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Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter
Anne Arundel County – On Sunday, July 29, at 1:16 a.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged Joseph Lorentzen, 47, of Crofton with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on the Severn River near the Route 50 Bridge.
U. S. Coast Guard (USCG) officers originally stopped the 35-foot cigarette motorboat for a routine boarding. USCG contacted NRP and requested assistance for a possible intoxicated operator. Lorentzen displayed signs of intoxication and after failing field sobriety tests, was placed under arrest and transported to the Maryland State Police Annapolis Barrack.
Lorentzen took a breath test, which registered a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent. He was charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol and operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol. Lorentzen was released on his signature.
Anne Arundel County - On Sunday, July 29, at 4:20 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Michael James Toft, 46, of Edgewater with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol at the West River Marina.
NRP responded to the marina for a report of a boat accident. Toft was attempting to leave the marina in his 46-foot Pacemaker yacht and struck several vessels and pilings in the process. Toft displayed signs of intoxication and after failing field sobriety tests, was placed under arrest and transported to the Maryland State Police Annapolis Barrack.
Toft took a breath test, which registered a blood alcohol concentration of .16 percent. He was charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and negligent operation. Toft was released on his signature.
Anne Arundel County – On Sunday, July 29, at 9:30 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Alexander Morris Griffin, 22, of Riva with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on the South River off of Boyd Point.
Griffin was stopped by NRP for operating his 19-foot vessel without proper navigational lights after sunset. He displayed signs of intoxication and after failing field sobriety tests, was placed under arrest and transported to the Maryland State Police Annapolis Barrack. Griffin took a breath test, which registered a blood alcohol concentration of .20 percent.
Griffin was charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, and operating a vessel between the hours of sunset and sunrise without proper navigation lights. He was released on his signature.
Baltimore County - On Saturday, July 28, at 9:20 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Robert Lee Schafer, 50, of Baltimore with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol in the area of Wilson Point on the Middle River.
Schafer was stopped by NRP for speeding in an area of Middle River with a posted 6-knot speed limit for Saturdays, Sundays and State holidays year round. Schafer displayed signs of intoxication and was charged with operating a motor vessel while under the influence of alcohol and exceeding established speed limits.
Cecil County – The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) continue their investigation of a boat accident on the Susquehanna River that claimed the life of a Rising Sun man.
On Sunday, July 29, at 7:25 p.m., NRP responded to the south end of Garrett Island on the Susquehanna River for a report of a single boat accident with three persons in the water. Robert B. McKinney Jr., 40, Barbara J. Hanson, 49, and Robert L. Ambrose, 19, all of Rising Sun were riding in a 14-foot jon boat when all three were ejected from the vessel. The vessel continued to run in circles without anyone on board.
An unidentified individual on a personal watercraft (PWC) assisted McKinney and Hanson until a fire and rescue vessel arrived on the scene and pulled them from the water. Ambrose could not be located and was reported missing. At 8:37 p.m., divers pulled Ambrose from the river and he was transported to Harford Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. His body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy.
Susquehanna Hose Company, the Darlington, Level, Fallston, Water Witch, North East and Charlestown Volunteer Fire Companies and Perry Point Fire Department assisted NRP with the incident.
Garrett County – On Saturday, July 28, at 7 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Mark Francis Blakeslee, 55, of Westlake, Ohio with operating his personal watercraft (PWC) while intoxicated in the North Glade Cove area of Deep Creek Lake.
NRP stopped Blakeslee for a PWC distance violation. He displayed signs of intoxication and after failing field sobriety tests, was placed under arrest. Blakeslee was issued citations for operating a motor vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a motor vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a motor vessel while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, and operating a PWC in excess of 6 knots within 100 feet of shore. He was released on his signature.
NRP reminds persons operating personal watercraft within 100 feet of the shore, wharfs, piers, pilings, jetties, bridge structures or abutments, an individual or individuals in the water, and other vessels may not exceed a speed of 6 knots at anytime.
Worcester County – On Friday, July 27, at 11:30 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged six Delawareans with alcohol violations in the Shad Landing campground area of Pocomoke River State Park. NRP entered the campsite to investigate a quiet hour noise violation.
The following individuals were charged with possession of an alcoholic beverage by a person under 21 years of age: Devin Watson, 20, of Newark, Del., Brianne Michele Zimny, 20, of Hockessin, Del., Kristen Marie Burns, 19, Marian Mayer, 20, Kyle Michael Spenser, 19, and Gregory Emanuel Parker Jr., 20, all of Wilmington, Del.
July 31, 2007The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) is the enforcement arm of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). With an authorized strength of 280 officers and a dedicated staff of civilian and volunteer personnel, the NRP provide a variety of services in addition to conservation and boating law enforcement duties throughout the State of Maryland. These services include homeland security, search and rescue, emergency medical services, education, information and communications services on a round the clock basis. NRP is the only police force aside from the Maryland State Police that has statewide jurisdiction.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov