Porn sextortion leads to arrest in Germantown

A man accused of extorting several women with their own explicit photos has been arrested by Montgomery County police. Michael Brendan Cooper, 22, of Sweetgum Circle in Germantown, has been charged with offenses related to six incidents of what detectives call, "sextortion,"

Police allege that Cooper poses as a female named “Rebecca Lattimore” on social media platforms using the profile names “beccalattimore” and “rebeccalostsc.” After tricking women to share intimate photos with him as Rebecca Lattimore, Cooper then allegedly reveals himself as a male, and demands they perform sex acts or else he will release the photos publicly.

In the latest alleged incident, detectives claim Cooper pulled a knife on the victim who agreed to meet him in person, after she then declined to engage in sexual acts. That victim's boyfriend then appeared and detained Cooper until police arrived to arrest him.

Cooper was arrested at the scene and transported to the Central Processing Unit.  He is currently being held without bond.

Detectives are concerned that there are additional victims of Cooper’s sextortion.  Anyone who believes that he/she is a victim is asked to call detectives at 240-773-6254.

Car stolen in Germantown

A vehicle was reported stolen to Montgomery County police yesterday morning in Germantown. The car was parked on the street in the 11200 block of Valley Bend Drive, near Clearspring Park. It was taken sometime over the previous night or early Wednesday morning.

Car stolen in Montgomery Village

A car was reported stolen in Montgomery Village Monday morning. The vehicle taken was parked on the street in the 18800 block of S. Meadow Fence Road.

3 arrested in Germantown shooting

Sequan Markell Ashton

Three suspects have been arrested by Montgomery County police in the triple shooting at Gunners Branch Park in Germantown last Saturday, July 25, 2020. A 19-year-old female victim remains in critical condition with life-threatening injuries; two male victims are in stable condition.

Sequan Markell Ashton, 19, of Germantown, Jaheim Ronnell Hicks, 17, of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, who has been charged as an adult, and Henry Emanuel Tamba, 20, of Germantown were arrested after being seen running through the woods in the 18400 block of Allspice Drive about 20 minutes after the shots were fired. Officers found a fanny pack containing a handgun believed to be the weapon discharged in the shooting, and other evidence.

Henry Emanuel Tamba

Hicks was charged as an adult with three counts of attempted second-degree murder. Ashton and Tamba were charged with being an accessory after the fact to first-degree assault. Hicks' mugshot is not being released because he is a minor, police say.

Bruster's reopens in Gaithersburg

Bruster's has reopened at 18519 N. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg. The ice cream shop shut down earlier this month, announcing that all employees would be tested for Covid-19. Coronavirus hasn't scared away business, though. Last evening, there was a long line of walk-up customers, and a very long drive-thru line of cars that snaked around the parking lot.

Monster Mini Golf reopens in Gaithersburg

Miniature golf sadly remains a rare find in Montgomery County. The good news is that the only real full-scale mini golf course in the County, Monster Mini Golf, has reopened at 9116 Gaither Road in Gaithersburg. Because it is an indoor facility, they have implemented a number of safety practices to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Temperatures will be checked at the door, hand-sanitizing stations and social-distancing signage are spread throughout the building, and surfaces are being cleaned under CDC guidelines. Arcade games are marked for social distancing, as well. Stella's Snack Bar will have a limited menu, and the virtual reality attraction is closed for now.

Arson in Clarksburg

A case of arson was reported to Montgomery County police this past Sunday in Clarksburg. The fire occurred in a home in the 12500 block of Blue Sky Drive around 7:56 AM.

Coaches, athletes, parents speak out on MCPS cancellation of fall & winter sports

Montgomery County Public Schools announced Tuesday that all sports for fall and winter have been cancelled, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement was one line in a larger announcement that no on-site instruction will take place in MCPS for the fall semester. Many coaches and athletes' reactions ranged from resigned disappointment to devastation and anger.

One common theme among those opposed to cancelling sports was to question why fall and winter sports could not be either postponed or rescheduled for a different part of the school year, rather than have a lost season. Randy Thompson, head coach for the Richard Montgomery High School varsity football team, summed up these matters - and the short-shrift the sports decision was given in the MCPS statement - in one tweet.

"The announcement from MCPS to cancel fall and winter sports instead of to postpone and reevaluate, seems unjust to our student athletes, certainly given the fashion in which it passed over in a single sentence," Thompson tweeted. "Why not [reevaluate] 1 month from now, two months from now?," tweeted Quince Orchard High School head football coach John Kelley.

An online petition has been started to play fall and winter sports in the spring. At the same time, some MCPS parents expressed relief at the announcement, believing that having students gathering for practices and games would have put the larger community at risk for Covid-19 transmission.

Thompson, Albert Einstein High School football defensive coordinator Joe Bruneel, and other MCPS coaches vowed to do what they could to salvage some benefit for their student athletes this coming school year. Bruneel proposed football coaches across the system organize for a spring football season. Thompson said he would try to get his players on film to showcase their talents for colleges.

Armed carjacking in Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg police responded to an armed carjacking near Lakeforest Mall this past Saturday night. The car was taken on Odendhal Avenue around 10:22 PM, according to crime data.

South House Garden opening in Olde Towne Gaithersburg (Photos)

Coming soon signage is up at South House Garden, opening soon at Granary Row at 317 E. Diamond Avenue in Olde Towne Gaithersburg. A beer garden and restaurant, their Southern-style menu will include a rich version of chicken and waffles, as well as steak tacos and several varieties of chicken wings, the owners say. As a railroad buff, I also like the great view of passing trains from the front patio here.

Tutti Frutti near completion in the Kentlands

Tutti Frutti looks almost ready to open at the Market Square center in the Kentlands area of Gaithersburg. The frozen yogurt shop was supposed to open late last year, and still does not have an official opening date announced.

Bonchon opens in Gaithersburg

Bonchon has opened at 130 Market Street at Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg. They are initially only offering takeout and delivery service, even though Montgomery County now allows indoor dining with restrictions. Customers entering to pick up takeout orders must wear a mask.

ICE arrests alleged sex offender Montgomery County released

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says it has located and arrested an alleged child sex offender whom Montgomery County released from custody. Rene Atilio Ramos-Hernandez, 56, has been accused of repeated sexual abuse of a child. ICE had lodged a detainer with Montgomery County, asking that Ramos-Hernandez be held upon his release from jail so that ICE agents could take him into custody for deportation. County officials did not hold him, and he was released into the community, where he remained at-large for several weeks.

ICE agents located Ramos-Hernandez at his workplace in the District, and took him into custody, the agency said in a statement Tuesday. “Our fugitive operations team safely carried out this arrest in the community, but this required additional time and resources when he could have safely been transferred to ICE custody within the secure confines of the Montgomery County Detention Center,” acting Baltimore Field Office Director Francisco Madrigal said.

In their statement, ICE notes that Ramos-Hernandez also has convictions for driving while intoxicated and driving on a suspended license in Fairfax County, and for driving while intoxicated in Montgomery County, Maryland. The agency says he will remain in ICE custody until an immigration judge issues a final order of deportation for him.

Sexual assault at Gaithersburg restaurant

A sexual assault was reported to Gaithersburg police yesterday afternoon. The victim was fondled at a restaurant in the 500 block of N. Frederick Avenue around 4:13 PM, according to crime data.

True Food Kitchen Rio update (Photos)

True Food Kitchen is starting to look like an actual restaurant at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. You can see many of the facade design elements now. The outdoor seating space is also beginning to take shape.

Montgomery County GOP chairman resigns

Alexander Bush

The chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party has resigned. In a resignation letter to members of the County Republican Central Committee, Alexander Bush, a trial attorney, said that the impact of the pandemic on his practice has placed new limitations on the time he can dedicate to running the party.

Bush will remain a member of the central committee, however. Vice-Chair Dennis Melby will serve as the interim chairman, until a new chair can be elected. Melby has worked at the American Enterprise Institute and Congressional Budget Office, and was elected four times to the Village of Friendship Heights' Village Council.

Photo via Montgomery County GOP