HOLLYWOOD, Md. – On Sunday, March 15, at 4:35 p.m., deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to the intersection of Three Notch Road and Hollywood Road for a motor vehicle collision.
The investigation determined that a 2016 GMC Sierra, operated by Austin Schultz of Leonardtown, was making a left turn from northbound Three Notch Road onto Hollywood Road at the traffic signal when a 2013 Toyota Camry, operated by 42-year-old Keith Mersing II of Charlotte Hall and traveling south on Three Notch Road, ran the red light. The Camry was reportedly using the shoulder to bypass vehicles stopped at the intersection when it struck the GMC pickup.
Mersing and the front-seat passenger of his vehicle, 35-year-old Troy Coley of New Carrollton, were transported to a local hospital, where both succumbed to injuries sustained during the collision. The operator of the GMC pickup and a juvenile passenger were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Currently, it appears that excessive speed and reckless driving are contributing factors in the collision.
Sheriff Steve Hall said, “Reckless and careless driving costs too many lives, and this crash also very nearly cost the lives of one of our deputies and a member of his family. When you get behind the wheel, you are entering into a social contract; you take on a responsibility to everyone else on the road. This crash is a sobering reminder that the choices drivers make in a matter of seconds can have life-altering consequences for many; our prayers are with the families of those who died.”
The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Collision Reconstruction Unit has assumed the investigation. Anyone with information about the events leading up to this collision is asked to contact Sergeant Shawn Shelko at 301-475-4200, ext. 8147, or by email at shawn.shelko@stmaryscountymd.gov.
Tipsters can also submit tips anonymously:
- Text 847411: start your message with “SMCSO”, add a space, and then your tip.
- Online: Submit a tip through the Sheriff’s Office website at www.FirstSheriff.com/tips.
- App: Send a tip directly through the SMCSO app. Download the free app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
- Phone: For those who prefer to make a phone call, tips can also be shared through the Crime Solvers line at 301-475-3333.
With Crime Solvers, you never have to give your name. You may be eligible for a cash reward if your information leads to an arrest.
With zero enforcement this will continue to happen and get much worse
This is getting worse and worse.
Slow down, please. There is nowhere you are going that requires to drive like this.
This is sad. I do see SMSCO & MSP out enforcing the traffic laws. Jaymi Sterling and her staff get convictions when someone goes in front of a Judge and Jury. The problem is the Judges! Judges will sentence someone to the max with only a small portion to be served in active incarnation, with supervised release. Judges need to stop acting like a parole board and start protecting the law-abiding citizens.
It’s ok Dems. Running the state