Scott Adam Hill was sentenced to eighteen (18) years of incarceration in the Division of Corrections on July 31, 2018 after being convicted for his role in two burglaries at the Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church. Deputy State’s Attorney Michael “Mick” Cuches prosecuted the cases.
On Saturday November 25, 2017 deputies from the Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff were dispatched to the Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church located at 931 Love Point Road, Stevensville regarding a recent burglary, theft and malicious destruction of property complaint. Upon arrival the deputies met with the Associate Pastor for the Church, Anthony Lombardo. Mr. Lombardo reported that when he got into the church that morning he saw pieces of drywall on the floor near the church secretary’s office and a hole punched through the dry wall into the secretary’s office. Upon his investigation he discovered that the church’s safe was missing. Responding deputies conducted a thorough search of the church’s interior and observed several doors leading into different offices had locks that were damaged and small window panes within the body of the doors had been smashed out. Filing cabinets in certain offices were also damaged indicating someone attempted to gain entry into them using a pry bar or claw hammer.
During crime scene processing security team members from the church were able to retrieve surveillance footage from the church’s cameras. The surveillance cameras captured a white male, approximately 30-40 years of age with a pronounced mustache and goatee. The suspect was wearing a camouflaged baseball hat, striped hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and Asics brand tennis shoes. The surveillance video showed the suspect loading a safe onto an office chair with wheels and pushing the chair and safe from the office, through the gymnasium, and outside.
Subsequently, on Monday, December 11, 2017 Sheriff’s deputies again responded to the Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church referencing another burglary complaint. Surveillance video showed the same male from the prior burglary break into the church at approximately 2:30 am on December 11th through an exterior window into an office on the school side of the church. Deputies discovered that the suspect rifled through the school secretary’s desk, took US currency from a bank bag and then made his way into a math class room where he stole several bags of US currency coins that the school used for instructional purposes. Much like the prior burglary, there were pry marks and damage to window panes in doors that were smashed out.
On Thursday January 19, 2018 Deputies from the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office were called to a residence in Easton for a complaint of someone finding a safe buried in their back yard. Talbot County deputies met with the complainant, Theresa Hill. Ms. Hill advised that she was separating from her husband, Scott Adam Hill, and that he abruptly left their residence. She further stated that she and her brother-in-law, Robert Irvin Adams, Jr. received an anonymous tip that Scott buried a safe in their backyard. Ms. Hill and her brother-in-law then inspected the yard where they discovered, underneath a dirt pile, a gray safe. Inside of the safe they located two credit cards and a key. The credit cards were company credit cards issued to Safe Harbor Church. Members of the Safe Harbor Church were able to verify that the safe and its contents were the items stolen during the November 11th burglary.
Detective Jason Rickard of the Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff was assigned to investigate the burglaries. He was able to locate MVA as well as social media photographs of Mr. Hill. These images matched the suspect in the surveillance videos from the burglaries. Detective Rickard further applied for, and received, a court authorized search and seizure warrant for Mr. Hill’s last known residence in Easton. This search revealed Mr. Hill’s identification information as well as an ASICS tennis shoe box that matched the style of ASICS shoes seen in the surveillance video. Detective Rickard interviewed Ms. Hill who identified Mr. Hill as the person in the surveillance videos and identified the clothing he was wearing during the burglaries. Mr. Hill was subsequently charged and arrested.
On May 22, 2018 Deputy State’s Attorney Cuches secured convictions of Mr. Hill for Second and Fourth Degree Burglary as well as Malicious Destruction of Property over $1,000. A monetary judgment for damages Mr. Hill caused to the church was also obtained against him in the amount of $6,494.00. Sentencing was postponed until July 31, 2018 at which time Mr. Hill was sentenced to serve eighteen (18) years in the Division of Corrections with no time suspended.