Md. brothers charged with stealing copper from church air conditioners

When Anne Arundel patrol officers noticed an unoccupied vehicle parked near a path leading to Our Lady of the Chesapeake Catholic Church in Pasadena at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, they took notice. It had license plates that belonged on another vehicle.

But that's not all it had that belonged elsewhere, police said.

Timothy, left, and Marvin Bickling. (Anne Arundel Police)

Officers searched the vehicle, found work tools and a receipt from a recycling center inside and later discovered 10 air conditioning units had been stripped of copper at the church off the path at Mountain Road and Ventnor Road.

A traffic stop and investigation, police said, led to felony theft charges filed against Marvin Edward Bickling, 32, of the 1000 block of Nancy Road, Glen Burnie and his brother, Timothy Dwight Bickling, 26, of the unit block of N. Gilmore Street, Baltimore.

-- Mary Pat Flaherty