A reported armed home invasion in Mount Airy ended with deputies stopping a fleeing SUV and arresting five people, including a 16-year-old boy, after finding a loaded handgun on the vehicle's floorboard. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office says the victim told investigators that suspects forced their way into his home, armed with a gun, and assaulted him inside.
According to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called around 12:20 a.m. on Tuesday to the 14,400 block of Black Ankle Road for a report of an assault involving several people and a firearm discharge. A white GMC Yukon was seen fleeing the scene, and deputies stopped the SUV near the home shortly after the initial call, as Daily Voice reported.
Loaded Gun Found on Floorboard
Inside the Yukon, deputies found five occupants along with a loaded 9mm handgun sitting on the rear passenger-side floorboard, the sheriff's office said. Loose ammunition matching the firearm was also found in the pocket of one of the men, identified as Joshua Mayhew Jr. All five people in the vehicle were taken into custody.
Those arrested were identified as 19-year-old Jeremiah Michael Mayhew and 20-year-old Joshua Lee Mayhew Jr., both of Libertytown; 18-year-old Destin Jerrell Braxton and 23-year-old Brennan Tyler Summers, both of Frederick; and a 16-year-old boy who was not identified. The four adults were booked into the Frederick County Adult Detention Center, while the teen was processed through the Department of Juvenile Services, according to the sheriff's office report cited by the station.
Victim's Account and Charges
The victim told deputies that the suspects forcibly entered his home while armed with a handgun and assaulted him once inside, per the sheriff's account relayed to WFMD. All five people face multiple charges, including first- and second-degree assault, handgun violations and home invasion, though it has not been specified which individual faces which particular count.
Under Maryland law, a conviction for home invasion can carry a prison sentence of up to 25 years, according to the Maryland General Assembly's statute text. That maximum penalty is tied to the offense generally and does not establish what any of the five defendants in this case actually face in court.
The circumstances that led to the alleged assault, including who may have fired the weapon during the reported discharge, have not been detailed by authorities. The case remains under investigation by the sheriff's office.
