Smash-and-Grab Burglar Hits 9 Shops, 2 in Severna Park

By:  Jenni Pompi 

A Glen Burnie man is facing charges in connection with a string of nine smash-and-grab burglaries throughout Anne Arundel County—including two in Severna Park, according to police. 

Police responded to an alarm call on Sept. 20 at Park Liquors, located at 454 East Bay Front Rd. in Deale. Once on the scene, officers confirmed that a burglary had taken place and reviewed surveillance footage of the crime. Based on the footage, police say they determined that the suspect was the same person wanted for several other smash-and-grab burglaries in Anne Arundel County. 

A lookout was issued to police in the area, and just after midnight an officer identified the suspect's vehicle—a 1997 Kia Sephia—traveling northbound on Muddy Creek Road, north of Galesville Road. 

According to the release, the officer waited for backup and then conducted a traffic stop on Route 214. The man in the vehicle, David Edward Holland, 54, of Glen Burnie, was wearing clothes that matched the description of the suspect in the Park Liquors burglary, and burglary tools were seen inside the vehicle. 

Police obtained a warrant to search the vehicle and found clothing under the seats that further connected Holland to the Park Liquors burglary and to other burglaries throughout Anne Arundel County. 

Holland was arrested, and a police investigation followed. Police say they believe Holland would, "burglarize small businesses during the overnight hours by using a tire iron to smash out the front door glass of businesses," before fleeing in a 1997 Kia Sephia, according to a release. 

A police search of Holland's vehicle found items linking him to the following Anne Arundel County burglaries:

• Starbucks Coffee, 503 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park
• Jimmy Johns Subs, 537 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park
• Pizza Bolis, 945 Central Ave., Edgewater
• Parks Liquors, 454 East Bay Front Rd., Deale
• Tobacco Shop, 332 Mountain Rd., Glen Burnie
• Rita's Italian Ice, 810-A Nursery Rd., Linthicum
• Quizno's Subs, 7860 B Quarterfield Rd., Severn
• Roundz Gourmet Market, 2299 Johns Hopkins Rd., Gambrills
• Floyds Barber Shop, 1117 Route 3 South, Crofton

Police say they are investigating Holland's possible involvement in other similar crimes that occurred in the county over the past ten months.