Dundalk Man Arrested for Stealing Copper in Catonsville

Maryland State Police arrested two men Tuesday who were caught attempting to steal copper from inside an abandoned building at in Catonsville.

The first suspect was caught by police officers working for Spring Grove, Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley said.

The second suspect was caught after state troopers from the Special Tactical Assault Team were preparing to enter the building.

As officers lined up outside the building, the suspect crawled out of a hole in the roof on the other side. A county and state police officer who had been monitoring the perimeter of the building took the suspect into custody, Shipley said.

State police have two men in custody: Matthew R. Blizzard, 29, of the unit block of Wade Avenue and Dennis W. Dyer, 43, of the 8100 block of Mild Haven Court in Dundalk.

The second suspect, Dyer, was on the phone with his girlfriend as the state police SWAT team was moving in, Shipley said. When he was taken by officers after he left the building, Dyer reportedly told police he wanted to come out because he was thirsty, Shipley said.

Officers with the hospital's police force received reports of two men inside a building on the Spring Grove campus off of Wade Avenue in Catonsville shortly after 1:30 p.m., according to Shipley.

The building, which according to maps is the Hamilton building, has been sealed because of asbestos inside, Shipley said.

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The suspects were believed to be stealing copper or other metal from the building. Rolls of copper were seen being removed from the building while Patch was on the scene.