WALDORF – A 15-year-old male faces juvenile charges after Charles County sheriff’s officers recovered stolen merchandise and a loaded handgun during an arrest Saturday afternoon at St. Charles Towne Center.
Patrol officers responded at 4:32 p.m. Nov. 22, 2025, to the 11100 block of Mall Circle Drive for a reported theft inside a retail store. Responding officers located the suspect inside another business at the mall.
The juvenile resisted arrest but was taken into custody without injury or additional incident, according to a Charles County Sheriff’s Office statement.
Officers recovered the stolen property and a loaded handgun from the teenager.
The 15-year-old was charged on a juvenile offense report with theft, unlawful possession of a regulated firearm, possession of a loaded handgun and second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer.
Maryland law prohibits identifying juveniles charged with delinquent acts. State regulations also limit public disclosure of specific details in most juvenile cases.
Following processing, the Department of Juvenile Services released the teenager to a parent under electronic monitoring pending further court proceedings.
Possession of a handgun by anyone under age 21 is generally prohibited in Maryland, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, military personnel and certain supervised activities. Juveniles found with handguns routinely face firearms-related delinquent charges in addition to any underlying offenses.
Charles County sheriff’s officials did not release additional details about the type of handgun recovered or the specific stores involved.
The incident occurred inside St. Charles Towne Center, the county’s largest shopping mall with more than 100 retail locations along Mall Circle and Mall Ring drives in Waldorf.
No injuries were reported during the arrest.