Police say a 12-year-old boy accused of breaking into multiple businesses in Montgomery County struck again. Police say the boy broke into a Porsche dealership on Monday and then on Tuesday went inside a Rockville business and stole a vehicle before he was arrested in another area.
Montgomery County police say the same 12-year-old boy broke into five Montgomery County dealerships in August. News4 reported that police said they couldn't charge him because he's too young, due to a juvenile justice law.
The boy broke into a Porsche dealership in Bethesda on Monday, police said. Workers say he walked around inside before Montgomery County police arrested him.
“That young individual is in need of some supervision, and I think that it's critical that he gets that,” said Assistant Chief David McBain.
Investigators say the 12-year-old has broken into six high-end dealerships, including BMW, Jaguar, Audi and Porsche. In some break-ins, he managed to steal cars.
“That is a D.C. resident, and we are actually actively working with the D.C. government,” McBain said.
Police say they weren’t able to take the 12-year-old into custody because of his age and a Maryland juvenile justice reform law passed in 2022. The legislation says children under 13 can’t be charged with property crimes.
“The system we are stuck in now has allowed these repeated occasions to occur,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said.
Maryland state legislators passed a revised juvenile justice bill earlier this year that’s set to go into effect Nov. 1. The bill broadens consequences for 10 to 12-year-olds who commit crimes. It also expands probation, creates diversion programs and details when state’s attorneys can review certain juvenile cases.
McCarthy said he believes the legislation was a great first step but that additional legislation is needed for young offenders who don't live in Maryland.
“A juvenile offender who does not live in Maryland who has hit many of our car dealerships here shows you some of the shortcomings that exist in the solutions that were crafted last year by the legislature and it’s not, you know -- sometimes these fixes are more complex than that,” McCarthy said.
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