On May 9, 2019, a Worcester County jury found James Tankard, age 29, of Dagsboro, Delaware, guilty of possession with intent to distribute heroin. He was sentenced in the Worcester County Circuit Court by the Honorable Brian D. Shockley to serve 15 years in the Division of Correction, with all but 10 years suspended. He is to be on 3 years of supervised probation upon his release from prison.
The charges stem from a traffic stop conducted in October of 2018 by the Ocean City Police Department’s Narcotics and Street Enforcement Unit. Detectives observed Tankard was the passenger in a vehicle being driven in the area of 142nd Street in Ocean City, Maryland. Knowing Tankard had an active warrant for his arrest, officers stopped the vehicle, arrested Tankard and searched his person incident to arrest. The search revealed 261 wax baggies containing heroin with a total weight of more than 58 grams. Officers also recovered $775 in US currency, which the Court ordered forfeited to police. Experts estimate the street value of the seized heroin at approximately $2,600.
Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser recognized the proactive enforcement efforts of the Ocean City Police Department and Detective Gutowski, and thanked Assistant State’s Attorney Joaquin Cabrera, who secured the conviction at trial.
