Princess Anne Community Rallies After Car Crashes Through Dance Studio
Princess Anne, Md. — Members of the Princess Anne community came together Tuesday evening to raise awareness on the dangers of impaired driving and support a local nonprofit after the organization’s building suffered significant damage over the weekend.
Police say that around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday a vehicle operated by an alleged impaired driver drove through the building of Dancing Divas in Princess Anne, a youth dance studio. The driver, identified as Jordan Nicole Alleman, allegedly drove a Ford Explorer into the west side of the building before exiting through the front doors.
Law enforcement said a witness reported observing the vehicle sounding its horn outside the restaurant Spikes, “squealing wheels” around the rear of the building and then driving through the building before leaving the area.
The Princess Anne Police Department said that Alleman was arrested and charged with DWI and other related offenses.
The Dynamic Divas were supposed to be practicing during the incident, but had canceled, leaving the building unoccupied when the car drove through. The near miss spurred community leaders to come together and hold a demonstration focused on the issue of impaired driving.
Shelley Johnson, executive director of Figi 4 The Kids, a neighboring nonprofit, quickly realized that she wanted to act after she heard the news.
“Immediately we knew that we had to bring out awareness with the nonprofit, the Drug Free Coalition here and with our neighbor and friends, the Dynamic Divas being next door to us, so many youth are involved in both of these organizations and they’re in and out of these doors all day,” Johnson said.
Tuesday night’s event brought community leaders, business owners, local law enforcement and the dancers together in prayer and solidarity against impaired driving. Multiple individuals spoke and showed the damage caused by the vehicle as a lesson for the kids in attendance.
“This is a learning opportunity, especially for them to see it, for seeing the effects of drinking and driving in and what it can do,” said Dale Parker, a Princess Anne town commissioner and local business owner.
“We always say it would never be me, it could always be you. And I hope that they really take away that they need to not just watch what they do but also watch and help their friends,” said Leslie Nelson, the owner of Dynamic Divas.
Nelson said that since the incident, there has been an outpouring of support from the community and having people come out to support during the demonstration meant the world to her.
“The show of support and outpouring of love, not just in words, but in providing alternate space while we’re dealing with this, providing donations…words cannot express,” Nelson said.
The Divas will be back in business soon, as community members have offered space for the dancers to practice while the studio is rebuilt. The group is planning to attend a competition in September.
Parker said the community coming together is indicative of the strong support network in the area and provides a strong example for the kids.
“We have a strong community support here, and that’s really important because that’s not everywhere,” Parker said. “We do a lot of things here in our community for young people, and we want to show them as an example of how community what community means and how it matters to each of us.”
The Dynamic Divas have launched a GoFundMe to support their recovery.
