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Police: Westminster Couple Charged in Rash of Burglaries

Police said the duo stole an estimated $58,000 worth of goods from homes.

A Westminster couple was charged today with four burglaries in Westminster and Hampstead between June and November, police said.

Carroll County Sheriff's detectives served charges on William Scottie Bircher II, 25, and Shannon Lee, 26, both of Westminster, Friday morning for burglary and theft, according to police reports.

Between June and November, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office responded to four burglaries in the northern Westminster and Hampstead area where police say the suspects forced their way into homes and removed jewelry, coins, firearms and other small miscellaneous items for an estimated $58,000 value.

During a joint investigation involving the Baltimore County Police, Westminster Police and the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, Bircher and Lee were observed breaking into a Westminster home and placed under arrest, police said.

Upon executing search and seizure warrants at Bircher and Lee's residence, detectives recovered approximately $25,000 of stolen property, according to a police report. Bircher and Lee were charged with four counts of first-degree burglary, four counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary and theft.

Bircher and Lee are being held at Carroll County Central Booking while awaiting a bail review hearing before the District Court Commissioner.  Following their hearing, they’ll be returned to the Carroll County Detention Center where they’re awaiting trial on other burglary charges. 

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact Detective Corporal Brian Dayton at 410-386-2572.

James February 23, 2013 at 12:39 pm
Yeah now if the courts would just keep them locked up, make it a felony, 2 strikes you get life, but they will give the PBJ or light sentence or nothing, they will be back out and doing it again, until you have had you home broken into judges, you will never unnderstand how devastaing it is, mine was broken into, I have not been able to sleep since, had to change all my locks, had to put locks on my windows, now my safety is in jeoperdy, if I'm in bed and a fire starts, if I forget to grab my keys, I can't get out, have to have key to all open windows and all doors. Was going to put bars on. Never did catch the ones that broke in. Also had to put security camera system in, it alerts me on my smart phone if someone breaks in now. But you never feel secure again in your own home. The only good theif is a jailed one or a dead one in my eyes since I sleep with one eye open, any noise wakes me. Pure Fear.

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