In 2025, Calvert County remained one of the safest places to live in the State of Maryland. According to data published in the NIBRS Crime Reporting Dashboard by the Maryland State Police, Calvert had the third lowest crime rate among all Maryland counties, behind only Carroll and Kent Counties. Calvert’s crime rate was 1,807 incidents per 100,000 population. The Statewide crime rate was 3,904 incidents per 100,000.
Calvert County Circuit Court Judge Mark S. Chandlee has denied a motion to reduce sentence filed by convicted murderer, Anthony Gerald Fleming. In a 9-page opinion and order, Judge Chandlee found that Fleming continues to pose a danger to the public and that a reduction in sentence would not serve the interests of justice.
Fleming was convicted in 1997 of the murder of Linda Pellicano and sentenced to life imprisonment. On May 13, 1991, Ms. Pellicano was found deceased in her home on Dalrymple Road in Chesapeake Beach. She was bound and gagged and raped. She had also sustained a stab wound to the chest.
Fleming was identified as the perpetrator through DNA evidence.
Although Fleming has been incarcerated for nearly 30 years, he has hardly been a model prisoner. Between 1992 and 2021, Fleming committed 24 violations of prison rules. In 2011, he sent a letter to a Calvert County resident threatening to kill him and his children. For this infraction, Fleming was segregated from the general prison population for 300 days.
Fleming was permitted to file for a sentence reduction under Maryland’s “Second Look Act,” which was enacted by the legislature in 2021. Although the Court was required under the statute to conduct a hearing and review Fleming’s sentence, it was in fact the 16th time Fleming had asked the Court to do so.
Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey stated: “There has to be some finality in sentencing. Life has to mean life. Each time a case is reopened, it further traumatizes the victim’s family, friends, and the community in general.”
In this case, the victim’s sister-in-law and son submitted letters to the Court opposing the motion for reduction in sentence.
The Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office is warning the public, particularly older adults and those with aging family members, about sophisticated scams in which fraudsters impersonate government officials, law enforcement officers, technical support personnel, or banking personnel. These criminal enterprises make contact with their victims through unsolicited phone calls, as well as emails and fraudulent internet links that contain a phone number that is purported to provide “help or assistance” with a problem. These criminals employ elaborate and sustained tactics, often lasting weeks or months, to manipulate victims into converting their assets to precious metals or cash. Victims are then instructed to hand the valuables to a courier for so-called “safe-keeping” in a secure government account. THIS IS A SCAM.
Do not meet with individuals to deliver cash or precious metals. U.S. government agencies and financial institutions will never ask you to wire money, send crypto-currency, deliver precious metals or cash, or purchase gift cards to resolve any alleged issue with your bank accounts, personal finances, or digital devices. Additionally, U.S. government agencies and financial institutions will never instruct you to keep a secret from your family.
Calvert County is not immune to these types of scams. A 47-year-old man from Columbia, Maryland, Jatin Talwar, has recently been found guilty in the Calvert County Circuit Court of attempting to steal over $160,000 from a 69-year-old victim in Dunkirk. Mr. Talwar is scheduled to be sentenced on November 9, 2026. In addition, a 50-year-old man from Ellicott City, Maryland, was recently charged in Calvert County with attempting to steal approximately $300,000 from a 90-year-old Solomons, Maryland resident.
These scams are designed to instill fear and urgency to override your better judgment. If you or someone you know has been contacted under suspicious circumstances, please contact the Calvert County Sherriff’s Office immediately.
On September 29, 2026, Savon Q. Samuel, 32, of Pikesville, MD, was sentenced to 12 years in prison by Calvert County Circuit Court Judge Mark S. Chandlee. Samuel was convicted of automobile manslaughter and a fleeing and eluding that occurred on December 12, 2025.
Evidence revealed that Samuel was operating a motor vehicle in Prince Frederick when he failed to pull over for a routine traffic violation. Samuel fled from the police and ran a red light at Stoakley Road and MD Route 4. His vehicle collided with a vehicle operated by Servon Gatewood of Lusby. Ms. Gatewood died from her injuries.
Samuel will be on 5 years of supervised probation upon release.
This case was prosecuted by Deputy State’s Attorney Christopher J. Monte.
A 13-year old Calvert County juvenile, previously found involved in the rape of two 6-year old girls, has been committed to the care and custody of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS).
On August 26, 2026, a Circuit Court judge ordered DJS to find a placement for the juvenile in a secure residential facility. Although the exact placement has yet to be determined, the judge’s order will ensure that the juvenile is detained and not returned to his community in Calvert County. He will not be attending Calvert County public schools.
Following the finding of involvement, the juvenile was initially released on probation. Within days, the juvenile violated his probation by making a threatening phone call to another juvenile not connected to the rape case. At the request of the State’s Attorney’s Office, the juvenile was taken into custody. He will now be sent to a secure residential facility where he will receive counseling, treatment, and other services. The facility may be in Maryland or outside Maryland, depending upon the availability of bedspace.
This case was handled by Assistant State’s Attorney April N. Brown.
On June 29, 2026, a 13-year-old juvenile was released on probation with electronic monitoring after having been found involved in the rape of two 6-year-old girls. The Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office, who prosecuted the case, recommended that the juvenile be placed in a secure “out-of-home” facility where he could receive treatment and counselling. Instead, the juvenile was returned to the home where some of the abuse allegedly occurred. Although the victims no longer live in the home, they still reside in the same community.
State’s Attorney Robert Harvey stated: “This case highlights everything that is wrong with our juvenile system. There is no accountability; no one’s responsible for anything. It’s hard to imagine how this disposition makes the world safer for the citizens of Calvert County.”
Listed below are links to WJLA Channel 7 reporter Brad Bell’s news coverage related to the incident.
On June 22, 2026, Savon Quincy Samuel, 32, of Baltimore, entered a guilty plea in Calvert County Circuit Court to the crimes of manslaughter by motor vehicle and fleeing and eluding. Sentencing is scheduled for September 29, 2026, before the Honorable Mark S. Chandlee. Samuel is facing a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
On December 12, 2025, Samuel was operating a motor vehicle in Prince Frederick when he failed to pull over for a routine traffic stop. He fled from the police and ran through a red light at Stoakley Road and MD Route 4, striking a vehicle operated by Servon Gatewood of Lusby. Ms. Gatewood died from the injuries sustained in the collision.
This case was prosecuted by Deputy State’s Attorney Christopher J. Monte.
On June 12, 2026, Khiantae Rai-Vaughn Marquez Robinson, 19, of Lusby, was sentenced to 66 years’ incarceration, with all but 22 years suspended, for attempted second degree murder and related charges. The sentence was handed down by Calvert County Circuit Court Judge Mark W. Carmean.
The charges stemmed from a drive-by shooting that occurred on September 16, 2025, on Golden West Way in Lusby. Investigators from the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office determined that Robinson fired 2 shots from a vehicle at Nicholas Derick Dwayne Smith, 25, and Timothy William White, Jr., 25, as they were changing a tire. Neither individual was wounded. Robinson was identified as the perpetrator and taken into custody after a 7-day search.
This case was prosecuted by Deputy State’s Attorney Christopher J. Monte.
On May 15, 2026, Timothy Lee Townsend, 61, of North Beach, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 20 years of active time, for sex abuse of a minor (continuing course of conduct). Upon release, Townsend will be on 5 years of supervised probation and required to register as a sex offender.
In October 2025, Calvert County deputies received a report from a 10-year-old child that Townsend had been abusing her. The victim was interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center in Prince Frederick, and she reported that Townsend had repeatedly come into her bedroom and rubbed her private areas. Townsend told her not to tell anyone or he would be taken away.
The victim courageously told her mother about the abuse and Townsend was arrested. He told police that he had done “something bad” in Calvert County.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant State’s Attorneys Rebecca N. Cordero.
On May 4, 2026, Steven Anthony Gilner, 19, of Lusby, was sentenced to Life plus 77 years incarceration, with all but 25 years suspended, for attempted first degree murder and related charges. The sentence was handed down by Calvert County Circuit Court Judge Mark S. Chandlee.
Gilner was previously found guilty following a 5-day jury trial during which the State called more than 25 witnesses and introduced nearly 300 pieces of physical evidence. The evidence proved that on June 5, 2025, Gilner conspired with two other individuals, both juveniles, to rob 24 year-old Alexis Commodore. Gilner drove the get-away car to the scene of the robbery in Lusby and waited while his two accomplices attempted the robbery. During the incident, one of the accomplices shot the victim in the back. She survived. Gilner and his accomplices were arrested a short time later.
Both of Gilner’s juvenile accomplices pleaded guilty to attempted murder charges as adults.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Christopher J. Monte and Benjamin G. Lerner.
