BETHESDA, Md. May 16 2020 Montgomery County Police have arrested and charged three young men for allegedly breaking into Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, the latest in a rash of school burglaries across the county.

On the night of Saturday, May 2, the security office for Montgomery County Public Schools noticed several hallway motion alarms had been triggered at the high school, which is located on East-West Highway near Downtown Bethesda.

“It’s going to be a commercial burglary alarm,” a female dispatcher stated over the second district radio channel around 1:15 a.m. “School security calling it in. They’re getting multiple alarms. One is in the hallway stairwell by a lamp, one’s in the security office — also multipurpose room, an office stairwell, and door number five… School security is en-route. They have a 10-minute ETA.”

One officer responding to the priority call spotted two vehicles — both filled with “young teenagers” — leaving the area of B-CC. He stopped one of the vehicles on Sleaford Road.

“I’m out with half of the parties that were in the school,” the officer radioed dispatch a short while later. “They admitted that they were in the school. The other [vehicle] was a black SUV. It turned right towards East-West [Highway].”

The men reportedly confessed they had gained access to the building by entering an exterior-facing elevator, and then, riding it down to the basement. Police confiscated a $50 house plant and $25 broom from the suspect vehicle, which they allege, were both stolen from B-CC.

Police have since charged Matthew Dubrow, 19, of Bethesda, Philip Gregory, 20, of Bethesda, and Gabriel McAndrew, 19, of Aspen Hill, with second-degree burglary, fourth-degree burglary, theft less than $100, trespassing on school grounds, and failure to comply with a health emergency.

Police transported the men to the Second District Station in Bethesda where they obtained verbal and written confessions, court documents state. Each faces up to 19 years in prison.

Cops also interviewed several juveniles on the night of the B-CC break-in. Yet, those records are not available for public review.

In concert with the traffic stop, a different set of officers worked with school security to collect evidence. Technology, however, had other plans.

“I’m out with school security,” another officer radioed dispatch. “Right now there’s no way we can view footage. Their feed to the school is not working. The way we’d get video footage is, possibly, when schools open back up.”

According to Montgomery County Department Police records, there were 10 school burglaries across Montgomery County between January 1 and April 30, 2019. During that same timeframe this year, there have been 16 school break-ins, a 60 percent year-over-year increase. Authorities believe COVID-19 has ginned up a level of boredom, particularly among high school and college students.

“A lot of it is juveniles thinking this is a cool thing to do, and it’s just not,” Montgomery County Police Spokesman Capt. Tom Jordan told 7 On Your Side last month. “People just having too much time on their hands.”

SCHOOL BURGLARIES IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Burglaries are listed by date between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2020.

Jan. 8, 2020: Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda — no forced entry — adult suspect/s arrested

Jan. 15, 2020: St. Jude Regional Catholic School in Rockville — forced entry — no arrests, open case

Jan. 15, 2020: JoAnn Leleck Elementary School in Silver Spring — forced entry — juvenile suspect/s arrested

Jan. 16, 2020: JoAnn Leleck Elementary School in Silver Spring — forced entry — juvenile suspect/s arrested

Jan. 24, 2020: Poolesville High School in Poolesville — forced entry — juvenile suspect/s arrested

Feb. 22, 2020: Maryvale Child Development Center in Rockville — no forced entry — no arrests, open case

March 1, 2020: Strawberry Knoll Elementary School in Montgomery Village — forced entry — no arrests, open case

March 19, 2020: Seneca Valley High School in Germantown — no forced entry — juvenile suspect/s arrested

March 21, 2020: Glen Haven Elementary School in Wheaton — forced entry — no arrests, open case

March 25, 2020: Newport Mill Middle School in Kensington — forced entry — no arrests, open case

March 29, 2020: Seneca Valley High School in Germantown — forced entry — no arrests, open case

April 4, 2020: Bannockburn Elementary School in Bethesda — no forced entry — juvenile suspect/s arrested

April 9, 2020: Northwood High School in Silver Spring — forced entry — adult suspect/s arrested

April 10, 2020: Kingsview Middle School in Germantown — forced entry — adult suspect/s arrested

April 16, 2020: East Silver Spring Elementary Schol in Silver Spring — no forced entry — juvenile suspect/s arrested

April 30, 2020: Rolling Terrace Elementary School in Takoma Park — forced entry — juvenile suspect/s arrested

Based on court records, Dubrow and Gregory have retained private defense attorneys. Neither law firm responded Wednesday to requests seeking comment. No attorney is listed in court documents for McAndrew. All three defendants are expected to appear in Montgomery County District Court for preliminary hearings once the Maryland judicial system resumes operations next month.

WJLA

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