A St. Mary’s County man was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly threatening a victim with a handgun in Lexington Park. Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at approximately 8:10 a.m. on February 13, reporting an armed suspect making threats in the 21000 block of Enterprise Road. Upon arrival, officers canvassed the surrounding area and located the suspect near Midway Drive and Yorktown.
The suspect, later identified as 35-year-old Akeem Grinnell-Cropper of Lexington Park, initially refused to comply with law enforcement commands but was taken into custody without incident. A search of his person led to the recovery of a Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver concealed in his jacket. A routine background check confirmed that Grinnell-Cropper is legally prohibited from possessing firearms due to previous felony convictions.
Following his arrest, Grinnell-Cropper was transported to the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Leonardtown, where he was formally charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, carrying a handgun on his person, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, four counts of possession of a regulated firearm after being convicted of a disqualifying crime, disturbing the peace, and failure to obey a lawful order from law enforcement. Given the seriousness of the charges and his prior convictions, he remains incarcerated pending a bond hearing.
Maryland law strictly prohibits individuals with felony convictions from owning or carrying firearms, yet cases involving repeat offenders remain a pressing issue in St. Mary’s County. Authorities continue to work on removing illegal firearms from the community and stress the importance of reporting suspicious behavior. Law enforcement officials are urging anyone with additional information regarding this incident to come forward.
Grinnell-Cropper’s legal proceedings are expected to move forward in the coming weeks, with prosecutors preparing their case against him. If convicted on all charges, he could face significant prison time due to Maryland’s enhanced sentencing laws for repeat offenders in firearm-related cases.
