In what police call a relatively quiet neighborhood, people in Arnold say they're on high alert after one of their own is accused of breaking in and stealing their belongings.
"This was just a sudden rash of burglaries in the area," Lt. Ryan Frasure, the spokesman for the Anne Arudel County Police Department, said.
Frasure said 19-year-old William Carlson was spotted on surveillance video from a nearby convenience store going into a home.
"The suspect did admit that he burglarized these houses. He got into the house through open doors, but we didn't have any damage or any destruction to anything, however there was some physical evidence left behind that they were able to link to this individual," Frasure said.
In total, four homes were broken into -- several credit cards, cash, food, even alcohol all snatched from unsuspecting neighbors.
Al Homans has lived on Placid Court, one of the streets hit, for seven years. He says while he feels safe, you can never be too sure.
"We keep things of value out of sight. We're pretty careful about that," he said.
Officers arrested Carlson on Wednesday.
Investigators are warning homeowners to lock up behind themselves and pay attention to your surroundings.
"In most if not all of these burglaries, the front door or one of the doors was left unlocked so it was pretty easy for someone to get inside the house," Lt. Frasure said.
Homans said he works with his neighbors to stay in the loop to protect one another.
"We try to put posts out to the community about this, let them know when something happens. If they have any information that might be related, they should let us know," the long-time resident said.
It's a reminder to check everything twice.
"We encourage everyone to please, please, please lock and secure your items whether it be your vehicle at night or whether it be your house during the day or night," Frasure added.
Carlson is charged with burglary, theft, and trespassing among other charges. Police were able to recover the stolen items from Carlson's house.
They've since been returned to their rightful owners.
Download the ABC2 News app for the iPhone, Kindle and Android
