<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[DBlastMedia News]]></title><description><![CDATA[Your Source for Local Insights]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/news</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2026 13:09:02 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.dblastmedia.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Personal Friendships Catapult Secretary to Assistant Sheriff]]></title><description><![CDATA[Marcus A. Jones worked as a secretary for the City of Seat Pleasant but aspired to become a police officer. In August 2015, Jones was suspended from work after an altercation with another secretary. According to inside sources, Jones repeatedly screamed at a female coworker and slammed office doors as the City Administrator attempted to defuse the situation. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/former-secretary-marcus-jones-appointed-assistant-sheriff</link><guid isPermaLink="false">d53fc12f-7752-4090-869b-fede34159405</guid><pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:18:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_a007db837999439eaf9e600fe2a91ab4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Former Deputy Chief Tired of Dirty Cops]]></title><description><![CDATA[Robert Ploof spent his childhood building Lego police stations and playing cops and robbers with friends. He idolized police officers and dreamed of a career in public safety. Ploof landed a security job on his 18th birthday and began preparing for police entrance exams. Months after taking his first civil service test, Ploof received an excited phone call from his mother. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/former-deputy-chief-tired-of-dirty-cops</link><guid isPermaLink="false">989fcb3f-00b4-4710-9405-81a2c963fc5a</guid><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_5e72caffe02b4afdb52ed8823399d69d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_612,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[List of Dishonest Prince George's County Cops Released]]></title><description><![CDATA[A partial Brady List of 148 current or former police officers with integrity issues was released by the State's Attorney.]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/prince-george-s-county-releases-list-of-untruthful-cops</link><guid isPermaLink="false">aa2078a9-d966-43f2-b5b9-7a118ffb6731</guid><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 04:13:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_f979a294f70e46b494cc95b65cb43590~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shabazz Washington</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cop Facing More Charges After Recent Arrest]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Capitol Heights police officer indicted last month by a Harford County grand jury for first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and false imprisonment now faces more charges for allegedly contacting the victim. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/cop-facing-more-charges-after-recent-arrest</link><guid isPermaLink="false">25f94592-13fe-44c9-82be-da3332edf29d</guid><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 01:21:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_8198a6440b3745e699e9f38e6eda3fb2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Former St. Mary's County Official Convicted of Fraud]]></title><description><![CDATA[Former St. Mary's County Commissioner John E. O'Connor pleaded guilty this week to willfully filing false tax returns for 2023 and 2024. O'Connor will be sentenced in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court on a later date. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/former-st-mary-s-county-official-convicted-of-willful-tax-fraud</link><guid isPermaLink="false">4d709419-cc73-467a-ada1-43deb0d4ee72</guid><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_7bb21a236f2142b9bce4893fc4d37444~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Police Sergeant Charged with Assault]]></title><description><![CDATA[Forest Heights Police Sergeant Jalen Rasard Cephus is facing first- and second-degree assault charges following an off-duty altercation in Waldorf, Maryland. According to charging documents, Cephus punched and choked his friend's romantic partner during an argument. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/forest-heights-police-sergeant-charged-with-felony-assault</link><guid isPermaLink="false">828ffc72-2e21-4099-afb4-ebc661f93b46</guid><pubDate>Sat, 08 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_613ae40a0b0846888bf1bed64fc29493~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_941,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Convicted Politician Seeking Re-Election in St. Mary's County]]></title><description><![CDATA[Former St. Mary’s County Commissioner John O’Connor is forging ahead with his election campaign while awaiting sentencing for tax evasion. O’Connor pleaded guilty last week to willfully filing false tax returns in 2023 and 2024 with the intent to evade taxes. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/john-oconnor-election-candidate-convicted-of-fraud-hoping-for-reelection</link><guid isPermaLink="false">aaef78e0-b9ed-4cd1-a516-5660b0970768</guid><pubDate>Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:18:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_549a64580eb7479b8c4397d2a7651a9a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_630,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[State Investigating Police Chief and Contractor]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Maryland State Prosecutor’s Office is investigating John E. O’Connor and former District Heights Police Chief Ronald Tarpley for alleged fraud and bribery offenses. Sources say Tarpley outsourced the police department’s grant management to his longtime friend O’Connor in 2023, an arrangement that abruptly ended in July 2025 when municipal employees discovered invoices with falsified business names and charges for equipment and services that were never delivered. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/police-chief-and-friend-john-oconnor-investigated</link><guid isPermaLink="false">b47172eb-e295-4ba1-a8f7-38c9a8cbc7ef</guid><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:31:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_308ab996a78840fba8d929d9ced4dd3f~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_640,h_480,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Police Chief Hired Fraudsters During Hiring Blitz]]></title><description><![CDATA[Chief Mark Cummings was a Maryland State Police Sergeant before joining the Capitol Heights Police Department in 2017. Records indicate that Cummings' career was unremarkable. Of his twenty plus year with MSP, DBlastMedia found only one reference to Cummings online. In that instance, a reporter quoted information he provided about a highway incident. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/police-chief-hired-fraudsters-during-hiring-blitz</link><guid isPermaLink="false">0e92c69a-f8ae-4aa6-baf9-45ee164260df</guid><pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_0edd8364e17a4a7f96baacd67f7774b0~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cop and Handyman Cousin Falsified Repair Bill]]></title><description><![CDATA[Newly obtained dashcam video from District Heights is raising concerns about a local cop and his repairman cousin. Sources tell DBlastMedia that Sergeant Ronald Govan arranged for his cousin Sean Fritz to inspect a police truck's faulty emergency lights. It took Fritz less than five minutes to locate a misconnected wire and restore the lights. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/cop-and-handyman-cousin-conspired-to-falsify-invoice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">05cd138c-b4e4-45ad-83fc-cfaafa8ee777</guid><pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_473168e9690d4c98b75af6c894a37c61~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_838,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Police Chief Arrested Following Drunk Driving Crash]]></title><description><![CDATA[Maryland State Police arrested District Heights Police Chief Ronald Tarpley for drunk driving after an early morning vehicle crash on Pennsylvania Avenue in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He is scheduled to appear in court on January 5, 2026. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/police-chief-arrested-for-drunk-driving-crash</link><guid isPermaLink="false">c101b57e-1240-4398-971a-70151fff272d</guid><pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_dbb5957497c04e9498baecec54c66aae~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_855,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Police Chief Disabled Camera to Frame Whistleblower]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Maryland State Prosecutor's Office has launched a criminal investigation for bribery and theft involving District Heights Police Chief Ronald Tarpley and his longtime friends John E. O'Connor and Matthew Davis. Tarpley fired the deputy chief who uncovered evidence of their criminal misconduct totaling more than $100,000. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/police-chief-planned-to-frame-whistleblower</link><guid isPermaLink="false">ea8907dc-441b-40a3-a3ca-55496dddbd6d</guid><pubDate>Sat, 20 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_62707fc2c50048ba889a0b213bfcb2e7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_708,h_508,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ousted Police Chief Blamed for Suicide]]></title><description><![CDATA[Former Chevery Police Chief Carl Miller is being blamed for officer's suicide.]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/ousted-cheverly-police-chief-blamed-for-officer-suicide</link><guid isPermaLink="false">bb96a694-8a87-4d49-a4f6-ee780379334b</guid><pubDate>Sat, 01 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_890419db0cf8488897e5479214f44dfa~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_826,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Police Chief Booted After Staff Complaints]]></title><description><![CDATA[Former Maryland State Trooper Carl Miller was all smiles after being appointed the Cheverly police chief in March, 2022. But Miller's mood was much different when his tenure abruptly ended this week. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/police-chief-booted-following-after-employee-complaints</link><guid isPermaLink="false">a6c488f0-2f1b-41ec-a613-d383370af52f</guid><pubDate>Sat, 01 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_323bd7c7a15b4fd28202baf36013c88b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_812,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cops Remark to Teen Suspect Caught on Camera]]></title><description><![CDATA[The unidentified police sergeant told teen suspect "I Should Have Killed Your Mother F*.... ]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/officer-told-teen-i-should-have-killed-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">912da522-f7a2-49c3-bf13-aa3f75d26e9f</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 2022 21:56:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_4479761a53474411804f63615d5ea28c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_865,h_574,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shabazz Washington</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[No Punishment for Drunk Driving Cop]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lieutenant Jaime Matthews had just finished guzzling alcohol at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, when he got behind the wheel of an unmarked Dodge Durango police truck on March 26, around 12:19 am, and began the seventeen-minute drive home. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/no-punishment-for-drunk-driving-cop</link><guid isPermaLink="false">ec55f610-dcd8-4528-b1f8-3acff32d3f6d</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jun 2022 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_0fa66e41ddfd4b5db7e79e7c156d6ed2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Police Chief Resigned to Avoid Investigation]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sources told DBlastMedia there was a massive sigh of relief at the Seat Pleasant Police Department on Friday when employees received word of Police Chief Devan Martin's departure. One staffer, who plans to celebrate with co-workers this weekend, said it was a moment many employees had long hoped would come. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/police-chief-resigns-to-avoid-impending-suspension</link><guid isPermaLink="false">8b2fda9e-b1ca-4d2d-9756-bef8730e479a</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2022 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_e126102cddef491d946b2996ad3883ea~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Police Department Staged Historic Moment]]></title><description><![CDATA[Local news outlets rushed to cover the City of Seat Pleasant's announcement earlier this week that for the first time in history, four female officers were employed by the Seat Pleasant Police Department all at once. Jonathan Rizik, a digital producer for WTVM-TV, was one of the first to write about the seemingly newsworthy event. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/city-staged-historic-announcement-about-female-cops</link><guid isPermaLink="false">775d47c2-2c34-4a8e-962d-9d58b9947a47</guid><pubDate>Thu, 24 Mar 2022 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_5877b7f97b144b6384c3e6d1029a8795~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_674,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[City Rehired Officer with Troubling Work History]]></title><description><![CDATA[DBlastMedia began gathering information on PFC Travon Campbell earlier this week after District Heights City Commissioners passed a resolution to expunge his disciplinary record and make him eligible for re-hire. Read more...]]></description><link>https://www.dblastmedia.com/post/district-heights-police-rehires-officer-with-troubling-work-history</link><guid isPermaLink="false">3f3c908b-2429-4ac3-ac2b-055adb5fc377</guid><pubDate>Sat, 19 Feb 2022 20:58:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ab20bd_f1d6252f42d1436284074e072a5110fb~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Steve Thompson</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>