Baltimore City, MD (WBFF) — A man well-known to some Canton residents for allegedly committing repeated thefts and car break-ins is back behind bars, following his 15th arrest by Baltimore Police.
Carl Weaver, 38, who has been dubbed “Skateboard Carl” in community Facebook groups, is facing new charges involving a stolen vehicle. His latest arrest comes amid growing concerns about repeat offenders and accountability in Baltimore City.
For months, Canton residents have shared surveillance videos and images on social media allegedly showing the same man breaking into vehicles, stealing packages and skating away with other people’s belongings.
“We noticed that the window smashed again. So we kind of assumed it was probably the same person,” Canton resident Travis Hedgepath previously told FOX45.
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Hedgepath said he has delayed repairing his vehicle’s broken window out of concern it could happen again.
“That’s why we haven’t got it fixed at the current moment, is because if we get it fixed, he might see it’s fixed and might just break it again,” Hedgepath said.
Last week, Baltimore Police arrested Weaver for the 15th time after an officer reportedly spotted him driving a stolen Toyota Corolla.
According to charging documents, Weaver attempted to flee when officers tried to stop him. Investigators allege officers used a Taser four times before taking him into custody.
A judge later ordered Weaver held without bond, potentially, due in part to his extensive criminal history.
Theft, stolen vehicles, drug violations, and assault are among his previous charges.
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Baltimore Police also confirmed Weaver had four outstanding arrest warrants at the time of his latest arrest, including two involving theft allegations and two for rogue and vagabond, an offense commonly associated with unlawfully entering vehicles or being around them with criminal intent.
Arch McKown, a community leader and safety advocate for Southeast Baltimore, stresses even relatively minor crimes can have a major impact when they happen repeatedly.
“In this case, this guy’s not a violent guy, but you know, it creates a lot of victims,” McKown said, “And, you know, it has a cost to it. And a lot of it, this is the stuff that makes people move out of Baltimore City.”
McKown argued that the criminal justice system needs to consider the cumulative impact of repeated offenses rather than treating each incident in isolation.
“Whether it’s a $20,000 car or a small pack of baby wipes, like all those things should add up, and you should look at the whole situation,” he said, “It’s not like there are thousands of people out there committing all these crimes in the community. It’s more like most of the crimes are committed by a small number of people.”
The concerns come as property crimes continue to rise in Baltimore’s Southeast District.
According to Baltimore Police data, so far this year, the district has recorded:
While Baltimore City has seen significant reductions in violent crime, McKown says repeated property crimes continue to take a toll on residents and their sense of security.
“You gotta have a system that works together. And honestly, I just think there’s a lot of dysfunction in the system, and this is a glaring representative of that problem,” McKown said.
For now, Weaver remains behind bars, with his next court date scheduled for December 4.
This post was originally published on Fox 45 by Sinclair Media Group.
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