White Plains, MD – Three men charged with home invasion at a Billingsley Road residence Oct. 9 intended to knock out and tie up their victims according to charging documents at Charles County District Court in La Plata.
Clayton John Perry, 19, of Indian Head; Steven Michael Coltman, 18, of Indian Head; and Japheth Michael Newman, 18, of Waldorf; are charged with conspiracy to commit false imprisonment, attempted robbery, attempted home invasion, attempted false imprisonment, malicious destruction of property and first degree attempted burglary.
Charles County Sheriff’s Office investigators can be credited with good police work after they received an emergency call at 3:11 a.m. Oct. 9 from homeowners on Billingsley Road in White Plains that their house was being broken into.
The husband, wife and their daughter told the responding officer that they were sleeping inside their residence when they were initially awakened by their dog’s barking, then heard “four or five loud bangs coming from the first floor of the residence,” according to police reports.
The man “thought someone was trying to break down the door,” he told police.
The homeowner retrieved his handgun and went downstairs to confront the intruders. He told police he exited through the rear door of the residence and thought he saw a person running away from his residence toward the wood line.
He also found damage to the rear door where someone had attempted to break in.
The responding patrolman, Officer Smith, observed the damage consistent with someone attempting to break into the residence. He also observed footprints in the grass leading away from the house toward the woods.
They also found a black duffle bag containing a baseball bat, a crowbar, gloves, rope, and duct tape.
Meanwhile, Officer Herbert was patrolling in the area of Billingsley Road and Bensville Road when he saw a white male walking on Billingsley Road. After informing communications of a suspicious person, Officer Smith responded to this location. The subject identified himself as Perry and Smith noticed the man was barefoot and had dirty feet.
When asked where he was walking to, police said Perry provided a false statement. Perry was wearing a fixed-blade knife and officers observed white residue on the blade consistent with the paint from the damaged door at the residence.
When the officer told Perry about a nearby residence being robbed, the man told the two officers he was with two other men and they planned to rob some houses during the night. Perry told officers they planned to go to the residence with duct tape, tie up and “knock out” the residents of the house.
Smith placed Perry in handcuffs and he (Perry) was read his Miranda rights. Perry agreed to answer the officer’s questions and implicated Newman and Coltman as the two individuals who were in the same vehicle–a, silver Dodge SUV–with him prior to the crime occurring . The van was later located at the 3700 block of Spring Lane in Indian Head. Officers found a gas can, a crow bar and discovered remnants of a cell phone that appeared to have been burned in the driveway.
Officers knocked on the door of the residence, a person who identified himself as Coltman opened the door. He was placed in handcuffs and taken into custody. They later executed a search warrant at the home of Newman, who was taken into custody.
Records indicate Newman was 17 when the crime occurred, but he has been charged as an adult.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com