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Two Carroll County men charged with string of car theft attempts around Penn Township
Two Carroll County men are facing charges related to a string of attempted vehicle robberies targeting Kia and Hyundai vehicles around Hanover and Westminster, according to police.
Marc Rivera, 22, and Connor Pope, 19, both of Westminster, Maryland, face felony charges related to attempted vehicle thefts around the Hanover area, according to charges filed by the Penn Township Police Department on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
Pope faces four felony counts of attempted theft by unlawful taking, charging documents stated.
Rivera is charged with one felony count of attempted theft by unlawful taking, according to the documents in his case.
Both Pope and Rivera have not yet been arraigned on the charges, and do not have a preliminary hearing scheduled as of Friday, June 20, 2025.
According to charging documents filed against the pair, police began their investigation on May 28, 2025, after they were called around 7:34 p.m. for the attempted theft of a parked 2017 Kia Forte on the 900 block of Baltimore Street.
At that scene, police found that the vehicle's window had been shattered, the steering column shroud was removed, and the ignition cylinder had been tampered with, the documents state. The vehicle sustained $5,407 of damage, and was disabled, the documents note.
Surveillance footage, which was acquired by police from a nearby building, showed a second Kia Forte arrive in the parking lot, with a male suspect getting out of the passenger side of the suspect vehicle, then breaking the window on the parked vehicle and climbing inside.
Several minutes later, that male is seen climbing back out and returning to the suspect vehicle, which then drives away, according to the affidavit.
While investigating, police learned of a Be-On-Look-Out (BOLO) request put out by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office that day for a white Kia Forte that had been stolen near the scene of a rollover crash that day on Bachman Valley Road in Carroll County.
The next day, on May 29, Penn Township police were called around 10:49 a.m. to Pinewood Circle for another attempted vehicle theft, the documents state.
In that incident, police found a 2013 Kia Optima, which had reportedly been left unlocked, and also had a missing steering column shroud and its ignition lock cylinder tampered with. That vehicle, according to police, suffered $1,000 in damages.
Several days later, around 6:50 a.m. on June 5, police were called to Hall Drive in the township for a third attempted vehicle theft, involving a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. That vehicle, which was locked, sustained a shattered window, and, like the others, a removed steering column shroud and damaged ignition lock cylinder.
The damages in the third vehicle's case totaled around $2,534 according to the documents.
A fourth attempted theft was later reported on Violet Drive in Penn Township on June 12, which resulted in a reportedly unlocked 2022 Hyundai Kona being disabled after experiencing similar damages to prior cases.
Investigative efforts led police to identify Pope as a possible suspect in the attempted thefts, according to the documents, with Pope dating a juvenile who lived in the area of the thefts.
After spotting Pope on Baltimore Street, Pope allegedly led police on a foot pursuit, and was taken into custody.
During an interview with investigators from Penn Township, Westminster, and Carroll County, Pope allegedly admitted to officers that he had stolen vehicle in Westminster, which he then rolled on Bachman Valley Road on May 28.
Then, Pope allegedly said, he stole a Kia Forte from the scene of the rollover crash, which he then had Rivera drive to the scene of the first attempt in Hanover, the documents state.
Pope told investigators that Rivera was allegedly aware that the vehicle he was driving had been stolen, according to the charging documents.
After the failed attempt on Baltimore Street, Rivera drove Pope to his girlfriend's house, and Rivera allegedly took the stolen vehicle back into Maryland.
In the documents, police provide a description of how Pope allegedly explained his methods for stealing vehicles, with Pope telling officers he primarily targets Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
Related: Hyundai and Kia anti-theft updates lead to record decline in car thefts
According to the affidavit, Pope told investigators that stolen vehicles can typically be sold for between $100 and $1,000 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Both men have pending charges in Carroll County for the alleged thefts that took place in Maryland, the documents state.
This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Maryland men charged with four attempted car thefts in Hanover, Pa.
