Maryland
Maryland cop convicted after throwing smoke bomb at police during Jan. 6 Capitol riot
A Maryland police officer was convicted on Friday of charges that he joined a mob’s Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and hurled a smoke bomb and other objects at police officers guarding a tunnel entrance.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden heard two days of trial testimony without a jury this week before he found Montgomery County Police Officer Justin Lee guilty of two felonies and three misdemeanors. The judge, who also acquitted Lee of two other misdemeanors, is scheduled to sentence him on Nov. 22.
Lee, 26, ignited and threw a smoke bomb into the tunnel entrance on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace, where a mob of rioters attacked a group of outnumbered police officers. The device struck a police officer’s riot shield and filled the mouth of the tunnel with a large plume of smoke, prosecutors said.
“No police officer should have to endure these attacks and provocations,” McFadden said.
Lee, who remains free until his sentencing, didn’t show any obvious reaction as the judge read aloud his verdict. His attorney declined to comment after the hearing.
After Lee’s arrest last October, the police department said it had suspended him without pay. Department spokesperson Shiera Goff said police officials will be “moving ahead with termination procedures” now that Lee has been convicted.
“The actions of one individual do not define the entire department,” the department said in a statement last year.
Lee, of Rockville, Maryland, applied to be a Montgomery County police officer in July 2021 — six months after the riot. The department said it hired Lee approximately one year after the riot and didn’t know about his alleged involvement in the attack until July 2023, when it learned he was under FBI investigation.
Videos show Lee wearing a Maryland flag-patterned gaiter over his face outside the Capitol. He also wore a military-style medical bag attached to his clothes.
Lee waved at other rioters to overtake police as the mob attacked a line of officers on the West Plaza, according to prosecutors. Moving to the Lower West Terrace, Lee tossed the smoke bomb and three other “rock-like objects” at officers guarding the tunnel, the judge found. Prosecutors said Lee later joined other rioters in “spotlighting” officers inside the tunnel with a flashlight.
The judge rejected Lee’s claim that he was “just trying to make a statement” about police brutality after seeing officers use force against other rioters that day. McFadden also said he believes Lee went to the Capitol on Jan. 6 intending to disrupt Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
Defense attorney Terrell Roberts III said the assault charge in this case only applies to acts involving physical contact with the assault victim. Robert argued that the riot shield prevented physical contact between the smoking device and the officer’s body.
“It would be bad policy to send a man to prison where the evidence fails to prove each element of an offense,” he wrote before the trial.
Lee was indicted on seven charges. The judge convicted him of two felonies — interfering with police during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers — and misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and trespassing.
But the judge also acquitted him of two misdemeanor charges of engaging in physical violence. McFadden ruled that prosecutors didn’t present sufficient evidence that Lee committed an act of physical violence.
Lee had been on administrative leave since he shot and killed a man suspected of stabbing four people on July 22, 2023, according to the police department. The department said Lee hadn’t been performing a police officer’s duties since the shooting, but his unpaid suspension stemmed from his arrest on Jan. 6 charges.
On the day of last year’s shooting, officers were responding to calls for a stabbing at a thrift store in Silver Spring, Maryland, when they confronted a suspect holding a butcher’s knife. The suspect ignored officers’ commands to drop the knife and lunged at Lee before the officer shot him, police said in a news release.
One of the four stabbing victims was critically injured, police said. A police official told reporters that all of the victims were expected to survive the attacks, which he described as “unprovoked.”
More than 1,400 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Over 900 of them have pleaded guilty. Over 200 others have been convicted after trials decided by a judge or jury.
Only two Jan. 6 defendants have been acquitted of all charges after a trial. One of them, a Mexico man, was acquitted by McFadden after a trial without a jury.
MARYLAND (WBFF) — A Maryland man and his California accomplice both pled guilty to drug trafficking charges involving the concealment of drugs within auto parts at a repair shop, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Authorities reported that Norville Clarke, 56, of Clarksburg, Maryland, and Daniel Cruz, 39, of Los Angeles, California, were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
In 2023, an investigation targeted a drug trafficking organization that was transporting and distributing large quantities of cocaine from California to Maryland.
The investigation began after police seized a parcel containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine that was mailed from Los Angeles with an intended delivery to Clarke’s auto-repair shop in District Heights, Maryland.
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During the investigation, Cruz was linked to the narcotics in the parcel, as well as to its source, authorities reported.
In January 2024, postal inspectors, along with other investigators, identified a freight shipment from Los Angeles intended for delivery at Clarke’s auto-repair shop, and officials said surveillance footage showed Cruz dropping off that shipment at a shipping company in California.
After that, authorities observed Cruz traveling to Maryland to track the shipment’s delivery.
Cruz and Clarke were then seen by investigators meeting at the auto-repair shop several days after the shipment occurred.
Investigators tracked the fright shipment to Dulles, Virginia, where authorities executed a search warrant and recovered two automobile transmissions inside, as well as 20 one-kilogram bricks secreted in both transmissions.
Officials reported that laboratory forensic tests confirmed that the bricks were over 16 kilograms of cocaine.
A search warrant was then also executed for Clarke’s District Heights auto-repair shop, Clarke’s Clarksburg residence, and Cruz’s hotel room in Capitol Heights, Maryland.
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At the auto repair shop, officials recovered 502.4 grams of cocaine, and then at Clarke’s residence, officers found two-kilogram bricks of cocaine and $45,730 in cash.
Furthermore, investigators later found another nine historical freight shipments that resembled the original shipment containing cocaine, which Cruz sent to Clarke’s auto repair shop.
In plea agreements, officials said both defendants agreed to have been involved in possessing around 22 kilograms of cocaine in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.
Both also face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum life in prison, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release
Cruz’s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, at 1 p.m., and the sentencing for Clarke is scheduled for Friday, July 24, at 10 a.m.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — The State Department is securing military planes and charter flights for Americans to return home from the Middle East, officials announced Tuesday.
More than 9,000 people have left over the past few days, including 3,000 from Israel, according to a press release.
However, some Americans are staying put. That includes one young woman who is now living through her second war abroad.
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“It’s a big decision to move across the world,” Rachel Cone said. She spoke with 7News’ Lianna Golden via Zoom from her home near Jerusalem.
The 28-year-old from Darnestown wasn’t afraid to leave the life she always knew.
“I grew up on a small farm in Montgomery County,” Cone said. “I spent my whole life there, the youngest of four kids, spent most of my life riding horses all around the DMV.”
Soon after college, she found her calling.
I decided to fulfill that dream, really live a Jewish life in the Jewish homeland.
Cone moved to Israel only six months before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. So when she heard the sirens go off on Saturday morning after the joint attack on Iran, waking up to an emergency alert on her phone, she knew what was coming next.
“It was saying like, hey, this is your warning. The attack is starting. Go make sure you’re in your safe space.”
She says the sirens sound very often.
“A lot, a lot. I don’t know how many; there’s been a lot,” Cone explained.
The DMV native said she’s learned to stay calm in chaos, even when others are afraid.
Today I had to go to the grocery store. It wasn’t like I was doing anything crazy. There’s a siren – OK, all of a sudden you have a bunch of people all together, a bunch of strangers, and yeah, some people panic. Some people are calm. Some stranger you’ve never met is telling everyone hey it’s okay, calm down… Living in Israel teaches you a lot about resilience. The people here who have grown up their whole life here, they’re just born to be resilient.
It’s a resilience she sends back home.
“When you live in a war zone, every parent is concerned, even more so when they’re not here. I’m always sending my family pictures of like, hey, I’m still going outside, like I’m still seeing the sun. I’m not locked inside, like it’s OK. Everything is OK,” Cone said.
As the conflict continues, she prays for harmony while uncertainty grows.
“We want to see people of every faith, obviously living the life that they wanna live and not succumbing to any sort of terror,” Cone said. “Let’s work towards peace, and let’s try to see that happen. This is a start for sure.”
Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, said American citizens should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with departure options.
With a chance to make history, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the new No. 1 team in the High School on SI Maryland boys basketball Top 25 rankings.
The Cougars (30-10) will try for a second straight Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) Tournament championship Wednesday evening against Saint Frances Academy at Loyola University of Maryland. No team has won the BCL tourney and the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference titles in back-to-back seasons.
The MIAA, whose membership includes most of the private and parochial schools in the Baltimore metro area, started in 1995 following the dissolution of the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA). The MSA governed athletic competition for Baltimore public and private and parochial schools before the public schools left to join the Maryland state public athletic association (MPSSAA) in 1992.
Saint Frances, last week’s No. 1 which lost to Mount Carmel in the MIAA A final, is No. 2. DeMatha Catholic, Mount Saint Joseph and Springdale Prep round out the Top 5.
The second 5 includes Charles Herbert Flowers, Mount Zion Prep Academy, Bishop McNamara, Georgetown Prep and Archbishop Spalding. Lackey, which won the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference title last week, returns to poll at No. 21.
In addition to the BCL Tournament finale, the Maryland Private Schools State Tournament continues with the Division A semifinals Tuesday at DeMatha with Bishop McNamara taking on Springdale Prep, and DeMatha playing defending champ and No. 17 Clinton Grace Christian School.
No. 16 Takoma Academy plays Saint James School in a Division B semifinal. The state public playoffs continue with region semifinal and final competition.
Here’s this week’s High School on SI Maryland boys basketball Top 25:
Previous rank: No. 3
Record: 30-10
The Cougars defeated No. 4 Mount Saint Joseph, 59-40, in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals and Saint Mary’s in the quarterfinals (53-46) after a 69-67 overtime victory over then-No. 1 Saint Frances Academy in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference final at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Previous rank: No. 1
Record: 35-7
The Panthers defeated then-No. 13 Archbishop Spalding, 61-58, in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals and Loyola Blakefield in the quarterfinals (74-57), after a loss to then-No. 3 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the MIAA A Conference title game.
Previous rank: No. 2
Record: 22-9
The Stags defeated then-No. 9 Glenelg Country School, 63-50, in the Maryland Private School State Tournament Division A quarterfinals.
Previous rank: No. 4
Record: 31-7
The Gaels lost then-No. 3 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals after a 80-66 win over Calvert Hall College in the quarterfinals.
SEASON COMPLETE – BALTIMORE CATHOLIC LEAGUE TOURNAMENT & MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 6
Record: 26-5
The Lions defeated No. 7 Mount Zion Prep Academy, 67-63, in the Maryland Private School State Division A semifinals.
Previous rank: No. 8
Record: 21-0
The Jaguars defeated Largo, 62-57, in the Prince George’s County championship game.
Previous rank: No. 7
Record: 19-6
The Warriors lost to then-No. 6 Springdale Prep in the Maryland Private School State Division A quarterfinals
SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 12
Record: 14-19
The Mustangs defeated then-No. 5 Georgetown Prep, 59-53, in the Maryland Private Schools State Division A quarterfinals and Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School in the opening round.
Previous rank: No. 5
Record: 17-9
The Little Hoyas lost to then-No. 12 Bishop McNamara in the Maryland Private School State Tournament Division A quarterfinals.
SEASON COMPLETE – INTERSTATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPION & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 13
Record: 20-14
The Cavaliers lost to then-No. 1 Saint Frances Academy in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals after a 74-53 win over then-No. 10 John Carroll School in the quarterfinals.
SEASON COMPLETE – BALTIMORE CATHOLIC LEAGUE TOURNAMENT & MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 9
Record: 17-10
The Dragons lost to then-No. 2 DeMatha Catholic in the quarterfinals of the Maryland Private School State Division A tournament after an 81-77 opening round win over then-No. 15 Our Lady of Good Counsel.
SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 14
Record: 23-1
The Mustangs defeated Severn Run, 72-49, in the Maryland Class 4A East Region I semifinals.
Previous rank: No. 16
Record: 20-3
The Bengals defeated Springbrook, 85-66, in the Maryland Class 4A North Region II semifinals after beating Walt Whitman, 67-55, in the Montgomery County championship game.
Previous rank: No. 17
Record: 20-2
The Colonels defeated Rockville, 74-61, in the Maryland Class 3A West Region II semifinals.
Previous rank: No. 19
Record: 21-3
The Knights defeated Northeast, 73-61, in the Maryland Class 3A East Region I semifinals and Edmondson-Westside, 66-58, in the Baltimore City final.
Previous rank: No. 18
Record: 26-7
The Tigers defeated Hebrew Academy, 88-33, in the Maryland Private School State Division B quarterfinals.
Previous rank: No. 24
Record: 27-18
The Eagles defeated then-No. 11 Bullis School, 56-48, in the Maryland Private School State Division A quarterfinals.
Previous rank: No. 10
Record: 22-10
The Patriots lost to then-No. 13 Archbishop Spalding in the quarterfinals of the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament.
Previous rank: No. 13
Record: 20-10
The Bulldogs lost to then-No. 24 Clinton Grace Christian School in the Maryland Private Schools State Division A quarterfinals after defeating then-No. 22 Riverdale Baptist School in the first round.
SEASON COMPLETE – INTERSTATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 15
Record: 15-14
The Falcons lost to No. 9 Glenelg Country School in the opening round of the Maryland Private School State Tournament.
WASHINGTON CATHOLIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A PARTIPICANT
Previous rank: Not ranked
Record: 20-3
The Chargers defeated Maurice J. McDonough, 61-46, in the Maryland Class 2A South Region II semifinals and then-No. 20 Great Mills, 62-59, in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference (SMAC) championship game.
Previous rank: No. 20
Record: 21-3
The Hornets defeated Saint Charles, 70-54, in the Maryland Class 3A South Region II semifinals, and lost to Lackey in the SMAC title game.
Previous rank: No. 21
Record: 16-14
SEASON COMPLETE – METRO PRIVATE SCHOOL CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 22
Record: 15-11
The Crusaders lost to then-No. 11 Bullis School in the opening round of the Maryland Private School State tournament.
SEASON COMPLETE – METRO PRIVATE SCHOOL CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT
Previous rank: No. 23
Record: 21-10
The Mustangs won the Maryland Christian School Tournament championship, defeating The Heritage Academy, 65-53, in the final, and King’s Christian Academy in the semifinals (65-59).
SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL TOURNAMENT CHAMPION
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