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“This case is not over. There are additional charges,� Dixon said during the council meeting, adding that he was pleased with the results of a recent joint operation. Dixon commended the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the Kent County Narcotics Task Force, the Maryland State Police, and the Natural Resources Police for their collaboration in what he described as a significant bust within town limits.

To further address community concerns, Dixon and Council member Tom Herz noted that a surveillance camera is scheduled to be installed in the Mount Vernon Avenue area to help monitor activity and improve neighborhood safety.

Owner and tenant charged

Keith Eric Brooks, 65, of 223 Mount Vernon Ave., was served a criminal summons Sept. 24 charging him with keeping a disorderly house, according to Kent County District Court records. The summons, served by the Chestertown Police Department on Oct. 13, orders Brooks to appear in court Oct. 31 for a preliminary inquiry.

Charging documents allege that between March 1 and Sept. 22, 2025, Brooks “did keep a disorderly house … by using/selling controlled dangerous substances from the residence.� Brooks is listed as the property owner in Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation records and has long rented rooms in the house, including to David Lawrence Grant, 44, who faces new criminal counts related to narcotics activity.

New charges for Grant

Grant has been charged with maintaining a common nuisance for the administration of narcotics and keeping a disorderly house, both misdemeanors under Maryland’s controlled dangerous substances law. He remains held without bond at the Kent County Detention Center pending a preliminary hearing Nov. 5.

Police records detail two recent incidents involving Grant. On Sept. 19, police responded to a disturbance at the residence where Grant admitted to yelling at another person and acknowledged that visitors he invites “are causing disturbances.� A neighbor provided video of the incident, and Grant was issued a criminal citation for disorderly conduct.

Three days later, on Sept. 22, police were dispatched to the same address after a woman was reported throwing rocks at the home to get Grant’s attention — a tactic police said is used by known drug users seeking to buy crack cocaine. The woman, Erica A. Reeves, was arrested for disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia after officers found a suspected crack cocaine smoking device in her belongings.

Police said the home is “visited daily throughout all hours of the day by known drug abusers attempting to purchase crack cocaine,� a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance. Since January, Chestertown Police have responded to the address more than 30 times for calls ranging from suspected drug activity to trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Prior conviction and neighborhood impact

Grant was previously arrested in March 2024 when the Kent County Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant at the same address. He pleaded guilty that November to maintaining a common nuisance for drug distribution and served part of a one-year sentence before his release in December 2024.

Since then, neighbors say the property has remained a source of concern. Complaints describe constant foot and vehicle traffic, public disturbances, vandalism, and late-night shouting. “We are deeply distressed by this activity and are discussing selling our home,� one neighbor wrote.

Chief Dixon said local and state partners remain engaged, and the ongoing investigation will continue to target those involved in distributing drugs within town limits.