Dana Dixon Gets 6 Years for NW D.C. Burglaries

Dana Dixon, 26, of Silver Spring, Md., is behind bars for six years after a violent daylight burglary spree in Northwest Washington left two homes ransacked and victims shaken. The sentence, handed down today by the Honorable Zoe Bush in Superior Court of the District of Columbia, puts an end to a trail of destruction that began on September 18, 2014, when Dixon and two accomplices stormed into residential units with crowbars and no remorse.

Dixon pleaded guilty in September 2016 to two counts of second-degree burglary, admitting he used force to break into an apartment in the 2900 block of Adams Mill Road NW. Armed with a crowbar, Dixon, along with Ramone Laird and Emmanuel Sumo, smashed the front door, stole electronics, cash, and clothing, and left the unit in ruins. They attempted a second entry in the same building but failed when the door held.

That didn’t stop them. Later the same day, the crew hit again—this time in the 1800 block of Columbia Road NW. Another forced entry, another ransacking, more stolen goods, and more damage. Police responded to a 911 call only to find Laird fleeing the scene with stolen property in hand. Officers apprehended him immediately. Sumo and Dixon vanished into the streets, but not before surveillance cameras captured all three at both locations before the attacks.

Laird and Sumo, both 22 and also from Silver Spring, Md., have already been sentenced for their roles in the crimes. Meanwhile, Dixon was already under the thumb of the law—at the time of his arrest, he was serving a sentence in Maryland for prior gun offenses. His latest conviction adds six years to his criminal ledger and three years of supervised release once he walks out of prison.

As part of the judgment, Dixon is ordered to pay $7,284 in restitution to the victims—families whose homes were violated in the middle of the day while they were away, believing their neighborhoods safe. The damage went beyond dollars: shattered doors, upended lives, and a deep breach of trust in the sanctity of home.

U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, who announced the sentence, praised the relentless work of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Third District. He also recognized key figures from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman, Paralegal Specialist Allison Daniels, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli and David Misler, who prosecuted the case. “This sentence sends a message,” Phillips said. “We won’t tolerate violent invasions of our homes, no matter the time of day.”