Charles Co. Handgun and Drugs Recovered from Vehicle During Traffic Stop

Alpert Schreyer Trial Attorneys

Five Maryland locations to serve you. Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, DUI Defense.

On September 4 at 11:49 p.m., officers initiated a traffic stop in the area of Crain Highway and Mitchell Road after observing the driver of a passenger car speeding. During the stop, officers learned the driver was in illegal possession of a firearm. The gun, which was loaded, was recovered. In addition, two bags of suspected cocaine and a bag of marijuana were recovered. Joe Darren Rodriguez, 36, of Waldorf, was arrested and charged with illegal transportation of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, possession of narcotics. He was also issued a traffic citation. On September 5, a district court commissioner released Rodriguez from the Charles County Detention Center on a $3,000 unsecured bond. Officer Kerlin is investigating.

Joe Darren Rodriguez




CONTACT: Diane Richardson

Media Relations Office

(301) 609-6557 or (240) 682-1658

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) in 2001 and has since earned the highest rating of Excellence. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.

Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com or by using the P3Intel mobile app, which can be found in the Android Store and Apple store by searching P3tips. For more information about the P3 program, click on this link: www.p3intel.com.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: https://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at https://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at https://so.md/expungeme.