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Bel Air resident Adam Patrick O’Brien, 22, has been arrested following an investigation into the thefts, which happened over the course of more than a year in Harford County.
On Tuesday, June 7, Harford County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kyle Andersen announced that on May 20, 2020, investigators were called to Hickory Park in Forest Hill, where there was a report of a theft of a John Deere Gator TX that was owned by the Hickory Fountain Green Recreational Council.
The initial theft happened between March 14, 2020, and May 15, 2020, when a suspect cut off a lock to a storage shed and stole the vehicle.
According to the sheriff’s office, further investigation determined that the suspect - later identified as O’Brien - was also implicated in thefts of a similar nature at these locations on these dates:
- A John Deere Gator was stolen from the Hickory Fountain Green Recreational Council between May 21, 2021, and May 23, 2021, in Forest Hill;
- A John Deere Gator was stolen from the Hickory Fountain Green Baseball program between June 4, 2021, and June 6, 2021, at Schucks Regional Park on Shucks Road in Bel Air;
- A Kubota side-by-side tractor was stolen from the Bel Air Terps between July 15, 2021, and July 20, 2021, at Tucker Field on East-West Highway in Bel Air.
Investigators noted that in most of those incidents, the sheds where the utility vehicles were stored were secured with a lock that was broken.
To date, only one of the stolen vehicles has been recovered. Andersen said that “at this time, it appears the vehicles were stolen for personal use and were subsequently disposed of through unknown means.”
An arrest warrant was issued for O’Brien on Tuesday, Feb. 15 in connection to the theft of the Kubota and the June 6 theft of the John Deere Gator, according to the sheriff’s office. Arrest warrants for the other thefts were issued on Friday, April 22.
O’Brien has been charged with multiple counts of malicious destruction of property, burglary, and theft. Investigators noted that following each of his previous arrests, O’Brien was transported to the Harford County Detention Center, where he was later released on bail.
Andersen said that the investigation is ongoing.
Detectives are continuing to search for the three stolen vehicles that have not been recovered. Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division by calling (410) 836-5442.
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