A 41-year-old Prince Frederick man is facing a stack of criminal charges after what deputies describe as a three-day spree that began with a trespassing call at a heavily guarded gas terminal and ended with drugs allegedly found on him inside the county jail. Colin James Damalouji was accused of trespassing, disorderly conduct, hit-and-run, driving while impaired by drugs, and possessing contraband behind bars, all stemming from incidents between September 2 and September 4.
The spree started on September 2 when deputies responded to a reported trespassing complaint at a property on Cove Point Road in Lusby, according to Daily Voice. That property was Cove Point LNG, a high-security liquefied natural gas export terminal with marked signs, buoys, and land- and waterside security personnel, per Calvert County Government. Surveillance video allegedly captured Damalouji driving a gray 2010 Chevrolet Cruze to the facility's security gate to ask about a missed job interview, even though he had previously been warned to stay off the property, according to Southern Maryland News Net. He was charged with trespassing on private property.
A County Truck, Two Hits, and a Silent Exit
The following day, September 3, a deputy responded to the Calvert County Administration Building on Main Street in Prince Frederick to investigate a reported hit-and-run, the outlet notes. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Damalouji striking another vehicle, backing into a parking space, striking the same vehicle a second time, and then leaving without reporting the crash. The truck he was driving was county-owned, according to The BayNet, and the collision was later cited by a supervisor when Damalouji was terminated from county employment on September 4. Deputies eventually tracked him down on Sweetwater Road in Lusby, where a K9 sniff led to a search of his vehicle.
That search allegedly turned up a wrapper containing eight suspected buprenorphine strips along with a cut straw, the same account states. A separate search of the work truck allegedly found a clear plastic tear-off baggie. Damalouji was accused of hit-and-run and related drug offenses in connection with that day's events, and was charged with failure to stop following a vehicle or property-damage accident, failure to notify the owner of a vehicle or property damage, CDS possession not cannabis, and CDS possession of paraphernalia.
Termination, Distress Call, and a Traffic Stop on Route 4
The final chapter began the morning of September 4, when deputies were called to the Calvert County Administration Building shortly after 10:30 a.m. for a report of a person in distress. Calvert County Sheriff's Office blotter records show the call came in at approximately that time for a disturbance that followed Damalouji's termination from his job, according to the same outlet's crime blotter reporting. He reportedly became disorderly after being fired.
Damalouji initially failed to stop during an attempted traffic stop before he was detained near Route 4 and Armory Square, where he appeared to be under the influence. He admitted to consuming 800 milligrams of gabapentin, and a vehicle search allegedly found gabapentin prescribed to someone else. Following the traffic stop in Prince Frederick, he was hit with seven distinct drug and traffic charges in Calvert County District Court, per Southern Maryland News Net's report, including driving while so impaired by drugs that he could not drive safely, reckless driving, negligent driving, driving at an unreasonable speed, and failing to obey a traffic control device.
Medical research published in PubMed Central notes that gabapentin use with opioids can increase respiratory-depression and overdose risks and discusses state scheduling and monitoring policies. Buprenorphine itself is regulated as a Schedule III controlled substance, and under Maryland Criminal Law Code § 5-601, possessing it without a valid prescription is a misdemeanor carrying up to one year in prison or a fine of up to $5,000 for a first offense, according to Maryland Courts.
More Drugs Allegedly Found at the Detention Center
Damalouji was taken to the Calvert County Detention Center, where correctional deputies searched him and his property. That search allegedly turned up three additional wrappers containing suspected buprenorphine strips, leading to a charge of possession of contraband in a place of confinement. Under Maryland Criminal Law Code § 9-412, knowingly possessing unauthorized contraband inside a place of confinement is a misdemeanor punishable by up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, according to a document posted by the Calvert County Detention Center.
Court docket records show the official criminal summons for the September 2 trespassing charge at Cove Point LNG was served on September 9, and Damalouji was subsequently deemed eligible for representation by the Calvert County Public Defender's Office, per Southern Maryland News Net. Arch to Freedom is a Florida-based sober living and recovery residence program, according to Arch to Freedom. Court proceedings for Damalouji were scheduled, and he was released; the Calvert County Sheriff's Office reported the allegations underlying the case. The Cove Point LNG trespass adds to a run of local court cases Hoodline has tracked in Prince Frederick, including a box-cutter assault case from earlier this month.
