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Posted: 06 Oct 2010 04:07 PM PDT

A county police detective has been honored for his role in cracking a grab-and-run theft ring that involved $35,000 worth of jewelry stolen from stores at Westfield Annapolis and Marley Station malls last fall.

Detective Mark Shawkey, of the Southern District station, was honored Sept. 22 at the 10th annual Law Enforcement Awards luncheon at the Sheraton Annapolis Hotel. The Maryland Retailers Association sponsored the event.

Shawkey is credited with establishing an e-mail communication network and building relationships with local businesses that led to information sharing and the eventual closing of multiple theft cases.

In May 2009, Shawkey, a former police spokesman, was reassigned from midnight patrol to take on the role of Southern District Commercial Security Detective.

In this position, Shawkey served as a contact for local retailers, pawnshops and commercial businesses. He also set up meetings with shopping center property management to compare information and formulate alerts about shoplifting and store theft trends.

The work paid off.

Last fall, Zales stores at Westfield Annapolis and Marley Station malls, the Piercing Pagoda in Glen Burnie, and Fred Myers Jewelers, also at Marley Station Mall, were plagued with a rash of grab-and-run jewelry thefts, police said.

At least $35,000 had been swiped from the stores when one of the suspects allegedly entered a local pawnshop to sell pieces from his latest heist.

After phone calls and e-mails, the suspect was identified. Soon after, a lineup of photographs, including the several of the suspect's acquaintances, was shown to jewelry stores targeted by the theft ring.

Jewelry store employees quickly pointed out a second suspect. Both men were linked to the thefts, and they ultimately admitted their involvement in the crimes, police said. The men told police they stole the jewelry to pay for their substance abuse habits, Shawkey said.

Shawkey requested that no further information be given about the case until trial begins. But he said the arrests exemplify the importance of the e-mail communication network.

"These were local suspects," he said. "They were two men, just floating around the county doing these things. And we were able to put an end to it.

"… It's just being able to compare information with cases we may be handling in Southern (District) and matching it with information in Northern (District). Having that network there, were more quickly able to identify suspects, identify trends and share information."

Shawkey's investigation of jewelry grab-and-runs in Anne Arundel County has led to case closures in Baltimore County and surrounding jurisdictions, police said. Shawkey has helped solve crimes involving $134,703 in stolen jewelry.

hrawlyk@capitalgazette.com

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