A 50-year-old man accused of smashing windows and slashing tires across two Maryland counties for weeks was caught fleeing the scene of his latest attack and is now being held without bond. Howard County police say Nghia Le terrorized neighborhoods in Laurel with rocks, bricks and firewood before detectives finally cornered him during a stakeout on September 9.
According to the New York Post, Le went on a spree three times in September alone, throwing rocks and bricks through house windows in a pattern of repeated destruction. Surveillance video reportedly shows him walking away calmly after damaging property, and he was seen in a balaclava during at least one incident, per the same report. Howard County Police say the September arrests followed a multi-day surveillance operation after Le smashed windows with firewood and slashed vehicle tires in early September on Northgate Road in Laurel, according to the Howard County Police Department.
A Trail That Started in Greenbelt
Le’s alleged campaign didn’t begin in Howard County. He was first arrested on August 6, then detained again on August 28, both times for similar property destruction targeting the Greenbelt Station community in neighboring Prince George’s County, as reported by the New York Post. Prior to his September arrest, Le had already been arrested twice in August for incidents in Greenbelt Station, according to Ellicott City Patch, which noted that authorities in both counties had repeatedly processed and released him before the September surveillance operation finally kept him in custody.
Greenbelt Station and the targeted Laurel neighborhoods sit roughly 9 miles apart along the Washington, D.C.–Baltimore corridor, according to Rome2Rio. Le posted bond after his earlier arrests and, according to the Post, damaged multiple neighbors’ homes throughout August and slashed car tires before his eventual capture.
Victims Describe Fear and Repeat Attacks
One of the residents targeted repeatedly was Heather Roman-Stork, whose first-floor windows were shattered before Le allegedly returned and targeted her second-floor windows as well, per the Post. Roman-Stork said she thought she was going to die, and told the outlet she hid with her high-school softball bat while calling 9-1-1. Her home was hit twice during August, and she said the ordeal caused her to arm herself, warning that the property damage could become dangerous if someone were struck by a rock…