GREEN ACRES BURGLARIES
CONTINUED LONG AFTER
SUSPECT WAS TWICE-ARRESTED
KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN RELEASED;
UNDETERRED BY CHARGES,
CONTINUED BURGLARY SPREE
IS HE NOW IN CUSTODY, OR
RELEASED INTO THE
BETHESDA COMMUNITY?
A bizarre turn of events regarding the three-week Bethesda burglary rampage in the last 24 hours:
A lone 14-year-old Bethesda resident, police announced suddenly Thursday, had been arrested and charged with four burglaries, two attempted burglaries, and one theft (of a bicycle). In fact, he was arrested twice, first on May 9, and then - unbelievably - again the next day, when he immediately allegedly restarted his burglary spree!
More on that issue later.
The bottom line is that the statement issued, and ensuing media coverage, suggest that the burglaries listed were the only ones that occurred in Green Acres this month. And that the crimes have ended.
But the same SpotCrime data I used to uncover the unpublicized burglaries (now vindicated as accurate) prove that this is not the case at all.
While the mention that police used the teen's stolen iPad as a homing device to nab him caught the fancy of some, more urgent questions in the Green Acres and larger Bethesda community remain unanswered at this hour.
First, and most importantly, is the suspect at large again in the community?
Police are aware - as well as court authorities - that the suspect had resumed his alleged breaking-and-entering rampage the day after he was arrested. As odd, yet commonplace, as it was for him to be released in the first place, the second arrest should not have permitted release.
But police did not reveal if the suspect is in custody.
Is he or is he not?
And is he the only burglar, for that matter?
These questions are critical, because the following burglaries occurred in the Green Acres area long after the suspect's re-arrest:
Saturday,
May 12:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5300 block of
Willard Avenue.
Friday,
May 18:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5200 block of
Ventnor Road.
Sunday, May 20:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5300 block of
Yorktown Road.
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5300 block of
Yorktown Road.
So while everyone is saying, "case closed" for those initial burglaries, the many others remain uncommented on by police.
Also, I am not sure why the community was never informed that the burglaries were happening, and about the important detail that the suspect was entering via basement windows. Homeowners could have perhaps taken steps to secure such windows, had they known of that fact.
In addition, the suspect allegedly stole at least one bicycle and one iPad. There were a number of thefts in and near Green Acres during that same period.
In fact, two more just occurred on Tuesday, May 22:
Theft from vehicle. 5400 block of Westbard Avenue.
Theft from vehicle. 4800 block of Newport Avenue.
Obviously, the police did a good job of catching the suspect. But the list of burglaries (see below for full list) go way beyond the six referenced in the arrest announcement. Perhaps more charges are forthcoming. Or is there a second suspect at-large? Or is the arrested suspect free and carrying out additional crimes?
As I said, there are so many questions at this point that I do not believe the community is ready to say, "case closed."
Finally, I'm proud to say that this blog was able to play a role in alerting the community about the burglaries while they were happening. Authorities and media with far more reach and power than myself did not at the time.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you will continue to stop by this blog to find out not only what's going on in Bethesda, but also - true to the masthead above - "exclusive investigative reports you won't find anywhere else."
As we await further details from police, here is the complete list of crimes related to the burglary spree:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5400 block of
Westbard Avenue.
Theft from vehicle. 4800 block of Newport
Avenue.
Sunday,
May 6:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 4900 block of
Greenway Road.
Monday,
May 7:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 4900 block of Little
Falls Drive.
Theft from vehicle. 5000 block of Smallwood
Drive.
Theft. 5300 block of Westbard
Avenue.
Theft from vehicle. 4600 block of N. Park
Avenue.
(This is about 2 blocks from the Green Acres
neighborhood).
Tuesday,
May 8:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5200 block of
Westport Road.
Breaking and entering, burglary. 4900 block of Little
Falls Drive.
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5000 block of Keokuk
Street.
Theft. 5100 block of Allan
Terrace.
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5300 block of
Baltimore Ave.
Breaking and entering, burglary. 7000 block of Wilson
Lane.
Thursday,
May 10:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5000 block of
Brookdale Road.
Friday,
May 11:
Car stolen. 6400 block of Elmwood Road,
Kenwood.
[Now reported as theft from vehicle by MCPD]
Car stolen. 5400 block of Wisconsin
Avenue.
Theft. Westwood Shopping Center, 5300 Westbard
Avenue.
Theft. 4400 block of S. Park Avenue.
Saturday,
May 12:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5300 block of
Willard Avenue.
Theft. 5300 Westbard Avenue.
Sunday,
May 13:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 6500 block of Wilson
Lane.
Monday,
May 14:
Theft. 4400 block of Willard Avenue.
Friday,
May 18:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5200 block of
Ventnor Road.
Breaking and entering, burglary. 4300 block of
Chestnut Street.
Breaking and entering, burglary. 8000 block of
Newdale Road.
Sunday, May 20:
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5300 block of
Yorktown Road.
Breaking and entering, burglary. 5300 block of
Yorktown Road.
Theft from vehicle. 5400 block of Westbard Avenue.
Theft from vehicle. 4800 block of Newport Avenue.
