73-Year-Old Man Charged Over Two MoCo Burglary Cases: Police

BETHESDA, MD — A 73-year-old man from Newport, Oregon, is facing charges in Montgomery County in connection to two residential burglary cases.

Montgomery County Police said in a Thursday release that Michael Spillino was tied to both an attempted burglary and a residential burglary that took place a week apart in Bethesda.

The first incident was reported Oct. 19 on the 6000 block of Broxburn Drive, with the second occurring over a mile away in the 8000 block of Burdette Road on Oct. 26. Both cases were reported around 8:30 a.m.

Homeowner Thwarts Burglary

Spillino is accused of attempting to break into the Broxburn Drive home, which he failed to enter after the homeowner confronted him.

Citing the homeowner, authorities said that the woman had been upstairs with her child when she found Spillino kicking a rear door.

Despite being yelled at by the homeowner, Spillino proceeded to use an object from a sunroom to try and break through the door. He eventually left the scene and drove away after his effort proved unsuccessful.

During the incident, the woman was able to get a photo of Spillino and the vehicle, which she later provided to police.

Caught On Surveillance

A week later, Spillino managed to break into the Burdette Road home. The homeowner told police that she encountered Spillino after she heard noises inside the home and caught him looking into her bedroom.

Although Spillino promptly left the home after she spoke to him, he did so carrying stolen property.

Surveillance footage that was provided to investigators revealed Spillino entered the Burdette Road home through an unlocked rear door after he looked through several windows.

Officials linked the Oregon man to both cases after comparing both the surveillance footage and the images from the first case.

Arrest In Virginia + Charges Filed

Both Spillino's photo and images of his vehicle, a white Chevrolet Equinox, were shared with surrounding law enforcement agencies in an effort to track him down.

The 73-year-old man was ultimately tracked down and arrested by Fairfax County Police, which located both Spillino and the vehicle in their jurisdiction.

Authorities did not say where he was found in Fairfax County but did note that he was linked to a residential burglary that took place on Oct. 27 in the county.

A search warrant executed on Spillino's vehicle returned stolen items from the Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 burglaries.

Montgomery County Police said Spillino is facing charges of first-degree attempted burglary and first-degree burglary for the Bethesda cases. He remains held in a Fairfax County detention center while awaiting extradition to Montgomery County.