Two Silver Spring men are facing several theft-related charges for their alleged involvement in a series of thefts of vehicle wheels in the county over the last two years, Montgomery County police said Friday in a statement.
Manuel Perez, 24, and Jonathan Cruz, 20, were arrested by county police earlier this month at the scene of an attempted wheel theft in Wheaton, police said.
The men are being represented by public defenders, according to online court documents.
“At this time, our office is unable to provide comment, except to say that both men are presumed to be innocent of the charges against them and no one should be jumping to any conclusions before we have all the facts,” District Public Defender Sean Mukherjee said in a statement emailed Friday to Bethesda Today.
On March 4, officers responded to the 11000 block of Burnley Terrace in Wheaton for the report of an attempted theft of a wheel on a car. When officers arrived, they located and “quickly apprehended” Perez and Cruz, according to the statement.
Officers obtained a search warrant for the vehicle Perez and Crus allegedly used during the March 4 attempted theft and found tires inside that were reported stolen March 3 from a vehicle on the 11200 block of Oak Leaf Drive in White Oak.
After their arrest, Cruz and Perez were transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit in Rockville and charged with “theft-related charges,” according to the statement. The statement did not include the specific charges. Perez was released on a $2,500 personal bond and Cruz was released on recognizance, according to digital court records.
According to police, further investigation revealed Perez allegedly had been involved in three other wheel thefts dating to December 2023. On March 13, police obtained another arrest warrant for Perez for the three thefts and one attempted theft, according to digital court records. The warrant was served Tuesday, and Perez was again released on a $2,500 personal bond.
In addition, officers obtained a search warrant on March 21 for Perez’s residence and found “items of evidentiary value,” a firearm and fentanyl pills, the statement said.
Police then obtained an arrest warrant for Perez on Wednesday, digital court records indicate. Perez turned himself in to the Fourth District police station in Glenmont on Thursday, according to police.
Judge Sherri Debra Koch ordered Perez to be held without bond Friday afternoon during a bond hearing in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville, according to digital court records.
Cruz and Perez are scheduled for a trial at the Montgomery County District Court in Silver Spring on April 29, digital court records indicate. Perez is also scheduled to go on trial at the Silver Spring court on May 9 and 16.
