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THE GAZETTE
Ten-year-old dies after falling through ice Two others rescued and treated for hypothermia
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Cold snap stretched homeless shelters thin Frigid weather zapped county’s blood supply, Red Cross says
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BY ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER
A 10-year-old Rockville boy died Monday evening after being pulled out of a sediment pond in Gaithersburg’s new Crown Farm neighborhood. The boy, identified on Tuesday as D’Angelo Jayvon McMullen, of the 10100 block of Reprise Drive, died at about 7:46 p.m. Monday after being taken to a local hospital in critical condition, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Scott Graham. “They were kids, just playing,” Graham said of the three boys whom rescue personnel were called to save Monday at about 4:15 p.m. The pond was iced over, but not thick enough to support their weight. “The takeaway here is that no ice in this region is going to withstand human weight,” Graham said, warning people not to go onto iced-over lakes or other bodies of water even if they appear frozen over. The two other boys also were taken to a local hospital after being rescued from the pond to be treated for hypothermia, he said. According to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel, the children — described as about 9 to 11 years old — were playing on ice on a sediment pond behind a new development in the Crown Farm neighborhood of Gaithersburg when the ice gave way. The pond is unmarked and partially bordered with black rubber silt fencing. Rescuers plucked two of the children from the pond minutes after their arrival. One of them was still on the ice, and the second boy’s foot had fallen through the ice, but rescuers still were able to pull
Wednesday, January 15, 2014 b
BY JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH/THE GAZETTE
Rosemont Elementary School Principal Jimmy Sweeney (right) speaks to reporters about D’Angelo Jayvon McMullen, who died Monday night after falling through ice on a pond in Gaithersburg. McMullen was a fourth-grader at Rosemont. the two to safety quickly, Gra- statement from John Schliham said. chting, the city’s director of The third boy, D’Angelo, planning and code adminishad fallen all the way into the tration. pond, in water that was about 5 “City inspectors confirmed feet deep, Graham said. installation of the safety fence Rescue crews used thermal around Pond #1 at the beginimaging to search the ning of construcpond. A Maryland tion [in 2010] and at State Police helicopsubsequent inspecter equipped with tions,” Schlichting additional thermal wrote. “Removal of imaging hovered over the fence has not the pond and aided in been authorized by the search. the City.” It took rescuers Silt fencing about about 30 minutes, us30 inches tall partially McMullen ing poles and searchbordered the pond ing with their hands, to find the Tuesday morning. A wide swath boy and pull him out of the icy of land leading down to the wawater. ter’s edge from Diamondback Initially listed in critical Drive was not blocked by any condition, he died Monday fencing, and there did not apnight. pear to be any fencing that was The pond is in Crown 42 inches tall. Farm, a large residential and At Rosemont Elementary commercial district under con- School, Jimmy Sweeney, the struction in Gaithersburg. The school’s principal, said Tuesday pond controls sediment and that many of his students had manages stormwater. arrived the day after D’Angelo’s Fencing is not required by death already knowing about Gaithersburg’s City Code, but the tragedy. The accident incity officials required contrac- volved two of his students tors to install a 42-inch safety — D’Angelo, and another unfence for the pond as a condi- identified fourth-grader, whom tion of the erosion and sedi- rescue workers saved. ment control plan approval Sweeney said D’Angelo was process in 2010, said the a “good, energetic student”
who liked science class. Despite it being D’Angelo’s first year at the school, Sweeney said the boy had made many friends at the school and left a strong impression on teachers. “We are all going to miss him terribly here,” he said. The school had extra pupilpersonnel workers and counselors to help students process D’Angelo’s death, he said. School officials also sent out information on ConnectED, a notification service for parents, and sent a letter home with students explaining more details about the incident. D’Angelo’s brother, a sixthgrader at Forest Oak Middle School, also was involved in the accident, but was rescued unharmed. Sweeney said officials at Forest Oak were working with him as well. On Tuesday evening, D’Angelo’s family released a statement about their son’s death. “We would like to thank all of our family, friends, and the community for their support during this difficult time,” it said. “Please respect our privacy while our family grieves the loss of our very special child.” sjbsmith@gazette.net
With the recent cold snap still fresh in mind, the Montgomery County 100,000 Homes Campaign has been working to help the county’s homeless stay off the streets. The county’s campaign is part of a national movement of more than 200 communities that works to find permanent homes for chronic and medically vulnerable homeless people. Since the initiative began in November, four street outreach programs have been working to engage homeless individuals and learn more about them, according to a news release. People Encouraging People Homeless Outreach, Bethesda Cares, Interfaith Works Community Vision and the city of Gaithersburg have staff who spend time talking with people living outside, with the focus of learning about their needs and directing them to safe housing. A slight uptick in the number of homeless people seeking out one shelter in Silver Spring during the Jan. 7 arctic blast is a small sign of success, according to Susanne Sinclair-Smith, executive director of the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless. The Home Builders Care Assessment Center for men, operated by the coalition at 600B E. Gude Drive, welcomed more people than the shelter could hold. It has a capacity of 135 men, but 160 sought shelter there the night of Jan. 6, according to Sinclair-Smith. Twentyfive of the men were taken to East County Community Recreation Center in Silver Spring for shelter overnight, she said. “We certainly saw more men over this cold period,” she said. “But we do not turn anyone away. We encourage them to come.” Montgomery County police also has been periodically checking known homeless encampments, monitoring the welfare of those homeless individuals and encouraging them to go to shelters, the news release said. Looking to end homelessness, the County Council approved an appropriation Dec. 3
that gives $649,325 to the county’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs to provide permanent housing with supportive services for 15 homeless people classified as medically vulnerable. Montgomery County Council President Craig Rice (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown said the campaign’s efforts are a step in the right direction. “This county has done many things over the years to help address our homeless population,” he said. “The 100,000 Homes Campaign targets a special segment of this population — a population that has been difficult to reach. Through this program, and the steps that are being put in place, we now have a better chance of letting them tell us their needs and then directly working to find housing for these most vulnerable people.” County officials encourage anyone in need of emergency shelter to call the crisis center at 240-777-4000. “Street cards,” provided by the county, list resources available for those experiencing homeless in the area. With some of the harshest weather this season now gone, the American Red Cross is asking all eligible blood and platelet donors to give blood to replenish the supply that went unfilled during cold weather spurts this month. The Red Cross of the Chesapeake Region, which serves Maryland, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and York and Adams counties in Pennsylvania, was forced to cancel 10 blood drives since Jan. 2 because of the inclement weather. The cancellations resulted in about 258 fewer blood and platelet donations. Platelet donors, and blood donors with the most in-demand blood types — O positive and negative, A negative and B negative — are needed to donate to help offset the shortfall. “It’s the blood product already on the shelves that help save lives when severe weather hits,” said Linda Voss, CEO of the Red Cross Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Blood Services Region. Following Jan. 7’s big chill, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission saw a spike in water main breaks. Spokeswoman Lyn Riggins reported a total of 64 water main breaks in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties that needed fixing as of Thursday.
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Notice Of Non-Discriminatory Policy As To Students The Garrett Park, Glenbrook, Wesley, Silver Spring, Bannockburn, Bethesda, Suburban, Kensington, Chevy Chase United Methodist Church, Rockville Presbyterian, Rockville Community, Cedar Lane Cooperative Nursery Schools, Rockville Early Childhood Center and Silver Spring Day School admit students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at these schools. They do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of their educational policies, admissions policies, student-aid policies and other school-administered programs.
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