Office of the State's Attorney

           On September 11, 2020, Vershawn Hudson-Crawford, age 17, of Berlin, Maryland, was sentenced by the Honorable Brian D. Shockley, Administrative Judge of the Worcester County Circuit Court, to serve 35 years in the Division of Correction, with all but 22 years suspended.  Judge Shockley ordered Hudson-Crawford to be evaluated for admission into the youthful offender program within the Division of Correction.  Upon release, Hudson-Crawford will be on…

On August 14, 2020, Larry Kendall, age 45, of Elkton, Maryland became the last of 3 co-Defendants to be sentenced for the crime of second-degree rape by the Honorable Beau H. Oglesby in the Worcester County Circuit Court.  Kendall, as well as co-Defendant Kyle Davis, age 22, also of Elkton, were both sentenced to serve 20 years in the Division of Correction.  The third co-Defendant, Damien Shiel, age 24 of Baltimore, was sentenced to serve 20 years in the Division of Correction with all but…

The Office of the State’s Attorney for Worcester County has once again earned the highest conviction rate in the State of Maryland for the prosecution of alcohol and drug-related driving offenses, as 2019 data released by the University of Maryland’s National Study Center for Trauma and EMS reveals. The same study, published on August 8, 2020, determined that Worcester County prosecutors had handled 841 DUI/DWI offenses from May 2019 through May 2020, and had secured an impressive 92.7%…

On July 10, 2020, Bryan Lee Wersten, age 32, of Berlin, Maryland, was sentenced by the Honorable Brian D. Shockley to a term of 10 years’ imprisonment, with all but 4 years suspended, in the Division of Correction.  Following his release, Wersten will be on supervised probation for a period of 5 years.  Wersten was previously convicted of homicide by motor vehicle while impaired by a controlled dangerous substance on February 28, 2020.  Prior to sentencing, the State filed a notice with the…

On June 29, 2020, James “Troy” Durham., age 52, of Pocomoke City, Maryland, was sentenced by the Honorable W. Newton Jackson to a term of 7 years’ imprisonment in the Division of Correction.  A Worcester County jury previously found Durham guilty of second-degree assault after a trial was held on January 7, 2020. Durham, formerly a sheriff’s deputy in Somerset County, will also be prohibited from possessing a firearm as a result of the conviction. 

The charges stem from an…

The Office of the State’s Attorney for Worcester County has been awarded grant funding in the amount of $136,600 by the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention. The grant will fund the purchase of a comprehensive case management software system capable of interfacing with the Maryland courts and law enforcement agencies throughout Worcester County. This upgrade in technology will boost productivity for staff and will give prosecutors more tools to address the underlying causes of…

On February 14, 2020, Nacqueese Humphrey, age 27, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to serve 25 years in the Division of Correction, with all but 20 years suspended, for his conviction of a domestically-related first-degree assault. The Honorable Beau H. Oglesby of the Worcester County Circuit Court imposed the sentence and placed Humphrey on supervised probation for 5 years upon his release.

The charges stem from an incident which occurred outside of a Baltimore Avenue…

On January 21, 2020, Fedia Dorlus, age 25, of Salisbury, Maryland, was found guilty of theft scheme – from $100 to $1,500 by the Honorable L. Bruce Wade, retired Wicomico County judge sitting in the Snow Hill District Court. The Court imposed a sentence of 120 days’ incarceration with 90 days suspended and placed Dorlus on 2 years of supervised probation upon release.

The charges stem from a report of theft and credit card offenses made to the Ocean Pines Police Department in March…

On January 21, 2020, Vershawn Hudson-Crawford, age 16, of Berlin, Maryland, was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Dehaven Nichols, also of Berlin. The Honorable Brian D. Shockley, Administrative Judge of the Worcester County Circuit Court, postponed sentencing for a pre-sentence investigation to be conducted. Hudson-Crawford faces 40 years in prison at sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.

On May 22, 2019, Hudson-Crawford and his mother drove to…

Dear Citizens of Worcester County:

Happy New Year! One year ago, I was sworn in as your State’s Attorney and since that time, I have relished the opportunity to advance the cause of justice in our county. As our dedicated team at the Office of the State’s Attorney begins tackling the challenges of this new year with determination and spirit, I am pleased to provide you with this brief review of our progress, and to outline for you our continued priorities moving forward.

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