Howard County police said the man was arrested after officers linked him to a nearby Verizon store burglary.
ELLICOTT CITY, MD — A 29-year-old Odenton man was arrested June 25 after he called police to report his car stolen, and officers connected him to a Verizon store burglary across the street, Howard County police said.
The case drew attention after police released body-worn camera footage showing the unusual chain of events. Officers said Jalen Godard first appeared to be a victim of a vehicle theft near Baltimore National Pike, then became the suspect in a commercial burglary reported minutes earlier. He was charged with burglary, theft and destruction of property.
The incident unfolded before sunrise in the 9300 block of Baltimore National Pike in Ellicott City. Police said a 2007 black Chevrolet Equinox was stolen between about 5:20 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on June 25. Around 5:45 a.m., Godard called police to report the missing vehicle. Police First Class Buchanan responded and began speaking with him outside a nearby business. The body camera video released by the department shows Buchanan asking Godard about blood on his hand and glasses. “That’s some karma right there,” Buchanan said in the footage after officers linked the stolen car call to the burglary.
Police said the nearby Verizon Wireless store had been broken into overnight. The store is also in the 9300 block of Baltimore National Pike, near where Godard reported his vehicle stolen. Investigators said a male suspect entered the business by breaking a window and stole speakers. Surveillance video released by police showed a man inside the store, moving through the business after the break-in. Officers said blood was found on or near the broken window area, and Buchanan noticed blood on Godard during the stolen vehicle report. Police have not publicly identified the person who stole the Equinox.
The police department’s daily crime bulletin listed the Verizon case as a commercial burglary and said officers located the suspect nearby. The same bulletin listed the vehicle theft at the same block of Baltimore National Pike, with the Chevrolet Equinox reported stolen during the early morning window. The cases were separate crimes, police said, but the timing and location placed them together in the same investigation. Godard, of Odenton, was arrested at the scene after officers questioned him about where he had been when the car was taken.
In the body camera footage, Godard denied being at the Verizon store before officers placed him in handcuffs. Police said he initially claimed he had been at a nearby McDonald’s. Local reports citing police accounts said he later acknowledged leaving the keys behind. The footage also showed officers discussing the broken window and the blood as they worked through the timeline. Police praised Buchanan in a social media post, saying he connected the stolen vehicle report to the burglary across the street. The department described the case as an example of officers using quick field observations to link two calls.
Godard faces charges of burglary, theft and destruction of property in Howard County. Court records cited in local reports show he was being held without bail and was next due in court July 24. The charges are allegations, and the case had not been resolved as of Friday. Police did not report injuries in the burglary. They also had not announced an arrest in the theft of the Chevrolet Equinox. It was not immediately clear whether the stolen vehicle had been recovered or whether investigators had identified a second suspect.
The stretch of Baltimore National Pike, also known as Route 40, includes shops, restaurants and service businesses west of Baltimore. The Verizon store sits in a commercial area where police also logged other theft and vehicle-related calls during the same week. In the June 25 bulletin, the department separately listed vehicle thefts in Ellicott City and Columbia, including a red Nissan 370Z and a black Honda Civic. Those reports were not listed as connected to the Verizon burglary.
The police video gave the public a close view of the moment the case shifted. Godard stood near officers while describing the stolen car report. Buchanan’s questions moved from the vehicle to the blood on Godard’s hand, then to the business across the street. The clip ended with Godard in custody, while officers continued working through the stolen vehicle complaint and the burglary evidence. Police said the second person involved in taking the vehicle remained unidentified.
The burglary case remains in court, and the vehicle theft investigation remains open. Godard’s next listed court date is July 24, while Howard County police continue to seek information on the person who drove away in the stolen Equinox.
Author note: Last updated July 3, 2026.