WCTR News

Cheryl Beulah, executive director of Aaron’s Place, discussed the food pantry’s potential new location with the Caroline County Commissioners on Tuesday. The Star Democrat reports the proposed location on Meeting House Road will allow Aaron’s Place to work in partnership with His Hope Ministries and the Chesapeake Culinary Center to provide a year-round homeless shelter and multiple different classes, additions and food storage locations. Plans for the location have been in the works for the past two years while volunteers from Aaron’s Place and His Hope Ministries have resolved issues with the Environmental Protection Agency resulting from a covenant on the property.

A Queen Anne’s County woman has been sentenced to a decade in prison after being found guilty of reckless endangerment and criminal neglect of a minor in connection to a child’s drowning last year. WBOC reports first responders were called to Station Lane in Grasonville on Oct. 4, 2024 on reports of a child under two years old being found face-down in an inflatable pool. Despite life-saving efforts, the child died several days later.
The ensuing investigation revealed Marina Castanon Tomas, of Grasonville, was babysitting the child and had gone inside to paint the walls of her home while the child played in the inflatable pool with several other small children, according to the Sheriff’s Office. After about ten to fifteen minutes, Castanon Tomas told police she went back out to check on the children and found the toddler face-down in the water. Castanon Tomas called 911 and then attempted live-saving efforts.

The Bay Bridge Run will take place on Sunday, Nov. 9. Participants will run or walk the 6.2 miles from Northrop Grumman on the western shore, across the eastbound span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, along Pier One Road and up Route 8 to the finish line in Chesapeake Bay Business Park. The Bay Times and Record Observer reports the eastbound span of the Bay Bridge will be closed at 12 a.m. Sunday morning to prepare for the runners and is expected to reopen by 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon. During this time frame, the westbound span will be in two-way traffic operations, carrying both east and westbound traffic. The southbound lane of Route 8 will be open from Main Street to Thompson Creek Road, but the exit to westbound Route 50/Bay Bridge located on the Route 8 overpass will remain closed.

Kent County Public Schools’ Family Support Resource Center is hosting a free workshop next week with Kent and Queen Anne’s affiliate of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). The Evening Enterprise reports NAMI’s presentation “Ending the Silence” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 in the media center of Kent County Middle School in Chestertown. This is an opportunity to learn about services offered by NAMI and the “Ending the Silence” program, and to gain knowledge on warning signs, ways to help and strategies to reduce stigma while supporting mental health.

The Town of Ridgely claims it acted lawfully when it disbanded its police force in 2024, according to a federal court filing made last week. The Star Democrat reports responding to a lawsuit filed by former Ridgely police officers in U.S. District Court in August, attorneys representing town commissioners and employees submitted a motion to dismiss claims made against the town by eight plaintiffs — former Police Chief Jeff Eckrich, six other officers and one civilian employee. In the motion, submitted Friday, attorneys for the town argued Ridgely acted within its charter when eliminating the police department, a decision made for “legislative and budgetary” reasons, the motion states.

The Caroline County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) arrested a 14-year-old on Sunday for stealing a handgun from a locked vehicle. WMDT reports on Oct. 12, deputies responded to the 13000 block of Greensboro Road following a report of a theft from a minivan. Upon arrival on the scene, located at a church parking lot, deputies contacted the vehicle owner who reported that someone had stolen a 9mm handgun form the center console of the minivan.
An initial investigation by deputies identified a 14-year-old male from Marydel as the suspect. The juvenile was located at his residence with his mother, where he was questioned and ultimately confessed to breaking into the minivan and taking the handgun

A man was arrested last week after repeatedly trespassing on a boat at the Piney Narrows Yacht Haven in Queen Anne’s County. A victim informed a responding deputy that Nathanial Williams had boarded her boat and attempted to lock her out. Deputies located Williams at the nearby abandoned outlets. He was detained and formally warned not to return to the boat, with the advisory that he would be arrested if he did.
Ten minutes after Williams was released from speaking with law enforcement officers, the victim called 911 to report that he had come back to the boat. Deputies returned to the scene and found Williams standing on the vessel. He was then placed under arrest.

The three members of the Caroline County Commission further refined legislation to restrict solar development on farmland during its Oct. 7 meeting in Denton and agreed to provide county-based law enforcement to Federalsburg for a year. The Caroline Review reports Sheriff Donald Baker and Chief Deputy Capt. Rodney Helmer discussed the details of a memorandum of understanding, approved by the Commissioners, that spells out the terms of providing deputies to the town of Federalsburg, an MOU modeled after the one established with the town of Ridgely in 2024. Federalsburg has weathered a series of personnel and fiscal challenges since the beginning of 2025, including two police chiefs leaving the town’s employment. Of paramount concern to the County Commissioners was the town’s ability to pay the county for sheriff’s deputies.

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration will reopen the MD 405/US 301 median crossover in Queen Anne’s County on Oct. 13, following a series of safety improvements. WBOC reports those upgrades include new rumble strips in both directions of US 301 before the MD 405 intersection, additional channelization on MD 405 west to improve visibility, tree trimming in the median, and the installation of digital speed display signs. The State Highway Administration will also host a public meeting from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, at the Price Community Center, 121 Rabbit Hill Road in Church Hill.

Three men are facing charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old at a house party in Maryland, according to Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s officials. CBS Baltimore reports Kamryn Andrews, 19, of Seaford, Delaware; James Lawson, 20, of Queenstown, Maryland; and Travis Lissau, 27, of Centreville, Maryland, are all being held without bond, charged with manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment, officials said.
The arrest comes nearly four months after Christopher Parsley, 19, was shot and killed during a house party on June 1. The shooting occurred in the 1500 block of Centreville Road in Queenstown, according to officials.