In a flash, Georges Creek was over its banks. Water rose quickly on Main Street. It crashed into the Westernport library. Not far away, children were stranded in Westernport Elementary. One father carried his daughter to safety on his shoulders through waist-deep water.

Now, two months later, Mayor Judy Hamilton said the town is beginning to heal.

“We’re going to recover fully, and we’ll be back to where we were. We’re all working hard to make sure that happens,” Hamilton said.

Georges Creek is well below its banks, and along Main Street, the town has worked hard to recover. The street is lined with flags, and businesses are beginning to reopen.

But off of Main Street, it’s a different story. People are still suffering.

We met 86-year-old David Steiding. He led us into his home of 60 years. The water here was five feet deep. He points out the damage.

“[I] had to take all this drywall off. Mold got in behind the drywall. I got to replace that door,” Steiding explained.

He walked into another room.

“You can see here this was the bathroom. They had to take the walls out. The floor was tore out,” he said.

He can’t afford the repairs himself. He didn’t have flood insurance. He’s hoping for assistance, but the federal government hasn’t approved a disaster declaration, and he said there’s been no help from FEMA.

“The bad thing about it,’ said Steinding, “My wife died a month before and now I have to do this.”

Just then, Steiding’s son, also David, arrived.

“I mean, we’re still recovering,” he said. “It’s bad. It came in fast and hard, and he barely got out of the house.”

People in Westernport and several other Western Maryland towns hit by the flood say they now watch the news from the deadly Texas floods with empathy.

They know what it’s like to face a wall of water. It’s something they don’t want to experience ever again.

“I have citizens telling me, ‘I’m having panic attacks,’ when we’ve had a couple warnings for possible flash flooding because of heavy rain,” Mayor Hamilton said.

The visible wounds in town are beginning to heal, said the mayor, but scars remain.

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Carlton Herdon, of Clinton, died at the scene of the crash along Route 301 northbound at Missouri Avenue, according to MSP.

An early investigation indicates that Herndon was attempting to cross Route 301 in his Nissan Maxima when he was hit by a Ford F-250 truck. Police identified the driver of the truck as Anthony Coleman, 34, of Upper Marlboro. Coleman is a police officer with PGPD.

Police believe speed and alcohol were contributing factors in the crash. Coleman refused medical treatment at the scene.

Coleman has been suspended with pay.

“Anthony Coleman is employed by the Prince George’s County Police Department as a police officer. He was off-duty at the time of the collision and was driving his personal vehicle. He was placed in an administrative duty status with pay pending the outcome of the investigation,” PGPD said in a statement.

MSP’s Crash Team is leading the investigation. Witnesses are urged to contact police at 301-392-1231.

“I know he couldn’t breathe, and they completely disregarded my brother’s cries and him telling them I cannot breathe,” Holley said.

And yet, in the autopsy completed months after Black died in the custody of police in the small Eastern Shore town of Greensboro in 2018, his death was ruled accidental. Holley said she was overjoyed that Black’s death has now been ruled a homicide.

“I’m so happy that people are finally listening,” said Holley.

Last week, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced that, after a years long review of cases in which people died in police custody, 36 cases, including Anton Black’s, would be reclassified by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as homicides instead of unknown or accidental.

The review was prompted by scrutiny of the record of former Maryland Chief Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler. After he retired from his post in Maryland, Fowler testified as a consultant in the highly publicized trial of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd. Fowler testified that the police officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes was not responsible for Floyd’s death. That testimony prompted Maryland to review Fowler’s cases in Maryland, and last week, after completion of a multi-year audit, it was determined that three dozen were misclassified.

“Our research has determined that OCME was especially unlikely to classify a death as a homicide if the decedent was Black or if they died after being restrained by police,” Brown said.

Brown also made clear that it doesn’t mean police actions in those cases were unjustified.

“I want to be clear, labelling a death homicide … means a decedent died by another person’s actions,” said Brown. “It doesn’t mean those actions rose to the level of criminal liability or culpability.”

Holley, however, said she hopes that prosecutors do take another look at her brother’s death.

“It’s important that the facts are stated accurately,” said Holley. “And of course we want accountability, so with the change to a homicide ruling, you know, I’m hoping that the state’s attorney will potentially prosecute the police officers involved.”

So far, the Caroline County State’s Attorney has declined to prosecute any of the officers involved in Black’s death. The office did not respond to a request for comment.

Black’s parents settled a federal civil wrongful death lawsuit several years ago for $5 million.

Have a news tip? Brad Bell is the Maryland Bureau Chief for ABC7/WJLA-TV. Follow him at @Brad7News on X.

Maryland State School Superintendent Carey Wright said the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) was told by the U.S. Department of Education late Friday that they would not be sending Maryland $360 million that federal officials had committed to Maryland.

“Shock does not begin to describe our reaction when we received notification late Friday evening,” Wright said at a news conference in Montgomery County.

Wright said it jeopardizes over $400 million in funding. The money was post-COVID relief grants from the Education Stabilization Fund, which awarded more than $276 billion to states to respond to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on students.

Delays in spending had been approved because of supply chain issues, state officials said.

“After careful review, the Department is modifying the liquidation period to end on March 28, 2025. The Department has concluded that the further extension of the liquidation period for the aforementioned grants, already well past the period of performance, was not justified. You and your subrecipients have had ample time to liquidate obligations,” the letter signed by Education Secretary Linda McMahon reads.

Wright said the impact will be most deeply felt in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, along with Baltimore City.

MSDE has alerted the school districts to stop spending on a variety of programs funded by the money. They include high-intensity tutoring, counseling, as well as school construction.

“The USDE’s decision is catastrophic. These funds have been spent or committed with every expectation of reimbursement. The federal government must keep its word to students, educators and families,” Wright said.

The letter said states can appeal to the Department of Education for relief on a project-specific, case-by-case basis.

Have a news tip? Contact Brad Bell at x.com/Brad7News.

The bill, also known as HB 179, was introduced by Prince George’s County Democratic Del. Karent Toles and has Republican co-sponsors, including Robin L. Grammer, Jr. of Baltimore County. It would allow prosecutors to lump together thefts committed by the same person on multiple days and even different jurisdictions within a 90-day period.

Bill supporters said currently, criminals engaged in so-called organized retail theft of goods know if they keep the value of what they take below $1,000 they face only misdemeanor charges if caught.

Under the bill, “organized retail theft” means the commission, either alone or in concert with one or more other persons, of a series of thefts of retail merchandise from one or more retail merchants over a 90-day period with the intent to permanently deprive the merchant of the merchandise, return the merchandise to the merchant for monetary or other gain, or resell, trade, or barter the merchandise for monetary or other gain, according to the State Department of Legislative Services.

The bill prohibits a person from committing organized retail theft of property with an aggregate value exceeding $1,500. A violation of this prohibition is a felony punishable by the following maximum penalties, which vary based on the value of the property involved:

• At least $1,500 but less than $25,000: 5 years and/or $10,000
• At least $25,000 but less than $100,000: 10 years and/or $15,000
• $100,000 or more: 20 years and/or $25,000

Have a news tip? Contact Brad Bell at bsbell@sbgtv.com.

It was “12:53 p.m.,” he said. “We’re dealing with the pipe bomb over at the Capitol Hill Club and somebody said, ‘Hey chief, we’ve got a crowd approaching our west front.’ ”

At the time, Sund was chief of the U.S. Capitol Police and he knew his officers were unprepared. He said he had been denied budget requests for more riot gear and in the days leading up to Jan. 6, he had been denied additional resources he had requested.

“It was a terrible day,” he said. “As chief up there, I saw what happened. I saw what my officers went through. It was terrible, the saddest part is it could have been prevented.”

Sund was publicly blamed for the security failures that day and called out by name by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The next day, he was pressured to turn in his resignation. Even as he aggressively revealed there had been failures at multiple levels of government.

“It’s been a tough four years,” said Sund during an interview outside the U.S. Capitol he once protected.

In recent weeks, a House subcommittee published the results of its Jan. 6 investigation. It found Sund had been exonerated by the evidence.

“It’s great to finally see that in writing,” he said.

As for how history should view Jan. 6, he said it was a very bad day and what happened shouldn’t be downplayed or exaggerated.

“I’ve heard it referred to as a walk in the park, just up there being tourists and I’ve heard it called about as bad as 9-11 or Pearl Harbor. I look at it as somewhere in the middle. It wasn’t a walk in the park and it wasn’t 9-11,” said the former chief.

Sund also said blanket pardons for those convicted of crimes that day would be wrong.

“My thing is I saw what happened. I saw what happened to my officers,” Sund said. “I don’t think a blanket pardon would be appropriate. I think we should consider each situation independently. There are some people who did bad things to police officers who need to be held accountable.”

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Alsobrooks’ resignation took effect at 10 a.m. and will trigger a special election to replace her. County Administrative Officer Tara Jackson will lead the county until a new person can fill her position.

“Thank you for your trust and partnership as we worked to build a stronger, united Prince George’s,” Alsobrooks said in a statement. “Serving the residents of this County has been the honor of my lifetime, and I am deeply proud of all we have accomplished together.”

So far, at least four candidates are vying for her position: current County Council Chair and At-large member Jolene Ivey, State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy, At-Large Councilmember Calvin Hawkins and former County Executive Rushern Baker.

Gov. Wes Moore released the following statement in regards to Alsobrooks’s resignation:

“I want to thank Angela Alsobrooks for her dedicated service to the people of Prince George’s County for the past six years as county executive. Angela worked tirelessly to make Prince George’s County a safer, stronger place to call home—we’re deeply grateful for her effort and for the results she achieved,” Moore said. “We look forward to continuing our work together to uplift Maryland families, protect fundamental freedoms, and build a brighter future for our state in her new role as U.S. Senator, as we welcome the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Prince George’s County alongside acting County Executive Tara Jackson.”

Alsobrooks will head to Capital Hill after becoming Maryland’s first Black woman senator, following the Nov. 5 general election.

Have a news tip? Contact Brad Bell at x.com/Brad7News.

The boy is alive and recovering from severe bruising on his neck and face, his parents said.

“Me and the dad was actually both at work,” the boy’s mother, choosing to remain anonymous, told 7News’ Lianna Golden. “They [the school officials] said that he was choking, so we’re thinking that he was at lunch and he’s choking off of food.”

As soon as they spoke with the school’s principal, who rode in the ambulance with the child, they discovered the situation was much more severe.

According to the parents, the principal told them she had found their son on a hook in the school’s bathroom.

“She said before she got him down, he was foaming out the mouth, unconscious, and it was from horse playing. She told me they were in the bathroom playing, and my son jumped up, and his jacket got caught on the hook in the stall. That doesn’t make sense to me. A hook is 5 feet tall. My son is only three feet, eight [inches], and she even told me, I was like, ‘Horse playing?’ She said, ‘Yeah, I don’t believe it either.’ So my thing is, if you don’t believe it — why would you put that narrative out there?”

The school’s principal, Carrie Burke, released a statement Friday afternoon saying that the two students were “horseplaying.”

In her full letter to parents, guardians and staff, she shared the following:

“I want to update you on a situation that occurred today at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School. This afternoon, two of our students were reportedly horseplaying in a school bathroom when one student’s jacket got caught on a stall door hook. The student was not able to free themselves and the other student involved was also not able to help them. This student left the bathroom to seek help from staff and reported the incident to administrators. Administrators responded and were able to assist, but staff called 911 for additional precautionary medical support. Due to privacy reasons, I am not able to share any additional details with you. I understand that the initial 911 report resulted in a first responder call that shared a possible suicide attempt occurred at our school. This was then posted on social media by a community member, causing a bit of community concern. Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) quickly shared an update with you as well as the Barnhart staff to dispel any inaccurate information beginning to circulate. I apologize for the delay in that update, but our administrative team was addressing the needs of our students. The incident was also reported to our school resource officer (SRO). Any time we have an emergency situation at our school, the administrative team will quickly address, ensure all students and staff are safe and then communicate with parents after we have accurate information to share. I appreciate the quick thinking of the student who reported their classmate needed help, our staff for calmly managing a schedule disruption, and our students who followed our directions this afternoon so emergency medical services (EMS) could enter the school and provide care for the student.”

On Sunday, Maria V. Navarro, the superintendent of schools, released the following statement:

“Over the weekend, there has been a lot of information circulating regarding an incident that took place Friday at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School. As with any incident in any of our schools, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) cannot legally release personally identifiable information about students. This includes specific details about incidents. However, we are thankful to report that the student who was taken to the hospital is now home. I have seen comments online stating that the school and CCPS are covering up what happened. This is not true. The principal nor the school system are hiding anything. Rather, we are sharing what information we can while we conduct a full investigation. The investigation is ongoing; speculation about what did or did not happen as well as the circulation of misinformation impedes the investigation process. Some comments online have alluded to threats toward staff. While the information circulating is alarming and involves heavy emotions, it does not warrant threats against staff or toward others involved. We continue to work with Barnhart school administrators to investigate. Our investigation includes support from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. On Friday afternoon before dismissal, the school resource officer for Barnhart (SRO) started the police investigation and filed a preliminary report. The letter shared by Mrs. Burke Friday afternoon included details based on information obtained through our initial investigation. It is important to note that any student who is found to violate the CCPS Code of Student Conduct faces discipline consequences and it is imperative that we have all the information so that we can adequately address consequences. Police are working with us to confirm details of the investigation. Administrators are supporting both families and students involved in this incident, and the school system is supporting its staff. Our support includes providing mental health resources. The safety of all students is a priority, and we take reports of alleged bullying or assault very seriously. CCPS will not release any additional information about this incident until the investigation concludes. Thank you for your support of Charles County Public Schools.”

“I feel like the only reason that they’re saying that is because my voice is being heard. I want everyone in the world to know that this was no horse playing. I want my child’s voice to be heard. I want to be my child’s biggest advocate,” the child’s mother told 7News.

Her post went viral on Instagram, with more than 500,000 likes and 26,000 comments.

She said her child has no prior history of being bullied at this school. She doesn’t plan to stop advocating for him until she gets answers.

7News’ Lianna Golden: Why would anyone do this to him?

Mother: That’s what I want to know. I want to know the other child’s side of the story. I want to know what made you wanna do this to my child. I want the parents also — since he’s a minor, I want someone to be held accountable for what happened to our child. I don’t want because he’s a minor; I don’t want that to be an excuse. Because my child almost lost his life, and that’s not good enough.

A group of parents was expected to protest Monday at 7:30 a.m. demanding answers outside the Charles County Public Schools Administrative building in La Plata. However, the group said it was canceled out of respect for the family. 7News learned only a handful of people showed up.

Among the few who attended the canceled protest was a woman who told 7News she is the paternal grandmother of the boy who was injured in the school bathroom incident.

The woman asked not to be identified.

She was emotional as she spoke about what happened.

“Reliving it. It’s hard,” she said, “Like seeing my grandson, it’s hard. He’s so little and just knowing what happened, trying to picture or imagine him hanging. Like who wants to see? Who wants to walk in on an adult hanging, let alone a child?”

The woman also wanted to make clear that, contrary to many claims being made on social media, whatever happened had nothing to do with race.

“This is not a hate crime. This is a parent in a school and a student crime. This is not a hate crime, so we don’t want people to think this is a hate crime because its not. It’s not a hate crime, but its something that shouldn’t have happened,” she added.

The woman said the family’s concern is the lack of supervision which allowed the children to be alone in the bathroom long enough for the incident to have happened. She also said her grandson is recovering, but she says he has been crying.

“The only saving grace is that he is here. Bruising can go away eventually; mentally, we definitely gonna deal with that and get him the help and all of us the help that’s gonna be required to get past this,” the woman said.

The parents said they plan to take their son out of the school.

The Charles County Public Schools said that any student who violates conduct will face consequences. The investigation continues.

According to court documents, the murder happened in a now-abandoned homeless camp behind 9205 New Hampshire Avenue. Police said a witness told them an MS13 gang member known to them as “Contrachita” got into an argument with another man, pulled out a Uzi machine gun, shot him in the chest then shot him again and again on the ground.

Detectives heard from more tipsters who said that Contrachita was Pavon Mancock.

Now, 7News learned that the Honduran national entered the United States illegally and remained in the country despite several arrests.

According to an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement spokesperson, Pavo-Mancock was stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol after illegally entering the U.S. at the Mexican border in 2017. He was then released by ICE into the U.S. on May 10, 2017.

He was arrested for a stolen car in Montgomery County in October 2023. An ICE detainer wasn’t honored by the county and he was released.

Then, in November of 2023, he was arrested on a drug charge in Anne Arundel County. After 57 days in jail, he was released and was free until his arrest for the murder in Prince George’s County on Oct. 5. A new detainer has now been filed.

Pavon-Mancock is being held without bond in the Prince George’s County detention center.

He’s looking for keys to the cars in the lot, but as security camera images show, he’ll also stop and look for a snack in a fridge, taking ice cream or even candy.

He also keeps getting caught.

“We’ve had three encounters with this individual all for felonies,” said Rockville City Police Chief Victor Brito.

But the chief said he and his officers are powerless to stop this individual because the perpetrator is 12 years old and Maryland’s recently reformed juvenile justice laws don’t allow criminal charges against those under 13 except for the most serious violent crimes.

Between Rockville City Police and Montgomery County Police, the child has been caught breaking and entering, and in stolen cars, 10 times, including on Tuesday night.

“We have to release them immediately,” Brito said. “We can’t charge them, so they’re released back to their parents.”

Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy added, “And the next night it happens again. And the next night it happens again and the next night it happens again.”

McCarthy and Chief Brito are among those now reacting to the 7News On Your Side coverage of this story, saying it is time for Maryland’s legislature to revisit Maryland’s juvenile justice laws.

“Go back to some of the things they’ve done that continue to cause problems that don’t work in the real world,” McCarthy said.

Brito said, “I think they’re doing not only him but the entire state a disservice we’re not looking to incarcerate the child. We’re looking to change the behavior.”

Last Spring the legislature adopted, and the governor signed, a slight tightening of the law that calls for a mandatory supervision program for kids under 13 who steal cars. That goes into effect on November 1. Critics say the programs don’t exist, and in this case, the child is a D.C. resident and likely couldn’t be compelled to cooperate, anyway.

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