WASHINGTON — A Pentagon employee charged in connection with a parking pass drama in his D.C. neighborhood could soon see his case dismissed.
Bryan Whitman is accused of stealing license plates off the vehicle of a neighbor’s nanny three times last month, along a street just four blocks from the U.S. Capitol.
Whitman’s job title at the Pentagon is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.
According to court documents, the drama began April 4 when a note was left on the nanny’s vehicle, which has Virginia license plates.
The note read: “I know you are misusing this visitor pass to park here daily. If you do not stop I will report it, have your car towed and the resident who provided this to you will have his privileges taken away.”
On April 6, both of the vehicle’s license plates were stolen.
The plates were replaced, but two days later, on April 8, the vehicle’s rear plate was stolen.
Even after the nanny brought a different vehicle to work — a minivan — the rear plate turned up stolen on April 21.
The nanny’s employer, Lauren Marx, paid to have the license plates replaced each time, and by the time of the third theft, Marx had bought and set up a surveillance camera to see if she could catch the thief in the act.
Sure enough, the camera caught footage of a man acting suspiciously near the minivan.
Marx gave the footage to police who identified Whitman and obtained a search warrant for his home and car.
Once confronted by officers at his home, Whitman handed over all four stolen license plates.
Whitman was charged with three counts of second-degree theft, but on Tuesday, an agreement was reached with prosecutors.
Whitman’s case will be dismissed if he pays Marx and her nanny $1,000 restitution, completes 32 hours of community service at the Capital Area Food Bank, stays away from both women and doesn’t break the law over the next 10 months.
