Crime & Safety

Judge Doubles Bail for Alleged Burglary Spree Ringleader

Bail for Marcus Antonio Lee, 20, was set at $50,000

A Montgomery County District Court judge has doubled the bail for the alleged leader of a Germantown burglary ring.

Bail for Marcus Antonio Lee was increased from $25,000 to $50,000, at 100 percent full-cash, under Judge Patricia Mitchell’s ruling Thursday during a bond review hearing.

Lee, 20, no fixed address, is charged with orchestrating more than 20 burglaries, thefts and car thefts in Germantown since April 6.

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He appeared in court via closed-circuit TV for the Germantown burglary case and for a separate case involving a string of alleged thefts at the Target at Milestone Center in Germantown.

During the hearing, Montgomery County Assistant State’s Attorney Stephen P. Chaikin called Lee a “one-man crime wave” who recruited others to help him steal and sell stolen goods.

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Also appearing in court was Travis D. Forbes, 18, of Montgomery Village in connection to the Germantown burglaries.

Forbes was charged with first-degree burglary, unlawfully taking a vehicle, theft, unlawfully taking property and related conspiracy charges.

The judge reduced Forbes’s bail from $25,000 to $5,000.

Lee was charged with first-degree burglary, theft, unlawfully taking a vehicle and related conspiracy charges. Chaikin said additional burglary charges against Lee had been filed Thursday. A bond review hearing date is pending.

An attorney was not listed for Lee in court records. The Public Defender’s office spoke on his behalf during Thursday’s proceedings.


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