Police Pulled Plug on Bozo!
Wife was in trailer all day --- incident started when fire marshal and deputy
attempted to serve arrest warrants for arson in connection with prior burglaries, reports
State Police Commander Mike Spaulding.
Tear gas brings serial burglar/barricader out of trailer, highway and stores
reopened as police finally did what they could have done at noon today.
6:09 pm.... A dazed and phased out barricader, Thomas Franklin Hill, walked
out of his trailer with his hands up after surrendering following a blast of tear gas
tonight.
Capt. Mike Spaulding, Commander of the Southern Troop for
the State Police was on the scene and assisting with negotiations... Calvert County Swat
Team was requested to assist.... deputies went from one trailer to another clearing people
out of the trailer park after initially allowing nearby residents to stand around and
gawk, some just 50 feet from the barricaded suspect....
Deputies and State Troopers talk to a woman who they put
in the back seat of a patrol car at Burke's Trailer Park located at the intersection of
Rt. 4 and Rt. 235 in California. Police closed the Tires Plus and BJ's stores across the
street in case a stray round which could pass through a trailer wall went flying across
the highway. ST. MARY'S TODAY photo
This St. Mary's Deputy crouches down behind a car with an
automatic weapon ready to open fire on a man who was surrounded by police at Burkes
Trailer Park. ST. MARY'S TODAY photo
CALIFORNIA, MARYLAND --- Thomas Franklin Hill, told 911 communications
personnel that he would not be taken alive, then changed that to he would surrender to
Channel 9 News and then said he would surrender to the Maryland State Police.
WUSA 9's Dave Statter
Thomas Franklin Hill, wanted on burglary warrants, was afraid that St.
Mary's Sheriff's Deputies would kill him if he surrendered to them.....Hill called Action
News reporter Dave Statter at Channel 9 news in Washington and told them that he wanted to
surrender to them that he feared he would suffer the same fate as took place in February
when a man was shot to death after a similar barricade. The previous incident
involved a man who murdered his girlfriend and then aimed a gun barrel at officers,
guaranteeing that he would be shot dead. He was. Hill held police at bay since 11 am
Monday and the police response was to cut off all traffic on Rt. 4 next to the location at
Burkes Trailer Park. Hill was jailed on a $50,000 bond after being arrested
for allegedly committing a series of burglaries at Dean's Service Center, Copenhaver
Asphalt and the Farmer's Market in Charlotte Hall.
