Three Indicted in Ellicott City Burglaries

Three West Virginia residents were charged in connection with burglaries in two Ellicott City stores.

On Monday, March 14, police got a call from a person who said he saw three people breaking into Sergio’s Jewelers, on the 10100 block of Baltimore National Pike.

When officers arrived, they reported seeing two people running to a car. The officers said they tried to stop the car from driving away, but the driver instead led police on a brief chase through Ellicott City. The drivers stopped on Route 40 near Turf Valley Road, according to police.

Police took into custody 25-year-old Barbara Rae Hartman of Martinsburg, WV and Amy Michelle Rhoe, 20, of Hedgesville, WV. Officers investigating near Sergio’s said they found Dalton F. Banker, 23, of Martinsburg, WV hiding in a dumpster.

On April 6, a grand jury indicted the three on an assortment of burglary and theft charges related to the Sergio’s burglary and the March 8 burglary at Berman’s Jewelers, on the 3500 block of St. John’s Lane.

Hartman also faces charges of attempting to elude an officer, failing to stop for an officer, reckless and negligent driving.

Police say that in both burglaries, the thieves broke the glass in the front of the store, then broke into display cases, stealing jewelry. Police said they were able to recover jewelry from the suspects and the car driven from the scene.