ELKTON — A man is facing more than 70 years in sentences after a jury found him guilty of several criminal charges relating to his role in a home invasion at a Charlestown residence in August, according to Cecil County Circuit Court records.
Jurors deliberated approximately five hours on Friday at the conclusion of a three-day-long trial before finding the defendant — Dajuan Lee Ellerbe, 24 — guilty of conspiracy to commit home invasion, theft of more than $1,500 and less than $25,000, two counts each of of reckless endangerment and possession of a firearm by a person with a prior conviction for a crime of violence and one count of illegal possession of ammunition, court records show.
The conspiracy conviction is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. The theft conviction and the two reckless endangerment convictions carry maximum penalties of five years per conviction. Each of Ellerbe’s two firearm convictions is punishable by up to 15 years in prison — with a five-year mandatory minimum penalty. And the conviction relating to Ellerbe’s illegal possession of ammunition carries a maximum three-year sentence.
Court records further indicate that the jury was unable to reach verdicts regarding first-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, fourth-degree burglary of a dwelling and fourth-degree burglary theft.
Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Sentman prosecuted Ellerbe, who was represented by Assistant Public Defender Denise Winston. Cecil County Circuit Court Judge Cameron A. Brown presided over the trial.
As of Monday, a sentencing date for Ellerbe had not been scheduled.
The state’s evidence at trial included cell phone texts that showed Ellerbe’s involvement in the planning of the home invasion and video of property that had been reported as stolen after the incident. Cecil County Sheriff’s Office Det. Alyson Jackson served as lead investigator and testified at trial on Thursday.
The home invasion occurred at approximately 11 a.m. on Aug. 7 in the 400 block of Frederick Street, according to court records. Police reported that two armed men in ski masks barged through an open door at that Charlestown residence while a then-39-year-old woman and two 17-year-old girls were inside the dwelling and went directly to a bedroom belonging to a then 19-year-old male occupant, who was not present.
From that bedroom, the intruders reportedly stole approximately $21,000 in property — including $15,000 in cash, a black Sentry safe, a .22 caliber Smith & Wesson AR-style rifle with a scope and laser, a 30-round .22 caliber magazine, two pairs of Nike basketball shoes, identified as “Panda and Coast dunks;" a Louis Vutton belt, a white-gold wedding ring with diamonds and other items, according to the original charging document. After the incident, the suspects ran away from the house and fled in a vehicle, police said. No one was injured during the incident, police added.
Several Cecil County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives rushed to the house after the home invasion was reported to authorities, police said. K9 Unit members also were dispatched to the scene, police added. A specially-trained scent dog tracked the suspects for a short distance before losing their trail, police reported.
During the investigation, detectives were made aware of a video that Ellerbe had posted on social media, court records show. In the background of that footage, the distinctive, stolen rifle reportedly could be seen and the 19-year-old male who owned that long gun noticed it and alerted investigators, according to court records.
Further investigation led to a pre-dawn raid at Ellerbe’s residence in the 400 block of Blair Shore Road, south of Elkton, on Oct. 24, police said. Investigators seized “items of evidentiary value” during the court-approved search of that residence, including the .22 caliber Smith & Wesson rifle, the ammunition magazine, the Sentry safe and two keys for it and the two pairs of Nike basketball sneakers, and they arrested Ellerbe, police added.
Ellerbe’s co-defendant — Shamarr Chandler, 25, of Philadelphia, Pa. — was arrested in November and is facing 24 criminal charges, including home invasion, first-degree burglary, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony or a crime of violence, according to court records. Chandler’s jury trial is set to start April 9 and is expected to last two days, court records show.
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