17 Arrests Made in 7-Eleven Theft

Misdemeanor charges are pending against 17 people for their alleged involvement in the Aug. 13 mass theft at a 7-Eleven in Germantown.

Flanked by Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy and County Councilman Craig Rice, Cpt. Luther Reynolds announced the arrests on Friday outside the 5th District station in Germantown.

Prosecutors will file criminal charges—theft, conspiracy to commit theft and disorderly conduct—against 14 juveniles and three adults seen in surveillance footage from the 7-Eleven at 13001 Wisteria Drive, where at around 1:50 a.m. on Aug. 13, two dozen people descended on the convenience store and allegedly stole nearly $450 worth of snacks.

"I was outraged at what I saw on that video clip," said Reynolds, the 5th District’s commander.

The suspects hail from all over Montgomery County, said Reynolds, who characterized them as "good kids who haven’t had any involvement with the police."

Separating Suspects from Bystanders

The identities of the three adults—an 18-, 19-, and 20-year-old—were not disclosed because charges were still pending.

While 25 people appear in the footage, police have identified 18—including a female whom investigators have determined was not involved in the theft.

"She actually went in the store, paid for her food, without doing anything wrong," Reynolds said.

Police have not determined whether the seven unidentified people were involved with the theft, said Cpt. Paul Starks, a spokesman.

The incident was initially dubbed a "flash mob" theft, though the social media component typical to flash mobs seems to have been missing from the Germantown case—a point McCarthy reiterated Friday. Police believe that the suspects may have hatched the scheme earlier that night at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair before taking the bus to Germantown.

Reynolds said police extracted individual photos from the 7-Eleven footage. Positive IDs were made with help from the in-school police officer covering Germantown and tips from principals and other community leaders.

Curfew or In-School Officers?

County Executive Isiah Leggett has cited the incident as an example of the kind of crime that his proposed youth curfew could prevent.

Initially reluctant, Councilman Craig Rice (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown is warming to the idea of a curfew in Montgomery County.

"I still have some reservations about it," he said Friday, "but I could tell you right now my police department has identified this as something that they need in order to address some of the problems that they’re seeing and because of that, I think we need to support the police department and give them the tools that are necessary."

Several parent leaders also attended the press conference, including Susan Burkinshaw, chairwoman of the health and safety committee of the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations. She remains unconvinced that a curfew would make as much of a difference as putting more police officers in county high schools.

"Having the curfew may give the police another tool to get the kids off the streets on one hand," she said. "On the other hand, I think it’s more important to teach the kids to make the right decisions in the first place so we don’t need to have a curfew."

The School Resource Officer program began in 2003 with 32 officers under a $4 million grant. Budget woes withered the program down to six officers splitting their time among the county’s 25 high schools.

"You create an atmosphere where young people have someone to talk about these sorts of things," said Michael A. Durso, a Board of Education member who attended Friday’s press conference. "It’s not going to eliminate poor decisions, but I think in many cases it might help our young people think twice about their decisions."