trafficking Conference at the College of Southern Maryland. The Conference was instructed by members of the Federal and State Human Trafficking Task Force.

 

• Staff members attended a number of training programs outside of the office to include:

• • DSA Timothy Maher, Homicide Prosecutions, National District Attorneys’ Association (NDAA), Chicago, IL, 6/27/22 – 7/1/22.
  • ASA’s April Brown and Sierrah Beeler, Street Gang Prosecutions, National Gang Center, Gaithersburg, MD, 6/28-29/22.
  • Victim Advocate Tammie Terrell, Administrative Staff Training, MSAA, Linthicum Heights, MD, 9/20/22.
  • ASA Patrick Cathro, Trial Advocacy, MSAA, Linthicum Heights, MD, 10/11-13/22.
  • ASA Elsie Coale, Breaking the Cycle of Violence, NDAA, San Diego, CA, 10/24-28/22.
  • ASA Elsie Coale, Animal Abuse Leadership Summit, Phoenix, MD, 11/4/22.
  • ASA’s Lee Bell and Christopher Monte, Crime Scene to Courtroom, NDAA, Orlando, FL, 11/7-9-22.
  • ASA Kyle Tores, Criminal law Update, MD State Bar Association, Hanover, MD, 11/17/22.

 

4. Awards

 

• ASA Christopher Monte received the Victoria Gelfman Legal Excellence Award from the MSAA. The Award, which includes a $5,000 stipend, is given annually to one Maryland prosecutor in recognition of his/her outstanding contributions to the legal profession.

 

• ASA Elsie Coale was awarded a scholarship, funded by the NFL Foundation, to attend the Breaking the Cycle of Violence Conference in San Diego, CA, on October 24-28, 2022.

 

• ASA Lee Bell was the recipient of the annual Optimist Club Respect for Law Award presented on September 12, 2022.

 

• The State’s Attorney’s Office Child Support Division was recognized as being number one in the State of Maryland in percent of child support collected and arrears paid.

 

5. Diversion Programs

 

• In August, the Calvert County Adult Treatment Program, aka drug court, graduated 11 participants. Since 2020, 84 individuals have graduated from this program with a recidivism rate of 9.5%.  The typical recidivism rate for drug offenders, according the Bureau of Justice Statistics, is 59%, providing evidence that the drug court is working.

 

• Work began on an initiative to improve the services available to military veterans through the drug court and mental health court dockets.

 

6. Policies and Procedures

 

• Written policies were issued to staff members regarding methods for conducting Grand Jury investigations and for collecting restitution payments.

 

• A written policy was developed and issued, in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit, for the obtaining of blood specimens from suspects involved in fatal auto collisions.

 

7. Personnel

 

• ASA Anthony Navalaney joined the Office as a prosecutor in the Domestic Violence Unit.

 

• ASA Bryan Jones was hired as a prosecutor in the District Court Division.

 

• Dimitra Milne was brought on as the new front desk receptionist in District Court, replacing Teresa Weeks who was promoted to another position within the office.

On November 14, 2022, Harold Bernard Gross, of Owings, entered a guilty plea in Calvert County Circuit Court to possession of fentanyl in large volume.  He received a mandatory prison sentence of 5 years without the possibility of parole.

 

The conviction resulted from the execution of a search warrant at Gross’ residence on July 14, 2022.  At that time, members of the Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Unit recovered 302 counterfeit oxycodone pills that had been manufactured using 36.5 grams of fentanyl.  Possession of more than 5 grams of fentanyl is considered a large volume under Maryland law.

 

Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey wishes to commend the Drug Enforcement Unit and Assistant State’s Attorney Lee Ann Bell for their outstanding work in this case.  Mr. Harvey stated, “In 2020, I issued a written policy requiring my attorneys to aggressively prosecute drug dealers and to seek incarceration upon conviction.  This policy has been consistently adhered to.  There are no sweetheart deals for drug dealers in Calvert County.”

On November 14, 2022, Travis Benjamin Ridgely, 35, of Lusby, MD, was sentenced for the first degree premeditated murder of Selena Noel Persinger.  The sentence, imposed by Judge Mark S. Chandlee, of the Calvert County Circuit Court, was life imprisonment suspended to 35 years of active incarceration.  Ridgely will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 20 years of his sentence.  The sentence cannot be modified without the consent of the State.

 

Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey wishes to commend Deputy States Attorney Timothy J. Maher and Assistant State’s Attorney Rebecca N. Cordero for their work on this case.  The plea and sentence was agreed to after extensive consultation with the victim’s family in order to achieve justice for the victim and bring finality to the legal proceedings.  Family members were present in court at Ridgely’s sentencing and provided victim impact testimony to Judge Chandlee.

Ancil Tony Hamrick, convicted in 2001 of a brutal Calvert County murder, has lost his bid to have his sentence reduced.  Hamrick had argued that his sentence was illegal because his convictions for first degree murder and burglary should have been treated as the same offense.  On November 9, 2022, Judge Mark S. Chandlee of the Calvert County Circuit Court disagreed, ruling that “the sentence entered was legal.”

 

Hamrick was convicted by a jury in 2001 of the murder of Darlene Turney.  Evidence showed that he broke into Ms. Turney’s home and attempted to strangle her.  When that failed, Hamrick obtained a knife and stabbed the victim to death.

 

Judge Chandlee’s ruling means that Hamrick’s sentence will remain at life imprisonment for murder plus 20 additional years for burglary.  Hamrick is currently serving his sentence at the Jessup Correctional Institute.

 

The State was represented in this proceeding by Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey.  Hamrick was represented by attorney Elizabeth Franzoso.

From October 24-27, 2022, the Calvert County Sheriff’s office conducted its annual warrant initiative with assistance from the State’s Attorney’s Office and other agencies.  This initiative resulted in the arrest of 124 persons with open warrants and the service of 66 non-support warrants.  Over $56,000 of unpaid child support was collected.  State’s Attorney Robert Harvey wishes to thank Sgt. Phillip Foote of the Sheriff’s Office as well as the other officers who participated in this initiative.  It was conducted without incident or injury to the citizens and officers involved.

The Calvert County Adult Treatment Court (a/k/a drug court) has graduated a total of 84 individuals from the program since 2020.  Of those individuals, 8 have incurred new charges, leaving us with a recidivism rate of approximately 9.5%.  Although no recidivism rate is acceptable, this number compares very favorably to the national recidivism rate of 59% reported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics for drug offenders.  The Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office is an active participate in the drug court program.  These statistics show that the program is working.

On Friday, October 7, 2022, the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office initiated its Student Shadowing Program.  This program allows high school students the opportunity to accompany prosecutors into the courtroom to observe actual court proceedings.  So far eight students have signed-up.  Spaces still exist for October 21, October 28, and October 31.  Please contact Assistant State’s Attorney Patrick Cathro at patrick.cathro@calvertcountymd.gov if you would like to participate.

Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey is pleased to announce that Assistant State’s Attorney Elsie Coale is the recipient of a scholarship, funded by the NFL Foundation, to attend the Breaking the Cycle of Violence Conference in San Diego, CA, on October 24-28, 2022.  The Conference is sponsored by the National District Attorney’s Association and focuses on strategies to prevent domestic violence.  Ms. Coale is assigned to the Domestic Violence Unit in the State’s Attorney’s Office and primarily handles cases in the District Court.

Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey reports that on September 28, 2022, Adam Commodore, age 41, was found guilty of two counts of felony first degree assault, as well as two counts of reckless endangerment, following a trial before the Honorable Mark S. Chandlee of the Calvert County Circuit Court.  The case was prosecuted by Calvert County Assistant State’s Attorney Benjamin G. Lerner.

 

On August 28, 2021, Maryland State Police responded to an address in St. Leonard for the report of an assault.  When State Troopers arrived, they observed two individuals on the ground, covered in blood and going in and out of consciousness.  A wooden 2×4 with blood stains was observed on the ground.  Troopers also made contact with Adam Commodore, who was standing over the injured individuals.  The State Police secured the scene and EMS arrived to provide treatment for the injuries.  Through investigation and witness interviews, it was learned that Adam Commodore had used the wooden 2×4 to repeatedly strike both of the injured individuals, causing their injuries.  Both victims were transported to the hospital for further medical intervention.  One victim was diagnosed with a depressed skull fracture, while the other victim received treatment and sutures due to numerous head wounds.

 

Sentencing in the case is set for December 20, 2022.  The maximum penalty for each count of first degree assault is 25 years, while each count of reckless endangerment has a maximum penalty of 5 years.  Commodore is being held at the Calvert County Detention Center.

The Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with the criminal justice program at Calvert County Public Schools, has initiated a program that will permit high school students to “shadow” prosecutors as they litigate cases in Circuit and District Court.  The students will be able to observe actual courtroom proceedings to learn first-hand how the criminal justice system operates.  So far, students from Calvert and Patuxent High Schools have signed-up.  State’s Attorney Robert Harvey encourages more students to participate.  The program will kick-off on October 7, 2022.