Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sykesville police report: missing juvenile located in Pennsylvania; seven vehicle-entry victims under investigation
Summary
Police described multiple investigations including a missing-juvenile case resolved with help from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and seven vehicle-entry/attempted-theft incidents tied to unlocked cars. Officers received praise for community policing and follow-up work.
Chief of Police Spalding briefed the council on multiple recent public-safety incidents at the Dec. 9 meeting, including a missing-juvenile case and a cluster of vehicle thefts and attempted thefts.
Chief Spalding said a missing-person report (case 00213) was resolved: “The person was found. It was a runaway,” and officers located the juvenile in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with help from the Johnstown Police Department; both juveniles involved were returned to their parents. The chief described details gathered from the juvenile’s phone suggesting threats discussed but not acted on; those threats were not charged as criminal acts because they were conversational.
The chief credited Corporal Barrett, Sergeant Lacey and others for investigations that led to arrests and follow-up in several cases. In one notable arrest, a traffic stop grew into a multi-jurisdictional theft case: investigators determined a female operator was driving on a suspended license, identified outstanding warrants, and uncovered evidence of alleged thefts from nursing homes; the chief said the suspect — who had been working as a traveling nurse — will be held accountable on the outstanding warrants and for additional alleged thefts.
On vehicle crimes, Chief Spalding said investigators identified seven victims in a series of vehicle thefts and attempted thefts; in every case the vehicles were left unlocked and, in one instance, a key fob was inside an unlocked vehicle. Investigators canvassed neighborhoods, posted video to social platforms and reviewed Ring app footage but had not yet identified suspects; the chief said patrol officers narrowly missed intercepting a suspect vehicle while on routine patrol.
The chief also highlighted community-policing work by PFC Hapa (child safety-seat installations and resident follow-ups) and PFC Andrew Jacobs (intern interviews and outreach). Council members praised officers’ daily work and several council members accepted invitations to ride along with officers to see day-to-day policing.
No formal council action was taken; the report was informational.
