Police Arrest Bethesda Teen In String of Burglaries

A Bethesda teen who admitted to burglarizing five homes this month attempted another burglary the day following his arrest, according to Montgomery County police.

In early May, police first noticed a burglary trend in Bethesda neighborhoods near River Road south of Little Falls Parkway. In some of the cases, the burglar broke basement windows to enter the homes, according to Officer Rebecca Innocenti, a police spokeswoman.

On May 9, police used tracking software to locate an Apple iPad stolen from a home in the 5000 block of Keokuk Street, according to a police statement. Using the tracking device, they located the 14-year-old suspect, who admitted to burglarizing five homes, police said.

The teen was charged with the five burglaries, along with the theft of a bicycle he had been riding when he was arrested, which police said was stolen.

Following his arrest and release, on May 10, the teen attempted another burglary in the 5000 block of Brookdale Road, again breaking a basement window to enter the home, police said. A witness encountered the boy in a yard, and police connected him to the sixth crime using the witness' description, Innocenti said.

"Officers notied the similarity to the other burglaries in terms of gaining access through a basement window and the proximity to the other burglaries," Innocenti said. "The juvenile had just been arrested the night before for similar burglaries in the same area."

The teen was also charged with the additional attempted burglary, according to the statement.

According to police, the locations of the burglarized homes included:

• The 4900 block of Greenway Drive, May 1
• The 4900 block of Little Falls Drive, May 7 (attempted burglary)
• The 5200 block of Westport Road, May 8
• The 4900 block of Little Falls Drive in Bethesda, May 9 (The second burglary at the same home)
• The 5000 block of Keokuk Street in Bethesda, May 9
• 5000 block of Brookdale Road, May 10 (attempted burglary)