State Police Charge Two in Metal Theft Scheme at Spring Grove

The 130 pounds of copper pipe that two men have been charged with trying to steal from a closed building at would have been worth $400, according to police.

The two suspects have been identified by Maryland State Police as Matthew R. Blizzard, 29, of Catonsville and Dennis W. Dyer, 43, of Dundalk.

Two men were seen by a witness going inside the Hamilton building at Spring Grove shortly after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday with saws and crowbars. The building had been shut down for use because of asbestos.

The incident became a spectacle for neighbors and Spring Grove employees, as the open layout of the campus allowed passersby to watch police in action.

Police charged the suspects with second-degree burglary, fourth-degree burglary, theft under $1,000, three counts each of theft scheme and two counts each of malicious destruction of property. They were being held on bond, according to state police.

According to police, Blizzard was apprehended by officers after they entered the building. Dyer, however, fled to the attic and hid there until a state police tactical team was called in, according to police. When the officers were about to enter, Dyer crawled out of a hole on the roof and was taken into custody by officers who were on the other side of the building.

State police said that an officer was at the home of Dyer's girlfriend in Dundalk, where he was talking to her on the phone. When Dyer came out, he told police he was thirsty.

At a press conference on Monday, Baltimore County police said that metal and copper theft has grown in the county by 450 percent since 2009.

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