(Clockwise from top-left) Cody Moore, 17, Stephanie Hall, 19, William Dale Middleton, 19,
LA PLATA, Md. (Nov. 20, 2008)—Five teens were arrested this week in connection with multiple incidents in which they allegedly used a BB gun to assault people and vandalize numerous homes and businesses during an overnight spree last week. The arrests were made by the Charles County Sheriff's Office.
William Dale Middleton, 19, Keith Brandon Digiorgio, 18, Stephanie Hall, 19, Cody Moore, 17 and Brandon Clark, 17, all of Waldorf, were arrested on Monday and charged with 3 counts of first-degree assault, 3 counts of second-degree assault, 38 counts of destruction of property under $500, 2 counts of destruction of property over $500, and reckless endangerment.
The three adults were remanded to the Charles County Detention Center and the two juveniles—charged as adults—were remanded to Boys Village.
Calling the arrests significant, Sheriff Rex Coffey said identifying suspects in these types of cases is crucial in preventing other crimes from occurring. "Vandalisms can be difficult to solve because they tend to be random crimes. Our officers pursued every lead until these suspects were identified and apprehended," said Coffey.
The situation came to the attention of the police on Nov. 4 at 10 p.m. when Charles County Sheriff's officers were called to Sheffield Circle in Waldorf for an assault.
Police determined the assault victim was walking down the street when the suspects drove by and shot him in the leg with a BB gun. Soon after, officers received calls about two additional assaults as well as calls from homeowners in various neighborhoods in Waldorf who said their homes and cars had been vandalized by someone using a BB gun.
In all, a total of 38 homes and cars were vandalized and three people were assaulted.
Police say they broadcast a description of the suspect vehicle and officers searched the area throughout the night.
Two events helped link the suspects to the crimes, say police. During their canvass, officers recovered evidence from the yard of one of homes that was vandalized. Then on Nov. 6, officers stopped a car matching the description of the suspect's vehicle. Police say they observed hundreds of pellets inside the car and recovered a BB gun near the front passenger seat.
Police subsequently linked the occupants to the evidence that was recovered during the canvass and ultimately to the assaults and vandalisms.
"This was a situation where citizen involvement and good police work helped us identify and apprehend the suspects. Increasing patrols in the neighborhoods where the crimes occurred really paid off," said Coffey.