A 32-year-old Oakland woman is facing a stack of felony and misdemeanor charges after Garrett County deputies say she struck a man with her vehicle during an assault in Kitzmiller on Tuesday, then drove off with a 6-month-old child sitting unrestrained on her lap. Myka Nicole DeWitt was arrested following an investigation into a reported assault in the 200 block of West Main Street, according to authorities.
Garrett County Sheriff Bryson Meyers reported the arrest, as detailed by the Garrett Republican. Deputies and detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division responded to the West Main Street address for the assault report, and the Kitzmiller Volunteer Fire Department, Elk District Volunteer Fire Department, and Southern Garrett Rescue Squad all responded to the scene to assist with medical treatment.
One victim was transported by Southern Garrett Rescue Squad to Garrett Regional Medical Center for treatment of injuries, while a second victim was treated at the scene, per the outlet's report. Garrett Regional Medical Center is a 55-bed acute care hospital in Oakland that has operated as a full member of the WVU Health System since July 2022, according to WVU Medicine.
Traffic Stop Turns Up Unrestrained Infant
DeWitt allegedly fled the scene with the 6-month-old child in the vehicle, on her own lap rather than secured in a car seat. Deputies later located her traveling along Kitzmiller Road and initiated a traffic stop, contacting her during the stop, the report states. When deputies located the vehicle, they found the infant seated in the front passenger seat without a car seat.
The child was ultimately released to family members, the outlet's report notes. Maryland's child passenger safety law requires children under age eight to be secured in a federally approved child safety seat or booster seat unless they stand at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, and mandates that infants under two ride rear-facing, according to the Maryland People's Law Library. The state also enforces a primary seat belt law letting officers pull over a vehicle and fine a driver directly for any unrestrained passenger under 16.
Charges Carry Steep Potential Penalties
DeWitt was charged with first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, three counts of reckless endangerment, and child neglect, according to the sheriff's account relayed by the Garrett Republican. Under Maryland Criminal Law Code § 3-202, first-degree assault is a felony prohibiting intentional infliction or attempted infliction of serious physical injury, carrying up to 25 years in prison, according to legal reference site The Cohen Law Firm.
The two second-degree assault counts each carry up to 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine, per the same statute reference, while the three stacked reckless endangerment counts each carry up to 5 years and a $5,000 fine under Maryland Criminal Law Code § 3-204, according to the Guerami Law Firm. That firm notes prosecutors often add reckless endangerment charges alongside assault counts because no actual physical harm needs to occur for a conviction. The child neglect charge, under Maryland Criminal Law Code § 3-602.1, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both, according to the Maryland People's Law Library.
Sheriff Thanks Responders as Case Moves Forward
Sheriff Meyers said he thanked deputies, detectives, and medical personnel for their quick response, treatment of victims, and timely apprehension of the suspect. DeWitt's arrest appeared on the Garrett County Sheriff's Office public arrest log dated Tuesday, with her custody status listed as pending, according to the Sheriff's Office of Garrett County. As with any pending case, DeWitt is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The incident occurred in Kitzmiller, a small Garrett County municipality of about 300 residents along the North Branch Potomac River near the West Virginia border, according to Wikipedia. It comes the same day the sheriff's office brought child neglect charges in an unrelated case out of Deer Park, where a couple was charged after overdoses left a 3-year-old alone inside a home. It remains unresolved whether Maryland's Department of Social Services has opened a separate child welfare review tied to the infant found on DeWitt's lap, and the exact relationship between DeWitt, the two assault victims, and the infant has not been detailed in official statements.
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