Ride. Topping the local stories we're following for you as we roll into this early morning together Friday here at WTLP. We a begin drug with bust for the history books locally in Anne Arundel County. The drugs that were seized included 18 kilograms of cocaine estimated to be valued at approximately $2 million. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown says that amounts to the largest cocaine recovery stemming from an investigation in Anne Arundel County history. The deadly drugs they were peddling and their dangerous activities eventually reached widespread across Maryland. Ten people face charges in connection with the investigation including Clayton Mooring who investigators describe as being a kingpin who imported large amounts of cocaine from Texas and supplied numerous drug traffickers in our area. Nick Eine, L -E -W -T -O News. -P Not guilty. That is the verdict for suspended Loudoun County Public School spokesman Wade Bayard this week who was facing a felony perjury charge you may remember. This was related to the investigation into two separate sexual assaults by the same student. I'm not really happy, I'm relieved. That's what suspended school system spokesman Wade Bayard told NBC4 about his reaction to the verdict. Bayard was facing a felony perjury charge accused of lying to a grand jury that was investigating the county's response to two in -school sexual assaults by the same student in 2021. He says it's unclear whether he'll return to the school system. It might be hard to be the face of Loudoun County again because people would a school system. says no personnel decisions regarding Bayard have been made. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Jason Miyares tells WTOP that the special grand jury indicted Bayard and quote, we are proud that the judge agreed with us time and time again that this case needed to be heard in front of a jury. Scott Gellman, WTOP News. Let's talk transportation issues this Friday morning on WTOP. Get these numbers 118 % in the district, 180 % in Prince George's County, another 84 % in Montgomery County. That is what we're being told this week how much auto thefts are up in the region over last year around here. And police say they are working hard overtime to turn the tide on this one. In Maryland, Assistant Police Chief Nicholas Augustine with Montgomery County Police says teens are the main culprits thanks to TikTok challenges involving kiosks and Hyundais. also There are a lot of thefts occurring in our downtown locations such as Wheaton and Silver Augustine says a disbanded auto theft unit is now back at the department to tackle the problem. One of the best ways to trick our thieves locker doors person looking to steal a vehicle pulls on the doorknob and sees that it's a lot to move on to the next one most likely. Also he says if your car doesn't have a tracker built in, consider adding one such as Apple an AirTag but never go and try to find the car yourself. Mike Murillo, WTOP News. The victim in a deadly crash locally involving an on -duty officer is now being identified this morning. The Charles County Sheriff's Office says that 57 -year -old Gregory Keith Rowland was killed early this week on Wednesday morning when he was walking in the travel portion of Crane Highway. The sheriff's office further says this hour the deputy pulled pulled over and tried to save the man. Rowland died at the scene. Sheriff Tory Berry said the crash is being being investigated this morning and called it an unfortunate incident on many levels. The Navy's weapons testing locally more knife -r rad than something's missing. A permit to carry out that testing. Dean Niox is with the Potomac Riverkeeper Network and says watermen in the Potomac River have pulled up projectiles from the Navy's weapons testing along with their they're harvests of oysters and crabs. The testing's conducted near Dahlgren, Virginia, south of the Hairy Nice Bridge. They've discharged 33 million pounds of ordinances into the Potomac River without any permit without any limit. Niox says the federal lawsuit is not asking the Navy to stop the testing but to get a permit from the EPA something Niox says is required. The Clean Water Act is very clear about this and we feel very good about our chances in the courts. A Navy spokesperson emailed WTOP saying the Navy does clear about 2023. Welcome into WTOP at 408. Get a Precision AC tune -up for only the UCLP Traffic Center. Strap in tight Dino, we got a busy one. It's not the way we want to start a Friday. On the Capitol Beltway, the Woodrow Wilson bridge. The crash in the local lanes on the inner loop on the bridge itself has been cleared and good thing too because bridge maintenance work is going to start again here in the next couple of minutes and you're going to find that the Capitol Beltway comes to a screeching halt as much as you can in the rain at Oxon Hill and at Alexandria. They're going to have to raise the drawbridge. That means they're going to have to lower the gates and keep traffic off of the bridge starting at about 4 10 this morning so roughly a minute or so away. Expect delays and expect sudden slowing on both the inner and the outer loop through Oxon Hill and through Alexandria sticking with Virginia 95 southbound or crash the of Dale City Truck Scales last seat in the center of the roadway have not gotten an update on that one in some time. The other crash we outbound have is going to be before Stafford blocking the right lane northbounders. You've got crash activity trying to get into the Springfield Interchange and that is going to be on the ramp for 170B which I believe is the ramp that carries you on toward the inner loop of Capital the Beltway and the crash narrows the ramp though they do not say how and the camera does not reveal that. Elsewhere on the Capitol Beltway between McClain and Alexandria you should be okay. We did have a crash reported after outer loop Van Doren trying to get into the Springfield Interchange over on the left side. I have not had an update on that one in some time. Thanks for watching. Kettleworth Avenue southbound after you leave the Baltimore Washington Parkway heading toward DC 295 as you cross over the top of Route 50. The crash was on the left side hopefully some help is there now. 175 still shut down in Columbia between Snowden River Parkway Waterloo and Road for the crash and now a crash investigation. Don't sell your used car to a stranger. Be safe and go to Fitz Buys Cars dot com. Get the most money for your car in a safe new car showroom. Go to Fitz Buys Cars dot com. That's the Fitz way. I'm Ian Crawford WTOP traffic. Tracking areas of rain and pockets of drizzle and a little bit of fog as we move through the early morning hours. Temperatures will be in the 60s later this afternoon if we see enough sunshine