Police Charge Suspect in Videotaped Assault and Robbery at Columbia Bar

Howard County police Tuesday charged a woman in the assault and robbery of another woman that was caught on videotape at a Columbia bar last month.

Jessica Whitney White, 24, of 3019 Kentucky Ave. in Baltimore, has been charged with one count of robbery, one count of second-degree assault and two counts of theft, according to Elizabeth Schroen, spokeswoman for the Howard County Police Department.

White was being held at the Howard County Detention Center as of Tuesday afternoon, awaiting a bond hearing, Schroen said.

White’s arrest came as a result of police releasing a videotape of the incident, police said.

The footage, seen above, was taken on Sunday, May 29, at about 2 a.m. at the Second Chance Saloon in the Oakland Mills Village Center on the 5800 block of Robert Oliver Place.

The victim, whom police identified as a 27-year-old woman, was entering the bar when the suspect hit her, knocking her to the floor. The suspect appears to punch the victim a few more times before taking her purse.

Police said they do not believe the suspect and the victim knew each other or that they had any interaction prior to the robbery.

Someone who saw the footage on television recognized the suspect and called with information that led to White’s arrest, police said. That tipster will be receiving a reward; up to $1,000 had been offered.