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Frederick resident Heather Ann Kennedy, 32, is facing multiple charges for vehicle theft and drug offenses after being picked up by members of the sheriff’s office for the fifth time since Dec. 7, 2022, officials annoucned.
On that day, deputies from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office were called to Capital Auto Sales on Urbana Pike, to investigate reports of the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
The investigation determined that at 3 p.m. on Dec. 7, Kennedy arrived at the dealership to test drive the vehicle, then failed to return it for several hours during her joy ride, prompting employees to call deputies to the location.
When Kennedy returned, she was arrested for outstanding warrants in Frederick and Howard counties for violating her probation and failing to appear. She was also found in possession of suspected heroin upon her return.
Less than two weeks later, on Dec. 19, 2022, officers from the Frederick Police Department responded to a reported vehicle theft that happened in front of the Lucky Pho restaurant on North Market Street.
Investigators said that a Toyota Highlander was left parked and running in front of the store while the driver checked a sign on the door to determine if the eatery was open.
At that point, it is alleged that a woman - later identified as Kennedy - got into the front seat and fled the area in the vehicle. She was later tracked down in Baltimore in the Toyota and arrested.
She was later released on a bond.
According to a spokesperson from the sheriff’s office, Kennedy closed out 2022 with a bang, when deputies were called to the Econo Lodge on Francis Scott Key Drive to investigate yet another reported vehicle theft involving a Ford Fusion that was taken from the parking lot.
The car owner was able to identify Kennedy as a possible suspect, and she was tracked to her Frederick City apartment, where she later admitted to stealing the car.
She was again released on a bond.
It was more of the same to start 2023, when on Monday, Jan. 16, an investigation was launched when a woman reportedly stole a Mazda 3 sedan from the Willowtree Plaza.
Kennedy was again identified as a suspect, and the following day, she was busted by Maryland State Police troopers as she was driving westbound on I-70 in the Baltimore area.
She was arrested on Tuesday, Jan. 17, and released to private home detention the following day.
The crime spree came to an end last week on Thursday, Feb. 2, when a Nissan Sentra with a value of nearly $17,000 was taken from a lot at Capital Auto Center on Buckeystown Pike.
Investigators from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said that an employee went into the dealership to get paperwork prepared and a dealer tag for a test drive, while a woman, believed to be Kennedy, was handed the keys “because she wanted to inspect the interior.”
When the employee returned to the lot, Kennedy and the Nissan were both gone.
Video surveillance linked Kennedy to the latest auto theft, and after two hours, deputies found the stolen vehicle on I-70 being driven by a woman matching her description.
A traffic stop was conducted by deputies, leading to the apprehension of Kennedy, who was found to be in possession of suspected fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.
She was arrested for the fifth time and held without bond pending her latest bond review.
Kennedy was charged with four counts each of:
- Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDC): Possession of not marijuana;
- Unlawful taking of a motor vehicle;
- Unauthorized removal of a motor vehicle;
- Theft of between $1,500 and $25,000.
The bond review for her Feb. 2 offense was conducted on Tuesday, Feb. 7, and revoked. She is being held at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center. No return court date has been announced.
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