CRIME WAVE CONTINUES IN WEST BETHESDA, ARREST AT GARAGE 40 + MORE - BETHESDA CRIME UPDATE

A minor crime wave continues to unfold in neighborhoods along Massachusetts Avenue in west Bethesda. Primarily burglaries or thefts from cars, the activity clearly suggests repeat customers are casing neighborhoods there. Westmoreland Hills is being particularly hard hit, with two more vehicle burglaries there last Thursday. A third vehicle was busted into next door in the Spring Hill subdivision. Be sure to report any suspicious persons or vehicles in the neighborhood to the Montgomery County Police immediately.

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on July 3, according to crime data:

Liquor arrest. Parking Garage 40 (4935 St. Elmo Avenue).

Theft. Sapphire Cafe.

Vehicle burglary. Cordell Avenue at Old Georgetown Road.

Burglary. 3500 block Dundee Driveway.

Theft. 8600 block Melwood Road.

Vehicle burglary. 5200 block Falmouth Road (Spring Hill).

Vehicle burglary. 5200 block Duvall Drive (Westmoreland Hills).

Vehicle burglary. 5400 block Duvall Drive (Westmoreland Hills).

Theft. DSW Warehouse.

Assault. 5400 block Marinelli Road.

Drug arrest. Westlake Drive at Westlake Terrace.

THEFT SPREE ROCKS BETHESDA NEIGHBORHOODS IN OLD GEORGETOWN ROAD CORRIDOR FRIDAY - BETHESDA CRIME UPDATE

One really fit thief - or a group of thieves - hit multiple neighborhoods west of Old Georgetown Road hard Friday in Bethesda.

All stolen items were taken from cars parked in neighborhoods between Suburban Hospital and the Beltway.

One additional theft was reported just north of Georgetown Square, and two others occurred in the east Bethesda neighborhood around Rosedale Avenue. Another took place on Arlington Road. An isolated theft was reported in the Green Acres neighborhood, off River Road, as well. A grand total of 13 thefts were reported from Friday alone.

Obviously, it is yet another reminder to keep car doors locked, and remove any visible items from the cabin of the vehicle, including loose change.  If you notice any suspicious persons or vehicles wandering around, report that - and tag numbers - to Montgomery County Police.

Here is a complete list of thefts from vehicles reported in Bethesda last Friday, May 24:

4900 block Montgomery Avenue (Green Acres).

7100 block Arlington Road.

5600 block Alta Vista Road.

5900 block Sonoma Road.

5600 block Sonoma Road.

8900 block Oneida Lane.

5600 block Southwick Street.

8700 block Garfield Street.

5500 block Hoover Street.

4500 block Rosedale Avenue.

8200 block Kentbury Drive.

6000 block Kingsford Court.

6400 block Rock Forest Drive.

WHERE ARE THE BLING RING BURGLARS - BACK IN NW DC?

The Bling Ring burglars have been quiet for a couple of weeks, after breaking into homes in several exclusive neighborhoods in Bethesda and NW DC.

A pair of recent burglaries in NW are worth noting, for those attempting to track the whereabouts of the Bling Ring.

This past Sunday, August 5, break-ins occurred in the 1700 block of Surrey Lane NW, in the wealthy Foxhall enclave, and in the 3900 block of Reno Road NW.

It is unknown if these crimes are related to the previous Bling Ring spree.  But both fit their pattern of targeting expensive, old-money neighborhoods.

BLING RING BURGLARS ON A ROLL IN BETHESDA

The Bling Ring burglars are now averaging a break-in a day in old-money neighborhoods throughout west Bethesda.

Saturday, a break-in occurred in the 5100 block of Newport Avenue in the Green Acres neighborhood.

Bethesda residents would be smart to lock their doors, windows and vehicles.

BLING RING BURGLARS HIT SAME BLOCK OF DORSET AVENUE 2 NIGHTS IN A ROW!

Residents of the 4500 block of Dorset Avenue in the town of Somerset are shaken up, after the suspected Bling Ring burglars returned for the second night in a row to their street.

According to SpotCrime data, burglars broke into one home Thursday, July 26, and then returned Friday to break into another residence on the same block.

Apparently, the Ring thinks there's a lot of Bling on Dorset Avenue, as they continue to target exclusive, "old-money" enclaves in Bethesda and Potomac, after starting their spree in NW DC's Spring Valley.

BLING RING BURGLARY SPREE CONTINUES WITH SOMERSET BREAK-IN

A recent wave of burglaries, known as the "Bling Ring," for its members' apparent preference for exclusive, "old money" neighborhoods, has victimized Spring Valley in NW DC, Kenwood and other Bethesda communities, and Potomac.

Thursday, another break-in possibly associated with the Bling Ring occurred in the 4500 block of Dorset Avenue in Somerset.

The incident was recorded in SpotCrime's database, which draws on a live feed from the county police department.

BLING RING BURGLARS HEAD WEST TO POTOMAC

The Bling Ring burglars continued their habit of moving westward this week, breaking into 2 Potomac homes.

Tuesday, they hit the 10500 block of Stable Lane in the River Falls area.  Wednesday, they followed up with a break-in on Willowbrook Drive.

The first burglaries were in Spring Valley in NW DC, then they moved to Kenwood, then west again to the Whitman neighborhood, and now to Potomac.  That doesn't mean they won't make a U-turn and hit Bethesda again, so continue to lock doors, windows and vehicles to protect yourself.

BLING RING BURGLARS STRIKE AGAIN IN BETHESDA!

3 BETHESDA

HOMES BROKEN INTO,

10 THEFT RAMPAGE

ROCKS NEIGHBORHOODS

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Just when Bethesda thought it was safe to go on vacation...

After a burglary occurred on Turnberry Drive near Congressional Country Club last Friday, Bethesda homeowners had no idea what the new week had in store.

Then, on Monday, July 23, the Bling Ring burglars struck two more wealthy neighborhoods, breaking into homes in the 6300 block of Lenox Road near Whitman High School, and in the 5100 block of Waukesha Road.  Both burglaries fit the pattern begun by recent break-ins at homes in swanky Kenwood and Spring Valley.

But a theft rampage on the same day only heightened the sense that, after a Pepco-derecho pause, the May-June crime wave could be reigniting in earnest.

SpotCrime data recorded nearly a dozen thefts, including a stolen car, across neighborhoods west of downtown Bethesda.  This included at least two thefts on Fairfax Road in the Edgemoor neighborhood that adjoins the Bethesda Row urban area.

Other neighborhoods getting a theft encore included Green Acres, Spring Hill and Somerset.

Do the Bling Ring burglaries have any relation to the theft rampage the same day/night?  That is unknown for now.

The important thing is to lock your doors and vehicles!

Here's a sampling of Bethesda thefts from Monday, July 23:

Theft.  5100 River Road.

Theft from vehicle.  5300 block of Saratoga Avenue.

Theft.  5400 block of Uppingham Street.

Theft from vehicle.  4800 block of Newport Ave.

Theft from vehicle.  4800 block of Langdrum Lane.

Stolen car.  4900 block of Crescent Street.

Theft from vehicle.  Ericsson Road.

Theft from vehicle.  7400 block of Nevis Road.

TWO MORE THEFTS IN WEST BETHESDA

The theft reports continue to come in from neighborhoods west of downtown Bethesda.  According to SpotCrime, thieves returned to Sumner and Wood Acres late last week.  These are the latest thefts in a crime wave that began May 4 on Westbard Avenue.

Thursday, June 21:

Theft from vehicle. 4800 block of Fort Sumner Drive.

Friday, June 22:

Theft from vehicle. 5800 block of Devonshire Drive. 

BETHESDA CROOKS GO HOG WILD IN THE HILLS!

If the last 7 weeks are any indication, it's going to be a long, hot summer of crime in the suburbs of Bethesda.

On Wednesday, thieves and burglars returned to the same neighborhoods yet again in Bethesda.

Before hitting the road again, they racked up 6 thefts and 2 burglaries.

Many of their favorite streets got a return visit.

Neighborhoods hit were Westmoreland Hills (just days after another spree), Spring Hill, Mohican Hills and Green Acres, where the crime wave first erupted in May.

Hog wild in The Hills!

The crime wave is calling new attention to the Montgomery County Council's decision to spend money on developers and other special interests, rather than on the public safety budget.

Wednesday, June 20

Theft from vehicle. 5400 block of Mohican Road.

Theft from vehicle. 5200 block of Portsmouth Road.

Theft from vehicle. 5400 block of Albemarle Street.

Theft from vehicle. 5200 block of Elliott Road.

Theft from vehicle. 5200 block of Farrington Road.

Theft from vehicle. 5300 block of Carvel Road.

Breaking and entering, burglary. 5300 block of Baltimore Avenue.

Breaking and entering, burglary. 4500 block of Cortland Road.

ANOTHER THEFT SPREE IN WEST BETHESDA

Despite the arrest of 4 alleged thieves June 14, a spike in thefts continues in west Bethesda.

Sporadic reports were capped by a one day spree in the Westmoreland Hills neighborhood.  Nearby Western Avenue was hit, and a car was stolen not far away in Friendship Heights, according to SpotCrime:

Tuesday, June 19:

Theft of vehicle. 4600 block of N. Park Avenue.

Theft from vehicle. 5300 block of Carvel Road.

Theft. 5300 block of Western Avenue.

Theft from vehicle. 5300 block of Albemarle Street.

Theft from vehicle. 5300 block of Albemarle Street.

BETHESDA THEFTS CONTINUE DESPITE ARRESTS

Theft reports continue to come in from neighborhoods west of downtown Bethesda, despite the widely-reported arrests of 4 alleged thieves.

Although the accused were arrested "very early" the morning of June 14, thus suggesting they wouldn't have pulled off any thefts yet on that date, such a theft was reported on Baltan Road for Thursday.

Then, on Friday, two more hits, including a third return to theft-weary Gloster Road in Wood Acres in a week's time.

Are there more thieves about, or are these cases of victims belatedly realizing something is missing from their cars?  We'll know for sure in the coming days.

Thursday, June 14:

Theft from vehicle. 5000 block of Baltan Road.

Friday, June 15:

Theft from vehicle. 5900 block of Gloster Road.

Theft from vehicle. 5100 block of Scarsdale Road.

POLICE BUST 4 BETHESDA THIEVES

Montgomery County Police arrested 4 alleged thieves suspected of being behind a recent theft rampage in the west Bethesda area.

Yesterday morning, officers spotted a suspicious vehicle in a neighborhood along Massachusetts Avenue.  After pulling it over, two adults and two juveniles were arrested, having been caught with burglar tools and stolen merchandise from recent thefts.  None are Bethesda residents.

These folks did not seem like "professional" thieves, because their m.o., like the accused Bethesda burglar, was to keep returning to the same neighborhoods and streets.  Bold yet predictable, it was inevitable that police would catch them once District 2 Commander David Falcinelli deployed special units.

Prior to these arrests, two additional thefts were reported, according to SpotCrime.  Police cited over 40 thefts from vehicles, which sounds like a Bethesda record.  Will this finally end this highly unusual crime wave in one of Montgomery County's safest areas?

Tuesday, June 12:

Theft. 6400 block of Bannockburn Drive.

Theft.  7300 block of MacArthur Boulevard.

BETHESDA THIEVES ROCK NEIGHBORHOODS WITH ENCORE PERFORMANCE

It's out of control out there!

Lock your car and house doors.

Bethesda burglars and thieves rampaged again, with their usual m.o. of hitting the same neighborhoods and streets again and again.  3 thefts in Green Acres alone, the community hardest hit during this crime spree.

It's time to put out a bait car or something, because these guys are out there night after night after night since May 4.  If it's more than one perpetrator, they share a great sense of confidence.

Monday, June 11:

Theft from vehicle. 6300 block of Bannockburn Drive. 

Theft from vehicle. 5200 block of Little Falls Drive.

Theft from vehicle. 5900 block of Gloster Road.

Theft from vehicle.  5300 block of Allandale Road.

Theft from vehicle.  4800 block of Park Avenue.

BETHESDA BURGLARS RETURN TO WISCASSET ROAD

A brief streak of burglary-free days came to an end Sunday in Bethesda.

One or more burglars broke-and-entered in the 6500 block of Wiscasset Road June 10.

This is the second break-in in weeks on Wiscasset, fitting the m.o. of previous burglars during this crime wave, which began May 4.  The burglar(s) in those cases - one of whom was arrested several times by Montgomery County Police - often hit the same street multiple times.

BETHESDA THEFT RAMPAGE

While there have been few burglaries recently, thefts continue to multiply in a 35-day crime spree in west Bethesda.

On June 6 alone, one or more thieves executed a theft rampage in the Bethesda neighborhoods of Woodacres and Springfield.  A whopping 9 thefts - all within blocks of each other - were reported to police that day/night, according to SpotCrime.

Not content, perpetrators boldly returned the next day, and stole twice more.

The crime wave once centered on Green Acres now appears to be shifting westward.

Wednesday, June 6:

Theft from vehicle. 5600 block of Harwick Road. 

Theft from vehicle.  5900 block of Harwick Road. 

Theft from vehicle.  5800 block of Wiltshire Drive.

Theft of vehicle. 5900 block of Welborn Drive.

Theft from vehicle.  6100 block of Welborn Drive.

Theft from vehicle. 5700 block of Ridgefield Road.

Theft from vehicle. 5600 block of Pollard Road.

Theft from vehicle.  5900 block of Gloster Road. 

Theft from vehicle. 5900 block of Gloster Road. 

Thursday, June 7:

Theft from vehicle. 5900 block of Gloster Road.

Theft. 5700 block of Cromwell Drive.

BETHESDA THEFT SPREE CONTINUES

No rest for the thieves working neighborhoods in west Bethesda.

5 thefts were reported Saturday, according to SpotCrime.

Two were on Willard Avenue, just blocks from Green Acres, which has been the hub of the month-long burglary-theft spree.

A second theft in 48 hours in ultra-wealthy Westmoreland Hills was reported, as were hits on Marbury and Kirby Roads.

Saturday, June 2:

Theft.  5300 block of Blackistone Road.

Theft from vehicle.  7300 block of Marbury Road.

Theft from vehicle.  6000 block of Kirby Road.

Theft.  4400 block of Willard Avenue.

Theft from vehicle.  5300 block of Willard Avenue.

BETHESDA THIEF GETS BUSY

The Bethesda burglary-theft spree enters its second month, with the first June crimes being reported.

According to SpotCrime, which retrieves data from a Montgomery County Police department feed, 4 thefts occurred on June 1.

The crime wave has centered on the Green Acres neighborhood, and Friday night's thefts were all in communities adjoining that subdivision.

In Springfield, items were reportedly stolen from parallel streets.  Thieves also struck Westmoreland Hills for the first time, and again in Friendship Heights.

Friday, June 1:

Theft from vehicle. 5200 block of Duvall Drive.

Theft from vehicle.  5600 block of Jordan Road.

Theft from vehicle.  5600 block of Lamar Road.

Theft.  5500 block of Friendship Boulevard.

BUSY NIGHT FOR BETHESDA BURGLAR(S)

After a few quiet days, another break-in has occurred in the Green Acres area of Bethesda.  This was the second burglary on Westport Road during this burglary-theft spree that began May 4.

The burglary occurred Thursday, May 31, according to SpotCrime, which retrieves data from a Montgomery County Police feed.

A theft rampage occurred in Green Acres that night, and in the nearby neighborhoods of Sumner and Springfield.

Augusta Lane was hit twice.

Tuesday, May 29:

Theft. 4400 block of Willard Avenue.

Thursday, May 31:

Breaking and entering, burglary. 5100 block of Westport Road.

Theft from vehicle. 5800 block of Augusta Lane.

Theft of vehicle. 5800 block of Augusta Lane.

Theft from vehicle. 5600 block of Jordan Road.

Theft.  5000 block of Little Falls Drive.

2 MORE THEFTS IN GREEN ACRES AREA OF BETHESDA

Two additional thefts have been reported in the Green Acres area of Bethesda, the community hit most often during a month-long burglary-theft rampage.

Thursday, May 24:

Theft. 5000 block of Jamestown Road.

Saturday, May 26:

Theft. 5300 block of Western Avenue.

Still no word from police as to whether or not the person charged in less than half of the crimes remains in custody, or has been released.

It is not the thefts that are necessarily unusual, but the frequency and number within the same geographic area that qualify this as a crime wave.