Police Ramp Up Patrols on Route 1

Howard County police say that crime spikes periodically, such as a last weekend. 

A suspect has been charged with armed robbery in connection with a 7-Eleven hold-up on Montgomery Road in Ellicott City that occurred Feb. 19. Police are investigating whether two Elkridge robberies—the  and 7-Eleven on Old Waterloo Road, which were held up in a similar fashion on Feb. 18—are related.

“I can take any period of time and show you spikes,” said Major Gary Gardner of the Howard County Police Department, in a phone interview.

In December, before the Waterloo area robberies of the 7-Elevens and the CVS, Gardner told Patch: “We’ve had I think about seven [commercial robberies] since Oct. 29—largely and some gas stations.”

was between August and November, and after the latest incident—on Nov. 6—police of the suspect and offered a $1,000 reward for information. Those cases remain under investigation.

“There has not been an arrest in the case,” said Elizabeth Schroen, HCPD spokeswoman. 

The owners of the store were unavailable for comment.

Following the robberies, police said they have deployed more units on Route 1 in Elkridge for patrols.

In addition, an officer is now on what is called a "linear post," patrolling up and down US 1 between the Baltimore County line and MD 175. 

“We have recently implemented the additional officer in the Elkridge area which was the ,” said Howard County Police Captain Daniel Coon on Feb. 23. “We have continued to have an increased patrol presence in the Elkridge area to address a number of quality of life issues, to include loitering at businesses, [drug] use and business-related calls for service."