News writer
He may have thought he hit the jackpot, but it was a surveillance camera that turned out to be the real winner. After a string of vehicle break-ins across St. Mary's County, deputies in Maryland began piecing together a puzzle that led them from stolen wallets to a lottery machine at a local Sheetz.
There, a familiar face kept turning up — sometimes in a hoodie, always in the same flashy sneakers, and always feeding someone else's debit card into the machine. What started as a routine theft investigation quickly unraveled into something bigger.
Police begin an investigation
An investigation was started by the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office after deputies responded to multiple calls involving vehicles broken into across Lexington Park and California areas, officials said.
On March 25, authorities responded to a break-in on Chestnut Road in Lexington Park. Victims of the break-in told police they had approximately $600 worth of items stolen, including cash, debit cards, IDs, and a concealed carry permit.
Authorities were able to obtain surveillance footage from a nearby Sheetz convenience store in California. This footage showed a man, later identified as 54-year-old Donell Davonne Rothwell of Lexington Park, using a stolen debit card at the store's lottery machine around the same time unauthorized transactions were being reported.
The break-ins continued
Authorities determined several other break-ins occurred around the same time and they were able to link them to Rothwell, which is not the first time police were able to use lottery tickets to link a suspect to a crime.
On March 26, a vehicle was broken into in California, Maryland. During the break-in, bank cards were stolen and then fraudulently used at Lex Liquors and Slim Chickens. Police obtained surveillance footage from Slim Chickens, which showed Rothwell wearing distinctive white tennis shoes with yellow heels, which matched footage from March 25.
Then, on March 31, a car parked at a residence in Pow Wow Place was broken into. Victims told police they had wallets, IDs, and debit cards stolen from the vehicle.
The victims received immediate fraudulent transaction alerts, which were traced to the same Sheetz lottery machine. Surveillance footage showed Rothwell, again wearing the same shoes.
Finally, on April 5, a vehicle was broken into in California, Maryland. The victim reported theft of valuable property and prescription medication, which totaled $360.
Police again obtained surveillance footage, which captured Rothwell making fraudulent Maryland Lottery ticket purchases using stolen credit cards. While he attempted to conceal his identity with a hoodie, officials were able to identify him through Motor Vehicle Administration records and body-worn camera footage from earlier unrelated police interactions.
Suspect apprehended
Investigators were able to locate Rothwell on April 5 at the St. Mary's County Detention and Rehabilitation Center. Rothwell was in custody on unrelated matters.
During police questioning, officers asked for his address, and he provided a known false location. Authorities went to the location and confirmed it was vacant.
Police said Rothwell has demonstrated a pattern of evasive behavior and non-cooperation with law enforcement. Rothwell was served a bench warrant on April 2 for failing to appear in court, further showing his noncompliance with judicial procedures.
Rothwell is now facing 24 misdemeanor charges in connection with the break-ins, including theft, rogue and vagabond, credit card theft, fraudulent transactions, and malicious destruction of property, officials said. Each of these 24 charges carries a potential penalty of up to 18 months in jail and fines.
He remains in custody without bond pending his trial, which is scheduled for May 20.
Enjoy playing the Maryland Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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