PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAY 15, 2026

 

2026 ADULT DRUG TREATMENT COURT GRADUATION CEREMONY HELD

A CELEBRATION OF RECOVERY

Frederick, MD – The Frederick County Drug Treatment Court (DTC) celebrated 20 successful graduates yesterday in the Circuit Court for Frederick County.  DTC is a specialized court for non-violent offenders who struggle with addiction. Participants enter guilty pleas and their sentencings are postponed for an intensive supervisory program lasting a minimum of sixteen months. Upon graduation, participants are placed on an additional period of supervised probation. Participants pass through phases as they progress, attending substance use treatment, mental health treatment, and self-help meetings, perform community service, engage in work force training, further their education, and seek employment. DTC meets in the courtroom every week where the presiding judge, the Honorable Julia Martz Fisher, along with the DTC staff, including representatives of the State’s Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Public Defender, Parole and Probation, the Frederick Police Department, and treatment providers review participants’ progress since the last court session. The Court holds a graduation ceremony periodically to celebrate those individuals who have successfully completed the program.

Since DTC began in 2005, the program has graduated 254 participants. The DTC Coordinator, Paul Wolford, noted the following: “Yesterday’s graduates proved to be exceptional. Two are working full-time for substance use disorder treatment providers in the county. One was hired by the Frederick County Government. Three of them completed the Peer Recovery Academy program and are in the process of certification. Most are working full-time. But most importantly, this group grasps the understanding that sobriety was not the ultimate goal-recovery was. And recovery is a lifelong journey.”

Graduates, family members, friends, staff members, and community partners gathered for the ceremony. The Honorable Judge Julia Martz Fisher addressed every graduate individually, congratulating them on each one’s particular triumphs, “As I often say, you all fill my cup! What a special group of people.”

The Phoenix Award was presented to Jennifer Booth Tomalewski, CAC-AD, employed by the New Horizons at Mountain Manor treatment program in Emmitsburg. Ms. Tomalewski is a successful DTC graduate, who has built a career over the last decade helping others as a certified addictions counselor. The Phoenix award recognizes a former participant who has risen from the ashes to achieve great things. Mickey Stenger, DTC Case Manager, thanked Ms. Tomalewski for her tireless dedication to helping others, and remarked that she and others like her remind the DTC staff why they choose to do this work everyday.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith noted, “The ongoing success of this program is a testament to the value of problem-solving court models. These programs reduce the jail and prison populations for non-violent substance using offenders, and the attendant burden on tax- payers of warehousing folks that can be successful in the community with the extensive supervision these programs offer. The results speak for themselves – drastically reduced recidivism rates means reduced future crime. In our mission to protect the community, sometimes the best thing we can do is give people an opportunity through this program to do the hard work to change their lives – to rebuild and become valuable community members. To recover.”

Press Contact:

Jacqueline Rottmann

Media Relations Officer

301-600-2972

100 West Patrick Street

Frederick, Maryland  21701

 

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAY 6, 2026

MIDDLETOWN MAN PLEADS GUILTY, WILL SERVE 35 YEARS IN THE DIVISION OF CORRECTIONS FOR ATTEMPTED FIRST-DEGREE MURDER AND THIRD-DEGREE SEX OFFENSE

 

Frederick, MD – Yesterday afternoon, in Frederick County Circuit Court the Honorable Judge Scott Rolle sentenced 24-year-old Trey Rice, of Middletown, MD to a life sentence and ordered him to serve 35 years in the Division of Corrections for Attempted First-Degree Murder and Third-Degree Sex Offense.  The Defendant pleaded guilty to both charges and the State’s request was above the guidelines for these offenses.

On January 14, 2025 Frederick police responded to 400 W. 7^th St., Frederick Health Hospital for a report of an assault. The female victim was transported by ambulance the night before on January 13, 2025 after an employee of McClintock Distillery called 9-1-1 around 11:00 pm. The call was originally for an unconscious woman in the bathroom at this location. EMS was dispatched and transported the female to FHH for a medial evaluation, however, the police were not notified at that time. At the hospital, the Victim was evaluated by a S.A.F.E. (Sexual Assault Forensic Examination) nurse and FHH staff contacted police the next day to formally report the Victim’s multiple injuries once the victim was able to recollect more of the evening.

The Victim told police she was at a holiday staff party at McClintock’s the night before and recalled seeing the Defendant on her way to the restroom but had no further recollection of what occurred after that.  Co-workers advised they were unable to locate the victim at the end of the party and attempted to call her phone numerous times to no avail.  The bartender explained to police that after the guests left, he heard ringing coming from the bathroom and knocked on the door of the bathroom and heard a man’s voice reply.  The man said he would be one minute, but after some time, the bartender knocked on the door again and then observed the Defendant exit the bathroom and run out of the establishment. The bartender looked in the bathroom and discovered the victim unconscious on the floor with her breasts exposed. The bartender attempted to run after the Defendant to stop him, but the Defendant was unable to be located.  The owner later provided surveillance video to police showing the Defendant fleeing the establishment.

On January 15, 2025 the Defendant was apprehended at his residence 300 Franklin St. # C 32, Middletown, Maryland by Frederick Police.  A search warrant obtained authorized his transport to FHH for a SAFE exam. The Defendant told the S.A.F.E. nurse at the hospital, “I attacked a woman.”  He continued to state that he sexually assaulted the same woman and told police he had homicidal thoughts during the work holiday party.  He further explained that he began to seek out a victim to kill toward the conclusion of the party and that he identified the victim as who it was going to be. He lured the victim into the bathroom by telling her that he needed to show her something. He followed her inside, immediately placed her in a chokehold, rendering her unconscious.  He then sexually assaulted her while she was unconcious.  He said that when he noticed her hand moving, he began strangling her again.  He said when he heard an employee knock on the door, he decided to leave the bathroom and exited the establishment. He said that when he left the victim her breathing was labored, and when he didn’t hear anything the next day he assumed she was dead.

The Victim addressed the Court saying, “I was left for dead. . . .  He is a danger to all women in our society.  My life is changed forever.  He robbed me of the peace I once had.”

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith said, “It’s unbelievable how low the Maryland State Sentencing Guidelines were for these crimes.  Thankfully Chief ASA Carpenter and Judge Rolle saw the magnitude of this horrible crime and the extreme potential for this Defendant to reoffend. This offender is what nightmares are made of.  I really feel for this victim and pray for her healing.”

Upon release, the Defendant will serve five years of supervised probation with all standard conditions.  Special conditions will include, Lifetime Sex Offender Registration and GPS supervision, no access to the Internet, no viewing of pornography, no contact with the victim or her family, no contact with minors, submit to psycho-sexual and mental health evaluation and treatment.  Upon conclusion of probation, the Defendant will be on lifetime sex offender supervision.

Chief Assistant State’s Attorney, Special Victims Unit, Lindsey Carpenter represented the State of Maryland.

Press Contact:

Jacqueline Rottmann

Media Relations Officer

301-600-2972

100 West Patrick Street

Frederick, Maryland  21701

 

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARCH 31, 2026

 

 

INTERCEPT TASK FORCE WELCOMES VISIT FROM ICAC PIONEERS

 AS FREDERICK INCREASES ITS RESOURCES TO PROTECT CHILDREN IN CYBERSPACE AND COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

 

Frederick, MD – Members of the original ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Task Force (est. 1998, Maryland State Police Frederick Barrack) visited Frederick County’s INTERCEPT Task Force (Inter-agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking), est. 2023.  The Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Force, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice and Office for Victims of Crime, is a multi-disciplinary initiative designed to combat human trafficking through coordinated prevention, victim support, and prosecutorial strategies. The Frederick County ECM Task Force joins law enforcement, non-governmental organizations, and community partners in a united effort to eliminate human trafficking from the region.

The Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is a federally funded project designed to respond to and investigate complaints of online sexual child exploitation. The ICAC Task Force consists of law enforcement agencies from around the State and receives over 2,600 cyber tips annually.

Maryland State Police launched the initiative in 1998 and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office established its ICAC Task Force in 1999, trying their first case in the same year.  The first two counties in Maryland to establish ICAC were Frederick and Carroll and Frederick’s ICAC was one of the first 20 ICACs in the nation.  MSP asked Charlie Smith to pioneer and lead the ICAC Task Force in Frederick to include:  MSP Lt Barry Lease, MSP Sgt Rob Smolick, MSP CPl Dave Brauning,  FCSO DFC Mike Sabol, CCSO DFC Brad Brown, U.S. Customs Gus Aquino, and U.S. Postal Inspector Keith Hayden.  Lt. Barry Lease, a computer crimes investigator, acquired the OJJDP Grant in 1999 to establish the ICAC Task Force.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith said, “In the early days, we recognized that successful investigations would rise or fall on prosecutorial understanding of digital evidence.  Frederick County took the lead on developing search warrant templates for computers, establishing protocols for handling electronic evidence, and educating other prosecutors on emerging issues like IP tracing and file recovery.

People were using AOL chat rooms and peer-to-peer file sharing to commit crimes against children. Investigators—many without prior cyber experience—had to quickly learn digital forensics, undercover online operations, and the mechanics of internet communication. Limited technology and slow forensic tools created significant backlogs, while legal standards for digital searches were still unsettled.

Despite these obstacles, ICAC task force members adapted and we actually successfully tried Maryland’s first Internet Child Exploitation case here in Frederick, convicting two men of abusing 5 and 7 year old girls through the early internet.  We had successful partnerships with National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), Customs (ICE) and FBI Innocent Images. These early challenges and partnerships ultimately shaped a more sophisticated, proactive investigative model that remains in place today.”

ICAC’s MISSION:  In order for children to thrive in today’s world and to compete in tomorrow’s workplace, they must be able to safely play, learn and grow in cyberspace.  Challenges exist, however, the work of ICAC is a vital step in protecting children in the information age.   The internet places ongoing demands on forensic resources as a result of daily software and device updates.  Predators attempt to stay ahead of law enforcement, however, through the collaboration of federal, state and local task forces such as ICAC,  detectives stay current on investigative techniques, evidence collection, prevention efforts and public awareness.  In addition to focusing on the removal of offenders, the participating agencies engaged in community outreach efforts to educate parents and guardians about the signs of solicitation and the importance of open communication with children regarding online safety.  Law enforcement encourages anyone with information related to the solicitation or exploitation of minors to contact their local authorities.  This collaborative model creates a safer environment for our children and hold offenders accountable for their actions.

Frederick County’s INTERCEPT Task Force consists of The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Frederick Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office who partner with Operation Light Shine, a nonprofit that has provided private grant funding for proactive investigations, technology, and forensic software to help protect and rescue children and trafficking victims.

Press Contact:

Jacqueline Rottmann

Court Media Relations Officer

301-600-2972

100 West Patrick Street

Frederick, Maryland  21701

 

 

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARCH 26, 2026

 

BALTIMORE MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE WITH 20 YEARS TO SERVE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FOR CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FIRST-DEGREE MURDER

 

 

Frederick, MD – Tuesday, in Frederick County Circuit Court, Alonzo Michael Epps Jr. entered a plea of guilty to Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder.  Pursuant to the agreement, the Honorable Judge Scott Rolle sentenced Mr. Epps. to Life Imprisonment with all but 20 years of active time suspended with 5 years of supervised probation upon release.

At approximately 1:32 p.m., on Jan. 10, 2024, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) deputies responded to the 8200 block of Crum Road, Walkersville, Maryland, for the report of a suspicious vehicle in a field. The caller reported that the vehicle had its flashers on and had been there since 7 a.m.

Upon responding, deputies located a 2003 Toyota Sequoia in a field approximately 650 feet off the roadway with mud and blood on the exterior.  Deputies determined the vehicle was registered to Brice Wendell Boots, age 66, of Pikesville, Maryland.  Deputies found Mr. Boots deceased inside the vehicle with multiple blunt and sharp force injuries and immediately established a crime scene at the location.

Detectives responded to Boots’ residence in Pikesville on the evening of Jan. 10, to locate next of kin.  While in the area, they learned from neighbors that Boots’ estranged wife, Frances Virginia Hamilton, was observed at Boots’ residence the evening prior. One of the neighbors observed two males there with Ms. Hamilton believed to be her nephews.  One of these individuals was later determined to be Alonzo Michael Epps, Jr. and the other Keon Wilson-Hawkins.  Detectives further learned that Mr. Boots and Ms. Hamilton were going through a contentious divorce and that Boots had expressed fear for his safety from Hamilton on prior occasions.

A search of Boots’ residence was conducted during the early morning hours of January 11^th.  During the search, deputies observed evidence consistent with a physical altercation occurring within the home and Mr. Boots being forcibly abducted.

A post-mortem examination of Mr. Boots was conducted by the Officer of the Chief Medical Examiner.  Mr. Boots’ death was ruled a homicide.

Historical cellular phone records for Boots, Hamilton, and Wilson-Hawkins were obtained and analyzed with the assistance of the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST).  The records show that Boots, Hamilton, and Wilson-Hawkins were at Boots’ residence on the evening of Jan. 9, through the early morning hours of Jan. 10.  Boots and Wilson-Hawkins’ cellular devices departed the residence at approximately 4:37 a.m. on Jan. 10^th and traveled via interstate 70 toward Frederick.  Their devices arrived in the 8200 block of Crum Road around 6:20 a.m.  Wilson-Hawkins’ device departed the 8200 block of Crum Road at approximately 6:30 a.m. and traveled back to his home in west Baltimore.

Wilson-Hawkins’ DNA was found on a bloody glove recovered from the crime scene on Crum Road.

Wilson-Hawkins stood trial in Frederick County Circuit Court in July of 2025 before the Honorable Judge Scott Rolle and was found guilty by a jury of First-Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder, Kidnapping, and Carjacking.  Mr. Wilson-Hawkins was subsequently sentenced to Life Imprisonment with 85 years to serve.

Hamilton committed suicide on February 24^th, 2024, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland prior to being arrested.

The evidence against Mr. Epps indicated that he was a knowing and willing participant in the initial assault of Mr. Boots within the home and that he agreed to provide further assistance to Ms. Hamilton and Mr. Wilson-Hawkins in their efforts in carrying out the murder.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith said, “Alonzo Epps made a deliberate choice to participate in a violent and calculated conspiracy that began with an assault in the victim’s home and ended in his death. This plea both spares the family from the hardship of a trial and ensures that Epps is held accountable for his role in this brutal crime.”

Mr. Boots’ friends and family, who were in agreement with the plea, expressed during sentencing that “Brice was a kind man and a loyal friend.  He was a gentle soul and always helped his neighbors.  These actions were an attack on all who loved Brice.”

Chief Counsel Ricky Lewis and Deputy State’s Attorney Joyce King represented the State of Maryland.  The investigation was led by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office with assistance provided by the Frederick City Police Department and FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team.

Press Contact:

Jacqueline Rottmann

Court Media Relations Officer

301-600-2972

100 West Patrick Street

Frederick, Maryland  21701

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARCH 20, 2026

 

THURMONT MAN TO SERVE 19 YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FOR USE OF PERSONAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION TO ENCOURAGE ANOTHER TO COMMIT A SEXUAL CRIME; VIOLATION OF PROBATION

 

 

Frederick, MD – Today, in Frederick County Circuit Court, The Honorable Julia Martz-Fisher sentenced 44-year-old John P. Davis to 20 years in the Department of Corrections, with all but 10 years suspended following a guilty plea for Use of Personal Identifying Information to Encourage Another to Commit a Sexual Crime. The Defendant will receive credit for 221 days already served. The Defendant was also sentenced to 10 years to be served consecutively for violating his probation. The Defendant was on probation for assaulting the same victim and received credit for 461 days already served.

In January 2024, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Deputies investigated fraudulent Craigslist posts that had been made advertising the victim for sexual services.  The victim reported to police that the Defendant created two Craigslist posts which impersonated her and encouraged anyone interested to come to her home “anytime” and have sex with her for money. These posts included photos of her face, her full name, her age, her home address, and her phone number.  The posts were paid for with the Defendant’s credit card.  The victim received numerous harassing text messages and phone calls from individuals who expressed interest in her advertised “services.” A witness provided Ring video to the police which showed the Defendant confessing that he had made the posts.

The Victim Impact Statement was read by Assistant State’s Attorney, Carly Gibson.  The Victim expressed concern that though the posts had been removed from Craigslist, her information and images may still be on the internet somewhere. She also detailed her concern for the safety of her child, saying “The postings could have resulted in any type of criminal coming to my home.”

During sentencing, Judge Martz-Fisher stated: “This is hideous. You need a significant change in whatever it is your mindset is…. The public is not safe with you walking the streets.”

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith said, “No one should have to live in fear because someone chose to misuse technology to target them. The defendant’s actions invaded the victim’s privacy, dignity, and sense of safety. The sentence imposed today reflects the gravity of that behavior and our commitment to protecting members of this community from exploitation and intimidation.”

Upon release, the Defendant will serve five years of supervised probation with all standard conditions.  Special conditions include no contact with the victim, psychological counseling, mental health treatment and a psycho-sexual evaluation.

Assistant State’s Attorney Carly Gibson represented the State of Maryland. The case was investigated by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.

Press Contact:

Jacqueline Rottmann

Court Media Relations Officer

301-600-2972

100 West Patrick Street

Frederick, Maryland  21701

 

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