Odenton Man Charged With 23 Howard County Burglaries: Police

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A 35-year-old Odenton man has been charged with 23 commercial burglaries committed since November 2019. Markus Swinson initially was arrested in April and charged with six commercial burglaries. After the arrest, Howard County police officers continued the investigation and identified Swinson as the suspect in 17 additional burglaries. In total, Swinson has now been charged in Howard County warrants with 91 counts of burglary, theft, theft scheme, destruction of property, and rogue and vagabond, according to the Howard County Police Department.

After his initial arrest in the first six cases, Swinson was released from the Howard County Detention Center on $25,000 bond, but was arrested by another jurisdiction where he is being held on no bond. If he is scheduled for release, he will be immediately served with the additional charges in Howard County and taken into custody, according to a police report from the Howard County Police Department.

In the 23 Howard County cases, which spanned from the Route 1 corridor to the western end of the
county, police believe Swinson was targeting businesses to steal construction and landscaping tools. According to the police report, tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment was stolen.

Detectives developed Swinson as a suspect after a burglary at Lenny’s Towing in Elkridge March 26 in which various tools were stolen. The tools were found for sale online and were linked back to Swinson, the police report stated.

He is charged in the following commercial burglaries:
• Nov. 5, 2019, Dayton: Absolute Landscape & Turf, Bowen’s Bus Service, ASC Heating & Air
• Nov. 16, 2019, Jessup: First Impression Hardscapes, Forest Valley Tree & Turf, U.S. Pools
• Jan. 2, Jessup: BrightView Landscaping
• Jan. 10, Hanover: Environmental Maintenance Services
• Jan. 11, Elkridge: Barrett & Sons, W.F. Wilson & Sons
• Jan. 31, Laurel: LandCare, Romano Concrete Construction
• Feb. 6, Clarksville: construction site
• Feb. 7-10, Dayton: Absolute Landscape & Turf
• Feb. 8, Glenwood: Cattail Creek Country Club
• Feb. 15, Laurel: construction site
• Feb. 18, Jessup: Heil Plumbing
• Feb. 25, Sykesville: New Direction Utilities, Garrett Barrel and Drum, Jeffrey K Rogers, Inc., Constant Trucking
• March 26, Elkridge: Lenny’s Towing, construction site