Month: October 2024

Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey is pleased to announce the appointment of Teresa L. Weeks as Victim/Witness Advocate for active duty and former military service members.  Ms. Weeks will be responsible for insuring that victims, witnesses, and other individuals involved in the criminal justice system are directed to services and resources uniquely available to current and former military personnel.  She will act as liaison for the State’s Attorney’s Office to the Calvert County Veterans Affairs Commission, the Maryland Commitment to Veterans Program, the Veterans Administration, and other agencies.  Finally, she will assist current and former military personnel who qualify for placement in the Circuit Court Adult Treatment Program and the District Court Mental Health Docket.

Ms. Weeks has over 20 years of experience in the courts of Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties.

State’s Attorney Harvey wishes to thank the Calvert County Commissioners and Chief Judge John Morrissey of the District Court of Maryland for their support of this worthwhile initiative.

Brandon Alexander Turner, 23, of Greenbelt, was sentenced on October 11, 2024, to life imprisonment, with 40 years of active time, for the attempted first degree murder of Calvert County Master Deputy Sheriff James Flynt.  Turner also received consecutive sentences for first degree assaults on Deputy Anthony Aranda and Deputy Tyler Bowen.  Turner’s total active period of incarceration equals 66 years.

On the evening of December 17, 2022, Turner led deputies on a high speed chase on MD Route 4 for nearly 10 miles.  During the chase, Turner produced a handgun and fired multiple shots at the pursuing deputies.  The chase ended near the Walnut Creek subdivision in Huntingtown when Deputy Flynt executed a maneuver that caused Turner’s vehicle to crash.  Turner exited the vehicle and shot Deputy Flynt in the leg, severing an artery.  But for extraordinary measures, Deputy Flynt would have died.

At trial in June 2024, Turner was convicted by a jury of 16 separate offenses.  The trial and sentencing were presided over by the Honorable Andrew S. Rappaport.

The case was prosecuted by Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey and Deputy State’s Attorney Timothy Maher.

Sentencing for Brandon Alexander Turner is scheduled for Friday, October 11, 2024 at 9:00 a.m., before the Honorable Andrew S. Rappaport, in Courtroom 1, Circuit Court for Calvert County.  Mr. Turner was convicted in June 2024 of the attempted first degree murder of Calvert County Master Deputy Sheriff James Flynt.  If you are planning to attend this hearing, you may wish to arrive early as a large crowd is anticipated.

On October 3, 2024, Stephen Louis Betz, 30, of Owings, was sentenced to 30 years incarceration, with 16 years of active time, for first degree assault and violation of probation.  The sentence was imposed by Calvert County Circuit Court Judge Mark S. Chandlee.

On September 10, 2023, Betz and two other men entered a home in Owings and confronted the residents about some medication that allegedly had been stolen.  An argument ensued and one of the unidentified men displayed a firearm.  The argument continued outside where shots were fired, striking the victim and a nearby house.  The victim survived his injuries.

Investigators from the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office determined that Betz brought the gunman to the home to settle a dispute with the victim.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Allison S. Walton.