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November 6, 2009

Ripken 3 plead guilty

Three young men admitted in court this morning to stealing Cal Ripken Jr.'s Number 8 sculpture back in September from in front of Camden Yards. None said a word in court, other than to answer basic questions.

So we still don't know why they did it, other than a prank. It turned out to be an expensive one -- they all had to chip and write a check to the Orioles for $7,618. That's for the theft of a single digit!

That prompted the quote of the day from defense attorney John Grason Turnbull III, who told me he told his client, "You're lucky you didn't take the Number 33. It would've been twice as expensive."

Remember, this is the case in which Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld commented, "Don't come to Baltimore to be a moron." Three of the four defendants are from Essex.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Breaking news, Downtown

Comments

Essex!! What makes the deep scratches in the sidewalks of Essex? Mens knuckles.

Posted by: Jimster1956 | November 9, 2009 9:07 AM

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About Peter Hermann

Peter Hermann started covering news for The Baltimore Sun in 1990, first in Anne Arundel County and, starting in 1994, reporting on the Baltimore Police Department. In 2001, he was assigned to Jerusalem as the Baltimore Sun's Middle East correspondent. He returned in 2005 as an assistant city editor overseeing crime coverage. In 2008, Peter returned to the beat as a daily reporter and blogger. A recent BBC report featured him in a segment on the harsh realities of covering crime in Baltimore.

Coverage will focus on crime trends, problems in neighborhoods in the city and elsewhere, profiles of victims and police officers and try to offer readers a fresh perspective on one of the most vexing issues facing Baltimore and its future.

Contributing to this blog is Justin Fenton, who joined The Sun in 2005 and has covered the Baltimore City Police Department and the criminal justice system since 2008. His work includes an investigation into Cal Ripken Jr.’s minor league baseball stadium deal with his hometown of Aberdeen, a three-part series chronicling a ruthless con woman, coverage of the killing of five Amish children at a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pa., and a job swap with a British crime reporter to explore differences in crime-fighting. A special report looking into how city police handle rape cases led to sweeping reforms that changed the way sexual assaults are investigated in Baltimore. He was recognized as the best reporter in Baltimore by the City Paper in 2010 and by Baltimore Magazine in 2011.

Follow @phscoop, @justin_fenton on Twitter