Armed Robber Who Tied Up Annapolis Woman Found in NC: Police

ANNAPOLIS, MD — An Annapolis man who allegedly broke into an Eastport home armed with a handgun, bound a woman's hands together, stole items and fled was arrested Wednesday in North Carolina, according to Annapolis Police.

Detectives say Michael Mitchell, 37, of Annapolis was charged in the Sept. 10 armed robbery that occurred in the unit block of Chester Avenue. Last month police had asked residents to share any exterior surveillance camera footage they had from the evening of the armed home invasion.

Police say Mitchell was located in Henderson, NC, after detectives received tips that he was there. The department forwarded that information to the United States Marshal Service, which took Mitchell into custody.

He is being held as a fugitive for now, says police spokeswoman Cpl. Amy Miguez, but once he is extradited to Maryland he will be charged with armed robbery, robbery, first- and second-degree assault, first-, third-, and two counts of fourth-degree burglary, false imprisonment, theft, and home invasion.

“This arrest was the result of great work by the Annapolis Police Department and a credit to our ongoing partnership with the U.S. Marshal Service,” said Police Chief Micheal Pristoop. “The community is safer because of it."

The home-invasion robbery was reported just before 10:30 a.m. Sept. 10; officers found the victim inside her home with her hands bound together. The victim told police a man — now believed to be Mitchell — entered the home and pointed an object wrapped cloth at her, which she believed was a handgun.

Inside the home, the robber demanded money, which he took, along with an iPad and jewelry. He then bound the victim’s hands together and left. While the woman suffered bruises to her wrists, she was otherwise unharmed, police say.

Investigators say Mitchell likely entered two unlocked vehicles in the unit block of Horn Point Court overnight Sept. 9 and 10. These crimes were not reported until Sept. 12.

The burglary victim told police that when she left her home early on Sept. 10, she found a black Trek bicycle with silver, red, and grey markings outside her home. She moved the bicycle to her unlocked screened porch and then left in her vehicle. While the victim returned home about 7 a.m., it was roughly 9:45 a.m. before she was confronted by the burglar. She is unsure if he had just entered the home or if he had been inside for some time, police say.

The victim is also unsure if her home was secure while she was away and after she returned. There were no signs of forced entry to the home. The bicycle found by the victim and placed in her porch was taken by the suspect and it is likely that he had it before the victim found it, police said.

Mitchell also uses the names Zamar Mitchell and Michael Rue and the nickname Puno.

Detectives would like to hear from residents in the area with surveillance cameras that may have captured activity the night of Sept. 9 and the morning of Sept. 10. Call police at 410-260-3439 if your home has external surveillance cameras.

Investigators believe there may be other residents whose vehicles were entered, but have not reported it. Residents are asked to report crimes or suspicious activity to police immediately at 410-268-4141 or 9-1-1 in an emergency. "You are our eyes and ears in the community and we rely on you to let us know when something doesn’t look right," police said.

The department shared burglary prevention tips from the DC Metropolitan Police Department:

Check Your Locks

• Make sure every external door has a strong, well-installed dead bolt lock. Key-in-the-knob locks alone are not enough.
• Sliding glass doors offer easy access if they are not properly secured. You can secure them by putting a broomstick or dowel in the inside track to jam the door or by installing commercially available locks. To prevent the door being lifted off of the track, drill a hole through the sliding door frame and the fixed frame. Then insert a pin in the hole.
• Lock double-hung windows with key locks or "pin" your windows by drilling a small hole at a 45 degree angle between the inner and outer frames, then insert a nail that can be removed. You should secure basement windows with grilles or grates (but make sure that they can be opened from the inside in case of fire).
• Never hide keys around the outside of your home. Instead, give an extra key to a neighbor you trust.
• When you move into a new house or apartment, re-key the locks.

Check Your Doors

• All outside doors should be metal or solid wood.
• Install a peephole or wide-angle viewer in all entry doors so that you can see who is outside without opening the door. Door chains break easily and don’t keep out intruders.
• If your doors don’t fit tightly in their frames, install weather stripping around them.

Check the Outside

Take a look at your home from the outside, and keep in mind these tips to help make your home as safe as it can be:

• Burglars hate bright lights. Install outside lights and keep them on at night. Motion-detector lights can be particularly effective.
• Keep your yard clean. Prune shrubbery so it doesn’t hide windows or doors. Cut back tree limbs that a burglar could use to climb to an upper-level window.
• If you travel, create the illusion that you are at home by getting timers that will turn lights (and perhaps a television or radio) on and off in different parts of your home throughout the day and evening hours. Lights burning 24 hours a day signal an empty house.
• Leave shades, blinds, and curtains in normal positions. And make sure you don’t let your mail and/or newspapers pile up. Call the post office and newspaper to stop delivery or have a neighbor pick them up.
• Make a list of your valuables, such as VCRs, stereos, computers, and jewelry. Take pictures of the items, list their serial numbers and description. This will help police if your home is burglarized.
• Ask your police station for a free home security survey.
• When getting work done on your vehicle, leave only the vehicle key for the service personnel. The same goes for car park attendants and valets.
• If you are having work done on your vehicle, give the service station your business address – not your home address.

Burglars Can Do More Than Just Steal

While most burglars prefer to strike when no one is home, intruders can commit other crimes such as rape, robbery, and assault if they are surprised by someone entering the home, or if they pick a home that is occupied.

• If something looks questionable – a slit screen, a broken window or an open door – don’t go in. Call the police from a neighbor’s house, a cell phone, or a public phone.
• At night, if you think you hear someone breaking in, leave safely if you can, then call the police. If you can’t leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone and call the police. If an intruder is in your room, pretend you are asleep.
• Never leave a message on your answering machine that indicates that you may not be at home, or that you live alone. Instead, say “We’re not available right now.”

The burglary suspect is described as an African-American man with a dark complexion in his 30s, tall with a thin build, and sparse beard. Authorities say he last seen wearing a baseball hat, white T-shirt, tight-fitting black pants or jeans, and black tennis shoes with a wave pattern.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Detective Joshua Liebross at 410-260-3439orjdliebross@annapolis.gov. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the Annapolis Police Tip Line at 410-280-CLUE or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
»Photo of burglary suspect Michael Mitchell, 37, of Annapolis, courtesy of Annapolis Police Facebook page