By Greg Ellison
Juvenile car theft
Berlin Police were led on a brief pursuit early Sunday morning after seeing a vehicle doing “doughnuts” near Church Street.
The incident, which took place around 3 a.m., concluded after the 16-year-old behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle wrecked the car in a yard in the 200 block of Main Street.
Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing issued a statement on Monday reporting the juvenile male allegedly stole the vehicle from outside a residence on Old Ocean City Boulevard.
Police chanced upon the hot ride while investigating a loud noise in the vicinity of Tripoli and Church streets.
In short order, officers witnessed a vehicle with a damaged rear tire driving in circles in the road.
Police reported the driver ignored an attempted traffic stop, opting instead to speed away and blast through several stop signs.
During the pursuit, the underage driver narrowly missed striking a police cruiser on Main Street, police said.
Eventually, the vehicle went off road and struck a streetlight by Stevenson Church on 123 N. Main Street.
Undeterred, the stolen-car driver navigated back to the street only to proceed to jump a sidewalk and come to a rest in a nearby front yard on Main Street.
The driver, who was unaccompanied and uninjured, was taken into custody without further incident.
Police reported the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.
Investigators subsequently discovered a slew of damaged front yards on Church Street, Gay Street and both North and South Main Street, which were all attributed to the illegal joyride.
Police advised the Department of Juvenile Justice the 16-year-old is charged with DWI, car theft, fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, negligent driving, driving without a license, driving the wrong way and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.
Juvenile Justice officials subsequently ordered the youth to be released to parental custody.
On Monday morning, Berlin Police were informed that the Maryland State Police were investigating reported property damage on Route 113.
State Police allege the juvenile also damaged two fields and a mailbox at a residence on Route 113.
Berlin Police request residents suffering damage possibly tied to the incident on Sunday night call the department at 410-641-1333
Wedding party knockout
An unidentified male subject was flown by helicopter to Tidal Health in Salisbury on July 31 after being punched and losing consciousness outside the Ocean Pines Yacht Club around 11 p.m.
According to reports, the man attempted to join a wedding party in the midst of sending the bride and groom off from the parking lot.
After being asked to leave the group alone, the man reportedly attempted to take part in the festivities at which point a member of the wedding party punched him in the face.
The Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department was summoned for an EMS call at the Yacht Club for a patient with injuries from a fall.
The fire dispatch report said the man was injured after falling and hitting his head on concrete, which allegedly occurred after being punched.
EMS crews took the assaulted party to the Maryland State Police Aviation Command Trooper 4 helicopter that landed at the South Ocean Pines helipad near Firehouse Lane and Manklin Creek Road.
Nate Passwaters, with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, said in addition to Maryland State Police, his department assisted Ocean Pines Police with reigning in the large disorderly crowd from the wedding party.
Passwaters said the unidentified assault victim was flown for medical attention for serious injuries and was still hospitalized days after the incident.
Although the Ocean Pines Police said last Tuesday that a statement on the assault would be issued, the department has provided no information on the incident so far.