LEONARDTOWN — A Bushwood man received an 18-month active prison sentence June 2 for unlawfully taking a motor vehicle in a case that involved a truck stolen from a Charles County dealership and equipment taken from another victim two years earlier.
William Elliot Mitchell Jr., 62, of Bushwood, was sentenced by the Honorable Amy Lorenzini in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court. The sentence includes five years total, with 18 months of active incarceration followed by supervised release.
The case began April 21, 2025, when St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a stolen Dodge Ram truck at a residence on Woodbush Drive in Bushwood. Deputies located the Ram 2500 diesel pickup truck on the property. It had New Jersey license plates and was attached to a dump trailer. A Kubota tractor was also on the property. Both the trailer and tractor had been reported stolen in 2023 from a separate victim.
The Ram truck had been taken from a Waldorf car dealership in Charles County. Investigators determined Mitchell unlawfully took the vehicle. Assistant State’s Attorney John Cardozo prosecuted the case. Corporal William Rishel led the investigation for the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.
State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling said property crimes like vehicle and equipment theft create losses for businesses and owners that affect the broader community. She noted continued cooperation with law enforcement partners to address such cases.
Vehicle and equipment thefts remain an ongoing concern in Southern Maryland. St. Mary’s County has seen multiple reports of vehicle break-ins and thefts in recent months, including incidents in the Great Mills area. Charles County dealerships have also dealt with lot thefts involving high-value trucks. Cases that cross county lines, such as this one, require coordination between agencies in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties.
The recovery of multiple stolen items in one location highlights how individual investigations can uncover broader patterns of property crime. Local businesses, including auto dealerships in Waldorf and equipment owners in St. Mary’s County, face direct financial impacts from thefts, including insurance claims and replacement costs.
