OCEAN CITY — Two Eastern Shore residents are being held without bond this week after resort police were able to connect them to a spree of vehicle break-ins in June.
The Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) last week charged two individuals in connection with multiple thefts from vehicle complaints that occurred in the resort in June. During the early morning hours on June 11, the OCPD investigated 21 theft from motor vehicle complaints.
The complaints occurred in the area from 26th Street to 28th Street on the bayside in Ocean City. Throughout the course of the investigation, the OCPD determined a total of 22 unlocked vehicles were entered and some had items stolen from them and others were just rummaged through, according to police reports.
OCPD officers were able to gather surveillance footage in the area to aid in the investigation and determine a description of the suspects involved. The OCPD Forensics Services Unit processed most of the vehicles involved for latent fingerprint matches. From those latent fingerprints, the investigation revealed two known fingerprint matches, according to police reports.
Through fingerprint matching, OCPD detectives were able to identify the suspects as Leon Spry, Jr., 18, of East Market, Md., and Josiah Bolden, 18 of Federalsburg, Md. Spry and Bolden matched the features and characteristics of the suspects seen on video surveillance footage pulling on door handles of vehicles in the incident area on June 11.
Based on the video surveillance footage and the fingerprint evidence, OCPD detectives last week charged Spry and Bolden with the vehicle break-in spree. Spry was charged by an arrest warrant with 22 counts of rogue and vagabond, theft from $1,500 to under $25,000, six counts of theft from $100 to under $1,500 and seven counts of theft less than $100. He was seen by a District Court Commissioner and was ordered to be held without bond.
Bolden was charged through a criminal summons with 23 counts of rogue and vagabond, theft from $1,500 to under $25,000, six counts of theft from $100 to under $1,500 and six counts of theft less than $100. Bolden was held last week at the Caroline County Detention Center on unrelated charges.
The OCPD is reminding anyone who believes their vehicle has been broken into to contact the department, even if they left their vehicle unlocked. Often, victims do not report a break-in because they believe they are at fault. By contacting the OCPD, officers can get an accurate count of incidents occurring in Ocean City and, if possible, recover the stolen property.
