News You Can Use April 2026

The Beltsville West Park is getting a facelift!

Beltsville West Park off Montgomery Road is getting a long overdue facelift! Hopefully, the work will be completed by the middle of April. They are running behind schedule because of the crazy March weather.

KUDOS to police officers assigned to the District VI – Beltsville station, who arrested and charged a driver from Virginia who participated in an illegal car rally on March 13, 2026, in the unincorporated section of Laurel. During a traffic stop, officers located a loaded firearm in his car. The weapon had been reported stolen. The suspect is 20-year-old Diego Emmanuel Guerra of Woodbridge, VA.

On March 13, 2026, at approximately 11:30 p.m., officers responded to the 14400 block of Cherry Lane for the report of an illegal car rally. Officers observed approximately 100 vehicles taking part and subsequently dispersed the rally.

Don’t Be Fooled… on April 1st or any other day! Recently, I’ve received calls from several senior citizens about suspicious calls they have received. Scams are coming at us from multiple directions: phone calls, text messages, and emails.

Safety Tips:

• Never give anyone who contacts you your account numbers, Social Security number, driver’s license number, car registration number, or home address.

• Do not open attachments or links in emails unless you are sure of the sender. Go the extra step and contact the sender before opening any attachments.

• E-ZPass does not suspend your driver’s license if you do not have enough money in your account.

• E-ZPass does not send text messages regarding your account.

• Last but not least, law enforcement from a city, town, county, state, or federal agency (Secret Service, FBI, U.S. Marshal, Homeland Security, ICE, Border Patrol) will not call, text, or email you. If they do call, get their name, badge number, and office phone number, and tell them you will call them back.

Criminals/scammers are spoofing legitimate law enforcement phone numbers. Bottom line: if law enforcement wants you, they will come and get you. Legitimate law enforcement does not ask you for money. Legitimate law enforcement does not tell you to take cash from your account and deposit it into a machine similar to an ATM.

There have been several reports of criminals/scammers impersonating law enforcement officers to scam money. Remember what they say: “A fool and his money are soon parted.” Play it safe—don’t be fooled by con artist criminals!

I can be reached at karenmcoakley@gmail.com