A 20-year-old Bowie man is behind bars after Montgomery County detectives say he followed a woman from the Kohl’s at Orchard Center in Silver Spring, exposed himself inside the store, then tried to get into her home through a window. A family member confronted the man at the house, sending him running before officers arrived. Detectives later obtained a warrant, and the suspect was taken into custody on Tuesday, where he is being held without bond.
Police say he stalked the shopper from Kohl’s
According to Montgomery County detectives, the incident started Friday inside the Kohl’s at Orchard Center on Cherry Hill Road, when a man allegedly exposed himself to a woman while following her through the aisles. He then kept trailing her into the parking lot and onto the roadway, at one point nearly hitting other vehicles, Daily Voice reports. The outlet says the man continued after her all the way to her residence and tried to climb in through a window before a family member stepped in and confronted him.
Investigators want other shoppers to come forward
Detectives say they do not believe this shopper was necessarily the only person targeted at Orchard Center. They are asking anyone who remembers being followed or stalked in or around the shopping center to contact investigators. The Montgomery County Police Department’s 3rd District page lists the Investigative Section phone at 240‑773‑6870 and the district station at 1002 Milestone Drive in Silver Spring for tips and information.
Arrest, charges and timeline
Authorities have identified the suspect as 20-year-old Adrean Walls of Bowie. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant on July 16 and arrested him on Tuesday. He is being held without bond at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, according to Daily Voice. Walls faces charges of stalking, attempted fourth-degree burglary and indecent exposure.
What the charges could mean
Maryland’s stalking law defines the offense as a malicious course of conduct that causes fear or serious emotional distress and classifies it as a misdemeanor that can carry up to five years in jail. The statute is codified at Maryland Code §3‑802. Indecent exposure is addressed under Maryland Code §11‑107. Burglary in the fourth degree, which can include breaking into or attempting to enter a dwelling, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to three years under Md. Code §6‑205. Any actual sentence will depend on how prosecutors choose to proceed and on whether the defendant has a prior record.
Detectives say the case shifted from an open investigation to an arrest once a warrant was secured in mid-July, prompting renewed outreach to Orchard Center shoppers. Anyone with information about this incident, or who believes they were followed at Orchard Center, is asked to contact the Montgomery County Police Department’s 3rd District Investigative Section at 240‑773‑6870 or to submit an anonymous tip through Crime Solvers.
