Germantown Man Charged in String of Brazen Robberies

Police arrested a suspect in a string of robberies and thefts in Germantown, Montgomery County police said in a news release Thursday.

Elwood Antoneo Martin, 29, of no fixed address, was charged May 21 with armed robbery, first- and second-degree assault and several counts of theft.

The charges stem from seven incidents in Germantown between December and April—including an incident in January, when a woman was punched in the face and robbed as she got out of her vehicle.

Martin, a parolee, was arrested May 1. Detectives used GPS data from his ankle monitor to link him to some of the incidents after he was identified as a suspect.

“It was just a piece of the puzzle,” said Officer Rebecca Innocenti, a county police spokeswoman.

Police said Martin is linked to the following incidents in Germantown:

• Dec. 31—A purse and electronics were reported missing in a vehicle break-in in the 20000 block of Gateshead Circle, between 8:15 and 8:45 a.m.
• Jan. 2—A purse was taken from an unlocked vehicle in the 20000 block of Appledowre Circle, around 8 p.m.
• Jan. 9—Cash and electronics were reported missing from a vehicle in the 20100 block of Locustdale Drive, between 5:40 and 6:20 a.m.
• Jan. 14—A 50-year-old woman said around 8:30 p.m. in a parking lot in the 11300 block of Halethorpe Terrace, a man implied he had a weapon, reached into the driver’s side of her vehicle and took her purse and jewelry.
• Jan. 28—Around 9 p.m. in the 20000 block of Appledowre Circle, a man approached a 46-year-old woman exiting her vehicle and demanded money. When the woman said she didn’t have any, the man punched her in the face and robbed her.
• April 1—A woman loading her vehicle in the 19500 block of Gunners Branch Road said a man opened the passenger door and took her purse and other property.
• April 11—A 57-year-old woman checking her mail in the 18000 block of Cottage Garden Drive, was grabbed from behind by a man. The man took her purse and threw the woman on the ground. The woman’s’ eye and mouth required stitches.

Martin is being held at the Montgomery County Detention Center in Rockville without bond, police said.

Since the burglary arrest, Martin was charged with failing to register as a sex offender, court records show. Martin is listed in the Maryland sex offense registry for a third-degree sex offense conviction in 2005, according to the state database.