With the threat of a weapon, five juveniles from Baltimore recently wreaked havoc in a community in Columbia, Maryland. Normally, this community is considered peaceful. Neighbors do not generally think about carjackings or armed robbery. However, on Sunday, April 7th at 8:18 in the morning in Wilde Lake, three males and two females committed various crimes, including two attempts at carjackings. The two females had been arrested and charged five months earlier. Several residents have expressed dismay with this level of violence and repeat offenses. READ THE FULL STORY.
The Guilford Gazette reached out to the State’s Attorney Office to get more information on the disposition of the two females, ages 15 and 15. Based on juvenile privacy laws, according to a representative in the Public Information Office, no information on juvenile offenders can be divulged. On the other hand, the Howard County Police Department, in its press release, indicated that all five juveniles were arrested and sent to juvenile justice centers in Maryland.
At present, no information has been released on what happened with the two female juveniles between the time they were charged by HCPD on December 23, 2023 and their second arrest on on April 7, 2024. Likewise, for the new charges, the public is unaware if any of the five suspects arrested on April 7th are currently at large.
Under the current system, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services is not required to share information with other stakeholders regarding the disposition of juveniles. Under the Juvenile Justice Reform bill recently passed by the General Assembly, beginning November 1, 2024, if signed into law, DJS will be required to share information regarding juveniles processed in their system.
In a recent interview on WBAL Radio, Howard County State’s Attorney Rich Gibson said of the bill, “… it is a significant step in the right direction, ” but he added that the bill did not go far enough. “It did not address all our concerns, but it is undoubtedly better than where we were before.”
In regard to the recent increase in juvenile crime, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, issued a statement to the Guilford Gazette. He said, “Howard County is home to Columbia which has consistently been named the safest city in Maryland and among the safest cities in the Country. Crime doesn’t recognize geographic boundaries and we are not immune to those who would come to our County to break the law. I commend the rapid, professional response of our Howard County Police Department who recently arrested five juvenile suspects for armed robbery and attempted carjacking in the Wilde Lake community. I’m glad in recent years we’ve increased our investment in our police department, leading to the largest academy graduation class in 30 years. We will continue to invest in public safety to ensure that our residents not only are safe, but feel safe.”
In regard to HCPD activity, it is notable that arrests are being made. The police made arrests of the juvenile suspects in December and April, mentioned earlier in this story. More recently, arrests were made of three juveniles, two 15 and one 16. An employee of the Tobacco & Vape Outlet, 10200 block of Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City reported on April 13th at 8:40 p.m. that four suspects with their faces partially covered entered the business, displayed guns and stole cash and merchandise before fleeing. According to police, no one was injured. Police later located the suspects in a stolen vehicle and arrested three of them, according to the HCPD Crime Bulletin.
In the WBAL interview, when asked what he thought was lacking in the new Juvenile Justice Reform bill, Gibson responded, “The bill did not give the courts the power to detain a child in the supervision of a permitted technical violation. It does have a policy that allows for the extension of the period of probation if someone is on probation and commits a new violation. But it doesn’t allow for any kind of detaining action to be engaged in by the courts if a child continues to be committed to a life of violating our laws.”
Under both the current law and the current bill, it is possible that juveniles charged with violent crimes may have little to no restraint to prevent them from committing more crimes. Gibson expressed concern that the lack of meaningful intervention with youth offenders will ultimately lead to a crushing blow to those who commit crimes at the age of 18. He conveyed that he wants revisions to the law that will cause real reform over cavalier recidivism.
Gibson said, “The laws of Maryland don’t give us the full tools we need to intercede in a meaningful way. And so our wish, our request, what we continue to fight for is the ability to intercede, to interact, to interrupt the criminal behavior of youth in a way that allows us to reform them. Because my wish, my hope, is that when they turn 18 — a magic number — we don’t want to suddenly switch the game on them.”
Editor’s Note: Visit GuilfordGazette.com every Thursday for more updates on Juvenile Justice and Crime.
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