Maryland
Patuxent River Sailor Commended for Providing Life-Saving Roadside Assistance After Tragic Crash in Hollywood
![Patuxent River Sailor Commended for Providing Life-Saving Roadside Assistance After Tragic Crash in Hollywood Patuxent River Sailor Commended for Providing Life-Saving Roadside Assistance After Tragic Crash in Hollywood](https://smnewsnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1000w_q95-e1713766134660.jpg)
Photo By Chief Petty Officer Patrick Gordon | PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland (April 19, 2024) – Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Isaiah Mercado of Navy Munitions Command Atlantic Detachment Patuxent River rendered life-saving care to injured motorists following a vehicle collision in Hollywood, Maryland April 7.
Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Isaiah Mercado is no stranger to high-stress scenarios.
As a Navy armament weapons support equipment technician with Navy Munitions Command Atlantic Detachment Patuxent River (NMCLANT DET Pax) his duties include supporting both air- and surface-launched weapons by performing intermediate level maintenance on both peculiar and common ordnance handling and transportation equipment.
Maintaining the equipment that transports explosive ordnance requires a strong nerve, so it is no surprise that he was able to coolly and calmly act when he came across a vehicle collision shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday, April 7.
Driving with his wife, Mercado saw the scene of the collision involving a motorcycle and a compact SUV at Three Notch Road and Tom Hodges Drive in Hollywood, Maryland. Realizing he was the first on scene he went into action without a second thought.
“It was just a natural instinct to stop,” recounted Mercado. “As soon as I saw the accident my first thought was to get there as fast as I could and help out the victims.”
Telling his wife to call 911, he assessed the scene and began to check all parties for injuries. Finding the driver of the SUV responsive and able to talk, she asked Mercado to check on her child in the backseat.
“The child was in the back unconscious from the collision,” said Mercado, going through the scenario play-by-play. “I started to ask if she can hear me or move at all. I checked for a pulse and told the mother her daughter was still alive and with a pulse. My next step was to check on the motorcyclist and I was asking if he could hear me and then I tapped him a couple times and got no response.”
Mercado was then joined on the scene by an off-duty St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Deputy, who began to assist with the injured as well, freeing Mercado to check back on the unconscious child in the SUV.
“My wife handed me the phone since I had a better understanding being in the car and getting a triage done on those involved,” said Mercado. “I told the 911 operator my guess on the age of the two unconscious people and told them I checked for a pulse on the little girl. The off-duty sheriff asked me to help stabilize the girls’ neck and he took over the call to the dispatcher.”
Joined by a third passerby, Mercado enlisted her with helping the driver out of the SUV.
“I told her she needs to get the mom and take her out the car because I didn’t want her to see her child like this,” said Mercado. “After that the first responders came and asked us if we needed a collar for the child’s neck, then went off to get one and our next focus was to get her out of the car.”
Mercado’s initial assessment of the scene made it clear that the SUV’s door buckled in the collision with enough force to roll the SUV’s frame onto the child’s booster seat, making it difficult to remove her from that side of the vehicle.
“I told them I can just carry her out from the car,” said Mercado. “I unbuckled her and then cradled her and scooted out of the car then carried her to the gurney. They then asked for her name, so I went to the mother and asked her for it. After I got it, I proceeded back to the area where they were tending to her and called her by her name to get a response.”
Tragically, despite the efforts of Mercado and first responders who began CPR, the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman and child were transported by ambulance to St. Mary’s Hospital and flown by Maryland State Police to separate hospitals for further care.
For those who know Mercado, his actions that day speak volumes to his character.
“AO2’s ability to jump into a scene and render aide without a moment’s hesitation is exactly why he’s a trusted leader on our team,” said Senior Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Paul Nelson, Senior Enlisted Advisor for NMCLANT DET Pax. “I have no doubt his speed, cool head, and competent actions prevented further loss of life in a difficult situation, and I am incredibly proud have him as a member of NMCLANT DET Pax.”
NMCLANT DET Pax is responsible for providing Fleet Ordnance Support (FOS) to local customers as well as designated research and development projects in support of test and evaluation of fixed and rotary wing aircraft. DET Patuxent River functions as the principle point of contact for explosive ordnance facility oversight and sustaining stock points assigned; to provide quality and responsive ordnance material handling, technical, material support to the Fleet and other customers in the areas of retail ammunition management; and to manage and operate explosives ordnance facilities at NAS Patuxent River.
![Patuxent River Sailor Commended for Providing Life-Saving Roadside Assistance After Tragic Crash in Hollywood Patuxent River Sailor Commended for Providing Life-Saving Roadside Assistance After Tragic Crash in Hollywood](https://smnewsnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1000w_q95-e1713766134660.jpg)
Photo By Chief Petty Officer Patrick Gordon | PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland (April 19, 2024) – Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Isaiah Mercado of Navy Munitions Command Atlantic Detachment Patuxent River rendered life-saving care to injured motorists following a vehicle collision in Hollywood, Maryland April 7.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Maryland
Arrest of illegal immigrant previously convicted of rape in Maryland marks record for ICE
![Arrest of illegal immigrant previously convicted of rape in Maryland marks record for ICE Arrest of illegal immigrant previously convicted of rape in Maryland marks record for ICE](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/ice-copy.jpg)
Immigration authorities in Baltimore, Maryland, have arrested 153 illegal immigrant sex offenders this fiscal year, a record, with the latest being a Honduran man who was deported from the United States after he was previously convicted of raping a Maryland resident.
The Enforcement and Removal Operations branch under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said last week that Madai Gamaliel Amaya was taken into custody on Aug. 29 in the suburb of Montgomery Village.
MIGRANTS FORM ‘CONSTELLATION’ OF TENTS OUTSIDE OF MEGA SHELTER IN NEW YORK CITY: REPORT
Madai Gamaliel Amaya, a convicted rapist, has been deported from the United States multiple times, authorities said. (ICE)
“This is a landmark arrest for ERO Baltimore, in that they secured a record 153 noncitizen sex offenders arrested in their area of operations during a single fiscal year, but more importantly, there are 153 victims who need not fear their predators because of ERO officers,” said ERO Executive Associate Director Daniel Bible.
Amaya initially illegally entered the U.S. at an unknown date and place years ago, ICE said. On Jan. 8, 2009, he was arrested by Montgomery County police and charged with second-degree rape.
NYC SECURES $106M IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF MIGRANT COSTS AFTER MONTHS OF DELAYS
He was convicted months later and sentenced to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised probation upon his release. Two years and six months of the sentence was suspended by a judge. ICE filed a detainer request in 2010 with local authorities and Amaya was deported in 2013.
On July 27, 2016, Amaya was caught trying to illegally enter the U.S. by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Hidalgo, Texas. He was convicted of unlawful entry in 2017 and sentenced to 30 months in an Oklahoma federal prison.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He was deported once again in 2018. He then entered the U.S. again at an unknown date.
His most recent arrest came last month and he remains in custody pending deportation proceedings, authorities said.
Maryland
Maryland elections officials deal with threats of violence, turnover concerns ahead of presidential election
![Maryland elections officials deal with threats of violence, turnover concerns ahead of presidential election Maryland elections officials deal with threats of violence, turnover concerns ahead of presidential election](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/09/eff1b3c0-1d71-4304-985e-deb619ecb1d2/thumbnail/1200x630/5cf7b650d8f220c286ddd51dcaa2d205/img-7316.jpg?v=631cf5f2b4e8db7f9bc428589402864d)
BALTIMORE Since the last presidential election, Maryland has seen a concerning rise in turnover among our state’s election officials—with almost half new to their positions—according to research from the Bipartisan Policy Center.
As of January 2024, Maryland saw turnover in 11 voting jurisdictions.
Turnover is also on the rise nationally according to a CBS News investigation.
What is driving the exodus? Some blame an increasingly hostile environment, fueled by citizens who do not trust the election system.
Documenting Threats in Harford County
Stephanie Taylor oversees elections in Harford County.
She gets a lot of correspondence from the public—and keeps all of it in a binder with the title “Love and Not So Much Love Notes” on the cover.
“These are our nice letters, and these are our nasty letters,” she showed WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren
“There’s a lot of cursing. We’ve been called Nazis,” Taylor said. “We’ve been accused of cheating, changing voter turnouts, changing the results, which is very hurtful to us because we take great pride in our job that we do here.”
Hellgren asked her what that says about where Maryland stands right now. “There are a lot of angry people who do not trust the election process. I don’t know how to get through to them,” she said.
Since the 2020 presidential election, Maryland has seen a 46 percent turnover rate among election officials. That is larger than the 36 percent national average.
“Have you had people leave because they could not take it?” Hellgren asked.
“Yes,” Taylor admitted. “One person who was with the office for quite a long time. She had a key role in this office. Just the stress of it—she’s just like, ‘I’m done.’ And she quit.”
To make sure her staff members feel safe, Taylor has used grants to dramatically increase security at their office and warehouse in Forest Hill.
“This is one thing everyone in the office said we needed to enclose this after all the craziness started happening after January 6th,” Taylor said as she showed WJZ the public entrance area.
She had bullet- and bomb-deflecting glass installed that will not shatter.
“We have changed the whole look of this office. We used to have an open reception area. We put walls up. We put glass in. It is not bulletproof glass, but it will change the direction of a bullet. We have coating on our windows that if someone were to put a bomb outside, this coating would catch it and it would just drop it so there wouldn’t be shards,” Taylor said.
There are also new cameras and stronger locks.
“Now, if it’s unlocked, it has a high-powered magnet and you have to be buzzed in,” she said at a secondary door to the board room.
“We have our own FBI contact. I never in my life thought I would say that I have my own FBI contact. It just never even crossed my mind,” Taylor told Hellgren.
“They were being disruptive, calling us names. We got a threat in one of the meetings that we got on tape. I did turn that in to the FBI and the sheriff’s department. It’s just the way the world looks at us now. It’s so different,” she said.
New Law Means Stiffer Penalties
Earlier this year in Annapolis, the General Assembly took action to protect poll workers, election judges and their families from threats which have been on the rise across the country.
Citing the turnover, Governor Wes Moore’s administration advocated for and and won changes to the law. There are now tougher penalties against those convicted of threatening election workers, with fines increasing from $1,000 to $2,500.
“It is becoming harder to recruit election judges. It is becoming harder to recruit elections administrators, and we need to respond to that,” said Eric Luedtke, the governor’s chief legislative officer at a hearing on February 21st.
Violators could also get up to three years behind bars.
During that hearing about the legislation, Baltimore County’s elections director revealed she, too, had been threatened.
“After receiving a threat firsthand, I was overwhelmingly thankful for the protection from my county, the FBI and homeland security,” Ruie Lavoie, the director of Baltimore County elections, told lawmakers.
WJZ asked Maryland’s state elections administrator Jared DeMarinis whether the new law does enough to deter people from threatening election workers. “I hope so. I think time will tell on that, but I think you have to have the first step and I think this was a great first step,” DeMarinis said.
State Safeguards the Vote
DeMarinis took over as elections administrator from Linda Lamone last year.
She had served in that position for more than 35 years, but DeMarinis also worked in that office for almost two decades.
“Yes, I’m a new person, but it’s not like I don’t know the electoral process,” DeMarinis told Hellgren.
On the threats, DeMarinis acknowledged “those types of incidents really shake you to the core.”
He said, “This is really trying to take it to a new level where you’re trying to inflict bodily harm or even death upon you know a person just doing their job and making sure that our democracy works.”
He made it a priority to stamp out misinformation and added a “rumor control” section to the state elections website.
“Before, there was a trust. There was an understanding in the process here, and there’s a segment of the population now that just doesn’t believe in any of that,” DeMarinis said.
DeMarinis is also pushing young people to get involved as election judges and poll workers.
He is aware that when elections officials leave, so does their experience and knowledge of the process. That is why he is partnering more experienced elections officials with newer ones to lessen the impact of any turnover.
And DeMarinis believes that turnover is not always a negative.
“Turnover brings new blood, new ideas, new points of view to the process. It helps streamline things. But yes, there is a concern about losing a lot of institutional knowledge,” he said.
A Veteran in Charge in Baltimore City
“I just don’t want to believe that people are not interested in an important process as this,” said Armstead Jones, Baltimore City’s election director
Baltimore has one of the longest-serving elections directors in the state.
Armstead Jones said in the city, the problem is not threats, but getting enough people motivated to staff the polls.
“At one time, we’d have as many as 3,200 election judges working Election Day and those numbers have dropped over the years,” Jones said. “I believe in this last election, we may have had about 1,500 judges to work. Maybe 2,100 trained, 600 did not show so those numbers are getting lower each time.”
The state remains committed to smooth and transparent elections, despite the challenges.
“Having that full confidence in the system is the underpinning of everything that we do with good, solid elections,” DeMarinis said.
Staying Despite Challenges
“I love the job. I love the people I work with,” said Taylor of her Harford County position. “If you’re in a polling location, it’s so much fun to be there and you see people coming in and taking part in democracy.”
She told Hellgren she has no plans to leave and be part of the turnover despite uncertainty about the future.
“Do you see it getting any better?” Hellgren asked. “I’ll let you know after this election. It depends on what happens after this election,” she said.
Maryland
Sunny, beautiful start to Maryland’s workweek
![Sunny, beautiful start to Maryland’s workweek Sunny, beautiful start to Maryland’s workweek](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/09/04ab35ac-caee-49ac-b1f6-b1d903f04fd8/thumbnail/1200x630/c956a987df28dad2d9c972b3f97036b5/1c48d060e7ba7f7ad4227bda81365dd7.jpg?v=631cf5f2b4e8db7f9bc428589402864d)
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump impersonates Elon Musk talking about rockets: ‘I’m doing a new stainless steel hub’
-
World1 week ago
Brussels, my love? Is France becoming the sick man of Europe?
-
World1 week ago
Locals survey damage after flooding in eastern Romania
-
World1 week ago
Taiwan court orders release of ex-Taipei mayor arrested in corruption probe
-
World1 week ago
Seven EU members hadn’t received any post-Covid funding by end-2023
-
World5 days ago
Meloni says 'we are making history' as Italy’s FDI reviews progress
-
Politics1 week ago
'For election purposes': Critics balk at Harris' claim she will 'enforce our laws' at southern border
-
World1 week ago
Oasis fans struggle to secure tickets for band’s reunion tour