Rockville apartment broken into

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at an apartment building in Rockville yesterday morning, April 28, 2023. The burglary was reported at an apartment on Upper Rock Circle, off of Shady Grove Road, at 8:26 AM Friday. Officers responded to the scene found evidence of forced entry at the apartment.

Giant limiting self-checkout to 20 items or less, due to "a significant increase in crime"

The other shoe has dropped in Giant's changes to its self-checkout system, and it's landed directly on the shopper's head. Self-checkout will now be limited to 20 items or less, due to "a significant increase in crime and theft that we and many other retailers are experiencing across our market area," Giant President Ira Kress said in a message to customers. He said the new limit, along with the weighing scale recently added to the self-checkout units, will "mitigate the impact of theft to our business."

Under the new system, parents shopping for large families, or anyone who prefers to get their shopping out of the way once a week, will essentially be forced to go through the traditional checkout lines. However, Giant has tended to shut those down as the evening goes on, angering customers who were averse to self-checkout machines. Kress did not specify if Giant will now keep cashiers at the old checkout lines until closing at stores. But he did acknowledge what will be a major impact on many Giant customers.

"We know that these changes may cause some inconvenience or be disruptive to the experience you are used to," Kress said, "and I assure you we are making these changes out of necessity to prioritize the safety of our associates and customers." A shoplifter was recently caught on video assaulting a security guard at the Bethesda Row Giant store. Corporate policy appeared to limit the guard's ability to escalate his response; even after being struck in the face, he could only plaintively continue to ask the shoplifter to show him a receipt. 

Once again, we see how the failure of our elected officials to respond to increasing crime - one of the most basic responsibilities of their offices - creates negative impacts for the law-abiding residents of our community. It's interesting that business leaders will admit crime is increasing, and is a major problem, before our elected officials will.

Assault at Rockville store

Rockville City police were called to a store in the 1700 block of Rockville Pike at 11:39 PM on Saturday, April 22, 2023. At least one person at the store was accused of shoplifting, causing property damage, and committing a 2nd degree assault in the incident.

Assault in West End neighborhood of Rockville

Montgomery County police were called to a residential street in the West End neighborhood of Rockville late last night to investigate an assault reported there. The assault was reported in the 700 block of Wilson Avenue at 11:17 PM Saturday, April 22, 2023.

Pickpocket strikes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Watch your wallet at the mall. Montgomery County police were called to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda the evening of April 18, 2023, after a pickpocketing incident there. The theft was reported at 9:47 PM at the mall.

Assault reported at Rockville nursing home

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a nursing home yesterday afternoon, April 21, 2023. The assault was reported at a nursing home in the 1200 block of Potomac Valley Road at 1:31 PM Friday.

Rockville armed carjacking suspects arrested

Mateo Paredes-Vincent

Montgomery County police announced this morning that two suspects have been located and arrested in the November 23, 2021 attempted armed carjacking in Rockville. Mateo Paredes-Vincent, 19, of Washington, D.C. and Havanna Holland-Miller, 20,  of Southbridge, Massachusetts will face attempted armed carjacking charges in the incident that occurred at 5:30 PM that day, at an apartment complex in the 100 block of Talbott Street. 

Havanna Holland-Miller

Paredes-Vincent was located by detectives in an Alachua, Florida jail, where is he currently imprisoned on unrelated charges in that jurisdiction. Holland-Millar has been arrested by the Southbridge Police Department in Massachusetts. Both are in custody and awaiting extradition to Montgomery County, Maryland.

Rockville elementary school students sickened by methamphetamine "candy"

Rockville City and Montgomery County police detectives were called to College Gardens Elementary School at 1700 Yale Place in Rockville yesterday, after three students fell ill after sampling what they said they thought was candy. Inital toxicology reports on the 7-year-old children suggest the blue "candy" may have instead been methamphetamine-related drugs, such as Adderall or Molly. All three students have been discharged from the hospital. It appears the students were wise enough to spit out the items before swallowing them, minimizing their ingestion of whatever the controlled substance was.

"I am relieved that the students will ultimately be fine, but in many ways, what happened today is frightening,” Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones said in a statement.  “I hope that it serves as a powerful motivator for parents to keep having the difficult conversations with their children about the dangers of taking or eating unknown substances." Detectives are continuing to investigate the source of the controlled substance the students said they found.

Smash-and-grab burglary at Town Square Jewelers in Rockville

One or more burglars used a sledgehammer to smash the front windows at Town Square Jewelers at 100-E Gibbs Street in Rockville early yesterday morning, April 16, 2023, MoCo PG News reported on Twitter. Glass displays inside the store were also smashed. The total value of all of the merchandise stolen has not yet been announced by Rockville City police, who responded to the burglar alarms at the scene at Rockville Town Square. Police did recover the sledgehammer, which was found nearby. The suspect(s) remain at large.

Rockville police searching for suspicious man who invited child to his home for candy

Rockville City police are seeking the public's help in identifying and locating a "suspicious man" who approached a juvenile this morning, and invited him back to his home to eat candy. Police say that the man, who was in a wheelchair, approached the boy around 9:45 AM this morning, April 16, 2023, in the 400 block of Congressional Lane. The suspect is described by police as a white male in his fifties, wearing all-black clothing, a yellow bandana and a face mask, in a wheelchair.  

Police say the child walked away from the man, and reported to his parents what had just transpired.  The RCPD Criminal Investigations Unit is asking the public to provide any information as to the identity of the subject, or any similar incidents of this nature they are aware of, by calling 240-314-8938 or e-mailing detectives@rockvillemd.gov.

Montgomery County police hire Hispanic Community Liaison

The Montgomery County Police Department has hired a Hispanic Community Liaison, it announced in a press release yesterday.  Montgomery County government employee Mariela Leon has previously worked in the Department of Health and Human Services and in the Office of Human Resources. Her father is from Guatemala, and her mother is from El Salvador. Leon was the first member of her family to attend college, and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and Criminal Justice, and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management.

At the police department, Leon will be assigned to the Office of Public Information. She is "excited to be part of the Montgomery County Police Department," according to the department's press release.

Derwood man wanted for attempted murder arrested after Clarksburg-to-Frederick police chase

Montgomery County police, with assistance from officers with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Department, Maryland State Police, Frederick City police, and the Frederick County Sheriff's Department, will soon have in custody an attempted murder suspect who led them on a chase from Clarksburg into Frederick County. The pursuit began when Montgomery County detectives spotted Johnny Franklin Dove, Jr., 22, of Derwood in Clarksburg on Monday. Dove was wanted in connection with a domestic violence incident a day earlier, which has now been classified as an attempted murder by Montgomery County detectives. 

Dove was able to elude them, and crossed over into Frederick County, where local law enforcement officers picked up the chase. But Dove once again escaped their grasp, as he cleverly switched vehicles during the pursuit. He successfully fled into Virginia, where Montgomery County detectives caught up with him Tuesday.

Dove is currently being held in the Loudoun County Detention Center where he is awaiting extradition to Maryland. He has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, felony use of a firearm during a violent crime, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

Rockville man stabbed to death outside Wheaton parking garage

A Rockville man has died after being stabbed outside a Montgomery County-owned parking garage in Wheaton this past Wednesday, April 5, 2023, around 12:20 PM. Montgomery County police officers responded to a report of a stabbing at the Amherst Garage, which is located in the 11300 block of Amherst Avenue, around 12:23. They found 28-year-old Amontae Robert Cunningham of Rockville suffering from a stab wound. Cunningham was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives learned that Cunningham had been a passenger on a Metrobus, and had gotten into an argument with another passenger. When the bus stopped in front of the parking garage, both men disembarked. The suspect then allegedly stabbed Cunningham.

Detectives are asking any passengers on the bus before the stabbing to contact the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070. Anyone with information regarding this suspect or this crime, is asked to contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect. Callers may remain anonymous. 

Car stolen in Fallsgrove area of Rockville

Montgomery County police are investigating the theft of a vehicle in the Fallsgrove area of Rockville. The vehicle was taken from a residential parking lot in the 700 block of Fallsgrove Drive. It is believed the vehicle was stolen sometime between 8:00 PM Monday night, March 27, 2023, and 6:30 AM Tuesday morning, March 28.

Strong-arm robbery in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery north of Rockville Town Center Monday evening, March 27, 2023. The robbery was reported along the street in the 700 block of Hungerford Drive (MD 355) at 7:46 PM. That's near the Giant and post office.

Auto parts theft spree in Rockville

A lot of vehicles are missing parts in the Twinbrook area of Rockville, after one or more thieves went on a theft spree there early yesterday morning. Montgomery County police responded to multiple reports from victims in the 13200 and 12900 blocks of Twinbrook Parkway, and the 12600 block of Veirs Mill Road. Most of the vehicles were parked in apartment complex lots over Monday night into Tuesday morning. One was parked at the Twinbrook Recreation Center. When it comes to auto parts theft, thieves are most often looking for airbags and catalytic converters these days.

Strong-arm robbery at convenience store in Rockville

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store in Rockville early Sunday morning, March 26, 2023. The robbery was reported at a store in the 12400 block of Parklawn Drive at 4:04 AM. A suspect is also accused of damaging property at the store during the incident. There is a 7-Eleven at 12400 Parklawn.

Police respond to disorder at Rockville hotel

Rockville City police officers were called to a hotel to respond to disorderly conduct at the property yesterday morning, March 24, 2023. The incident was reported at the Sheraton Rockville Hotel at 920 King Farm Boulevard at 9:10 AM Friday.

Sexual assault at Rockville Metro station

Rockville City police were called to the Rockville Metro station at 251 Hungerford Drive Wednesday night, after a sexual assault was reported there. The incident was reported at 8:09 PM on March 22, 2023. This was the second sexual assault Rockville police responded to in as many days; the first took place in King Farm the day before.

Sexual assault in King Farm area of Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of a sexual assault in the King Farm neighborhood on Tuesday morning, March 21, 2023. The incident was reported on the street in the 700 block of Redland Boulevard at 11:45 AM Tuesday.