MARYLAND

Man who led police in Ocean City car chase, crash sentenced

From Staff Reports

A Delmar man will serve time in jail after leading Ocean City police in a vehicle pursuit that hurt a department employee, Worcester County prosecutors said.

On Jan. 23, Anthony Roper, 39, was convicted in the District Court of Maryland for Worcester County of attempting to elude uniformed police by fleeing on foot, attempting to elude uniformed police by failing to stop and failing to immediately stop at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, according to a Worcester County State's Attorney's Office. 

Prosecutors said Thursday that Roper was sentenced to five months and 29 days on each count, to run concurrently.

The charges stem from a Nov. 13, 2018 incident during which officers of the Ocean City Police Department saw Roper driving a motor vehicle with illegal window tint in the area of 65th Street and Coastal Highway, the news release states.

Officers also learned that Roper was wanted on an active arrest warrant for felony drug trafficking out of Wicomico County.

On Jan. 23, 2019 Anthony Roper, 39, was convicted in the District Court of Maryland for Worcester County of attempting to elude uniformed police by fleeing on foot, attempting to elude uniformed police by failing to stop and failing to immediately stop at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, according to a Worcester County State's Attorney's Office.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle in the area of 94th Street and Coastal Highway at which time they told Roper of the outstanding warrant. Prosecutors said he immediately accelerated his vehicle away from the officers, leading them on a high speed pursuit through the town.

Background:Delmar man flees, wrecks car near Ocean City police station for 21 traffic violations

Roper lost control of his vehicle in the area of 65th Street and struck a police patrol vehicle driven by a department public safety aide. The aide suffered injuries to his head and neck as a result of the collision and was treated at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin and his patrol vehicle was seriously damaged.

Roper then exited his vehicle and fled on foot from officers, prosecutors said, but was eventually apprehended in the area of 66th Street. 

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