Do you recognize these Montgomery Village robbery/assault suspects? (Photos)

Montgomery County Police have released surveillance camera photos of three suspects in a November 10 robbery and assault in Montgomery Village. Detectives say the three - and as many as two additional accomplices - robbed and assaulted two adult male victims around 3:00 AM at the Shell gas station located at 19300 Montgomery Village Avenue.

They took property and money from the victims, and fled the area in a silver colored vehicle.

Anyone with information regarding these suspects or the robbery and assault is asked to call the 6th District Investigative Section at 240-773-5770. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to them that leads to an arrest and/or indictment for this felony crime.

Christmas Grinches caught after trying to sell $20K in stolen merchandise to officers across from Germantown police station

Ho, ho, oh no! A couple of alleged Grinches tried to steal Christmas in Germantown last Friday. Or, at least, $20,000 in merchandise from a resident's vehicle. Now one man is in custody, and his alleged accomplice out on bail, after attempting to resell the stolen loot to police officers directly across from a Montgomery County Police station.

Police say over $20,000 in merchandise was stolen from a vehicle parked on Diamond Hill Court in Germantown. Items taken included two infrared cameras, a 12 megapixel digital camera, 70-200mm camera lens, gear motor, circuit boards, Beats by Dre earphones, Ipod nano, and two laptops.

Around 2:00 p.m., a neighbor suggested the victim utilize a cell phone app named “Offer Up” to see if the stolen property may have been listed for sale. After checking the app, the victim discovered one of the stolen infrared cameras and Beats by Dre earphones for sale, and called the person listed as the seller of the property.

The victim told the seller that they were interested purchasing items, and agreed to meet at the Rite Aid located at 19927 Century Boulevard in Germantown (located in the shopping center across the street from the 5th District station). The victim notified the investigating officer in advance of the meeting.

At 6:00 p.m., 5th District officers arrived at the Rite Aid in an unmarked vehicle, and posed as the potential buyers of the stolen merchandise. Mulloy and Pestun were arrested when they showed the undercover officers the stolen property that they were attempting to sell. Pestun was in possession of the stolen Ipon nano at the time of the arrest. Officers located the remaining stolen property and returned all the items to the victim.

Casey A. Mulloy, 20, and Kyle Pestun, 27, both of unknown addresses, were transported to the Central Processing Unit and charged with one count of theft: $10,000 to under $100,000, one count of theft: less than $100, two counts of rogue and vagabond, and one count of conspiracy. Mulloy was released after posting $2,600 bond. Pestun remains held on a $7,500 bond.

Officers suspect there may be additional victims of thefts who have not reported the incidents to police. Anyone who has been a victim of a theft from vehicle, and has not already reported the theft, is asked to call the police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000.

Montgomery County Council helps their billionaire sugar daddy evade taxes

Councilmember Hans Riemer, a
leading recipient of campaign
donations from billionaire
under investigation for tax evasion

Senate Finance Committee

investigating museum scheme

Most of the controversy surrounding Potomac billionaire Mitch Rales' Glenstone museum has related to its private operation, its addition of a sewer line, and his sugar daddy status to members of the Montgomery County Council, to whom he has donated tens of thousands of dollars. Now a U.S. Senate Finance Committee investigation is looking into another question - is Glenstone actually an art museum, or simply an easy way to avoid personal, capital gains and estate taxes through its Glenstone Foundation?

Councilmember Roger Berliner has received at least $27,000 from Rales, according to blogger Eric Hensal. The second-biggest recipient of money from Rales, a pioneer in outsourcing American jobs to China, has been Councilmember Hans Riemer. 

Riemer has used a mysterious out-of-state bounty of cash from a rogue's gallery of Wall Street scoundrels, banks, mortgage sharks, and lobbyists - who together caused the "Great Recession" - to win two council elections. Yet, he has faced no media scrutiny of his unusual campaign finances. 

Rales' Danaher Corporation wrested 140 jobs away from Hanover, Maryland alone, in a four-state liquidation of factories, as the linked video demonstrates. Is it surprising that Riemer would support a Wall Street outsourcer in evading taxes right here in Montgomery County? After all, Riemer also took a fat campaign check from Mitt Romney's Bain Capital, another pioneer in closing factories, and outsourcing jobs to overseas countries. And, while receiving funds from anti-Obamacare lobbyists, Riemer endorsed dropping the public option from the Affordable Care Act in 2009, creating a huge payday for the insurance companies.

Both councilmen, and several other colleagues who received Rales booty, delivered a series of votes that enabled the expansion of Glenstone in recent years.

While they spoke of Glenstone as a public amenity, it is actually private, not open to just anyone to visit during set hours, and located on Rales' Potomac estate, nowhere near public transit infrastructure. Glenstone has already denied access to visitors, including reporters who have dared to criticize it.

The Senate Finance Committee has heard enough, and is now investigating whether Glenstone - enabled by the County Council - is violating IRS rules and evading taxes. While the New York Times accepted Glenstone's visitor numbers at face value, fortunately, the City Paper actually did the research and found just how few visitors there have been over the years in relation to similar facilities elsewhere - and that no visitor records are publicly available for the past two years.

Meanwhile, the City Paper found that Rales is stashing away more than $360,000,000 in Danaher stock in Glenstone, and another $26 million from his Janalia Corporation. Can you get into Glenstone? City Paper reporter Kriston Capps has been rejected from visiting twice. That's not a public museum.

Aside from determining whether tax evasion has occurred (gee, you think?) with the aid and abettance of the County Council, there is another possible benefit to the Senate-level investigation. Investigations tend to turn up more than what they start out looking for. Montgomery County has a false reputation as an ethical jurisdiction primarily because there have not been federal investigations here. In a federal probe, a lesser member of a political machine can be threatened with jail time - until he or she starts talking about the bigger scandal going on higher up, in exchange for leniency or immunity. 

Farm Road, the Silver Spring Transit Center, the Council-connected nonprofit that "lost" $900,000 in taxpayer money? In every case the politicians themselves were able to control what passed for an "investigation", and declare the case closed. While the feds seem to be in constant pursuit of African-American officials in the District and Prince George's County, our white Montgomery County and Maryland politicians continue to evade scrutiny.

That has to change.

Gaithersburg McDonald's shooting still under investigation

A Christmas Eve shooting at the McDonald's restaurant at 469 Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg remains under investigation by Montgomery County Police detectives. What is known to this point, is that a firearm was reportedly discharged inside the restaurant around 8:00 PM that night. When police and firefighters responded, neither the alleged shooter nor victim were present.

Police found evidence of a shooting inside the McDonald's restroom. At that time, they were alerted that a gunshot victim had arrived at a local hospital. No information regarding how that patient arrived at the hospital has been made available as of press time, but the man has been interviewed by detectives.

Anyone with information regarding this incident or the person(s) involved is asked to contact the 6th District Investigation Section at 240.773.5770. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County at 240-773-TIPS (8477) or Text-A-Tip to: CRIMES (274637), text MCPD and your crime tip. Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to them that leads to an arrest and/or indictment for this crime.

Police searching for missing Germantown teen (Photo)

A Germantown teenager is missing, and Montgomery County Police are seeking the community's help in finding her. Rocio Beatriz Cardenas Gomez, 15, of the 12000 block of Kitchen House Way in Germantown, was last seen at her home on December 10. 

Rocio is described as a Latina, 5’05” tall, and weighing 120 pounds. She has brown eyes and black hair. When she was last seen, Rocio was wearing a green jacket, blue jeans, and black and white tennis shoes. She is known to frequent the area around Northwest High School, and the Clopper Mill Village Shopping Center in Germantown.

Police say they and her family are concerned for Rocio’s physical and emotional welfare.

Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of Rocio Beatriz is asked to call the Montgomery County Police Special Victims Division at 240-773-5400 or the police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000 (24 hours).

Police investigate fatal crash in Damascus

Montgomery County Police are investigating a one-car accident that killed the vehicle's lone occupant Tuesday night around 6:25 PM. Officers responding to the scene in the 5200 block of Damascus Road found a silver, 2002 Volkswagen Passat that had exited the roadway and struck a utility pole.

The driver, David Mark Harris, 20, of the 20200 block of Lea Pond Place in Gaithersburg, died from his injuries at the scene.

This collision remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed this collision is asked to call the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773-6620.

Fourth suspect charged in Montgomery Village homicide

Montgomery County Police have charged a fourth suspect in the November 2 homicide of Roberto Gutierrez Cruz in Montgomery Village. Edwin E. Reyes-Martinez, 18, of the unit block of Whetstone Drive in Montgomery Village has been charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, and with one count of possession of a handgun.

On November 2 around 12:42 p.m., 6th District officers and Fire and Rescue personnel responded to the woods behind the 18200 block of Contour Road after the report of a possibly injured person. A passerby had called 911. Officers located the victim, 22-year-old Roberto Gutierrez Cruz, of Lost Knife Road in Montgomery Village, deceased on the ground.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the manner of Cruz’s death a homicide and the cause of his death as multiple gunshot wounds. Three suspects were subsequently identified and charged in the case.

In the course of their investigation, detectives determined that Reyes-Martinez was involved in concealing the gun after the murder the murder. Although he was a minor at the time of the incident, he has been charged as an adult. Police have declined to release his mugshot, however.