Crime & Safety

Man Arrested in Connection With 2 Cromwood Burglaries

The suspect was seen in the North Plaza parking lot allegedly emptying a purse into a storm drain.

Police arrested Cromwood-Coventry resident in connection with two burglaries in his neighborhood.

Patrick Benton Kelly, 21, of the 1900 block of Mountain Avenue in Cromwood-Coventry was arrested and charged Tuesday with first-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, fourth-degree burglary, theft more than $1,000, malicious destruction of property and attempted first-degree burglary.

The charges stem from two incidents in the 21-year-old's neighborhood last month.

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At 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 31, police received a tip that a man was emptying a purse into a storm drain behind the located at 8858 Waltham Woods Rd. in North Plaza. The caller described the man as a white male wearing a white t-shirt, backwards hat and jeans, according to a police report.

A short time later, police stopped a man in the median of Joppa Road who exactly matched the description given by the caller. Using police records, the suspect was identified as Kelly, according to a police report.

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Detectives located a purse and its contents in a storm drain behind the Safeway and were able to identify that the owner lives in the 1900 block of Mountian Avenue. Investigation of the home showed that there had been a burglary—a door had been pried open and the home had been ransacked.

Kelly was then taken into police custody.

Using a photo array, police called in the victim of a seperate attempted burglary in the 1900 block of Mountain Avenue reported in early January. In that burglary, the homeowner discovered a man trying to break into the home through a window and saw the burglar's face before he fled, according to police reports.

The homeowner was able to identify Kelly as the man who had tried to break into his home.

Kelly was initially held on $750,000 bond, but was later committed to the Baltimore County Detention Center without bail.

A search of Maryland judicial records revealed that Kelly has an extensive criminal history.

He was arrested last year in Baltimore, Howard and Washington counties, and currently has six open criminal cases including charges of possessing and passing forged currency, concealing a dangerous weapon, and possessing marijuana.

Baltimore County police have not yet released Kelly's mugshot.


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