Charles family nabbed in Freon case

Police say six tried to poison man in St. Mary's

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

A Charles County woman, her three sons and two other relatives have been charged with endangering her former boyfriend in court papers alleging Freon lines were cut at the pair's former home in Park Hall.

Maryland State Police obtained a summons charging Melody Bridget Thompson, 49, of Pomfret with unlawfully discharging the refrigerant, placing the former boyfriend "in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm."

A conviction for the felony offense carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The same charge and additional offenses of property destruction and petty theft were filed against her sons, Toby Clayton Thompson, 31, of Glen Burnie, Travis Roy Thompson, 27, of Lexington Park and 19-year-old Terrcell Ernest Thompson of Pomfret. The same three charges were filed against Nakisha Marline Thompson, 20, of Glen Burnie and Allie Michael Richardson, 46, of Pomfret.

Melody Thompson declined to comment on the matter when contacted by phone Thursday at her home.

Roland Louis Fenwick, 45, told police last week that he and Melody Thompson ended their relationship on Feb. 13, court papers state, and that she left their "mutually owned" house on Courtneyville Road, with plans to return with a U-Haul truck and family members to get her belongings.

Melody Thompson and the five other people charged in the case arrived there one afternoon early last week, and Fenwick left them there to gather her property, state police trooper M.A. Koock wrote in a charges application. Fenwick got back about 90 minutes later and Thompson and her family members left.

Fenwick noticed that a black leather coat, NFL jacket and patio park bench were no longer there, court papers state, and that heating and air-conditioning cables and Freon pipes leading from an external unit into the residence had been damaged.

"When the antifreeze-Freon pipes were cut," Koock wrote in the charges application, "it released hazardous substances into the residence, endangering Fenwick's welfare."

Exposure to Freon can cause irritation of the nose and throat, drowsiness, unconsciousness, liver damage and death, according to occupational health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.

Fenwick told police that Melody Thompson returned to the residence toward the end of last week, court papers state, and that he received the missing clothes.

jwharton@somdnews.com