Police & Fire

Police: Stolen Ravens Tickets Lead to Door Kick-in Burglaries Arrests

Police charged a man and a woman in the daytime door kick-in burglaries in Howard County.

By Andrew Metcalf
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October 5, 2012

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Howard County police cruiser. Diana Soliwon

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Police have arrested and charged a man and a woman they said they believe were involved in a string of daytime door kick-in burglaries throughout Howard County after tracking the suspects using a pair of stolen Baltimore Ravens tickets.

Police said Joseph Leo Baumgarten, 40, of Pasadena, and Dianna Marketti, 30, of Dundalk, were charged early Friday with committing four burglaries, but police said they may have been involved with 10 additional cases.

In each incident, the suspect or suspects would kick in a door, work their way to the master bedroom, ransack it and steal jewelry and other valuables, police said.

Baumgarten and Marketti were arrested at a traffic stop Thursday night. They were charged with first-, third- and fourth-degree burglary, theft and malicious destruction of property.

Ravens tickets that the suspects reportedly stole from a house in Ellicott City on Sept. 24 were ultimately their undoing, said police.

The tickets led police to the Ravens game in Baltimore on Sept. 27. At the game, police asked the people sitting in the seats where they got the tickets. One person sitting in them said he ran a sports memorabilia shop and someone named Dianna Marketti had come into the shop and sold him the tickets, according to police.

Using Marketti's name, police said they discovered she drove a blue PT Cruiser.

A neighbor in a Sept. 26 burglary in Ellicott City reported seeing a dark-colored PT Cruiser in the victim's driveway the day of the crime, according to police. The car was also seen by a neighbor in the driveway of a Columbia home that was burglarized on Sept. 24, police said.

In addition, Marketti and Baumgarten were reportedly caught on camera at a pawn shop selling stolen merchandise from the burglaries, said police.

Besides the video, detectives said they had confirmed Baumgarten had allegedly sold stolen property from the burglaries to various pawn shops in recent days.

The four burglaries the two are charged with occurred on Sept. 12 in Woodbine, two on Sept. 24 in Ellicott City and Columbia, and a Sept. 26 burglary in Ellicott City, police said.

After a string of 10 door kick-in burglaries over three days throughout Howard County at the beginning of last week, police urged residents to be vigilant. On Thursday, police said no other burglaries had occurred since the announcement was made.

Mugshots of the two suspects will not be released by police until the investigation into 10 other similar cases is completed, said police spokesperson Sherry Llewellyn.

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Related Topics: Arrest, Howard County, Marketti, Police, Ravens tickets, and door kick-in. Burglaries

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number9dream

2:59 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

It had to have been the Anne Arundel County police who solved the case and busted them.

The Howard County police are too busy setting up DUI checkpoints and running after johns on Route 1 to do real police work.

BOH

1:46 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012

Get real. HCPD sets up those operations, but can also do things like this. I don't think they're perfect by any stretch, but would you trade their level of efficacy for that of AA, PG, BC, or the city's police dept?

Kris Metzger

2:59 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

WOW - now that's one way to get caught. Good police work on this one!!

Karen

3:08 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Great police work! Guess these burglars were not Ravens fans.

John Milton Wesley

3:09 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Congratulations to the Howard County Police for vigilance, and great police work; and to the Patch for informing the community. Home owner were very concerned about such burglaries especially those who work outside of Columbia proper, and those living on "low density" property further out in the county, and rightly so. Thanks Patch! for , keeping the community informed and reporting this important progress report from police on this matter. While we will keep in mind people arrested are innocent until proven guilty, even if there are no other links to the "kick ins" the victims who lost their Ravens game tickets at least have some explanation and closure.

Nick Nichols

4:28 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

where does it say AA co cops did all the work?

Thanks so much to Ho Co cops !!!

Christine T.

5:20 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Hate to break it to you guys,but if the arrests were made right after a Raven's game,it was probably city or state police working with HoCo popo that made the arrests. County popo can't do anything outside of their jurisdiction.

Michael

6:26 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

These two were some really dumb burglars. Only a complete idiot would steal Ravens tickets then tell the person you sold them to your real name. Duh!!

BOH

1:45 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012

I don't know for certain, but I would think the shop probably required ID as part of the transaction. They might disburse payment in the form of a check, which of course would require a real name.

number9dream

6:48 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

The suspects live in Anne Arundel County.

John Milton Wesley

7:08 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Glad to know the suspects are from Anne Arundel County. It would be hard to phathom fellow residents of a county whose theme is "Choose Civility" inflicting such pain on a neighbor.

Kimberly

7:38 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Excellent detective work--good to hear some good news!

janet

7:52 pm on Friday, October 5, 2012

Great news!! Glad the 2 thieves are in custody. How smart was the idea of actually going to the Ravens game with stolen tickets???

Jackie Huffman Jarrett

12:01 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

It is ridiculous that this guy was on the street to be able to commit these burglaries. His criminal record is pages long dating back to the early 1980's...put him away for good...

Michele Krumbhaar

10:57 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

I agree with you 100%. He has not changed and never will. He has no regard for the damage, loss and violation he inflicts to his victims. He certainly has no comprehension of the painful abandonment issue he continues to leave his now grown daughter with. 22 years passing and my heart stills skips a beat each time he is released in fear of the repercussions he will leave in his path both to society and to my daughter. I know all too well of his past destruction and it goes far beyond any monetary value.

BOH

1:36 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012

Michele, are you saying that he is the father of your daughter? I know many people who have problems with the other parent of their children, but that would be extremely chilling. I'm sorry if that's the case, and you have to deal with that.

tenam

7:54 am on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Good job police!!! So happy that the criminals were caught.

Dave A.

6:50 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Don't put him away.... Drop him at my house and I will leave the door unlocked!

Greg G.

10:26 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Ok, I think at this point we agree that it is good to hear this news. HoCo, let's keep the public informed. You should post EVERYTIME you close a case or at least apprehend a criminal(s). Let's show the glass half full for once.

ZZ

11:48 am on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Looks like Joseph III is just like his old man, a regular in the court system. Drugs, battery, b&e, assault, etc. How many strikes and your out??

BOH

1:43 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012

Andrew: thanks so much to you and anyone else involved with Patch and getting the word out about these two. I don't doubt that getting the word out helped prevent further crimes.

Police: great cooperative work to track down these two. I remember reading the story and thinking how hilarious it'd be if these two actually showed up to the Ravens game and sat in the seats. I'm so glad they were caught.

I think there's a case to be made for giving people a chance to correct course after a mistake or two, but this is yet another example of a person who has been given chance after chance, and just keeps on hurting others. We've all heard ridiculous accounts of misapplication of three-strikes laws in some states, but sound policy would find a way to put guys like this away for good.

As for the accomplice, I haven't looked up her record, but I'd be shocked if she weren't a repeat offender as well. Such a small bail amount doesn't make sense for her, let alone for him.

Michele Krumbhaar

1:40 pm on Friday, November 9, 2012

Yes sadly he is my child's biological father. A mistake made many years ago and I am more sorry for the pain my daughter carriers than my own. I agree with you in regards to mistakes in life as long as there is a lesson learned and changes made. He is well beyond learning any lesson or changing. He is an institutionalized individual who knows nothing more than crime and prison life. It was nice to see his bail was revoked but he should of never been given that chance to begin with. I'm sure he is on the run, once again......