Easton teen charged as adult following assault investigation

EASTON, Md. – Police have arrested a teen and charged him as an adult following an assault incident on Thursday.

Just after 6:30 p.m., officers responded to the John Ford Park for a reported assault, locating a 46-year-old woman sitting on a bench bleeding heavily from a laceration on her forehead. It was learned that the victim was walking the Rail to Trails when she saw a man, identified as 17-year-old Denilson Mendez Tomas, urinating in the woods. The victim said she did not pay any attention to him and continued walking, eventually hearing footsteps coming up from behind her. When she turned around, she was reportedly hit in the head with a rock repeatedly by Mendez. He then took her to the ground when she started screaming for help before running south down the trail.

About an hour and a half later, officers located Mendez on the Rails to Trails at South Street, noting that he matched the suspect description and had blood on his clothing. He was arrested and charged with first and second degree assault and reckless endangerment.