Arrest Of 11 Teens Leads To Drop In Vehicle Thefts Across Howard County

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Eleven teens and two young adults were arrested as the result of targeted investigations carried out during the summer. Howard County Police say those arrested led to a 41% decrease in vehicle thefts of the most commonly stolen vehicle makes.

From May 1 through July 31, there were 130 reported thefts of Hyundais, Kias, Hondas, Acuras, Chevrolet and Dodge brands. which police say are the most stolen vehicle makes in Howard County.

However, after the arrests of the 13 individuals, from Aug. 1-Oct. 31, there were 77 reported thefts of those same vehicles.

In all, auto theft detectives believe the suspects were responsible for at least 35 vehicle thefts from the spring into July, when most of the suspects were arrested, according to Howard County Police.

Detectives continue to review evidence that might connect them to additional cases in Howard County and believe they were responsible for various crimes in neighboring jurisdictions as well, the police department stated.

During the investigation, HCPD detectives recovered seven key reprogramming devices, which were used to generate keys and clone transponders to steal vehicles in mere minutes.

Detectives also recovered three handguns from the suspects.

"These suspects often operated in small groups. One group mostly targeted Hondas and Acuras along Washington Boulevard (Route 1). Another group mostly targeted higher-end Chevrolet and Dodge models. The stolen vehicles were used for a variety of purposes: to commit other crimes, to sell, to strip for parts or to simply joyride," the police stated.

The following suspects were arrested and face various vehicle theft charges:

• David Hernandez-Hernandez, 18, of Baltimore
• Nicholas Hernandez, 18, of Elkridge
• Juvenile male, 17, of Columbia
• Juvenile male, 17, of Columbia
• Juvenile male, 17, of Elkridge
• Juvenile male, 17, of Elkridge
• Juvenile male, 16, of Columbia
• Juvenile male, 16, Elkridge
• Juvenile male, 16, of Laurel
• Juvenile male, 16, of Odenton
• Juvenile male, 16, of Odenton
• Juvenile male, 15, of Brooklyn
• Juvenile male, 15, of Laurel