Had he not brought attention to himself later, 44-year-old Kevin Edwards might never have been apprehended for the break-in at Carl Sandburg Middle School last week.
As it was, Edwards accosted a Waynewood neighborhood resident later in the day, and Edwards made a comment that led police to believe that he may have had something to do with the break-in, said Lt. Mike Proffitt, supervisor of the criminal investigation section, whose office is handling the case.
"He agreed to come to the station, and we subsequently served him warrants for destruction of property, disorderly conduct, burglary, grand larceny and felony destruction," said Proffitt.
Edwards had been living in a tent near the Potomac River, and police searched the site of his camp. The break-in at Carl Sandburg occurred on Thursday, Sept. 6. Proffitt said that there was an alarm around 2:30 in the morning. When they arrived on the scene, there were broken windows and entry had been gained.
At the school, there was evidence linking Edwards to the break-in. "We did a sweep and found property from inside the school in a backpack, along with a baseball bat. The items that were taken and the things that were left behind indicated that this was a homeless person," said Proffitt.
LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Edwards approached a vehicle on Waynewood Boulevard. When the driver started walking to her house, Edwards ripped the front tags from her vehicle, threw them at her, and started using profanity. She called the police, who came and took him to the station.
Proffitt did not want to speculate on whether or not Edwards could be associated with any of the recent vehicle tamperings and break-ins, but asked that anybody with information contact him at 703-360-8403.