A roadside argument near a busy Prince Frederick traffic circle turned violent last week when a 34-year-old local man allegedly slashed a stranger across the back with a box cutter, according to charging documents. Justin Paul Brinkley now faces seven criminal counts, including first-degree assault, after Calvert County Sheriff's deputies responded to a reported fight near Dares Beach Road and Armory Road around 7:30 a.m. on August 27.
According to The BayNet, deputies located one man near Calvert Body Works on Armory Road and found Brinkley on the opposite side of the traffic circle. The other man told investigators he had been walking along Dares Beach Road with headphones on when Brinkley approached him and began a verbal altercation that escalated into a physical fight. The man alleged that Brinkley slashed him in the back with a box cutter, and deputies reportedly observed injuries on his back consistent with a box-cutter slash, per the probable cause statement.
Brinkley gave a different account, telling deputies the other man confronted him first. He acknowledged that a physical altercation occurred but denied pulling a box cutter during the fight, claiming instead that the item had simply fallen out of his pocket. Despite his denial, a deputy determined Brinkley was the aggressor, according to the probable cause statement, and deputies recovered a red box cutter from Brinkley's right front pocket.
Injuries, Evidence and a Pair of Sunglasses
Both men sustained visible injuries during the confrontation. Brinkley had injuries to his face, both elbows and a hand, while the other man's shirt was ripped and torn. Deputies photographed injuries sustained by both men, and investigators later confiscated the box cutter and placed it into evidence at the Calvert County Sheriff's Office.
A pair of sunglasses found on the ground became a small point of dispute at the scene. Brinkley allegedly told a deputy the sunglasses were not his and said he had picked up everything from the ground, but investigators determined the sunglasses actually belonged to the other man and returned them to him. Brinkley had also placed his backpack on the ground during the encounter, according to the account relayed in the report.
A deputy who spoke with Brinkley noted a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from him. Passersby had contacted the Calvert County control center to report the altercation, which is how deputies first learned of the fight near the intersection.
Charges Reflect a Range of Alleged Conduct
Brinkley was placed under arrest and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, affray, disorderly conduct, intoxicated public disturbance, intoxicated endangerment, and theft of less than $100. First-degree assault is a felony under Maryland Criminal Law § 3-202 carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison when a person intentionally causes or attempts to cause serious physical injury or uses a firearm, according to Kush Arora's Maryland-criminallawyer.com article. The lesser second-degree assault count is generally a misdemeanor punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500, per The Cohen Law Firm.
The affray charge is notable for its rarity. Maryland's affray remains an uncodified common-law misdemeanor defined as two or more people fighting in public to the terror or disturbance of others, carrying no statutory sentencing cap beyond constitutional limits against cruel and unusual punishment, according to SoMD Criminal Defense. In this case, both parties appear to have engaged in a public mutual fight, which fits the competing narratives investigators encountered at the scene. According to a July 8, 2026 opinion published by Maryland Courts, mutual affray punishes public fighting that disturbs the peace, while reckless endangerment addresses a different type of conduct.
Bond Reduced a Day After Arrest
Brinkley was initially ordered held without bond following his arrest and was transported to the Calvert County Detention Center in Prince Frederick. That changed a day later, on August 28, when a bail review hearing was held in Calvert County District Court. Judge Michelle R. Saunders modified his release status to a $5,000 unsecured personal bond, and Brinkley posted it the same day, allowing his release from custody.
According to Maryland Courts rules, release on personal recognizance means release without a bond requirement based on a written promise.
Saunders has presided over the District Court of Maryland for Calvert County since her appointment in October 2013 and also serves as the District Court representative on the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy, according to biographical records maintained by the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy.
What Happens Next
Brinkley's preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 25 at the Louis L. Goldstein District Court/Multi-Service Center on Duke Street in Prince Frederick, per court records. That hearing is expected to focus on whether probable cause holds for trial, likely centering on the recovered red box cutter and the photographed injuries documented by deputies at the scene.
The intersection where the fight unfolded, Dares Beach Road and Armory Road, is a full traffic roundabout. According to Calvert County Government's Sustainable Community Action Plan, Armory Road was realigned and a new roundabout was constructed to move traffic more efficiently through Prince Frederick's Dares Beach Road corridor. The area sits adjacent to auto repair shops and other commercial properties.
A Huntingtown shoplifting arrest earlier this year also involved an unsecured bond. Whether the felony assault count against Brinkley ultimately survives the preliminary hearing will depend on how the physical evidence squares with the two competing accounts of who started the fight.
