Deadly alcohol-related crashes – Two high-profile, deadly crashes this year in Montgomery County highlighted the dangers of drinking and driving.
The first crash occurred June 25 after former Thomas S. Wootton High School quarterback Samuel Ellis left an underage drinking party in North Potomac along with three friends, according to police. Two of the young men—Alex Murk and Calvin Li—who had just graduated from Wootton would not make it home that night. The car driven by Ellis, 18 at the time, struck a tree and flipped over on Dufief Mill Road, killing Murk and Li, severely injuring Ellis and causing minor injuries to a passenger who police did not identify. In November, Ellis was charged with vehicular manslaughter and negligent homicide in the case. A trial is scheduled for April.
Police are also investigating an alleged drunken driving case in which one of their own officers was the victim. Noah Leotta, a 24-year-old officer, died from injuries he suffered when he was struck in December on Rockville Pike by a vehicle driven by an allegedly drunken driver. The officer was working as a member of a holiday task force aimed at catching drunken drivers when he was struck while conducting a traffic stop in the northbound curb lane of Rockville Pike. Police identified Luis Gustavo Reluzco, 47, of Olney, as the driver in the incident. Police Chief Tom Manger later said that Reluzco had been drinking at a Rockville restaurant before the crash. Police are still awaiting the results of tests on Reluzco’s blood; he hasn’t been formally charged. Manger called for tougher penalties for drunken drivers after Leotta’s death, an issue state legislators may take up when the General Assembly begins in January.
Lyon sisters cold case heats up – It was a case that changed parenting. The 1975 disappearance of 10-year-old Katherine and 12-year-old Sheila Lyon led many parents to question whether young children should be allowed out on their own. The Kensington girls disappeared after walking from their home to Wheaton Plaza, now Westfield Wheaton, and for 40 years police have been looking for answers about what happened to them. In July, prosecutors and police from Maryland and Virginia joined together to announce a grand jury had indicted Lloyd Lee Welch, a convicted child sex offender being held in a Delaware prison who was first identified as a suspect in 2013. The indictment came after police scoured a Virginia hillside and interviewed dozens of Welch’s family members and former associates to gather evidence against Welch. Police are also working to determine if Welch’s uncle—Richard Welch—may have been involved in the girls’ disappearance.
Distracted driving crackdown – Even the national media was smitten after Montgomery County police held a distracted driving sting on River Road in October. The operation, conducted during a morning rush hour, included an officer posing as a panhandler with a cardboard sign who flagged motorists he saw using cell phones while driving. The vehicles were then pulled over by other officers and drivers were given citations or warnings. The sting, which generated 56 tickets over about two hours, drew praise for the officers’ ingenuity in dealing with a state law that’s difficult to enforce as well as criticism from some who said the sting created a massive traffic backup during rush hour.
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An officer holds a sign during a distracted driving sting on River Road in October. Credit: Andrew Metcalf
Arrests made in major cases – County police also dealt with a number of significant crimes in 2015:
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MS-13 gang violence reemerges; two killings in Gaithersburg linked to El-Salvador based gang
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Two men arrested after telling residents during Bethesda home invasion the “economy sucks”
Police officers shine during 2015 – Police officers do much more than conduct murder investigations and distracted driving stings, as demonstrated by these stories that show their courage and commitment to duty:
Montgomery County police wearing black helmets and holding large riot shields hold the line during the Baltimore riots side by side with Baltimore City police wearing blue helmets. Photo provided by Montgomery County Police Department
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Montgomery County police played a major role on the front lines helping Baltimore City police control unruly crowds during the Baltimore riots in April.
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A county police lieutenant who’s still on the beat celebrated 60 years on the job in July.
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Bethesda officer saves baby’s life on I-270 in October.
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On the night before Thanksgiving, police stepped up alcohol enforcement to prevent drunken driving on the “No. 1 underage drinking night of the year.”
