WASHINGTON COUNTY, MD (October 19. 2021) - Deputy State Fire Marshals arrested a local man after he stole movie posters and discharged a fire extinguisher inside a Hagerstown theatre last week.
Last Tuesday, investigators with the Office of the State Fire Marshal assisted the Washington County Sheriff's Office after they responded to the Regal Valley Mall after receiving a report of a person who had discharged a fire extinguisher inside a screening of Disney's Jungle Cruise.
While performing a routine check, a manager reported that they observed a lone male, later identified as Neiman Marcus Branch, 29, sitting in the front row with a white cloud of dust throughout the theatre. After approaching the man, he suddenly grabbed a backpack and ran out of the theatre.
Deputy State Fire Marshals and Washington County Sheriff's Office searched the area and located a man who matched the description of the person who fled earlier. Branch was identified as the person inside the cinema, and investigators discovered he had several stolen movie posters from a theatre storage room in his possession.
Investigators obtained a warrant charging Branch with 2nd Degree Burglary, Malicious Destruction of Property over $1,000, and theft less than $100. Branch was arrested today, transported to Washington County Detention Center, and later released on a $2,500 bond.
The Regal Valley Mall theatre is now open after it closed for two days and incurred upwards of $5,000 in costs to clean the cineplex.