WALDORF, MD – In the early hours of August 5, Wapolice Charles Co. Sheriff’s Deputies arrested after finding a loaded firearm during a routine vehicle check. The incident unfolded around 4:11 a.m. on Chestnut Drive when officers investigated a suspicious vehicle.
Upon inspecting the vehicle, officers discovered a firearm in the possession of one of the passengers. The weapon was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition. The passenger, identified as 18-year-old Dejaunte Marquise Thomas of Waldorf, is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm due to his age.
Thomas was subsequently arrested and faced multiple charges. These included illegal possession of a firearm, transporting a loaded firearm in a vehicle, and other related charges.
Following his arrest, Thomas was taken to the Charles County Detention Center. Later that day, a district court commissioner granted Thomas’s release on a $3,500 unsecured bond. The reasons for the commissioner’s decision are not detailed in the available reports.
M/Cpl is leading the investigation of the incident. Saunders. The circumstances that initially prompted officers to investigate the vehicle have not been explicitly mentioned. However, routine checks of suspicious vehicles are standard practice for law enforcement agencies as a part of their community policing efforts to ensure public safety.
This incident raises questions about firearm access among teenagers and its inherent dangers. Gun violence and unauthorized firearm possession remain pertinent concerns for communities nationwide, with various municipalities grappling with how to address the issue.