Sharpsburg

Samuel Gardner Thomas Jr., 62, of Boonsboro, Md., passed from this life Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at his home while surrounded by his family. Born Sept. 9, 1950, in Washington County, Md., he was the son of the late Samuel Gardner Thomas Sr. and Anna Mae (Miller) Thomas, and was raised by his late aunt and uncle, John and Mildred Miller. He was veteran of the Vietnam War, having served with the U.S. Army. He was employed as a truck driver, having worked for Steffey and Finley Inc. in Hagerstown and L.W. Wolfe Enterprises Inc. in Myersville, Md. He is survived by his wife, Barbara J. (Nave)

A bill introduced by Del. Neil C. Parrott, R-Washington, in the House seeking to change state law so that a county's sheriff or the chief of a county's primary law enforcement agency is notified before a warrant is served within its jurisdiction by another agency has died in committee after it received an unfavorable report from the House Judiciary Committee. That means the bill will not make any progress in the current session of the Maryland General Assembly. The legislators have said previously that their bill was in response to a November incident in Sharpsburg where Maryland State Police served a no-knock search warrant as they searched for Terry Porter, of 4433 Mills Road near Sharpsburg but did not inform the Washington County Sheriff before the operation commenced.

Dog Adult Vizsla mix, female, tan, found on Sweet Blair Lane in Hagerstown Adult hound mix, male, blond and white, found on Woburn Road in  Sharpsburg Cats Adult domestic shorthair, male, orange, found on Church Street in Hagerstown Adult DSH, gender unknown, gray and white, found on Virginia Avenue in Hagerstown Adult DSH, female, white and brown, found on Burnside Avenue in Hagerstown Adult DSH, female,...

A 66-year-old woman from Sharpsburg is Washington County's latest lottery jackpot winner. The woman claimed a $625,000 Multi-Match jackpot Friday, according to a press release from the Maryland Lottery. She correctly matched all six numbers in the Feb. 11 drawing. “I found out I won late Monday night when my twin sons woke me up with the news,” the woman said in the release. “They came knocking on my door screaming that I had hit the jackpot.” The woman's sons checked her ticket online and saw that all her numbers matched.

Sharpsburg Volunteer Fire Co. and Sharpsburg Area Emergency Medical Services are planning a new, six-bay building to house both operations, although the companies will remain separate entities, officials said. “Both departments have justifiable needs, just based on the size of our firetrucks and ambulances and the tightness of keeping them inside the building,” Fire Chief Allen James said. The fire and ambulance stations are both in the 100 block of West Chapline Street; a gravel parking lot is between them.

A bill filed in both legislative chambers seeking to change state law so that a county's sheriff or the chief of a county's primary law enforcement agency is notified before a warrant is served within its jurisdiction by an officer from another agency was discussed by state lawmakers Tuesday. The House Judiciary Committee hearing was an opportunity for Del. Neil C. Parrott, R-Washington, to make a case for the bill. “It was a very productive hearing … I think we have the potential to do something here to help the residents of the whole state,” Parrott said.

Wallace Junior Giffin, 68, of Fairplay, Md., passed away Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013 at Meritus Medical Center, Hagerstown, Md. Born Dec. 1, 1944, in Sharpsburg, Md., he was the son of the late Wallace Nelson Giffin and Ethel Virginia Churchey Semler. He was employed by Steamfitters & Plumbers Local 486 Baltimore, Md., until retiring in 1994. He was employed with T.A. Gorman, where he was a superintendent in Baltimore. Prior to the union employment he worked for Fridinger Ritchie in Hagerstown.

A witness testified that police did not find machine gun-style weapons or 10,000 rounds of ammunition when they searched the home of a Sharpsburg man last fall, but Terry Porter's case will be heard in Circuit Court after a Washington County District Court judge bound him over on 14 firearms charges. District Judge Mark D. Thomas found there was probable cause for the case of Terry Allen Porter to proceed to Circuit Court. Porter, 46, of 4433 Mills Road, is charged with seven counts each of possession of rifles or shotguns by a convicted felon and possession firearms after being convicted of a disqualifying offense, court records said.

Two Washington County legislators have filed bills in the current session of the Maryland General Assembly that would require the chief of the primary law enforcement agency in a county to be notified before an officer from another agency serves a warrant in areas within the county's jurisdiction. The bills, which have been filed in the House and the Senate by Del. Neil Parrott, R-Washington, and Sen. Christopher Shank, R-Washington, respectively, are in response to an incident in Sharpsburg in November where the Maryland State Police executed a no-knock search warrant at an address, but the Washington County Sheriff did not know about the operation until after it had begun.

Michael Donovan Rohrer, 63, of Sharpsburg, Md., died Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Martinsburg, W.Va. Born June 18, 1949, in Hagerstown, Md., he was the son of Mildred M. Eichelberger Rohrer of Sharpsburg and the late Richard N. Rohrer. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving with the U.S. Air Force. He was a lifetime member of the Williamsport Improved Order of Red Men Conococheague Tribe 84. He was also a member of William D. Byron Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1936 and Fraternal Order of Eagles 694. He was formerly employed by Boat America and the Downsville General Store.