Charles Co. Officers apprehend suspect in shooting / attempted murder case

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On February 23 at 1: 30 a.m., officers responded to the area of Crain Highway in Newburg for the report of shots fired. The caller advised he was following a car in which the driver, who is known to him, shot at him minutes earlier. Officers located the suspect’s vehicle near Budd’s Creek Road. The driver, David Arthur Hardester, age 42, of Mechanicville, was identified as the person who fired the shot. He was arrested and a firearm was recovered. A preliminary investigation showed the victim and suspect arranged to meet at a parking lot near Crain Highway in Newburg. When they arrived, an argument about an ongoing issue ensued and Hardester fired a single shot at the victim as he was walking away to get in his car; the victim was not struck by the gunfire. The suspect fled and the victim followed him, calling 9-1-1 and advising officers as to where the driver was. Hardester was arrested and charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, and other related charges. He is being held at the Charles County Detention Center and waiting to be seen by a district court commissioner. Officer Weinmann is investigating.

David Hardester


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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.