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R C Edition OCEAN PINES • WEST OCEAN CITY • BERLIN MD
December 1, 2024
Volume 1, Issue 2
Maryland State Police continue to investigate accident that killed landscaper in the Pines last month Staff Report As Maryland State Police continue investigating the accident on Ocean Parkway that killed a 35-yearold Salisbury man working on a landscaping job, the driver is fully cooperating, but deeply saddened, according to a family member. “His heart is broken. He is very distraught,” his brother, Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis told ROC Edition days after the truck driven by William R. Lewis of Parsonsburg hit Ramón Ramirez Castillo the morning of Saturday, Nov. 16, between Briarcrest Drive and Beacon Hill Road. In the police report, Lewis’ truck is described as traveling off the right side of the roadway and striking Castillo, who owned Castillo Landscaping Services. William Lewis couldn’t be reached for comment but the sheriff said the night before the incident, his brother was watching the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match on TV and was up late. At 6:30 the next morning, he got a call that someone who works with his construction
company in Parsonsburg needed materials in Ocean Pines. “He got up unexpectedly Saturday morning to drop off materials and pick up a trailer for a sub-contractor and he said he fell asleep at the wheel. There is no evidence he was speeding or that he was being reckless. My brother is not a drinker. “Maryland State Police did their due diligence. They are reconstructing the accident. They seized his cell phone to be sure he wasn’t texting. I told him that is a minor imposition. If anything, it will help validate he wasn’t texting. He said, ‘Mike, I wasn’t texting. I wasn’t even talking on the phone,’” Lewis said. William Lewis has not yet been charged, the sheriff said, explaining law enforcement has one year and one day, or 366 days, to charge someone. “That allows us to do a comprehensive investigation and to be fair to all parties. Maryland State Police will give their findings to the state’s attorney’s office and they will determine what the charges are. He was taken to TidalHealth in Salisbury. He was in his seatbelt but his lower
back is sore from the impact,” his brother said. Sheriff Lewis said his brother has not been in touch with the family of the deceased. “He wanted to go to the funeral. I told him ‘I would advise you not to. You don’t know how the family is going to react or there might be other people who might start ques-
See ACCIDENT page 2
ROC Edition • Sherrie Clifford, Publisher
Ocean Pines Board agrees to join OC, other plaintiffs in lawsuit to stop wind turbines By David Bohenick Staff Writer
ROC Edition • Sherrie Clifford, Publisher
Turbines close to the shoreline have some opponents wondering if they could end up that close to the beach in Ocean City and other areas.
The Ocean Pines Board of Directors has joined more than 20 plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to keep wind turbines out of Ocean City, stipulating the OPA will not be responsible for any legal fees. Proposed is erecting 114 windmills 10.7 miles off the coast of Ocean City and Fenwick Island. The wind turbines would stand more than 900 feet tall, and be
lighted at night. Energy developer US Wind, Inc., a subsidiary of the Italian company Renexia SpA, would provide services at the site. In the lawsuit, plaintiffs are claiming the government’s approval of the project has violated numerous environmental protection laws including the National Environmental Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. The lawsuit also alleges the federal
government has ignored adverse effects the project will have on the beaches, the tourism industry and the commercial and recreational fishing economy. Because the Ocean Pines Beach Club, located in Ocean City, is an oceanfront property, the OPA claims it has a direct interest in the case. Speaking at the Saturday, Nov. 23, OPA meeting before the board voted on joining the plaintiffs, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan, who adamantly opposes the turbines, said he first got involved eight years ago. See WINDMILLS page 4