Police briefs

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009

Walter R. Hairston Jr., 53, of Lexington Park was jailed Sunday without bond on charging papers alleging he punched a girlfriend in the face earlier that day, requiring a helicopter crew to fly her to a hospital for medical care.

Hairston was charged with committing a first-degree assault at the Patuxent Road residence on Janet Sanders, who was going in and out of consciousness when police got to the scene and also had a wound to the back of her head, St. Mary's sheriff's Sgt. Eric Walker wrote in charging papers. Sheriff's deputies report that the investigation determined that in addition to being punched in the face, the woman also had been struck on the head with a telephone during the domestic dispute. The woman's injuries were not life-threatening.

Child abuse, assault alleged

Theresa Carolina Burch, 42, of Avenue was jailed Sunday in lieu of 10 percent of $200,000 bond on four charges of second-degree child abuse and four charges of second-degree assault filed in court papers alleging she repeatedly injured her children.

Joseph F. Burch Jr., the suspect's husband, was obtaining a protective order on Saturday, court papers state, when he "advised his wife has constantly abused their children throughout their life by pulling out their hair, beating them, slapping them, throwing objects at them and extinguishing cigarettes on their body."

Police interviewed the four children, age 7 through 13, including one who reported hearing their mother tell their father, "I will drown them in the river," according to a statement of probable cause filed by sheriff's deputy J.D. Graves.

Man charged with child abuse

Brian Christopher Landry Jr., 24, of Leonardtown was jailed Tuesday in lieu of $125,000 bond on a charge of second-degree child abuse in court papers alleging he threw a television remote control that struck his son in the head. The suspect also was charged with violating a protective order by threatening his wife, Marie Elena Landry, during a confrontation on Monday at their residence, according to court papers filed by sheriff's deputy Timothy Snyder.

Reward offered in probe of theft

Law officers in St. Mary's are seeking the public's help through the county Crime Solvers program in their probe of the theft of five boxes of vinyl siding valued at $1,000 that were reported missing on Sept. 25 from a construction site at Pembrooke Street in Lexington Park. Citizens with information about this case and other crimes in St. Mary's County can collect a cash reward by calling Crime Solvers 24 hours a day at 301-475-3333. They can withhold their name and later collect their reward through a number-ID system.

St. Mary's County Crime Solvers is a nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement in solving open investigations that may not have been closed without the extra incentive of anonymity and an offer of a reward of up to $2,000, providing the information leads to an arrest or indictment. The Crime Solvers board of directors meets for about one hour on the second Thursday of every other month at 7:30 p.m., in the conference room of the sheriff's office at 23150 Leonard Hall Drive in Leonardtown. To be considered for membership on the board, call 301-475-8008.

jwharton@somdnews.com