Calvert County Assistant State’s Attorney Anthony R. Navalaney, II, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship to be used for training purposes. The scholarship was awarded by the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Association and must be used within the next year. Mr. Navalaney prosecutes domestic violence cases in the Circuit and District Courts in Calvert County.
Following a week-long trial, a Calvert County jury on April 17, 2023, convicted Terrance Kenneth Yancey of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Tyree Richardson. The jury also convicted Yancey of 2 firearms violations, 4 counts of reckless endangerment and 1 count of destruction of evidence. He faces a total of over 40 years incarceration.
Evidence revealed that Mr. Richardson entered a home in the early morning hours of June 13, 2022, to attempt a reconciliation with his ex-girlfriend. When he entered her bedroom, he was met with a hail of gunfire from Yancey. All told, Yancey fired 16 shots and then fled the residence. A massive manhunt ensued and Yancey was ultimately captured 24 hours later in a wooded area in Dunkirk.
Commenting on the verdict, Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey stated: “This was a well-tried case. In addition to witness testimony, the State presented over 300 pieces of physical evidence for the jury’s consideration. I am pleased that we were able to bring justice to the family of the victim.”
Sentencing is scheduled for July 28, 2023, before the Honorable Mark S. Chandlee. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Christopher J. Monte.
On April 20, 2023, a 3-judge panel sitting in Upper Marlboro affirmed the 10-year sentence imposed on Joseph Martin Blankenship for the crime of second degree assault. Blankenship was convicted in 2021 by a Calvert County jury and sentenced to the maximum possible sentence by Judge Andrew S. Rappaport. A Maryland appellate court previously upheld Blankenship’s conviction.
Blankenship was convicted of the unprovoked attack on a 19-year old victim. When the victim asked Blankenship to refrain from using profanity in front of children, Blankenship pulled the victim from a car and punched her in the face. The victim required medical attention.
Blankenship is also serving a 10-year consecutive sentence in an unrelated burglary and assault case.
Greenbelt, Maryland – Former high school and youth football coach, Moshe Michael Imel, age 53, of Owings, Maryland, pleaded guilty late yesterday in U.S. District Court to two counts of production of child pornography involving two minor victims. As part of his plea agreement to the federal charges, Imel also agreed to plead guilty to charges related to the sexual abuse of minors in three cases in the Circuit Court for Calvert County, which is scheduled for May 2, 2023. Imel remains detained.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Calvert County Sheriff Ricky Cox; and Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey.
According to his plea agreement, between July 2018 and November 2020, Imel was an assistant football coach at a Calvert County High School. In March 2021, law enforcement interviewed two victims who reported that beginning when Imel coached the individuals in a youth football program and continuing through high school, Imel groomed and then sexually abused the victims. Specifically, Imel admitted that he directed each victim to expose and touch himself in a sexual way and ultimately engaged in sexual contact with the victims on numerous occasions. Imel also created sexually explicit videos of the victims documenting his abuse.
A search warrant was executed at Imel’s home and confirmed that the basement—including the action figures lining the walls, the computer setup, the cameras, sex toys and other paraphernalia—was as the victims had described it to law enforcement. A review of fourteen electronic devices seized at Imel’s residence revealed that they all contained child pornography or evidence of Imel’s sexual contact with minors.
Imel and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Imel will be sentenced to between 25 and 40 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. As detailed in the plea agreement, Imel will be sentenced for the state case after his federal sentencing. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for August 8, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, and the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, who is prosecuting the federal case and recognized Rebecca N. Cordero, who is prosecuting Imel’s case in State court.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
On Sunday, April 23, 2023, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office will be hosting the 33rd Annual Statewide Memorial Service for Crime Victims and their Families. The event will be held at the Prince Frederick Volunteer Fire Department, Company 2, headquarters. The public is welcome.
The program will feature a number of guest speakers to include Calvert County Sheriff Ricky Cox, State’s Attorney Bob Harvey, Kurt Wolfgang, Executive Director of the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, and Dawn Collins, whose son, Lt. Richard Collins, III, was murdered at the University of Maryland in 2017. The program will offer the opportunity for the families and friends of crime victims to unite and share their experiences with victim services professionals and public officials.
