The following is a sample of recent Charles County Sheriff’s Office investigations. For information about crimes not included in this report, visit CrimeReports.com and search by county, city, zip code or street address.
BURGLARY/DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY: On January 26 at 8 a.m., a home repair contractor arrived at a home in the 7300 block of Port Tobacco Road in Welcome and found that the residence had been broken into by unknown suspect(s). The suspect(s) gained entry by breaking a window and screen. Nothing appears to have been stolen. Pfc. J. Marti is investigating.
RECOVERED STOLEN VEHICLE/ANIMAL CRUELTY: On January 25, a Prince George’s County police officer was on
Shabazz, Malikah Saban
Shabazz, Bettih Bahiyah
his way home from work when he ran a tag on a U-Haul truck. When he found that the truck had been reported stolen to the Vermont State Police earlier that day, the officer broadcasted a lookout for the vehicle. At approximately 9:51 p.m., a Charles County officer located the vehicle in a parking lot off of Drury Drive in La Plata. The two occupants, Malikah Saban Shabazz, 51 of Stark, New Hampshire, and Bettih Bahiyah Shabazz, 19, with no fixed address, were arrested. Further investigation revealed 7 pit bull terriers, some with severe injuries, in the back of the truck that were kept in inhumane conditions. Animal Control responded and transported the dogs to the Tri-County Animal Shelter, where they are currently in stable condition. Malikah Shabazz was charged with 7 counts of animal cruelty and theft. Bettih Shabazz was charged with theft. Cpl. T. Yates is investigating.
FOURTH DEGREE BURGLARY: On January 25 at approximately 3:38 p.m., officers responded to a junkyard located in the 10800 block of Charles Street in La Plata for the report of a theft from a motor vehicle. Investigation revealed that an employee observed two males stealing batteries from cars in the lot. When he confronted the males, they fled into the woods and back to their vehicle. Before they could get away, another employee pulled behind the suspect vehicle and stopped them until police arrived. David Roman Puhalsky, 18, of Newburg, was arrested and charged with burglary and theft. The juvenile that was with him was also charged. Pfc. M. VanHorn investigated.
Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Learn more at the CCSO’s website.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprised of more than 600 police, corrections and civilian personnel responsible for protecting more than 150,000 residents. The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2001 has been designated as a CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence agency since 2011. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.
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