Saturday, December 20, 2008

MoCo Home Invasions special 12-17-08

Gazette

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008

Second suspect convicted in robbery, home invasion
Gaithersburg man guilty in shooting that left man paralyzed

by Joe Beck | Staff Writer


A Gaithersburg man was convicted Monday in robbery and shooting that left a Germantown man paralyzed from the waist down last year.

Jeffrey Samuel Marcus, 30, of Orchard Drive in Gaithersburg, faces sentencing on Feb. 25 after the jury found him guilty Monday of six offenses, according to Assistant State's Attorney Amy Bills, who prosecuted the case. Marcus was convicted of first-degree assault, robbery with a dangerous weapon and first-degree burglary among other offenses, Bill said.

Marcus was acquitted of attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery, both charges involving two additional victims, Bills said.

A co-defendant in the case, Arthur A. Phillips, 28, of Gaithersburg is awaiting sentencing on 11 counts, including robbery with a dangerous weapon, first- degree assault and first degree burglary.

Court documents and testimony from the shooting victim in the first trial linked the crime to an attempt by the defendants to steal money and drugs left at the apartment on Crystal Rock Drive in Germantown by a friend of the victim.

The victim, 27, testified in November that he awakened in his bedroom Sept. 28, 2007, to find a masked man standing over him and yelling. The victim said the intruder shot him as he reached over to put on his glasses.

Two other roommates in the apartment are also identified as victims in the case. One had his nose broken by one or two of the assailants as they took his wallet and money. The intruders also stole a cell phone and money from a woman living in the apartment. She was uninjured.

A third defendant in the case, Bobby Allen Ebron, 34, of Gaithersburg received one year probation in January after pleading guilty to being an accessory to crimes committed by Phillips and Marcus. He was given one year probation in exchange for cooperating with the prosecution, according to court documents.

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Once again: NO link between legal gun ownership and crime

Another data point from Australia, where legal gun ownership has boomed 34% since the ban, but yet crime and suicides are down.

Sydney Morning Herald
("gun incidents" down since 2001)

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MoCo Home Invasions Update 12-18-08

WashPost

Thursday, December 18, 2008; GZ16

Montgomery County


These were among incidents recently received by the Montgomery County Police Department. For more information, call 240-773-5030.

District 1 Rockville Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

CONGRESSIONAL LANE, 200 block, 10:50 a.m. Nov. 24. An attempt was made to enter a residence by force.

GOODFELLOW WAY, 7700 block, 6:30 to 7 a.m. Nov. 27. A residence was entered by force. Nothing was reported missing.

RIVER RD., 4000 block, 12:44 a.m. Nov. 28. A residence was entered. Nothing was reported missing. Two males, ages 17 and 18, a 15-year-old Potomac male, and a 16-year-old female were arrested.

District 3 Silver Spring Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

BARRON ST., 8400 block, 3:15 p.m. Nov. 25. A man tried to enter a residence, then fled empty-handed when confronted. A 19-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested.

PINEY BRANCH RD., 9100 block, 8:50 to 9:20 a.m. Nov. 24. Property was stolen from a residence.

SIDNEY RD., 9900 block, 3 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 24. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

District 4 Wheaton Station

ASSAULTS

LINDELL ST., 2700 block, Nov. 26. An aggravated assault occurred in a residence.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

BLUERIDGE AVE., 2500 block, 7 to 8:15 p.m. Nov. 29. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

GEORGIA AVE., 14200 block, 12:15 p.m. Nov. 24. Property was taken from a residence entered by force. Two males were seen running toward the back of the residence.

District 5 Germantown Station


HOMICIDES

BETHESDA CHURCH RD., 9800 block, 12:01 to 6 a.m. Dec. 1. The body of Billy Joe Ray, 65, was found in his Damascus home. He had died from trauma to the upper body.

SEXUAL ASSAULTS

ZINNIA CIR., 19400 block, 6:20 a.m. Nov. 29. After ringing the doorbell, a masked male forced his way into a home and sexually assaulted an occupant.

District 6 Gaithersburg Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

EMORY WOODS TERR., 9100 block, noon Nov. 26. A residence was entered. Nothing was reported missing.

MAPLEWOOD CT., 9600 block, Nov. 25. A residential burglary occurred. The intruder was known to the occupant and was arrested at the scene.

MUNCASTER MILL RD., 7400 block, 3:30 a.m. Nov. 26. A man entered a garage at a residence, siphoned gas from a generator and fled.

YANKEE HARBOR DR., 7800 block, 2 p.m. Nov. 26. A group of youths broke into a townhouse. Eighteen youths were charged with burglary and with controlled dangerous substance violations.

Takoma Park


THEFTS/BREAK-INS

MAPLE AVE., 7200 block, 4:50 to 5 a.m. Dec. 5. A male was seen inside a home during a residential burglary.

SHERMAN AVE., 1 to 100 block, 4:45 to 4:49 a.m. Dec. 10. A man entered an occupied home, then fled empty-handed.

-- Compiled by LISA M. BOLTON

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MoCo Home Invasions Update 12-11-08

WashPost

Crime Report

Thursday, December 11, 2008; GZ17

Montgomery County


These were among incidents received recently by the Montgomery County Police Department. For information, call 240-773-5030.

District 1 Rockville Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

CONGRESSIONAL LANE, 200 block, 11:06 a.m. Nov. 24. A residence was entered by force. Nothing was reported missing.

MIDWAY AVE., 13200 block, 12:48 p.m. Nov. 23. A man tried to enter a residence by force.

District 3 Silver Spring Station

PEEPING TOM INCIDENTS

JANUARY DR., 1700 block, 8:20 a.m. Nov. 17. A man was seen looking into a window of a residence. When confronted, he said he was an employee of a company and fled.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

CARONA PL., 400 block, 2 to 3 a.m. Nov. 21. A person tried to enter a residence by force. When an occupant was awakened, the intruder fled. Nothing was reported missing.

CASTLE BLVD., 13800 block, 7:30 a.m. Nov. 19 to 7:30 a.m. Nov. 20, and 10:25 to 10:30 a.m. Nov. 20. A burglary occurred at a residence. A few hours later, two men were seen trying to enter again. They fled empty-handed.

DALEVIEW DR., 9200 block, 2 to 3 a.m. Nov. 17. An attempted burglary occurred. No further information was available.

VITAL WAY, 1 to 100 block, midnight to 3:38 a.m. Nov. 22. An attempt was made to enter a residence by force.

District 4 Wheaton Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

BEAVERWOOD LANE, 3200 block, 3 a.m. Nov. 19. A male entered a residence by force. Nothing was reported missing.

LANDGREEN ST., 4200 block, 12:35 p.m. Nov. 18. Three men entered a residence by force and fled empty-handed in a white van. Nothing was reported missing.

OLD BALTIMORE RD., 3600 block, 9 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 22. An attempt was made to enter a residence.

PEAR TREE LANE, 14200 block, 2:34 a.m. Nov. 20. A residence was entered by force. Nothing was reported missing.

District 5 Germantown Station


INDECENT EXPOSURE

LOWFIELD DR., 10500 block, 12:38 a.m. Nov. 24. A man on a deck outside a residence exposed himself to an occupant inside.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

CHISWELL RD., 17100 block, 3:30 p.m. Nov. 19. A male assaulted an acquaintance after entering his residence through an unlocked front door. Nothing was reported missing.

DEER PATH LANE, 13100 block, 11:51 p.m. Nov. 22 to 12:05 a.m. Nov. 23. An attempt was made to enter a residence.

District 6 Gaithersburg Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

EMORY GROVE RD., 8900 block, 5:20 p.m. Nov. 18. Property was stolen from a residence entered through an unlocked front door. Three youths were arrested.

FENCE POST CT., 18000 block, 7 to 7:20 p.m. Nov. 24. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

HAZELCREST DR., 17800 block, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23. An intruder was confronted inside a residence. He fled empty-handed.

WATKINS MEADOW TERR., 20400 block, 2:50 a.m. Nov. 25. Three youths tried to enter a home through a rear deck. When confronted by an occupant, they fled. Three youths were charged with burglary.

Rockville

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

CONGRESSIONAL LANE, 200 block, 10:50 a.m. Nov. 24. Someone attempted to enter an apartment by prying open a window.

-- Compiled by LISA M. BOLTON

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Friday, December 12, 2008

More MoCO home invasions than is reported?

My little blog tries to glean any info on suspected home invasions that official sources will begrudgingly admit. Here is something interesting from the Takoma Park PD:

City of Takoma Park official blog


December 10, 2008
COMMUNITY INFORMATION - A Message from the Chief of Police on Burglaries

Chief Ricucci of the Takoma Park Police Department has received many inquiries and concerns from citizens regarding the influx of residential burglaries in the months of November and December 2008. Most alarming to the citizens is the fact that burglars are entering their homes while they are still in their homes, oftentimes sleeping. Homeowners are waking up to find intruders standing in their residences. Fortunately, in all instances, there has been no threat of violence and the intruder or intruders have left without incident.

The Criminal Investigations Division (CID) is working around the clock focusing on these rash of burglaries. They are working together with our Crime Analyst, who is working with the surrounding jurisdictions of Prince George’s County, Montgomery County and the District of Columbia. The Tactical Enforcement Unit (TEU) is conducting a specific detail, in plainclothes, focusing their efforts and strategies to apprehending the subject(s) responsible for these crimes. The Chief has placed extra patrol units throughout the City in an effort to make police presence even more visible. ( . . .more)


This is very interesting, because my MoCO Home invasion updates didn't really seem to have info on many "hot" burglaries in TP during that time. Maybe a PRA request is in order?

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Serial Killer (without guns? Gee whiz? Whodathought?)

WashPost

Killer May Be Hunting Japanese Officials Associated With Loss of Pension Records

By Blaine Harden and Akiko Yamamoto
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, November 20, 2008; A12

TOKYO, Nov. 19 -- Bureaucrats here have infuriated the Japanese public by losing millions of government pension records. This week, someone with a knife and a willingness to kill appears to be hunting them down.

Riddled with stab wounds, the bodies of Takehiko Yamaguchi, 66, and his wife, Michiko, 61, were found Tuesday morning in their home in a Tokyo suburb. Takehiko Yamaguchi was head of the Health and Welfare Ministry's pension division when the national pension system underwent a major record-keeping overhaul in 1985.

On Tuesday evening, Yasuko Yoshihara, 72, wife of former pension bureaucrat Kenji Yoshihara, 76, was stabbed in the chest by a man who came to her home in Tokyo claiming that he worked for a parcel delivery service, police said.

En route to a hospital she said that her husband, who was not at home when the attack occurred, "may be a target and is in danger," according to Japanese news media. Kenji Yoshihara's tenure as head of the Social Insurance Agency in the mid-1980s coincided with the botched computerization of Japan's pension records.

Millions of those records have since gone missing, outraging the elderly and contributing to the resignations of two prime ministers.

The mess continues, and many Japanese fear they may not receive full pension benefits on retirement.

The homes where the knife attacks occurred are about six miles apart. After each assault, a man fled on foot, leaving bloody footprints that police are trying to match.

Authorities said the attacks shared at least three elements: the backgrounds of the victims or intended victims; the use of a knife; and the place where the knifings occurred. In both houses, the victims were stabbed near the front door.

"We should never allow the culprit to commit a third crime, if the two cases are related," said Tsuyoshi Yoneda, chief of the National Police Agency's criminal bureau.

Police announced a nationwide alert for attacks against current and former government officials involved in welfare issues, and security at what is now the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry was boosted.

Prime Minister Taro Aso said Wednesday there is no conclusive evidence that the attacks are related. Still, Aso will cancel his regular morning walk for the time being.

"While I don't know if the two cases are connected, they are indeed distressing," he said. "I would like to pray for the souls of the departed and for the recovery of the wife."

Asked whether the stabbings may have been acts of vengeance or terrorism targeting former welfare officials, Aso told reporters, "I cannot comment at this stage, when we don't know whether they are simply cases of assault or murder or not."

Aso also said there is no firm evidence of a link between the incidents and the work histories of the two former vice ministers. They are believed to have had influential roles in pension policies.

The fatal attack on Yamaguchi and his wife probably occurred Monday evening, police said. The kitchen fan was left on, suggesting that the couple may have been cooking dinner when their attacker came.

Police said a man with bloody shoes fled the Yamaguchi house toward a nearby commuter train station. Police are checking security videotapes at the station.

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MoCo Home Invasions Update 12-4-08

WashPost

Crime Report

Thursday, December 4, 2008; GZ15

Montgomery County


These were among incidents recorded by the Montgomery County Police Department's Media Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5030.

District 1 Rockville Station

ASSAULTS

CLEARFIELD RD., 4400 block, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15. A man tried to enter a residence by force, cut the resident with a knife and fled.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

BRAXFIELD CT., 12400 block, 1 a.m. Nov. 1. Property was stolen from a residence.

FALLSGROVE DR., 700 block, 1:56 p.m. Nov. 17. Property was stolen from a residence.

HARRINGTON DR., 9300 block, 8:17 p.m. Nov. 12. A residence was entered by force. Nothing was reported missing.

TWINBROOK PKWY., 300 block, 6:05 p.m. Nov. 15. A residential burglary occurred. A man, 24, was arrested.

FIRST ST., 1200 block, 9:10 to 9:14 p.m. Nov. 11. A residence was entered by force. Nothing was reported missing.

District 2 Bethesda Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

ARROWOOD RD., 7100 block, 3 p.m. Nov. 11. A residence was entered. An Arizona man, 27, was arrested and charged with burglary.

KENWOOD FOREST LANE, 6700 block, 12:15 p.m. Nov. 12. A man tried to enter a residence.

SUSPICIOUS INCIDENT

SPRUELL DR., 4000 block, 9:30 a.m. Nov. 13. A man knocked on the door of a residence and told the man who answered the door that he worked for the gas company and needed to get inside to turn off gas to the residence. The man could not produce identification, and the resident refused to let him in. The man fled in a white Dodge pickup. A follow-up call to Washington Gas indicated no record of a service call to the address.

District 3 Silver Spring Station


THEFTS/BREAK-INS

CASTLE BLVD., 13900 block, 3:10 to 3:40 p.m. Nov. 12. Property was stolen from two residences.

PARK VALLEY RD., 100 block, 12:16 p.m. Nov. 17. A man entered a residence by force. A Hyattsville man, 46, was arrested and charged with residential burglary.

THAYER AVE., 500 block, 3:30 p.m. Nov. 10. A man took property from a residence and fled.

District 4 Wheaton Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

PEAR TREE CT., 14200 block, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 14. Two to four males entered a residence by force, took property and fled in a black sport-utility vehicle.

District 5 Germantown Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

OBSERVATION CT., 11:40 p.m. Nov. 15. An attempt was made to enter a residence by prying open a bedroom window.

Takoma Park


THEFTS/BREAK-INS

ERIE AVE., 700 block, 9:03 p.m. Nov. 24. A man entered a residence by force, took property and fled.

13TH AVE., 2:45 a.m. Nov. 24. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

-- Compiled by LISA M. BOLTON

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Monday, December 08, 2008

MoCo Home Invasions Update 11-27-08

WashPost

Crime Report

Thursday, November 27, 2008; GZ18

Montgomery County


These were among incidents recorded by the Montgomery County Police Department's Media Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5030.

District 1 Rockville Station

ASSAULTS

BONNIE DALE DR., 13400 block, 1:30 p.m. Nov. 6. A man who had been on a residence's patio accosted a woman inside and knocked her down when she tried to close and lock her sliding glass door. The assailant fled.

FIRST ST., 1200 block, 9:14 p.m. Nov. 10. A man forced his way into a residence after a woman heard a noise outside and opened the door. The man pulled out a handgun, assaulted the resident and two others and fled.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

CALVIN LANE, 500 block, 2:06 p.m. Nov. 10. A residential burglary occurred. Nothing was reported missing.

CONGRESSIONAL LANE, 200 block, 3:40 p.m. Nov. 11. A residence was entered. Nothing was reported missing.

RESEARCH BLVD., 2400 block, 12:09 p.m. Nov. 17. An attempt was made to enter a business by force. Nothing was reported missing.

SCHUYLKILL RD., 11400 block, 10:48 p.m. Nov. 9. A residential burglary occurred. Nothing was reported missing.

District 3 Silver Spring Station


ROBBERIES

CLAUDE LANE, 14900 block, 10:37 p.m. Nov. 7. A man attacked a resident in his driveway, took cash and fled.

NORTHAMPTON DR., 800 block, 10:47 a.m. Nov. 4. Two males knocked on the door of a residence and forced their way in when a woman opened the door. They took property and fled.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

BARRON ST., 8000 block, 12:26 a.m. Nov. 12. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

District 5 Germantown Station


ROBBERIES

BETHESDA CHURCH RD., 9800 block, 11 p.m. Nov. 10. A male with a gun accosted a man in front of a residence, demanded cash, struck the man and fled.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

COTTAGE GARDEN DR., 18000 block, 10:52 a.m. Nov. 9. Property was stolen from a residence.

MILESTONE MANOR LANE, 12200 block, 3:20 a.m. Nov. 6. A man entered a residence by force. A man was arrested and charged with residential burglary.

District 6 Gaithersburg Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

BILLINGSGATE LANE, 100 block, Nov. 7. Someone entered a residence by force and stole property.

BOWSPIRIT CT., 100 block, Nov. 10. Someone entered a residence by force. Nothing was reported missing.

-- Compiled by LISA M. BOLTON

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"Life in their hands"

Many people know that when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. Here is but the first of the examples i will compile of this principle in action.

WashPost

Woman Had Lived in Fear Of Former Boyfriend
D.C. Victim Slain After Calling Police

By Robert E. Pierre and Clarence Williams
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, November 25, 2008; B01

Tiffany Gates was so afraid for her life that she began making her own funeral arrangements.

The 33-year-old had been stalked by her former boyfriend, who relatives said abused her for at least a year. In August, he set her Southeast Washington apartment on fire. On Friday, authorities said, he stabbed her to death after she dialed family members and 911. Gates was on the phone with a federal marshal as she was being attacked.

"He is here and kicking my door in," she told him. The marshal called for backup, but by the time he and D.C. police entered the building a short time later, Gates lay dying.

The killing was the culmination of a violent relationship, as described in court documents and by family members and friends. Police arrested her former boyfriend, Roderick A. Ridley, 31, who was hiding in a vacant apartment in the building. He was charged with second-degree murder while armed.

The marshal and a D.C. corrections officer, members of a regional fugitive task force who were looking for Ridley because he had escaped from a halfway house, were outside the apartment building when the attack occurred. Family members questioned why the men did not rush in before police arrived. Two law enforcement officials familiar with the details raised a similar point but spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. Family members also said they wish Ridley had been charged with first-degree murder.

"Marshals were outside the door while they were stabbing her," said Manyka Gaither, a family friend. "It's an insult."

Dave Turner, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service, said, "Our deputies are cooperating to the fullest extent possible with the ongoing investigations, but we are prohibited from discussing any details associated with the case."

Gates, a native of the District, graduated from Duke Ellington High School in 1992. She had worked at Housing Opportunities Unlimited and in her spare time styled hair for friends and family.

"She was always smiling and jovial," said Jacqueline Ellison, a longtime friend.

But her relationship with Ridley, friends said, was dark. Gaither said Ridley had frequently beaten Gates, who recently sought a clean break. She changed her telephone number, Gaither said. But that did not stop Ridley from showing up at her apartment with threats.

Gates and Ridley began dating in the summer of 2007, records show, and lived together for a while in the 3900 block of D Street SE, in the same apartment where she was killed. The relationship deteriorated, and she turned to the police and courts for help in August after a series of incidents.

Gates sought a temporary protection order after Ridley allegedly threatened her life, the records show. Gates accused Ridley of kicking and punching her and striking her head with a knife in a dispute at the apartment Aug. 12.

According to the filing, Ridley repeatedly called Gates, at one point saying that "she was going to die today and that they were going to die together." On Aug. 13, she asked police to help her retrieve her belongings. Ridley was there, and his behavior that night led to his arrest.

Ridley would not let police inside, according to charging papers filed in D.C. Superior Court. He allegedly screamed from the window that there would be "fireworks" and then set a couch on fire. As black smoke drifted out the window, police evacuated the building and called firefighters to the scene. Firefighters found a charcoal grill on the couch and a butane lighter in a nearby bedroom. Ridley also was in the bedroom, unconscious, the charging papers stated. He was briefly hospitalized and charged with arson.

A judge ordered that Ridley remain jailed pending trial. But when he pleaded guilty Oct. 9, the court permitted him to be released to a halfway house. He escaped Oct. 29.

On Aug. 13, Gates received the temporary protection order, which was good for two weeks. But with Ridley locked up at the time, she did not pursue a permanent order. Her court filing in August described a pattern of frightening conduct, including a February incident in which Ridley threatened to set her on fire in front of her 9-year-old child. The filing said Gates "fears for her life."

The night she died, Gates dialed 911 about midnight and reported that Ridley was yelling threats outside her window, but when police arrived, they could not find him. At 12:19 a.m., Gates called the marshal, identified in the affidavit as Inspector Robert Hoffmaster, who went to the scene at 1:25 a.m. and called Gates from his car two minutes later.

After the conversation ended with Gates screaming, Hoffmaster called for police backup. He told investigators that he stayed in his car until police arrived. They had trouble entering the building but eventually roused a tenant who let them in. Police found Gates on the third floor.

She was taken to Prince George's Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead at 2:20 a.m. Ridley was found hiding in a cabinet in a basement apartment. He scuffled briefly with officers, and a Taser was used to subdue him, police said.

Ridley faces a preliminary hearing Dec. 8. He also is scheduled for a preliminary hearing today for his halfway house escape. Prosecutors said he was scheduled for sentencing in the arson case in December.

Staff writer Keith L. Alexander contributed to this report.

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