Press Releases

FREDERICK, MD –  On January 24, 2020, the Frederick Grand Jury returned a fifty-count indictment against Lavonte Darnell Nash, age 27, of Frederick. Mr. Nash is accused of committing First Degree Murder, Attempted First Degree Murder, Retaliation Against a Witness, Use of a Firearm in a Crime of Violence, Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm, First Degree Assault, Conspiracy, Distribution of Narcotics, Possession With the Intent to Distribute Narcotics, and Participation in a Criminal Gang.  This afternoon in Frederick County Circuit Court, Nash waived his right to a bond review before Judge Richard Sandy, and thus remains held without bond.

Nash is charged with the premeditated murder of Gregory Knight on June 27, 2019, along with the attempted murder of another individual in connection with that incident. The Defendant is alleged to have distributed cocaine to Mr. Knight in May of 2017. Mr. Knight was to appear as a witness in court against Mr. Nash regarding the resulting drug related charges.

Additionally, the Defendant is charged for his role in two gang-related shootings that occurred on Market Street in downtown Frederick on August 31, 2019, and September 8, 2019.  Nash is charged with distribution of, and possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances throughout the months of August and September of 2019.

The Defendant is alleged to be a member of “PA-32,” a criminal gang and drug-trafficking organization based in the city of Frederick, and operating in the surrounding areas.  The crimes charged are alleged to have been committed by Mr. Nash for the benefit of and in association with the gang.

The indictment is the culmination of a lengthy investigation led by the Frederick Police Department’s Drug Enforcement Unit and Criminal Investigation Section. These divisions, working in close coordination with the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office, obtained authorization from the Circuit Court for Frederick County to intercept communications over Mr. Nash’s telephone lines. In late September, multiple search warrants were executed at various locations as a result of the investigation. Mr. Nash was arrested at that time on drug related charges and has been held at the Frederick County Detention Center pending trial.

In response to the fifty-count indictment, State’s Attorney Charlie Smith reacted, “While I cannot comment on the case more specifically, I can say the scope of this case and the efforts put into it by all agencies make it one of the more complex in recent history.  I could easily see it taking three weeks to litigate.”

The investigation was truly a multi-agency effort, with vital support provided by the members of the Frederick HIDTA Group (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) to include the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Investigation Section, Homeland Security Investigations, the Maryland State Police, and the Brunswick Police Department.  Additionally, the investigation operated under the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN), and a portion of the operational expenses were funded through this program.  The Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP) provides grant funding and strategic support to MCIN member sites to identify, disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations through inter-agency collaboration and data sharing to make Maryland safer.  The Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention partially funded this project under sub-award number, MCIN-2020-0016.   All points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of any Maryland State office or agency.

The investigation remains ongoing into all incidents and the involvement of other parties. The Office of the State’s Attorney notes that an indictment is a charging document alleging criminal conduct and the defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

ROCKVILLE, MD –  This morning in Montgomery County Circuit Court before the Honorable Judge David Lease, Emily Zhang Lawrence, age 47, of Germantown, MD entered a guilty plea to operating a House of Prostitution.

At sentencing, the State and defense agree upon a one year suspended sentence and unsupervised probation. As a condition of her probation, the defendant will forfeit her business license and agrees not to open or operate any spa or massage business in the State of Maryland. Lawrence is scheduled to be sentenced June 2, 2020 at 8:45am.

On February 26, 2019, the Montgomery County Police Department initiated a 5-month-long investigation after receiving a web tip complaint that Rose’s Spa was being operated as a “house of prostitution.” The Spa’s posted hours were 10:30am to 10:00pm, seven days a week. During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that the defendant owned an apartment that she would use as a harboring place for the females that worked at the spa.  Investigators were able to establish a pattern of the defendant picking up the females in her maroon Honda Odyssey minivan from the apartment and transporting them to the spa.  The females indicated that they had responded to ads for masseuses and were trained by the defendant when they arrived in Maryland. During the course of the investigation, Detectives also interviewed several men leaving the spa who admitted to paying for and receiving illicit sex acts while inside the business.  Several of those individuals identified the defendant as the owner/manager of the spa and the individual who controlled and received the payments.  The defendant admitted to shutting down the spa for a week in April after she was tipped off by a client to the ongoing investigation.  However, shortly thereafter she re-opened the spa and continued to operate it as a house of prostitution.  During the investigation, $427,477 was seized that was tied to the proceeds from the spa as the defendant admitted that the spa was her only source of income.  Pursuant to the plea, the defendant will forfeit a total of $377,477 to the Montgomery County Police Department.

The Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office served as special prosecutors in this case due to a conflict of interest in the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office. The State was represented by Frederick SAO Chief Counsel Joyce King and Assistant State’s Attorney Lindsey Carpenter.

Frederick – This morning, Frederick Circuit Court Judge William R. Nicklas Jr. sentenced Ernesto Cesar Torres, age 69, of Frederick to 1 year in the Frederick County Adult Detention Center. Torres waived his right to a jury trial in late October. Judge Nicklas presided over a three-day bench trial and ultimately on November 1^st, found Torres guilty of 2^nd Degree Assault and 4^th Degree Sex Offense. A 4^th Degree Sex Offense merges with 2^nd Degree Assault and therefore the maximum penalty in this case was a 1 year sentence. Torres will receive credit for time served on home detention since May 7^th.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith commented, “We felt that the totality of facts warranted a guilty for 2^nd degree rape in this case. We respectfully disagreed with Judge Nicklas’ trial verdict, but understand his ruling.  We were relieved to see Torres get the maximum one year straight sentence and agree with Judge Nicklas that one year punishment in this case is simply not enough.  This victim will have to live with the emotional scars of Torres’ actions for the rest of her life.”

On April 26^th, 2019, the 18-year old female victim, who was a lifelong patient of Dr. Torres, went to his office on Thomas Johnson Drive for a follow-up appointment to discuss her anxiety medication. It was during this appointment that the victim reported being sexually assaulted by Torres.

The State was represented by Chief Assistant State’s Attorney Tammy Leache and Chief Counsel Joyce King.

Frederick – This morning, Frederick Circuit Court Judge Scott Rolle sentenced William James Sewell II, age 17, of Frederick to 30 years suspending all but 15 years in the Division of Corrections for Attempted 1^st Degree Murder. Sewell pled guilty to the charge in a Circuit Court hearing October 28, 2019.

On April 3rd, 2019, at approximately 4:15 pm., Frederick County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the area of Magnolia Tree Court and Burning Bush Drive in Frederick for a call of “shots fired.” Upon arrival at the scene, a .380 shell casing was located in the parking lot outside of the 5700 block of Trailview Court in Mountain Village.

After reviewing surveillance video at the apartment complex, detectives determined that four males walking from vehicles and towards approximately six other males in the area of the 5700 block of Trailview Court.   Mr. Sewell is seen on the surveillance recordings chasing after one of the males, shooting at him.   At approximately 4:10pm, the first shot can be heard on the surveillance footage. Approximately 27 seconds later a second shot is heard—Mr. Sewell shot at the same victim again.   Approximately 3 seconds later, Sewell’s co-defendant is seen on the recordings shooting at the same victim.

The defendant, William James Sewell II, was 16 years old when he committed the offense, and the co-defendant was Marquis Desade Scottland, 17, of Hagerstown, MD. After firing these three rounds, the suspects are observed running from the scene and entering both vehicles before fleeing the area.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith reacted to the sentence, “This broad daylight shooting could have easily ended in tragedy. Bullets were flying through an apartment complex as people were going about their daily activities. This sentence sends a strong message that reckless acts of gun violence will be met with serious punishments.”

The State was represented by Chief Assistant State’s Attorney Laura Wilt and Assistant State’s Attorney Lindsey Carpenter. Deputies and detectives with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation.

William James Sewell II