Murder Suspect Vandalized School Days Before Killing: Police

EDGEWATER, MD — The man accused of killing a Davidsonville business owner with his girlfriend faces new charges of vandalizing a private school days before the homicide.

Jonah Michael Poole, 18, of Davidsonville is now accused of defacing The Summit School in Edgewater in mid-May. Court records obtained by Patch on Tuesday allege that Poole spray-painted "a swastika and derogatory phrases about sexual orientation" on the exterior of the gym and the main school building.

The Summit School serves students in grades one through eight "with dyslexia and other learning differences."

Poole and Kylee Alyssa Dakes of Harwood, 18, are charged with the May 24 killing of Edward Stephen Koza, 67, of Annapolis.

Koza owned Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville. Police previously told Patch that Poole worked at Koza's store roughly a year before the homicide for about two weekends.

Charging documents allege that the couple assaulted Koza, kidnapped him and then burned him inside his truck outside his store. The suspects, who were seniors this year at Southern High School in Harwood, were arrested on murder charges on May 31.

An arrest warrant shows that Poole, who was already being held at the county jail, was arrested on the vandalism charges on June 13.

Authorities also told Patch that Koza reported a burglary at his home on May 12, wherein an undisclosed amount of cash was stolen.

Patch submitted a public information request for the police report and 911 call audio for the burglary at Koza's home. The Anne Arundel County Police Department declined our request on Tuesday.

The agency said it was an open investigation and releasing details "could interfere with a proper law enforcement proceeding and prejudice an investigation."

Related:

• Davidsonville Murder Suspect Burglarized Dock Bar Where His Girlfriend Worked: Police
• Davidsonville Murder Suspect Worked For Victim, Break-In Reported Before Death: Police
• Video Of Burning Truck Investigated In Business Owner's Homicide
• Man Found In Davidsonville Vehicle Fire Was Annapolis Resident: Police

The Anne Arundel County Police Department was called to The Summit School, located at 664 E. Central Ave., on May 15. Officers spoke with the school's executive director and reviewed security footage.

Court papers say the surveillance video "showed a white, young male dressed in jeans, black Nike tennis shoes, a flannel shirt with a gray shirt underneath and a tan shirt wrapped around his head."

The file says the suspect, who arrived around 1 a.m. that morning, is seen on video spray-painting the buildings.

"Many staff members of the Summit School observed the vandalism to the school and were offended by the markings/phrases that were spray-painted on the school buildings," the charging documents say.

Three days after the school vandalism, Pirates Cove Restaurant & Dock Bar in Galesville was burglarized.

Fingerprints at the scene led to Poole's arrest in that May 18 bar burglary, wherein court papers accused him of stealing over $11,000 and damaging restaurant property.

Dakes worked at Pirates Cove until May 18, the eatery previously told Patch.

Charging documents say the Pirates Cove suspect was captured on camera "wearing the same style and color shirt wrapped around his head as the suspect seen in the Summit School video surveillance."

A school resource officer reviewed security footage from Southern High School for May 15, the day of The Summit School vandalism.

The video showed Poole "wearing jeans and the same tennis shoes as the suspect that committed the vandalism at the Summit School," court records say.

The Homicide Unit executed a search warrant at 11:19 p.m. on May 30 at Poole's home in the Kings Retreat neighborhood, where he lives with his grandparents.

Charging documents say officers "recovered a plaid shirt from Jonah Poole's closet that matched the plaid shirt seen on the suspect in the video surveillance at the Summit School."

Poole was arrested and "was observed wearing the same tennis shoes seen on video surveillance during the vandalism/hate/bias incident at the Summit School," the court papers say.

Poole's case file says he was charged with race/religious harassment, the use of a hate item or symbol and school trespassing/damaging property. If found guilty of all three charges, he could spend up to six years and six months in prison and/or be fined up to $11,000.

If convicted on all charges related to the dock bar burglary, Poole could be sentenced to up to 29 years in prison and face up to $12,500 in fines.

Poole and Dakes could also be sentenced to at least 145 years in prison if convicted on all charges related to the homicide.

Detectives do not know if there are any connections between the homicide, school vandalism, restaurant break-in or home burglary.

Both are being held without bond at the Jennifer Road Detention Center in Annapolis.

Patch contacted The Summit School and the attorneys for Poole and Dakes. None have responded. We will update this article if they reply.

This map shows where The Summit School is located.