County Prosecutors Drop Car Theft Charges Against Deandrew Hamlin

Montgomery County prosecutors formally dropped their car theft charges Wednesday against Deandrew Hamlin, the man accused of stealing the car of slain American University professor Sue Marcum.

Hamlin was hours after her body was discovered in her Bethesda home. Police said Marcum and named Hamlin as a “possible suspect” in the murder, though he hasn’t been charged with the homicide.

On March 30, Hamlin was indicted on a charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle in the District, and he will be returned to D.C. to face the charge there. Seth Zucker, a spokesman for the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, said prosecutors were “deferring to D.C.”

Hamlin in Montgomery County Circuit Court that was to begin Wednesday, but the trial didn’t move forward after the charges were dropped. Hamlin appeared briefly before Judge Louise Scrivener.

Hamlin had been charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, theft over $1,000 and unauthorized removal of property.

Sources from the State’s Attorney’s office said that the District has a “cleaner” case on Hamlin for the car charges since he was found driving the stolen Jeep there and not in Maryland. The homicide investigation is still active.

In court Wednesday, a lawyer for Hamlin, Brian McDaniel, requested a speedy trial.