Siblings charged with multiple thefts

Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009

A brother and sister were indicted with a total of 30 criminal counts stemming from two thefts that took place last November in the parking lot of the Dunkirk Town Center.

Veronica Ramos-Guido, 22, of Lanham was indicted in the Calvert County Circuit Court on Jan. 26 with two dozen counts including robbery, theft and numerous charges relating to stealing and using another person's credit card.

Ramos-Guido, who was being held at the Calvert County Detention Center without bond, had a bond hearing on Feb. 9 and was granted release on a home arrest program by Judge Warren Krug. Her attorney, Mark Chandlee of Bowie, argued that she was not a flight risk or a danger to society and she has sole custodian of a 2-year-old son, who is now with her mother.

Her brother, Raul Ramos-Guido, 22, of Lanham, was indicted in the Calvert County District Court with six counts including malicious destruction of property, theft and stealing and using another person's credit card, according to judicial records.

On Nov. 25 around 6:30 p.m., a woman reported that her vehicle window was smashed and a GPS unit, leather gloves and some cash were stolen from her car that was parked at the Dunkirk Town Center. About 15 minutes later, another woman reported to police that someone stole her purse off her arm while she was placing items in the back of her SUV at Dunkirk Town Center, according to charging documents. The woman saw the suspect run away and enter a light-colored Nissan Maxima.

A witness at the scene that evening gave a description of a Hispanic man and the Maxima, and through investigation, police learned that a Hispanic man stole a purse from a woman in the parking lot at Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover on Nov. 26, one day earlier. The woman, who was pushed to the ground, got up and pursued the man getting the license plate number of the gray Nissan Maxima that picked the man up, charging documents state.

Detectives from Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties located Veronica Ramos-Guido and impounded the Maxima and found two GPS units that Ramos-Guido said were not hers, charging documents state.

Calvert County Sheriff's Office's Det. Cari Ray contacted Anne Arundel police and confirmed that the suspect and vehicle in their case were most likely the same in the Dunkirk thefts, the report stated.

A few hours after the Dunkirk thefts, a victim reported that her credit cards were used and attempts had been made to use them at several locations, including a 7-Eleven store and Giant Food store.

Ray obtained the surveillance video from the stores and they both showed a brown-haired Hispanic female approximately 20 years old.

Upon contacting Ramos-Guido on Dec. 4 at her home, Ray questioned her and she said she drove her brother Raul Ramos-Guido and his girlfriend Sonia Flores to the Dunkirk parking lot where he broke the car window and stole a GPS system and then a woman's purse, according to charging documents.

Veronica Ramos-Guido admitted to the detective that she used the credit cards at four locations, the report stated.

According to judicial records, Veronica Ramos-Guido was indicted with robbery and theft, conspiracy to robbery theft and a count for each time she used or attempted to use any of the stolen credit cards.

Her brother, Raul Ramos-Guido, was indicted with malicious destruction of property, theft, rogue and vagabond and stealing and using another person's credit card.

His case remains in the Calvert County District Court, scheduled for trial on April 2 at 1 p.m.

Veronica Ramos-Guido has a pretrial date of April 6 at 9 a.m. and a plea hearing scheduled for May 4 at 1 p.m., according to judicial records.

charvat@somdnews.com