Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Get caught up on some of the biggest downcounty crime stories Patch reported in 2012.
From high-profile trials that commanded the national spotlight to crime trends affecting Bethesda and Potomac neighborhoods, Patch brought you all the need-to-know local crime news of 2012. Get caught up on top crime headlines here. Lululemon Killer Norwood: ‘I Am Truly Sorry’ Brittany Norwood, convicted of killing her co-worker Jayna Murray at Bethesda’s Lululemon store in 2011, was sentenced to life without parole in January. Crime Leaves Bethesda Communities on Edge A string of burglaries and street robberies along Western Avenue early this year left many south Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents fearful. Some residents said they organized "walking parties" to and from the Friendship Heights Metro. Man Arrested, Held Without Bond for …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Burglars may be "casing" neighborhoods, according to police.
Montgomery County police are warning Bethesda residents about a spike in daytime burglaries in neighborhoods near River Road and Massachusetts Avenue, Montgomery County Police Capt. David Falcinelli wrote in a crime update released Wednesday. Police have noted eight of the burglaries since September, according to the update. Falcinelli said burglars are targeting jewelry and electronics, and entering homes between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. In one incident, Falcinelli said, burglars triggered an alarm very shortly after the homeowners left, indicating they may have been "casing" the neighborhood. Police are stepping up daytime patrols with uniformed and covert officers, Falcinelli said. Burglars are also targeting homes in nearby Potomac, Patch…
At least five of the recent burglaries may be related, police say.
The recent rash of burglaries in Potomac has been aimed at affluent households, according to Montgomery County police. In November police revealed that at least five of the recent burglaries in Potomac could be related. Police Chief Tom Manger told a late November meeting of the West Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board that burglars were targeting high-end homes in particular. “They don’t care if there’s an alarm,” Manger said at the meeting. “They’re going in and ransacking the houses and stealing high priced jewelry.” In each one, burglars used force to break into homes, either through the windows or doors, according to a police statement. The intruders targeted jewelry and cash. Affected neighborhoods are spread across the …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The opportunity for robberies, burglaries and thefts from vehicles increase during the holidays, police say.
As holidays approach, Montgomery County police warn residents to be extra vigilant for robberies, burglaries and thefts from vehicles. According to a police statement, the opportunity for these incidents increase during the holidays. In addition to the police department’s yearly “Shop with a Cop” campaign, Montgomery County police have released the following safety tips: When shopping: When out walking: At home:
Monday, October 15, 2012
Second District Commander provides September year-to-date crime statistics in latest update.
Residential burglaries are down 40 percent and robberies are up 9 percent from last year in the Montgomery County police second district. The new crime statistics, which compare numbers from September 2012 with numbers from September 2011, were provided by Second District Commander Capt. David Falcinelli in a recent crime update. Robbery cases are a "priority" for investigators, Falcinelli wrote. The district includes Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and portions of Rockville and Kensington. According to the update, residential burglaries are down 40 percent, commercial burglaries are down 32 percent, thefts from autos are down 9 percent and stolen cars are down 41 percent. "Robberies are still up by 9 percent, but these cases continue to be a …
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Police say Delonte Ernesto Smith, 23, confessed to burglarizing Brow Art 23 and the newly-opened Dumpling Dojo.
Montgomery County Police have arrested a Washington, DC, man they say confessed to burglarizing two businesses at the Westfield Montgomery Mall. Delonte Ernesto Smith, 23, of the 5200 block of Chillum Place in Northeast Washington, was arrested Sept. 14 at a bus stop near the mall after Westfield security contacted police. Officers responded to Dumpling Dojo, a recently opened food vendor in the mall's food court, around 11:30 a.m. Sept. 10. The owner had arrived at work and discovered cash missing from the office area, according to a police report. The owner told police that surveillance footage showed a man wearing a skull cap and a backpack going over the counter and entering the office area. Another business at the mall, Brow Art 23, …
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Concerns about robberies, burglaries exacerbated by home invasion Wednesday; police say the incidents are unrelated.
A string of burglaries and robberies in Bethesda and Chevy Chase has neighbors on edge, and news Wednesday of a Bethesda home invasion robbery has exacerbated concerns. Police say they have no reason to believe a recent uptick in second district burglaries and a surge of robberies along Western Avenue are related to the home invasion robbery Wednesday, during which a mother, her teenage son, and a housekeeper were bound. The housekeeper, police say, was sexually assaulted. But neighborhood public safety discussions prompted by the burglaries and robberies are being heightened following the home invasion, said Liz Langsfeld, a resident of the Bethesda’s Crestview neighborhood, near Western Market. Langsfeld said she first noticed an uptick …
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Suspect may be connected to other incidents in the second district, which has seen a rash of burglaries in recent months, police say.
Montgomery County police have arrested a Washington, D.C. resident in connection with two attempted residential burglaries in Bethesda, according to a police press release. The man may be connected to other burglaries in the area, police said. The second district, which includes Bethesda, Chevy Chase, North Bethesda and Kensington, has seen a rash of residential burglaries in recent months, Patch reported this week. William Martin Westray, 46, of the 5000 block of Jay Street in Northeast Washington, was arrested Jan. 7 and charged with two counts of attempted first degree burglary and two counts of possession of burglary tools, police said. The incidents included an attempted burglary Jan. 3 on Overhill Road in Bethesda, during which a …
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
The Potomac Coalition for Public Safety requests county support in Potomac crime prevention.
A coalition of concerned citizens in Potomac are calling for immediate action to combat an up tick in residential burglaries in their neighborhoods. In a letter to County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), the Potomac Coalition for Public Safety has requested immediate action to counter the up tick in home invasions and theft in the Potomac area. A string of 24 burglaries and attempted burglaries in Potomac were reported for the months of September and October alone. The coalition formed in late November, following the crime spree and is made up of approximately 50 residents. According to its website, the coalition aims to work with county officials to address the issue of crime in the area, particularly burglaries. The letter to Leggett …
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Montgomery County Police took more than an hour to respond to a burglary call because of a more urgent request for service, a police spokesman said.
Montgomery County Police found their officers followed protocol after coming under fire for taking more than an hour to respond to a burglary call in Potomac in October. The Coalition for Concerned Citizens had questioned police why it took them one hour and ten minutes to respond to a home burglary alarm call after being notified. Police told Patch Tuesday their officers were following dispatch orders. “There was a little bit of a delay because the officer unit dispatched to that call was sent to another call that came into the queue of a burglary in progress,” said Cpt. Paul Starks, spokesman for the Montgomery County Police. Starks said officers are often rerouted depending on the urgency of calls that come into the dispatch center…
Native
11:58 am on Sunday, December 9, 2012
How can you say that the crime was over and the the perp was gone? Were you the thief? Furthermore, why would they call the non-emergency # upon discovering that someone has come into their house within a short time frame and may still be there? more ›