CALIFORNIA, MD. (Sept. 2, 2014)– Maryland State Police report that a trooper in the process of issuing a traffic ticket was approached by a motorist who’s car was being blocked by the trooper’s marked police cruiser. Police say that on September 2, 2014 at 7:18 am, Tpr J. Quase was on a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Starbucks in California.
Police report that Billy Willfred Morlong 3rd, 43, of Leonardtown, approached Tpr. Quase’s marked police car and requested that he move his patrol vehicle so he could back out. Tpr. Quase advised Mr. Morlong that it would be a minute before he finished the traffic stop. Mr. Morlong returned to his vehicle, then exited a short time later and requested Tpr. Quase to move his vehicle again because he was late for work. Tpr. Quase then observed Morlong attempting to back out of the parking lot and observed the bumper of his vehicle strike his patrol vehicle. Tpr. Quase informed Morlong that he struck his marked patrol car, however, Morlong drove away from the scene.
This is where Morlong went really wrong. True, the trooper could have stopped his ticket writing long enough to accommodate a citizen who was trying to get to work on time — as if anyone on the base would actually be penalized for failing to report to work on time — but still, taxpayers earn money and pay the salaries of Maryland State Troopers, thus the trooper could have provided Morlong some relief from being trapped by his patrol car. But he didn’t and Morlong showed he was incapable of accepting the error of his ways by striking the patrol car and sticking around to obtain his newly-earned ticket.
Tpr. Quase located Morlong’s vehicle a short time later and conducted a traffic stop in the parking lot of Dunkin Donuts. Cpl. S. Murphy was called to the scene, and observed damage to Tpr. Quase’s patrol vehicle. Cpl. Murphy placed Morlong under arrest for failure to remain at the scene of an accident. He was transported to the St. Mary’s County Detention Center and held pending a bond review with the District Court Commissioner.
Perhaps Morlong was able to provide his arrest document to his boss to show why he was late for work.
With two speeding tickets in the past two years, Morlong’s record is not that of an angel, at least a slow angel. He also was recently charged with driving while suspended and displaying expired tag registrations, both of which were dropped by St. Mary’s County States Attorney Richard Fritz last month, just two months before the election.
