FROSTBURG — A 20-year-old Mount Savage man and three juveniles — two males and one female — were arrested Friday in connection with a rash of break-ins in the Frostburg area.
The arrests were made following an incident on Slabtown Road in Frostburg where a 74-year-old man and his grandson were assaulted by one of the suspects during a break-in, according to a news release issued Friday evening by C3I.
Cole Michael McCormick was charged with first-degree assault, burglary and other charges related to the Slabtown Road incident. He was being held Friday night in the Allegany County Detention Center on $50,000 bond.
Additional charges related to other Frostburg burglaries are pending, police said.
An 18-year-old resident of the Slabtown Road home pulled a ski mask off McCormick during the attack, allowing the victims to provide a description of him, police said.
The juveniles, who are all 17 years old, were each charged with burglary, theft and related charges.
Additional charges are also pending.
The juveniles have been ordered to be held at a juvenile detention facility pending their next court appearance, police said.
According to the news release, the 18-year-old heard a noise coming from the downstairs of the Slabtown Road home around 4:30 a.m. Friday. When he went to investigate, he discovered someone had broken into the residence.
The 18-year-old alerted his grandfather and the two went to further investigate. When they went outside, they discovered McCormick, wearing the ski mask and dark clothing in an attempt to conceal his identity, trying to hide in the garage, police said.
When the elder resident turned on the garage light, McCormick allegedly struck him in the face with a blunt object, smashing his glasses and cutting the victim’s face.
The grandson attempted to stop the attack by grabbing the suspect, but McCormick allegedly grabbed him by the throat and pushed him against the wall, continuing to choke him while lifting him off the ground by his neck.
Police said the suspect released the victim after a few seconds and turned to flee. That’s when the 18-year-old pulled off McCormick’s ski mask, police said.
The victims called 911 and the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene.
Investigation into a series of recent burglaries in the Frostburg area had developed several suspects, police said, and a deputy familiar with McCormick went to his residence to conduct surveillance. A short time later, police said, the deputy observed McCormick walk out of a field toward the residence. He was taken into custody at that time.
C3I recovered numerous items from recent Frostburg burglaries in McCormick’s home, according to the news release. Investigators also contacted the three juveniles, who had also been identified as suspects, and recovered more allegedly stolen property at two other locations.
A large amount of stolen property has been recovered, police said
C3I investigators are in the process of contacting victims to identify property and return it to the owners. The investigation is continuing.
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