PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOVEMBER 5, 2025

 

NORTH CAROLINA MAN TO SERVE 16 YEARS IN THE DIVISION OF CORRECTIONS FOR POSSESSION OF LARGE AMOUNT FENTANYL AND COCAINE AND IMPORTATION OF FENTANYL INTO MARYLAND

 

 

Frederick, MD – Yesterday, in Frederick County Circuit Court, The Honorable Julia Martz-Fisher sentenced 46-year old Xerxus Rashad Belvin, of Henderson, North Carolina, to an aggregate sentence of 65 years, suspending all but 16 years active incarceration in the Division of Corrections for three felony narcotics counts: Possession of Large Amount of Fentanyl, Possession of Large Amount Cocaine, and Importing Fentanyl into the State of Maryland. The sentence was agreed upon by the State, the Court, and the Defense, and thus cannot be modified without the State’s consent. The sentence was structured consecutively, with the Defendant having to serve 20 years, suspend all but 8 years on the large amount fentanyl count, then a consecutive 20 year sentence, suspend all but 8 years on the large amount cocaine count. The first 5 years of each of those sentences are to be served without the possibility of parole, for a total of 10 years to be served without parole. The Court suspended in its entirety 25 years on the importation charge. The Defendant also forfeited $3,818 to the use of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Investigations Section. The Defendant will be on 5 years of supervised probation upon release. The Defendant pleaded guilty and will serve the agreed-upon sentence with credit for time served starting on April 25, 2025.

The sentence achieved is significantly above the sentencing guidelines for these offenses, which was 5 years to 8 years incarceration.

On, April 25, 2025 at approximately 1:15 a.m., a Frederick County Sheriff’s Office deputy was conducting routine patrol in the area of Spectrum Drive and MD-85 when he observed a white BMW bearing Georgia registration, repeatedly entering and exiting Route 15.  The deputy ultimately made contact with the driver, identified by his North Carolina identification card as Xerxus Rashad Belvin.  The deputy observed the Defendant shaking, sweating and unable to stay still in the vehicle.  The vehicle was registered to a friend of the Defendant.  The Defendant told the deputy that he was traveling from North Carolina to Pennsylvania.  The deputy observed a large, wrapped package in the rear seat of the vehicle.  When asked what is was, the Defendant replied, “Drugs.”  The Defendant was detained. Deputies located a large amount of individually packaged “bindles” of fentanyl, with a gross weight of approximately 1,000 grams, and a large amount of cocaine with a gross weight of approximately 500 grams. Deputies also found U.S. currency totaling $3,818.00 on the Defendant’s person. The Defendant was transported to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith stated, “The length of this sentence, particularly the portion to be served without the possibility of parole, should be a warning to anyone who seeks to use our highways to traffic these dangerous substances. We will hold you accountable.”

Chief Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen Swanson, of the Narcotics Unit, represented the State of Maryland.

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

OCTOBER 27, 2025

 

BRETT ENGLER, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CHIEF, APPOINTED TO DISTRICT COURT BENCH

 

 

ANNAPOLIS, MD – On October 27, 2025, Domestic Violence Unit Chief Brett Engler was appointed by Governor Wes Moore to serve as a judge on the District Court for Frederick County. Brett was a career prosecutor, starting in the office in 2012, following a clerkship for the Honorable Judge Clayton Greene on the Supreme Court of Maryland. She focused her practice on combatting intimate partner violence and working to prevent domestic violence homicide. She chaired the Frederick County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (DVCC) and the Frederick County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team (DVFRT), each of which bring together criminal justice and community stakeholders to improve the County’s domestic violence response. Additionally, Brett also served on the Legal Committee for the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, and the Criminal Justice Subcommittee of Maryland’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Statewide Implementation Team (MD-DVRSIT). She won numerous awards for her contributions to the field, including the 2023 Morton Bard Allied Professional Award from the National Organization for Victim Advocacy (NOVA) and a 2025 Purple Ribbon Award for Legal Advocate of the Year from Alliance for Hope International.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith stated, “Brett is a sharp, intelligent, and dedicated lawyer.  She and the DV Unit staff have saved the lives of countless victims and advanced the County’s domestic violence response along with our community partners. Her appointment to the bench is a natural progression in her commitment to our community.  I will really miss her in my Office, but we will carry on the critical work of high-level domestic violence prosecution and community engagement as she ascends the bench.”

https://governor.maryland.gov/news/press/pages/Governor-Moore-Announces-Judicial-Appointments-for-Baltimore-and-Frederick-Counties.aspx

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

OCTOBER 15, 2025

 

STATE’S ATTORNEY PARTNERS WITH UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SMITH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS TO FIGHT FINANCIAL CRIMES IN FREDERICK

COLLEGE PARK, MD – State’s Attorney Charlie Smith joins the Justice for Fraud Victims, Inc., (JFV) a supporting organization of the University of Maryland Smith School of Business Chapter, to combat financial crimes in Frederick.  The JFV, directed by Samuel Handwerger, Certified Forensic Accountant and lecturer at the University of Maryland Smith School of Business, is honored to partner with the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office’s Economic Crimes Unit.  Established in 2023, the JFV nonprofit team already serves the State’s Attorney for Prince Georges County, MD and has been integral in achieving justice for victims of economic crimes and fraud.  Comprised of financial professionals, retired F.B.I. investigators and highly trained student volunteers within the Smith School of Business program, including computer science students, the JFV has already produced hundreds of State’s exhibits in court cases.  The JFV’s services include, free of charge:

• Fraud examination and fully developed fraud reports, based on cases of embezzlement, payroll fraud, HOA fraud, and most other asset misappropriation cases within small business and nonprofit organizations.
• Tracing stolen funds within the public blockchain.
• Risk-assessments for non-profits and small businesses.

“Fraud victims are underserved due to the lack of necessary investigation and resources needed to make a case for prosecution”, said State’s Attorney Charlie Smith.  “When a potentially fraudulent financial investigation is submitted to the JFV team, the goal is for them to compose a forensically examined accounting report that shows that this is a criminal, and not a civil, case,” Smith continued.  “In a recent high-profile jury case in Maryland involving elder fraud, the UMD student volunteers produced a 40-page report containing data analytics and visualizations. They examined more than a year’s worth of bank statements for several different accounts, debit card purchases and their receipts and listened to over 30 hours of recorded calls to the bank by the presumed account holder.”

The JFV’s new partnership with the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office allows the Smith School of Business to expand its forensic accounting training department with a new program this Fall.  The Justice for Fraud Victims operates in association with a national coalition of schools with similar programs at Gonzaga University, Marquette University, Central Connecticut State University, Siena College, State University of New York at Old Westbury, and more.  The participating schools network and share resources when needed. Charlie Smith, a graduate of the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business with a B.S. in Finance, looks forward to the new partnership increasing justice for fraud victims in Frederick, MD.

 

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Press Contact:

Jacqueline Rottmann

Court Media Relations Officer

301-600-2972

100 West Patrick Street

Frederick, Maryland  21701

 

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OCTOBER 8, 2025

FREDERICK MAN RECEIVES TOTAL SENTENCE OF 17 YEARS IN THE DIVISION OF CORRECTIONS for Illegal Possession of Firearm, Possession with the Intent to Distribute cocaine, AND CarryING Firearm in Drug Trafficking Crime

 

FREDERICK, MD – Yesterday, in Frederick County Circuit Court, Judge Julia Minner sentenced 25-year-old Ezra Malik Smith to serve a total of 17 years in the Division of Corrections, minus credit for time served since February 2025, for three felony offenses.  The Defendant pled guilty in August 2025 to Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm with a Prior Conviction for a Crime of Violence, Possession with the Intent to Distribute (cocaine), and Wear/Carry Firearm in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime.

On February 25, 2025, Detective Wright and other members of Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Investigation Section served a search and seizure warrant for the Defendant Ezra Smith in the apartment building on Motter Avenue where the Defendant was staying. Detectives located the Defendant in the elevator, placed him into custody, and informed the Defendant of the search warrant. Once outside of the elevator, the Defendant attempted to run from detectives. When detectives were able to apprehend and search the Defendant, they found the Defendant had several items in his possession, including a loaded Glock .40 caliber handgun, and two loaded, extended-capacity magazines. The Defendant is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2018 conviction for First Degree Burglary, which is a crime of violence as defined by statute.

The Defendant was also found to be carrying over 10 grams of cocaine, a digital scale, and a cellphone. Detective Wright then applied for and was granted a warrant to search the contents of the Defendant’s cellphone. In the download of the cellphone, Detective Wright located numerous conservations in the phone’s message history that were indicative of the Defendant being engaged in the sale of illegal drugs.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith said, “I would like to commend ASA Tumulty on his zealous prosecution of a defendant who is a true public safety threat.  Our community is safer knowing this guy will serve a substantial sentence.”

Upon release from the Division of Corrections, the Defendant will serve 5 years of supervised probation.

Assistant State’s Attorney Paul Tumulty of the Felony Narcotics Unit represented the State of Maryland. The investigation  case was led by Detective Justin Wright of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Investigation Section.

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

SEPTEMBER 8, 2025

BRUNSWICK MAN TO SERVE LIFE PLUS 20 YEARS IN THE DIVISION OF CORRECTIONS FOR FIRST DEGREE MURDER, FIRST DEGREE RAPE

 

 

Frederick, MD – Today, in Frederick County Circuit Court, The Honorable Judge Scott Rolle ordered 19-year-old Juwuan Terry Stewart, of Brunswick, MD to serve an agreed-upon sentence of Life plus 20 Years, in the Division of Corrections for First-Degree Murder and First-Degree Rape.  The Defendant accepted a guilty plea to both charges on February 19, 2025.

On January 22, 2024, Brunswick Police responded to a call from a family member of the 61-year old victim who found her unresponsive.  The victim was pronounced deceased on scene.

The Medical Examiner subsequently ruled the victim’s death a homicide as a result of multiple stab wounds and asphyxia due to strangulation.

Through investigation which included interviews with multiple witnesses, cell phone records, surveillance footage and the Defendant’s GPS ankle monitor, investigators were able to establish a timeline, placing the Defendant at the victim’s apartment on the afternoon of January 17, 2024.  Witnesses told police the Defendant asked the victim if he could brush the snow off of her car for money.  Witnesses said the victim repeatedly told the Defendant that she did not need assistance, as she tried to send him away.  The next day the Defendant’s discarded ankle monitor was found laying in his backyard.  The monitor had been cut off by the Defendant on the evening of the 17^th.  DNA consistent with the Defendant was recovered from the victim and evidence collected at the scene.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith said, “This is an extremely egregious case that would have been death penalty eligible not so long ago. The community needs to understand that some teenagers are capable of extremely brutal and horrific crimes and should be punished according to the crime, not just their age.”

The victim’s daughter described how this crime affected her life, in the Victim Impact Statement, telling the court, “I am unsure how I can ever put into words the impact of losing my mother in such a horrific way has impacted not only my life, but my family’s life as well. . . . This is an experience no one should have to experience in their life.  I will never be the same person after this life altering event.”

The victim’s niece addressed the court in her Victim Impact Statement stating “[Mr. Stewart] will be allowed to serve a single sentence while so many others will serve our own sentences because of Mr. Stewart’s actions.  My aunt . . . was finally finding her place in the world and was aspiring to do great things with her life when Mr. Stewart robbed her of that opportunity.”

The Defendant will be required to register as a lifetime sex offender.  The Defendant will also be on Lifetime Sex Offender Supervision under the Sex Offender Management Team.

The arrest and conviction of the Defendant was a collaborative effort between the Brunswick Police Department, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, the Frederick City Police Department and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The State of Maryland was represented by Chief Assistant State’s Attorney, Special Victims Unit Lindsey Carpenter and Assistant State’s Attorney, Special Victims Unit, Erin Pearl.

Press Contact:

Jacqueline Rottmann

Court Media Relations Officer

301-600-2972

100 West Patrick Street

Frederick, Maryland  21701

 

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