Deluge of crime across the region
Maryland is a violent state, but today's deluge of major crime news around the region was a bit overwhelming.
In Carroll County, police were investigating a murder-suicide in Hampstead that involved a man who killed his ex-wife's fiance and then took his own life. Michael Leo Swift III had been charged in January with possessing unlicensed machine guns, rifles and explosive devices and was out on bail.
In Baltimore County, the boyfriend of a 23-year-old woman missing since Thanksgiving was arrested and charged with murder, two weeks after her body was found in Virginia. County police also identified a 48-year-old man found outside a Cockeysville home.
In the city, we've already blogged about the Remington drive-by shooting, the killing of a Johns Hopkins Hospital security officer in a robbery, and the case of a month-old infant buried in Druid Hill Park by his mother who had four other children taken away by social services. As I type this, police are investigating a stabbing at the Inner Harbor that sent a juvenile to the hospital in serious condition. And the AP also reported that Raymond T. Taylor waived extradition in West Virginia and will be transported back to Maryland, where he escaped from a prison last month.
Categories: Baltimore County, Crime elsewhere, Downtown
Comments
On Monday night around 6-7 p.m. on Fulton just north of North Ave. the street was shut down by police tape and there were SWAT team members everywhere. Did that have anything to do with any of these incidents? I couldn't find any specific information in your crime beat blog.
Posted by: Bernie | March 17, 2010 6:41 AM
Remember my "rant" lat week about applauding your police commisioner??
Where is the article calling for Bealefeld's job? C'mon, what happened to fair reporting. Regarless of what he did, Ed Norris was the best thing to happen to Baltimore since Schaefer. Let's face it, Schmoke cared somewhat, DuBurns was over his head, O'Malley was always planning his future, Dixon, well she should be in jail. Rawlings-Blake, until she fires Bealefeld, I have no faith in her. She has to rid the city of all of Dixon's old regime to prove that she can do the job.
Posted by: steve in seoul | March 17, 2010 7:07 AM
As a fairly frequent visitor to Baltimore, in particular the inner harbor/stadium area I noticed a big difference in the type of people that were hanging around this area yesterday afternoon/night. I also noticed that the same police presence that I normally saw when visiting that area was non existent except for the CSI guys that were documenting/collecting evidence of the knife event. I felt unsafe at times and do not think I will be back to that area for quite sometime. If I am it will be to a game and then leave.
Posted by: chris | March 17, 2010 9:59 PM
When we throw aside political correctness, hold people accountable and seek the truth without loopholes, then there will be change for the better.
Posted by: Buzz Beeler | March 18, 2010 10:55 AM