Latest news with #JonahPoole
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Police working to authenticate video in homicide investigation of Maryland business owner
Anne Arundel County police are working to authenticate a video to determine if it's part of a homicide investigation where a business owner was tied up and set on fire in his truck. Police say two 18-year-olds were arrested after 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza, the owner of Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center in Davidsonville, was found dead in a burned car in the parking lot. Jonah Poole and Kylee Dakes are facing first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first- and second-degree murder, and arson. They were supposed to have been at Southern High School's graduation this week. The video circulating on social media appears to show a young man matching Poole's description in the charging documents lighting a truck on fire. "Nobody deserves to die that way," Koza's neighbor told WJZ. During a court hearing Monday, Poole and Dakes were ordered to be held without bail. What happened? Anne Arundel County police say Poole and Dakes went to the Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center around closing time on Saturday, May 24, where the owner, Koza, was alone inside. Officers said the couple attacked Koza, tied him up, put him in his pickup truck, drove it to a nearby gas station to purchase gas, went back to the garden center, and set the truck on fire with Koza inside. After the vehicle fire was extinguished, investigators found Koza's body on the passenger side. "You have your whole life ahead of you, and you just threw it away for a couple of dollars?" Anne Arundel County resident Danielle Schline said. Anne Arundel County residents were stunned by the vicious crime in their small Davidsonville town. "This was not just a simple robbery or burglary," said Andrew Griffith. "They went pretty far." Suspect allegedly stole $11k from restaurant Days before the murder, on May 18, police said Poole allegedly broke into Pirates Cove restaurant in Galesville, caused about $6,000 in damage, and stole more than $11,000 from the safe. The restaurant said in a statement that Dakes was an employee there until May 13. People familiar with Poole believe he was a previous employee of Koza's at Tropic Bay, but WJZ is working to confirm that. An Anne Arundel County Public Schools newsletter that celebrates AVID seniors said Dakes was planning to attend Notre Dame of Maryland to study radiology and had received more than $200,000 in scholarships.
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Anne Arundel County 18-year-olds charged after human remains found in burned-out vehicle
Two 18-year-olds were arrested in Anne Arundel County for their role in human remains being found inside a burned-out vehicle, according to Anne Arundel County police. Jonah Poole and Kylee Dykes were taken into custody at a home in Harwood on Saturday, May 31. They are facing first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first- and second-degree murder, and arson. On May 24, officers responded to a fully engulfed vehicle fire in the parking lot of the Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center on West Central Avenue in Davidsonville. After the fire was put out, human remains were found on the passenger side, according to police. Investigators have determined the death to be a homicide. The Medical Examiner's Office is working to identify the man. Anne Arundel County police spokesperson Justin Mulcahy told WJZ that investigators were going to look for surveillance video and talk with possible witnesses. "We're going to talk to anybody who may have frequented that business," Mulcahy said. "Anybody in the area of that business within the 24 hours leading up to this incident – if you have information, reach out to us. Certainly, any surveillance footage would be part of the investigation as well, or anything we can gather to assist our case right now." Residents react to the investigation The death investigation sent shockwaves through the Davidsonville area of Anne Arundel County. Pete Best told WJZ he was playing a gig at the restaurant next door when police were investigating. "My wife called and asked me if I heard what happened. I was just shocked," Best said. "It doesn't seem like the kind of thing that would happen in a small town." Best told WJZ that murders and vehicle fires don't happen where they live. "These kinds of things happen on TV, and then you go, 'Wow, I can't believe it's right around the corner,'" Best said. "It kind of puts you on your heels a little bit for sure." Anne Arundel County murders As of Thursday, May 29, police have responded to seven homicide victims in Anne Arundel County in 2025, according to the Anne Arundel County crime data. There were two at this point in 2024. Police investigated a total of 10 homicides in Anne Arundel County in 2024.
