A 31-year-old Washington, D.C. man is being held without bond after a woman told Charles County deputies he displayed a black pistol and began removing his clothing during an argument outside a Waldorf home on October 24. Loren Aaron Oscar Clark now faces a first-degree assault charge that carries a potential penalty of up to 25 years in prison.
According to Southern Maryland News Net, Charles County Sheriff's Office officers responded to Hamilton Place in Waldorf at approximately 7 p.m. that evening. The outlet reports the confrontation began after the woman confronted Clark about his intoxication, and she told police he had been drinking beforehand.
The woman's account, as relayed in the report, describes Clark beginning to remove his clothing and telling her, “let’s go” — a statement she interpreted as an indication he wanted to physically assault her. She said he then produced a black pistol from behind his person and tucked it into the front of his waistband. Fearing for her safety, she ran inside the residence and contacted police from there, the outlet reports.
Phone Call Allegedly Revealed Plan to Hide Gun
Per the same account, Clark later said on a phone call that he needed to hide the firearm because he knew the woman had contacted police. The evidence reviewed does not establish whether officers ultimately recovered a weapon. The woman also told police that Clark typically became aggressive when intoxicated, the report states.
Police identified Clark through local law enforcement databases, and he was arrested and taken to the Charles County Sheriff's Office detention center for processing. He waived an attorney for his initial appearance, during which a judicial officer found on October 25 that he posed a reasonable likelihood of danger to the alleged victim, other people, or the community, and ordered him held without bond.
Release Conditions and Court Dates Ahead
The release conditions set that day barred Clark from intimidating, abusing or threatening the woman and from possessing a firearm, destructive device or other dangerous weapon, while also requiring him to avoid further criminal conduct and appear in court as directed. He requested a preliminary hearing, and a bail review before Judge Kenneth A. Talley on October 26 left him held without bond.
The Charles County Public Defender's Office entered an appearance for Clark on October 27, the same day the defense filed requests for discovery and a speedy trial. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 24 at 9 a.m. in Charles County District Court.
Not the First Alleged Gun Confrontation in Waldorf This Year
This is not the only reported armed confrontation in the area this year. The Charles County Sheriff's Office says a suspect raised a sawed-off shotgun toward a woman in a separate Waldorf incident on July 31. That case led to a first-degree assault charge and weapons violations against Perrie Stephon Wilson, 40, of Waldorf, who was taken into custody at the scene without further incident. Deputies later searched vehicles in connection with the incident and recovered two loaded handguns with extended magazines, according to the sheriff's office.
Maryland's criminal code, cited by the Maryland General Assembly, sets a maximum sentence of 25 years imprisonment for anyone convicted of first-degree assault. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 24 at 9 a.m. in Charles County District Court.
