A 16-year-old accused of stealing from 121 cars across four Maryland counties was released hours after being arrested on orders from state officials, the Laurel Police Department said.
LPD Chief Russ Hamill told the city’s public access television station that the suspect was linked to over 100 thefts from cars across the area. Police have not publicly named the boy accused of the thefts.
“We had 54 here in Laurel, 121 total throughout Prince George’s … Anne Arundel and Howard Counties. They broke into all these vehicles, if there’s property worth stealing, apparently they took it,” Chief Hamill said.
Police arrested the teen at his Beltsville home Friday, LPD said in a release Wednesday, but he was released five hours later on the orders of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.
“I don’t think it’s nefarious on their part, I think they have kind hearts, good intentions with it. But sometimes the accountability piece is missing. Releasing him back into the same environment that he came from where he was out at all hours of the night and early morning breaking into cars and causing other issues, I just question that decision,” Chief Hamill told Laurel TV.
Detectives found the keys to a car they say the suspect used in the commission of the 121 thefts, keys to 25 other cars and several other stolen items, LPD said. The stolen items included people’s credit cards, Mr. Hamill said at a press conference.
Two unnamed accomplices of the suspect have also been taken into custody.
In advising the teen’s release, DJS “noted that he did not have a prior record, although I would offer well over 100 cases in one night gives you a pretty good record to go on, that he was not a flight risk … and that these were not violent crimes, as if that lessens the impact on those 121 victims,” Chief Hamill said.
Mr. Hamill added that although the teen faces criminal charges, “honestly I have little hope it’s going to go further than that, I have little hope that these 121 victims will be made whole because they should be made whole, they should have their deductibles paid back to them … I am under no illusion that there will be extensive time of rehabilitation for this.”
The Department of Juvenile Services told WBAL-TV that they cannot comment on individual cases.
In the DJS resource guide, it says that if law enforcement requests it, “DJS makes an emergency detention decision to determine if a youth requires secure detention until the next court day.”
The Laurel Police Department announced the arrest details in their official statement.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.