A Garrett County man is sentenced on attempted murder charges. According to Garrett County State’s Attorney Lisa Thayer Welch, 50 year old James Carlton Ptomey of McHenry, was sentenced in the Circuit Court to 25 years in the Division of Correction for a charge of attempted first degree murder. Judge Ray Strubin imposed a concurrent 30-day sentence for the charge of violating a protective order.
Ptomey was arrested on September 8, 2018 by Maryland State Police after troopers responded to Mosser Road in McHenry when passers-by called 911 after finding a female in the roadway in distress and with obvious injuries. The victim immediately reported Ptomey as the assailant who had entered her residence wearing a mask and striking her repeatedly with a wooden object, initially described as a bat. She said he told her he was going to kill her. She was treated and released from Garrett Regional Medical Center for numerous hematomas and contusions to her head, face, back, abdomen, arms, legs and hands.
MSP investigators determined Ptomey had purchased a mask earlier that day at a local store. Interviews with family members also helped provide a timeline of the day’s events. Ptomey was arrested the same day. His charges included violating a Protective Order which the victim had obtained in August.
Ptomey was convicted of the two charges following a two-day jury trial in September. Sentencing was postponed for a pre-sentence investigation report to be completed.