WALDORF, Md. — A 23-year-old Brandywine man is facing multiple charges after what deputies described as a series of liquor thefts from two Waldorf stores this summer. The investigation took a decisive turn when his alleged accomplice provided police with a crucial piece of modern evidence: the suspect’s Instagram handle.
According to charging documents, the case began to unfold on Aug. 13, 2025, after a theft at Big Mouth Liquors on Crain Highway. Deputies said a man and a woman entered the store, and while the woman paid for a beverage, the man allegedly grabbed a bottle of Don Julio tequila and pushed an employee before fleeing.
Employees who chased the suspects provided a license plate that deputies said led them to the car’s owner, identified as an accomplice. During a phone interview, the woman allegedly gave police a false name for the male suspect — “William Franklin” — but provided his real Instagram handle, according to charging documents. Investigators said they used public photos from the account to identify the suspect from the Big Mouth Liquors theft, as well as a second theft from A1 Plaza Liquors earlier that same day.
Court documents show a search warrant for the Instagram account records from Meta Platforms revealed a phone number associated with William Harold Shanklin III, 23, of Brandywine. Investigators said that with his real name, they were able to connect Shanklin and his accomplice to an earlier theft reported on July 27, 2025, establishing probable cause for a theft scheme charge.
In total, deputies said the three thefts amounted to about $682 worth of stolen liquor. Shanklin has been charged via a criminal summons with five counts: second-degree assault, two counts of theft between $100 and $1,500, theft less than $100, and operating a theft scheme. According to Maryland law, the assault charge alone carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Court records show Shanklin is scheduled for a preliminary inquiry on Oct. 20, 2025.
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will alot view this story? I guess this is the appropriate place to … its coming upon a year since the judge + the sheriff had it out in his chambers + a shocking, astonishing thhing happened + everybody in KY were beside themselves. I wonder what the status of that case is? I would have liked to see the sheriff stay, take a leave of absence, until the case was resolved. Wow, a judge can push a sheriff to do that.