Cops & Courts – August 19, 2022

Backpack Full of Cash Swiped

OCEAN CITY – A local man was arrested last week after allegedly swiping his girlfriend’s backpack containing over $3,000 in cash along with her iPhone from a downtown condominium.

Around 2 a.m. last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a condominium at 8th Street for a reported domestic dispute. Officers met with a female victim who advised she did not feel safe around her boyfriend, identified as Nathaniel Beard, 22, of Ocean City, and called the police.

Before the officer arrived, Beard reportedly left the scene in a vehicle. According to police reports, the victim went back inside her condo and discovered her backpack containing roughly $3,000 in cash and her cell phone was missing. While the officer was speaking with the victim, Beard called her and the officer got on the phone with him, according to police reports.

Beard reportedly told police the victim had left her backpack in his vehicle and that he would leave it in the parking lot of a condo on 79th Street. The victim told officers she never left her backpack in the Beard’s vehicle that day or on any other previous day, according to police reports. The victim advised Beard does have a key to her condo and stays there occasionally.

OCPD officer located the victim’s backpack, which contained over $3,300 in cash and her iPhone, in the parking lot of the uptown condo where Beard said it would be, according to police reports. OCPD officers also located Beard in the same area and he was arrested and charged with theft.

When officers interviewed Beard, he reportedly admitted taking the money from inside the victim’s unit at 8th Street because he was angry at her and wanted to spite her, according to police reports.

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Kicking and Spitting Blood

OCEAN CITY – A Massachusetts man was arrested last weekend after first getting bounced from a midtown nightclub and later kicking and spitting blood at resort police officers attempting to arrest him.

Around 10 p.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) were dispatched to the area of a midtown nightclub at 49th Street for a report of two disorderly males who were refusing to leave. The officers arrived and made contact with a manager who advised one of the males, identified as Nicholas Williams, 29, of Quincy, Mass and been trespassed by bar staff.

Williams reportedly swung at bar security members with closed fist multiple times before walking away from the entrance to the nightclub to a rear parking area. OCPD officers located Williams. When they attempted to detain him, Williams began using profanities and tensed up and moved his arms to prevent being placed in handcuffs.

OCPD officers continued to attempt to arrest Williams who continued to resist and battle with police, who eventually were able to pin him to the hood of the police vehicle and get him into handcuffs. Still, Williams continued to resist, kicking at the officers holding his feet, according to police reports.

Once in cuffs, Williams continued to resist and spit blood into the eye of an OCPD officer, while kicking other officers attempting to arrest him. Because he continued to spit blood, OCPD officers placed a spit mask on him. He eventually was placed on a violent person restraining device and continued to kick officers in the transport vehicle. He was charged with multiple counts of assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and other charges.

Downtown Disturbance

OCEAN CITY – A Washington, D.C., man was arrested last weekend after allegedly causing a disturbance and instigating a fight on a crowded downtown street.

Around 10 p.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were patrolling in the area of Talbot Street when their attention was drawn to loud yelling. As officers drew nearer in their vehicle, they could hear one of two men, later identified as Jamari Prophet, 21, of Washington, D.C., yelling an expletive multiple times, according to police reports.

The officers circled around the block and could still hear Prophet screaming expletives when they were a block away, according to police reports. When they got back to the scene, they reportedly observed Prophet screaming in the face of another male as if he was instigating a fight with the other man.

While that was going on, OCPD officers observed a woman walking on the sidewalk nearby with two small female children. The woman with the two small children was clearly disturbed by the incident and turned around and walked in another direction. Meanwhile, OCPD officers observed numerous other adults, and families with children moving off the sidewalk and around the scene, according to police reports.

OCPD officers got out of their vehicle and detained Prophet, at which he point he yelled “I’m from D.C., I don’t give a [expletive deleted]” and other obscenities directed at the officers, according to police reports. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.

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Suspended Sentence in Assault Case

OCEAN CITY – A Pennsylvania man arrested April after allegedly assaulting a juvenile child during a domestic incident at a midtown hotel pleaded guilty this week to resisting arrest and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, all of which was suspended in favor of probation.

Around 5 a.m. last April 16, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a hotel at 54th Street for a reported domestic situation. The officer met with the hotel’s night auditor, who advised he had received multiple complaints about a room on the fourth floor, according to police reports.

The night auditor said he made contact with the occupants of the room in question, including an adult male and female and three-to-four young children. When the auditor spoke with the occupants, they were adamant they were not arguing, but rather just speaking loudly, according to police reports.

The night auditor told the officer he had been to the room multiple times before calling police as the complaints continued, according to police reports. The night auditor said the adult male occupant, later identified as Bryan Galvez, 33, of Bethlehem, Pa. had left just prior to the officer’s arrival.

OCPD officer met with the adult female occupant of the room. OCPD officers had previously encountered the female and Galvez hours before at a midtown nightclub. Galvez was reportedly intoxicated and was attempting to drive back to their hotel, but the female had the keys and would not let him drive. The couple then walked north toward their hotel.

The female told police the couple argued about the car keys and how they were missing when they were back at the hotel. OCPD officers observed four children in the room, ranging in age for six to 12-years-old. Each of the juveniles confirmed the couple had been arguing, according to police reports.

One of the juveniles told police Galvez had struck her with an open hand as she attempted to intervene in the couple’s argument, according to police reports. The juvenile reportedly told the officers Galvez was intoxicated and turned his attention toward her during the argument, calling her an expletive. The victim said she tripped on the bed when Galvez walked toward her aggressively. The victim told police Galvez got on top of her and struck her on her left side with an open hand. The other juveniles in the room corroborated the victim’s story. Galvez was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, child abuse and other charges. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and was sentenced to 60 days, which was suspended. He was then placed on probation for one year.