Man Charged with Burglarizing 17 Businesses Across County

Anne Arundel police said they have arrested the man responsible for , and possibly 16 other businesses throughout the county during the month of July.

According to a police press release, the same man also allegedly burglarized , Gary’s Garden, and Rey’s Crab Shack, all in the eastern district.

The release said officers arrested David Evi Cooper, 45, of no fixed address, and linked him to burglaries at 17 local businesses in the eastern, western and southern parts of Anne Arundel County. The Maryland Judiciary Case Search website shows that Cooper faces 36 counts of burglary and related offenses.

On July 11, someone broke into Severna Park Golf Center and stole an undisclosed amount of cash and a laptop. A video of the incident was captured on the store's surveillance cameras and .

“Since the early part of July, there have been multiple commercial burglaries reported throughout Anne Arundel County involving a single suspect targeting and making forced entries into businesses,” according to the police press release.

Rob Brilliant, the owner of , said he was glad they may have caught the person responsible for the break-in, and intended to press charges.

Although the arrest occurred Monday, officers began their investigation of Cooper starting on July 19—after they found a cellphone following a burglary at the county fairgrounds in Crownsville, according to the release. After finding the phone, officers were able to develop a name and possible suspect in that particular incident.

Nine days later, police investigated a burglary at the “Ice Shack” snowball stand in Pasadena where they found video surveillance footage that captured an image of the burglar. Police said they showed the image to Cooper’s family who positively identified him as the man breaking into the snowball stand.

Three days after acquiring an arrest warrant on Aug. 3, Eastern District detectives observed a motorcycle run a red light at the intersection of Route 2 North and Jones Station Road in Severna Park. Police initiated a traffic stop and identified Cooper as the driver of the motorcycle.

Officers took Cooper to the Eastern District Police Station where they interviewed the 45-year-old with other county detectives, according to the release.

Further investigations linked him to 17 commercial burglaries throughout the county, police said, including:

Southern District:

• Sweet Tarts Snowballs                         
• Tubzie’s Shaved Ice                         
•                    
•                               
• Tropical Bay Water            

Eastern District:

•        
• Gary’s Garden                                    
•            
• Rey’s Crab Shack                       
• Extra Space Storage
• Ice Shack           

Western District:

• Fischer Landscaping             
• Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds                       
• Eisenhower Golf Course                                   
• Crownsville Gardens                       
• Franklin Landscaping