Seven Killings Make Waldorf Uneasy in More Ways Than One

Waldorf, the Charles County business hub often derided for its traffic congestion and abundance of chain stores, is acquiring another unwanted distinction in the minds of some here: homicide central.

The seven slayings in Waldorf this year brought the county's total to nine, the most since 2001, when it recorded the same number. Last year, Charles had three homicides, two of them in Waldorf. The record high for the county in a single year is 11, in 1996, and the average for the past five years is about five.

"It's turning into a regular metropolis," said Mike Rittenhouse, 54, of Waldorf. "I remember when it was country. You didn't hear about these things."

Rittenhouse's sentiments were shared by about a dozen other residents in interviews recently. Almost all said they perceived that crime was on the rise in Charles, especially in Waldorf.

The topic also has echoed around the local blogosphere. Everyone seems to have the same question: What is going on in Waldorf?

It is time "to move further south," one person wrote on a local blog, commenting on two slayings in two days in November.

"I think the last thing I heard was they found a body in Waldorf," said Portia Barnes, 44, of Clinton, who grew up in Nanjemoy, southwest of Waldorf. "It really bothered me, because we didn't even lock our doors. So to think that people are being killed right around [Waldorf], it's scary."

Officials said residents have little to fear. The increase in crime, they said, has not kept pace with the area's rapid population growth.

From 2000 to 2007, the county's population increased about 16 percent, to about 140,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Much of that growth came in Waldorf, which is Charles's largest community and accounts for about half the county's population, officials said.

"I certainly don't think Waldorf is crime-ridden," said Maj. Joe Montminy, the assistant sheriff for operations in Charles. "None of it's acceptable. But with the sheer number of people, things are going to happen."

He added: "It's just one of those years where things caught up with us. I mean, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to several of [the homicides]. I don't know that there's any trend going on. . . . Hopefully, we go down next year, but I don't think that's an unusual number, given the population."

Crime statistics from Waldorf's two district stations paint an unclear picture. Through Dec. 23, 295 aggravated assaults were reported, up from 277 last year and 242 the year before. But the 244 motor vehicle thefts were down from 288 last year and 295 the year before. The number of thefts, robberies, rapes and burglaries remained relatively constant from last year to this year, according to the preliminary statistics.

The issue, then, is perhaps one of perception. Waldorf's homicides this year have tended to be grisly and unusual, and they have attracted significant local media attention.

When two people were killed in two days in mid-November, one local tabloid newspaper dubbed Waldorf the "killing fields" in a blaring headline. In one of the slayings, authorities found the body of Daniel Cordova, 28, with more than a dozen stab wounds, behind a home improvement store. In the other, Shelton Stephens, 52, who was passing through Waldorf on his way to deliver a boat to New York, was stabbed to death as he left a Hooters restaurant. A retired D.C. police officer has been charged in the slaying.

Authorities said they have solved seven of Charles's nine homicides, including six of the seven in Waldorf. They have yet to determine who killed Cordova, although a police spokeswoman has said investigators have solid leads. They also have not solved a homicide in Indian Head.

Waldorf's other homicides have stemmed from domestic conflicts or other disputes involving people who knew one another. In May, a man strangled his girlfriend with a belt in her apartment after an argument about the use of her car. In August, a man shot and killed one person and pistol-whipped another after a dispute over a woman. In September, a father shot and killed his 18-year-old daughter and then turned the gun on himself.

"I think it's understandable that people do talk about the homicides, but they have not been random acts of violence," said sheriff's Lt. Bonnie Johnston, commander of a district station in Waldorf. "I think the citizens in Waldorf would be more concerned with the burglaries and property crimes than the homicides."

Charles's business leaders and elected officials bristle at any suggestion that Waldorf is a dangerous place to live. They say the area has long been unfairly denigrated by outsiders. Most recently, a Baltimore Sun columnist referred to it as a "pit" because of the many chain stores and restaurants and the significant traffic congestion.

Traffic congestion in Waldorf, officials said, is comparable to or less than congestion in areas of similar size and sprawl. They also said that it is because homicides are so rare that they spark so much concern among residents.

"Any homicide is a big deal. You definitely don't want to get to the point where you just look at a homicide [as] just another incident," said County Commissioner Reuben B. Collins II (D-Waldorf). "You don't want to reach that point, and I don't think we have in Charles County. We're obviously concerned about any crime."

Johnston said authorities have beefed up patrols in Waldorf and launched a variety of community crime-fighting initiatives there. Collins and Commissioner Gary V. Hodge (D-St. Charles) said elected officials are exploring ways to control growth and ease congestion.

Officials said their efforts are intended to improve an area that already is very livable, one where median income and education levels have increased in recent years. People just need to come to Waldorf to understand it, they said.

"To deny that Waldorf has challenges would be kind of silly," said Ken Gould, executive director of the Charles County Chamber of Commerce. "In our opinion, the positives of Charles County -- and Waldorf . . . specifically -- far outweigh the negatives."