A city firefighter has been charged with burglarizing two fire stations overnight Wednesday while he was out on medical leave.
Police say the man, Douglas Ellsworth Cloman II, 34, of Perry Hall, was also found with a chainsaw that had been stolen from a fire truck.
Southern District officers responded to a fire station on Washington Boulevard, identified on the Baltimore City Fire Department’s website as Squad 47, on Wednesday at 3:21 a.m., according to a release. Members of the Morrell Park firehouse told officers they’d seen a man wearing a firefighter’s uniform enter the facility unauthorized. He fled when one of them confronted him, police said; shortly thereafter, a member said her wallet was missing.
At that point, BCFD placed all stations on alert and advised them to ensure their buildings were secure.
About an hour later, Northeast District officers responded to another station, Squad 54 at 5821 Belair Road in Cedmont, where a captain reported multiple items had been stolen. A suspect there matched the description of one of Squad 54’s members, the captain said.
Police said the man, who they identified as Cloman, had tried to enter the station but didn’t succeed because the locks had been changed. Cloman told one of the officers he had gone there to wash his uniform, but police learned he was out on medical leave. Cloman was then arrested.
After being interviewed by detectives, police said they found him in possession of a chainsaw stolen from a firetruck, as well as a wallet. He had keys to assorted firehouses around the city, police said.
He now faces three counts of burglary and a theft charge, per court records. An attorney wasn’t listed with his name as of Thursday afternoon. He’s now being held in Central Booking awaiting an appearance before a court commissioner. He’s due to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on March 12.
City salary records indicate Cloman has been employed by BCFD as an emergency vehicle support driver since 2007.
