Rockville elementary school students sickened by methamphetamine "candy"

Rockville City and Montgomery County police detectives were called to College Gardens Elementary School at 1700 Yale Place in Rockville yesterday, after three students fell ill after sampling what they said they thought was candy. Inital toxicology reports on the 7-year-old children suggest the blue "candy" may have instead been methamphetamine-related drugs, such as Adderall or Molly. All three students have been discharged from the hospital. It appears the students were wise enough to spit out the items before swallowing them, minimizing their ingestion of whatever the controlled substance was.

"I am relieved that the students will ultimately be fine, but in many ways, what happened today is frightening,” Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones said in a statement.  “I hope that it serves as a powerful motivator for parents to keep having the difficult conversations with their children about the dangers of taking or eating unknown substances." Detectives are continuing to investigate the source of the controlled substance the students said they found.

Montgomery County police hire Hispanic Community Liaison

The Montgomery County Police Department has hired a Hispanic Community Liaison, it announced in a press release yesterday.  Montgomery County government employee Mariela Leon has previously worked in the Department of Health and Human Services and in the Office of Human Resources. Her father is from Guatemala, and her mother is from El Salvador. Leon was the first member of her family to attend college, and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and Criminal Justice, and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management.

At the police department, Leon will be assigned to the Office of Public Information. She is "excited to be part of the Montgomery County Police Department," according to the department's press release.

Derwood man wanted for attempted murder arrested after Clarksburg-to-Frederick police chase

Montgomery County police, with assistance from officers with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Department, Maryland State Police, Frederick City police, and the Frederick County Sheriff's Department, will soon have in custody an attempted murder suspect who led them on a chase from Clarksburg into Frederick County. The pursuit began when Montgomery County detectives spotted Johnny Franklin Dove, Jr., 22, of Derwood in Clarksburg on Monday. Dove was wanted in connection with a domestic violence incident a day earlier, which has now been classified as an attempted murder by Montgomery County detectives. 

Dove was able to elude them, and crossed over into Frederick County, where local law enforcement officers picked up the chase. But Dove once again escaped their grasp, as he cleverly switched vehicles during the pursuit. He successfully fled into Virginia, where Montgomery County detectives caught up with him Tuesday.

Dove is currently being held in the Loudoun County Detention Center where he is awaiting extradition to Maryland. He has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, felony use of a firearm during a violent crime, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

Man arrested in Rockville allegedly thought he was meeting a teen girl, but she was really a cop

A Mount Airy, Maryland man traveled to Rockville on January 19. Police say he was expecting to meet up and have a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on social media. She had informed him she was only 15, but he proceeded to "have sexually explicit conversations with her," detectives from the Montgomery County Vice and Intelligence Unit alleged in a press release this afternoon. When the man arrived at the agreed upon meeting place, he discovered that the teen girl was actually a police officer.

Todd Eugene Immel, 51,  was arrested and transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. He was charged with solicitation of a minor. Immel is currently being held without bond.

V&I detectives are concerned that there may be other victims who have been contacted by Immel. They are encouraging anyone who believes themselves to be a victim, or anyone with information related to this case, to contact the V&I Unit at 240-773-5958 or contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous. 

Online ads lead Montgomery County police to illegal massage parlor in Rockville

Montgomery County police detectives with the department's Vice and Intelligence unit have arrested and charged a New York woman with prostitution and sex trafficking. Police say online ads featuring photos of "scantily-clad Asian women in lingerie" led them to an unlicensed massage spa in the 14800 block of Physicians Lane in Rockville. Detectives have not publicly identified the name of the spa; there are three spas on that block.

Starting last November, V&I unit detectives began watching the spa, and noted male clients entering and leaving the business. Using evidence gathered, the detectives were able to obtain a search warrant for the spa premises at the end of December. They executed the warrant on January 4, 2023. Inside, they found an alleged sex trafficking victim, who told them that 63-year-old Yang Jiang had allegedly told her she could make extra money by providing sexual services to her massage clients. 

“This arrest is the third incident in recent months involving an illicit spa and human trafficking in Montgomery County.  This underscores the real and rising threat posed by human trafficking in the region,” MCPD Police Chief Marcus Jones said in a statement Monday. “Victims of human trafficking are not always forced into trafficking by brute, physical means. Victims are often coerced into being trafficked over a period of time through deliberate, psychological tactics used by their traffickers, so the signs of trafficking may not always be obvious. There are several ways that victims of trafficking can obtain help and can contact either the police department directly or the Montgomery County Crisis Center.”  

Anyone with information regarding Yang Jiang is asked to contact the Montgomery County Department of Police Vice and Intelligence Unit at 240-773-5958 or contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous.  

Police urge anyone who is a victim of sex trafficking to contact the Montgomery County Crisis Center. The Crisis Center provides free crisis services 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Services are available to you by telephone (240-777-4000) or in person at 1301 Piccard Drive in Rockville (no appointment needed). Alternatively, you can call 911.

Police investigate human trafficking case at Rockville hotel

Montgomery County police were called to investigate a prostitution-related incident at a hotel in Rockville on Wednesday, including prostitution, procurement of a prostitute, and human trafficking for the purpose of commercial sex acts. Police were called to a hotel in the 2600 block of Research Boulevard at 4:54 PM on Wednesday afternoon, January 11, 2023.

Pedestrian in critical condition after collision in Rockville

A 40-year-old man is in critical condition, after he was struck by the driver of a 2017 Toyota Corolla heading east in the 1600 block of E. Gude Drive on Monday. The collision occurred at 5:38 PM. While police said the pedestrian was crossing Gude "from north to south," they did not specify if he was in a marked crosswalk at the time. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the police investigation.

The Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this collision. Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact CRU detectives at 240-773-6620.

Montgomery County police investigate Sunday night gunfire at Pike & Rose

Montgomery County police responded to a shots-fired report at Pike & Rose Sunday night. The gunfire was reported to 911 at 9:17 PM in the 11500 block of Old Georgetown Road. @CordellTraffic on Twitter reported that officers responding to the scene found evidence outside of Sports & Social Bethesda, and a bullet inside the sports bar. No injuries were reported. 

Police have not yet commented publicly on the motive for the shooting, or on the search for any suspects involved. @CordellTraffic cited a dispute or altercation as the catalyst for the gunshot(s) that followed.

Ski-masked teens attempt armed carjacking, slam woman into concrete pillar in Rockville

Three 14-year-old males who live in Washington, D.C. have been arrested and charged by Montgomery County police after attempting to carjack a woman in the parking garage at Rockville Town Square on Monday, October 3, 2022 at 11:50 AM. The brazen daylight crime unfolded when a woman parked her 2019 RAV 4 in the garage off Maryland Avenue. As she walked away from her vehicle, three juvenile males wearing ski masks allegedly approached her. 

One of the teens suddenly rushed toward her. He pushed the woman hard into a concrete pillar. After striking the pillar, she fell to the ground. He then stood over her, brandishing a black firearm, and demanded her car keys.

The female victim began screaming, and caught the attention of others in the garage. Those Good Samaritans rushed to help her, and the three ski-masked teens suddenly abandoned their plan and attempted to flee the scene. The bystanders chased after them, using their phones to capture images of the suspects. After being pursued to the intersection of E. Middle Lane and Helen Heneghan Way, the teens turned around and threatened the Good Samaritans with the firearm, causing them to back off.

A Rockville City police officer located the teens about 30 minutes later near the intersection of MD 355 and Gude Drive. When backup units arrived, all three were taken into custody without incident. In one of the suspects' bags, three ski masks and a black BB gun were allegedly found by officers.

All three boys were charged with attempted armed carjacking and first-degree assault. After referral to the Montgomery County Department of Juvenile Services, all three were released into the custody of their parents. 

Strong-arm robbery in Rockville parking lot

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery in Rockville Sunday night, October 2, 2022. The robbery was reported in a commercial parking lot in the 2600 block of Research Boulevard at 9:50 PM. That is right off of Shady Grove Road.

Assault at Rockville hotel

Montgomery County police were called to a hotel in Rockville, after an individual reported being the victim of a 2nd-degree assault on Friday afternoon, September 9, 2022. The assault was reported at a hotel in the unit block of Research Court at 4:17 PM Friday.

Rockville stabbing homicide victim identified

Montgomery County police released the name of the adult male homicide victim in Saturday night's double stabbing in Rockville. Jonathan Lawrence Moore, 35, of Silver Spring was pronounced dead from a stab wound in the 800 block of Hungerford Drive Saturday night. Scorpio Alexander Standfield, 31, of no fixed address, has been charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault and first-degree murder in connection with the incident. 

A second adult male victim was transported to a hospital with serious injuries; police have not provided an update on his health status as of this writing. He was able to provide a description of the assailant to police before he was taken away in the ambulance that facilitated the quick location and arrest of Standfield.

Rockville fatal stabbing suspect arrested

Montgomery County police announced they have arrested a suspect in the multiple stabbings that occurred last night on Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Two adult males were allegedly stabbed by the suspect, and one of them was pronounced dead. Scorpio Alexander Standfield, 31, of no fixed address, has been charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault and first-degree murder. His bond status has not been divulged by police.

The incident began when Rockville City and Montgomery County police, and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service units, responded to a report of a stabbing in the 700 block of Hungerford Drive at 9:55 PM Saturday. Responders found an adult male suffering from a stab wound. The victim provided a description of the assailant, and was then transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.

Officers identified the suspect as Standfield, whom they found in the 900 block of Hungerford. Standfield possessed evidence linking him to the crime, detectives said, without identifying if that included the weapon used. While investigating the scene on those two blocks, officers noticed a second adult male sitting in a vehicle in the 800 block of Hungerford, who was also suffering from a stab wound. That second male victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives from the Major Crimes Division are asking anyone who has information about this stabbing and homicide to call the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070 or contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Callers can remain anonymous.   

Car stolen in Twinbrook area of Rockville

Montgomery County police are investigating the theft of a vehicle in the Twinbrook area of Rockville. The vehicle was parked along the street in the 13100 block of Ardennes Avenue, near Twinbrook Elementary School. It is believed that the vehicle was stolen sometime between 10:00 PM Sunday night, and 5:30 AM Monday morning.

Car stolen from Rockville parking lot

Montgomery County police are investigating the theft of a vehicle from a commercial parking lot in Rockville yesterday morning, August 27, 2022. The vehicle was reported stolen from a lot in the 12200 block of Rockville Pike at 8:45 AM Saturday. Items were also reported stolen from at least one other vehicle in the same parking lot.

Car stolen from home in Rockville

Montgomery County police are investigating the theft of a vehicle from outside of a home in Rockville. The vehicle was reported stolen at 8:27 PM Sunday night, August 21, 2022. It was parked in the 4400 block of Muncaster Mill Road, near Norbeck Road.

Assault at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, 8th reported there since May 18

Once again, Montgomery County police were called to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, after another 2nd-degree assault was reported there last night, August 21, 2022. The assault was reported at the mall at 6:37 PM Sunday. This was the eighth 2nd-degree assault at the mall since May 18. The Montgomery County Police Department announced earlier this month that it would be establishing a "resource room" at the popular retail destination.

Credit card stolen from vehicle in Rockville

Montgomery County police are investigating the theft of property, including at least one credit card, from a vehicle parked on the street in the Lynfield neighborhood of Rockville yesterday. The theft was reported in the 600 block of W. Lynfield Drive at 8:47 AM Tuesday. Someone later attempted to use the stolen credit card at a business.

Pickpocket strikes at Rockville restaurant

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a pickpocket incident at a restaurant at Rockville Town Square late Saturday night, August 13, 2022. The theft was reported at a restaurant in the 100 block of Gibbs Street at 11:59 AM. An attempt to use a stolen credit card from the wallet was detected following the incident. Watch your wallet!

Car stolen from Rockville townhome

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle in the King Farm neighborhood of Rockville yesterday morning. The vehicle was parked on the street outside a townhome in the 500 block of Shorthorn Way, the newest section of King Farm recently constructed off of Piccard Drive. It is believed that the vehicle was stolen sometime between 8:30 PM Wednesday night and 9:00 AM Thursday morning.