A man broke into two homes in Montgomery County, Maryland, and assaulted elderly women, police said.
Police identified Devin Jones as a suspect from a fingerprint left at one of the scenes.
“This was a terrifying event in a community where we have an increasingly large senior community, and, quite candidly, I think it is wonderful that some members of our senior community are aging in place in their homes, and that’s what we have here,” State’s Attorney John McCarthy said. “It’s very sad to hear something like that.”
At about 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Jones used a brick to break the window of a home on Greencastle Road in the Burtonsville area, police said. He sexually assaulted an 88-year-old woman before attempting to drown her in a bathtub. The man then walked into her living room, took one of her hats, put it on and walked out the door.
When police dusted the broken window for fingerprints, they discovered a print that led them to Jones.
“There are national databases that are used to identify individuals all the time,” McCarthy said.
Then about 9 p.m. Sunday, Jones walked into the apartment of a 77-year-old woman and exposed himself before she grabbed a large wooden stick and used it to strike Jones twice, police said. He took her cellphone and left.
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“I will tell you after some conversations we’ve had, we are reviewing both of these cases for the potential of adding additional charges,” McCarthy said.
Detectives are reviewing other burglaries in the area that may be linked to Jones, police said.
Jones is being held without bond.
