My spouse is abusing me/our children. Where do I go for help?

Call 9-1-1 any time you believe you are in physical danger. A Deputy Sheriff will be dispatched to assist you. You can apply to the District Court for a protective order, directing the abuser to stay away from you, your residence, your work or school. A District Court Commissioner can issue an "interim protective order" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The District Court Commissioner is located in the Kent County Courthouse at 103 N. Cross Street in Chestertown. The telephone number is 410 810-3370.

I just received a bad check. How do I file a criminal complaint?

You can file a criminal complaint with the District Court Commissioner, who will help you through the process of filing. The District Court Commissioner is located in the Kent County Courthouse at 103 N. Cross Street in Chestertown. The telephone number is 410 810-3370.

How do I get a "restraining order"?

The District Court can issue two kinds of orders which direct one person to stay away from another person:

A "protective order" directs a spouse or other person to whom a person is related, with whom a person lives or has lived or with whom a person has a child to stay away. During regular business hours – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday – you may apply for a protective order at the District Court Clerk's Office, Kent County Courthouse, 103 North Cross Street, Chestertown, 410 810-3360.

After court hours, a District Court Commissioner can issue an interim protective order that is effective immediately. The District Court Commissioner is located in the Kent County Courthouse, 103 N. Cross Street, Chestertown. The telephone number is 410 810-3370.

A "peace order" directs a person who is unrelated to and does not live with another person to stay away. A judge or a District Court Commissioner can issue a peace order. You may apply for a peace order at the District Court Clerk's Office or District Court Commissioners Office located at 103 N. Cross Street, Chestertown.

How can I protect myself from identity theft?

According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft was the number one fraud complaint during calendar year 2008. And limiting your use of your personal computer may not help much: a study released by Javelin Strategy and Research reported that in 2009 most identity thefts were taking place offline, not online -- just the opposite of what many folks might think. One other troubling finding: the study found that 43 percent of all identity thefts are committed by someone the victim knows.

It's in the newspapers every day and on the news every night. People worry that someone will run up charges on their credit card or fleece their bank account while their back is turned. There is reason to worry. All a thief needs is your Social Security number to commit identity theft. This crime is relatively easy to commit, but investigating and prosecuting it is complex and time-consuming. But once you know the facts and some preventive measures you can take, you can win the fight against identity theft!

Identity thieves commit their crime in several ways:

• They steal credit card payments and other outgoing mail from private, curbside mailboxes.
• They dig through garbage cans or communal dumpsters in search of cancelled checks, credit card and bank statements, and preapproved credit card offers.
• They hack into computers that contain personal records and steal the data.
• They file a change of address form in the victim's name to divert mail and gather personal and financial data.

Tips

• To guard against identity theft, never give out your Social Security number. Treat it as confidential information.
• Commit all passwords to memory. Never write them down or carry them with you.
• When using an ATM machine, make sure no one is hovering over you and can see you enter your password.
• When participating in an online auction, try to pay the seller directly with a credit card so you can dispute the charges if the merchandise does not arrive or was misrepresented. If possible, avoid paying by check or money order.
• Adopt an attitude of healthy skepticism toward websites that offer prizes or giveaways. Chances are, all that’s been “won” is the opportunity to buy something you didn’t want in the first place.
• Choose a commercial online service that offers parental control features.
• Tell your children never to give out their address telephone number password school name or any other personal information.
• Make sure your children know to never agree to meet face-to-face with someone they’ve met online without discussing it with you. Only if you decide that it’s okay to meet their “cyber-friend” should they arrange to meet this person, and then the meeting should be in a familiar public place in the presence of a trusted adult.
• Tell your children never to respond to messages that have bad words, are scary, or just seem weird.
• Tell your children never to enter an area that charges for services without asking you first.
• Tell children never send a picture of themselves to anyone without your permission.
• Make sure that access to the Internet at your children’s school is monitored by adults.

Where are you located?

The Kent County Sheriff's Office is located on Flatland Road in Chestertown, in the same complex as the Kent County Detention Center. There are signs from High Street, Route 20, and Route 291 to direct you to us. Our address is 104 Vickers Drive, Unit B, Chestertown MD, 21620.