House Committee Snuffs ‘Flash Mob Act’

A state bill inspired by the highly publicized Germantown 7-Eleven group theft failed to clear a key committee, one of the steps it needed in order to land on the House floor for a vote.

The so-called Flash Mob Act received an unfavorable recommendation from the House of Delegate’s judiciary committee on Monday.

According to a draft version of the bill, multiple acts of theft committed in unison by more than person would have been treated as one crime; and the total value of the property would determine whether the theft was a felony or a misdemeanor. Also, the mob itself could serve as evidence of conspiracy to commit a crime.

State Del. Jeffrey Waldstreicher (D-District 18) and Montgomery County Councilman Craig Rice (D-District 2), a Germantown resident who is a former state legislator, worked together on the bill.

The Flash Mob Act sprung from a late summer group theft in which more than a dozen youths entered the 7-Eleven off Wisteria Drive in unison, and lifted snacks, pop and candy before leaving with the loot as a group, according to video surveillance released by police.

During a hearing January in Annapolis critics called the bill overreaching and vague, and said the bill failed to adequately defined what constitutes a “theft by mob” or a conspiracy.