Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Releases

Incident: Assault / Impersonating a Police Officer
Date of Incident: 23 October 2010
Location: Quantico Creek Road, Hebron, MD
Suspect: 1. Ian B. Gray, 19, Bivalve, MD
2. Allen M. Ruark, 21, Salisbury, MD
3. Male Juvenile, 17, Bivalve, MD


Narrative: On 23 October 2010 at 11:31 PM, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a citizen who stated that he had just been pulled over by a vehicle displaying a blue dash light on Levin Dashiell Road outside of Hebron. The citizen stated that once he pulled over, the supposed police vehicle, a white Mercury Mountaineer, pulled around him and sped off. The complainant stated that he followed the vehicle to Quantico Creek Road where they stopped, exited their vehicle and approached the victim’s vehicle and began punching and kicking it. The victim stated that he contacted the Sheriff’s Office and followed the vehicle. The victim also advised that the occupants were throwing items from the vehicle.

Responding deputies located the Mercury Mountaineer and stopped it on Firetower Road. The vehicle was driven by Ian Gray and his passengers were Allen Michael Ruark and a 17 year old male juvenile. Another deputy checked the area where the occupants were throwing items from the vehicle and located the blue dash light that the victim observed. None of the trio is a law enforcement officer or is authorized to use or possess the blue dash light. Also located in the Mountaineer was a large amount of alcohol.

All three were placed under arrest. Gray and Ruark were transported to the Central Booking Unit where they were processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Gray and Ruark were both detained by the Commissioner in the Detention Center on bonds of $50,000.00 and $30,000.00 respectively. The 17 year old juvenile was detained by Juvenile Authorities in the Lower Shore Children’s Center in Salisbury.

Charges: Assault 2nd degree / Malicious Destruction of Property / Impersonating a Police Officer / Littering

Incident: Assault
Date of Incident: 22 October 2010
Location: 300 block of Glen Avenue, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Aaron D. Greene, 25, Salisbury, MD


Narrative: On 22 October 2010 at 7:51 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to investigate an altercation inside an apartment in the 300 block of Glen Avenue in Salisbury. Upon arrival, the deputy could hear a male subject yelling from a third floor apartment. Residents who met the deputy in the parking lot stated they heard the male subject yelling and assaulting a female inside the residence. They advised they could hear the woman screaming for the male subject to stop.

The deputy entered the apartment and located an upset female victim who identified Aaron Greene as her assailant. The deputy also saw injuries on the female that corroborated the accounts of the alleged assault.
The deputy placed Green under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Greene in the Detention Center in lieu of $20,000.00 bond.

Charges: Assault 2nd degree

Incident: Malicious Destruction of Property
Date of Incident: 22 October 2010
Location: Robins Avenue, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Joshua Whayland, 21, Salisbury, MD


Narrative: On 22 October 2010 at 8:57 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office responded for a reported incident of vandalism to an arable field off of Robins Avenue in Salisbury, MD. An unknown vehicle drove into the field sometime overnight and cut "donuts" into the field. During the investigation, the deputy identified a suspect vehicle which was subsequently located in the 100 block of Overlook Drive in Salisbury. While speaking with the owner of the vehicle, Joshua Whayland, he admitted to being the operator of the vehicle and that he was responsible for the damage to the field. Whayland also admitted that he did this while under the influence of alcohol.

The deputy placed Whayland under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Whayland on Personal Recognizance.

Charges: Malicious Destruction of Property

Incident: Possession of Crack Cocaine
Date of Incident: 22 October 2010
Location: North Salisbury Blvd., Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Kenneth Tang, Jr., 35, Mardela Springs, MD


Narrative: On 22 October 2010 at 2:45 PM, a deputy was behind a vehicle operated by Kenneth Tang on N. Salisbury Blvd at Naylor Mill Road when the deputy ran the tag on Tang’s vehicle. The registration check revealed the tag had expired in August 2010, but the deputy observed that the tag displayed a validation tab of 2012. Upon stopping Tang, he admitted to the deputy that the tags were no good and that he didn’t have a driver’s license. The deputy subsequently confirmed that the registration had been suspended due to an insurance violation and that the driver was revoked. Upon being placed under arrest, the deputy discovered a pipe containing crack cocaine was on the passenger seat.

The deputy learned from Tang that he had stolen the validation tab from a vehicle at his place of employment.
The deputy transported Tang to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Tang was detained in the Detention Center in lieu of $25,000.00 bond.

Charges: Possession of Crack Cocaine
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Theft of a MVA registration Sticker
Driving While Revoked
Driving an Uninsured Motor Vehicle

Incident: Theft Scheme
Date of Incident: 24 Sep - 22 October 2010
Location: Wicomico County, MD
Suspect: Traci Brooks Sterling, 28, Salisbury, MD


Narrative: On 24 September 2010, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office investigated the theft of jewelry from three different residences in Wicomico County in the 5400 block of Kingsmill Drive, 3900 block of Coulbourn Mill Road and the 30500 block of Foxchase Drive. The total estimated value of the stolen jewelry from these three residences is over $23,000.00. During the investigation, the deputy discovered that the common denominator in these cases was a shared residential cleaning company. Further investigation revealed that the same employee of the cleaning company was present at all three of these residences where jewelry was stolen. The focus of the investigation quickly focused on this employee, identified as Traci Brooks Sterling.

The investigating deputy visited pawn shops in Salisbury and discovered that this employee had pawned jewelry on numerous occasions that coincided with these thefts. After identifying the items pawned, the deputy positively identified them as the stolen pieces of jewelry. It became clear that this employee, Traci Sterling was culpable in these thefts.

The deputy applied for and received a warrant from the District Court Commissioner charging Sterling with felony theft from these three residences. Sterling was arrested on 22 October 2010 and transported to the Wicomico County Detention Center where she remains held on $15,000.00 bond.

It should be noted that the cleaning company that employed Sterling is not believed to be complicit in these thefts.

Charges: Theft $10,000- $100,000
Theft Scheme