The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office says a months-long undercover operation conducted in cooperation with a Prince Frederick hotel led to five arrests on prostitution- and drug-related charges last week — charges that carry sharply different legal weight under Maryland law.
According to CCSO, undercover officers spent July and August communicating online with individuals suspected of either soliciting prostitution or distributing controlled dangerous substances, working with the Holiday Inn Express to set up the operation. On Sept. 4, deputies moved into an enforcement phase, arranging in-person meetings with people who had allegedly expressed intent to engage in prostitution-related activity or drug distribution.
Four men were arrested and charged with solicitation of prostitution: Aydian Oravitz, 19, of Indian Head; Ricardo Innis Jr., 32, of La Plata; Siddiq Abdus-Samad, 30, of Wilson, North Carolina; and Scott Hendrick, 30, of District Heights. Under Maryland Criminal Law § 11-306, that charge is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $500.
CCSO says a fifth man, Benjamin Leonard, 47, of Waldorf, arrived at the operation site and distributed cocaine to an undercover officer; he was taken into custody without incident and charged with distribution of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. Both drugs are classified as Schedule II narcotics under Maryland law, and distribution or PWID involving that schedule is a felony under §§ 5-602 and 5-608 of the Criminal Law Article, carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for a first offense — a penalty roughly 20 times steeper than the misdemeanor charges the other four defendants face. All five face pending charges and have not been convicted.
CCSO credited the hotel’s management and staff for making the operation possible, saying their cooperation gave investigators “the opportunity to proactively address the distribution of controlled dangerous substances and the solicitation of prostitution within the community.” The Sheriff’s Office described collaborations like this one as essential both to reducing crime and to preventing “the continued exploitation and victimization of vulnerable individuals” in the community. The investigation remains active and ongoing, according to CCSO.
