LEONARDTOWN, Md. — A St. Mary’s County jury found a Lexington Park man not guilty on all charges following a three-day trial stemming from a 2025 incident involving allegations of assault and a firearm.
According to his attorney, Yladrea N. Drummond, Esq., of Drummond Law Group LLC, a jury in the Circuit Court of St. Mary’s County on Thursday, March 19, 2026, acquitted Lonnell Belcher, 49, on all counts.
Belcher had faced multiple charges, including three counts of first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree assault, two counts of knowingly transporting a handgun on public roadways, two counts of carrying a loaded handgun on or about his person, one count of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and a crime of violence, and one count of malicious destruction of property.
The charges stemmed from an incident reported on October 1, 2025, when deputies responded to a disturbance at a business in the 22000 block of Three Notch Road in Lexington Park. According to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, individuals later told deputies they had been assaulted and that a man had broken a vehicle window and pointed a firearm at them. Deputies later located a vehicle matching the description and recovered a loaded handgun during a traffic stop, leading to Belcher’s arrest.
Following the verdict, statements attributed to Belcher and his attorney were released.
“Mr. Belcher woke up on October 1, 2025, a military veteran with no criminal history and he ended that day facing counts that carried the possible punishment of time equivalent to 75+ years.”
“Mr. Belcher chose to make the State prove their burden beyond a reasonable doubt and the State failed to do so.”
Belcher also stated he had “sat patiently for months trying to remain positive although the media painted him to be a ‘thug’ and now he gets the satisfaction of disproving that narrative.”
Drummond also said, “This case should have never been prosecuted let alone have made it to a three-day jury trial. The State claims to be tough on crime but they fail to evaluate whether a crime actually exists. I’m truly happy that justice was served for Mr. Belcher..”
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