On Thursday, July 18, 2024, Joshua Brewster, 31, of North East, MD, pled guilty to First Degree Assault, First Degree Burglary, and Use of a Handgun in Commission of a Crime of Violence before the Honorable Judge Yolonda Curtin in the Circuit Court for Harford County. On October 17, 2024, Brewster will be sentenced to fifty-five (55) years, suspend all but twenty five (25) years to serve, the first five years without the possibility of parole due to the binding nature of the plea. Brewster will also be subject to three (3) years of probationary supervision upon release.
Facts presented in support of the plea showed that on the morning of April 10, 2024 at approximately 5:52 a.m., Harford County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to a home for an apparent burglary/shooting. The victim had been shot once in the buttock as the suspect fled the home. She described the shooter as a white male, wearing a ski mask and all dark clothing. Deputy First Class Beron, a Harford County Sheriff’s Office drone operator, immediately responded and launched his drone in search of the suspect. Medics who were staging in 700 block of Belair Road reported a suspicious person matching the description running across Belair Road. DFC Beron redirected the drone to that area and spotted an individual running. Harford County Sheriff’s Office and Maryland State Police responded and were able to quickly apprehend the suspect, Joshua Brewster, with direction from DFC Beron, hiding under a tree. The Defendant was apprehended within twenty (20) minutes of the initial call for service. Recovered near Brewster was a loaded .32 caliber revolver, with two fired casings. DNA analysis of the handgun matched the genetic profile of the defendant.
Following the plea, State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey stated, “Every citizen in this community deserves to feel safe in their home. The violation of coming into someone’s residence without permission and further committing an act of violence is simply something that will not be tolerated. I commend Assistant State’s Attorney Cynthia Banks for the work that she did to secure this plea and significant sentence at the top of the Maryland Sentencing Guidelines. Our team will continue working hard to hold criminals accountable and keep this community safe.”
State’s Attorney Healey thanks the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police for their collaborative efforts in apprehending this defendant so quickly following the incident, as well as Deputy First Class Beron for his expertise in operating the drone that ensured the immediate apprehension of this offender.