Calvert County’s recent Relay for Life event was marred by an ugly incident that is tentatively scheduled to be the subject of hearings before a judge, according to documents on file in District Court.
The confrontation between the two individuals—identified in court documents as Roy Alan Reppenhagen, 49 of Annapolis; and Bart Couey of California (no age listed in court papers)—occurred prior to the Friday, June 15 event’s cancer survivor lap. The Calvert Relay for Life was held at Hallowing Point Park.
Couey is identified in court documents as a cancer survivor.
According to Cpl. Michael P. Naecker of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, he was summoned to the park around 6:51 p.m. to assist deputies who initially responded to the altercation. Many of the officers were off-duty at the time and participating in the Relay.
Couey and his fiancé—identified in court documents as Dorianne Brown, 49 of California—told officers that Reppenhagen “attempted to push his way through a crowd of people who were participating.” That’s when the altercation occurred. Three off-duty officers told Naecker “they observed acting in a disorderly manner as a result of the minor altercation and told him to leave,” Naecker stated in court documents. Reppenhagen allegedly began arguing with the deputies, fell to the ground and began shouting and refused repeated instructions from police to leave the park. He was then arrested for disorderly conduct and failing to obey a lawful order. Naecker stated that Reppenhagen was treated for minor cuts and scrapes on his leg by medical personnel at the Calvert County Detention Center.
Ten days later, Brown filed assault charges in District Court against Reppenhagen, claiming Reppenhagen hit Couey in the chin, ripped a necklace off his (Couey’s) neck, pushed her, scratched her forearm and hit Couey in the hand, who returned the punch. “I was treated at the first-aid tent and was released,” Brown stated in court documents. Brown said Couey sustained a broken finger and torn tendon in the scuffle and subsequently had surgery. Brown stated she filed an incident report with the American Cancer Society.
On July 5, Reppenhagen filed assault charges against Couey, claiming he was punched in the mouth. Reppenhagen stated in court documents that the incident began as a verbal dispute and escalated when Couey “proceeded to throw his drink at me and started to throw punches at me. I held my hands up to block his wild punches as I was backing away. One of Mr. Couey’s punches hit my lip.”
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