Police: Howard County 'Hamburglar' Arrested For McDonald's Drive-Thru Theft
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The woman who Howard County police have dubbed "the Hamburglar" has turned herself in.
After the police department posted a video that went viral on social media of a woman breaking into a Columbia McDonald's through a drive-thru window, they say tips came flooding in.
Jessica Marie Cross, 27, of Springdale, was taken into custody Thursday morning and is being charged with burglary and theft.
Howard County police responded around 5 a.m. on Nov. 5 to the McDonald's located in the 8300 block of Benson Drive for a report of a burglary.
An employee reported that she arrived to work and found cash registers disturbed and the office door open. Investigators determined that $1,400 in cash was missing from the restaurant.
Officers reviewed video surveillance from the business and saw a white Hyundai Sonata pull into the McDonald's drive-thru around 1 a.m. The driver appears to try to place an order in the drive-thru lane, but the business was closed.
The suspect is seen on video pushing open the drive-thru window, which was not locked, looking inside and pouring herself a drink. She is then seen crawling through the window and entering the restaurant, where she remains for approximately 35 minutes.
Police believe Cross stole cash, a purse, food items and Happy Meal toys. Police say she is seen on video attempting to disable the surveillance system and wash the cash drawers to remove her fingerprints.
After posting the video clip online Nov. 14, police received multiple tips that identified Cross as a possible suspect.
After comparing Cross's MVA photo to the video and confirming she owns a white Hyundai, detectives determined that Cross was the suspect in the burglary.
Investigators began searching for Cross, who learned she was wanted and agreed to turn herself in to police this morning.
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