Baltimore Police Officer Teresa Rigby broke down in tears.

Just five weeks after a crash on the JFX that sent over the side of the elevated highway and 30 feet to the pavement below, the officer met with youngsters in East Baltimore. They presented her with a mural, and the officer was overcome.

Here is a picture of Rigby from today's event, taken by The Sun's Jed Kirschbaum.

 We'll have more from the event a bit later on line and in tomorrow's print edition. Rigby had been standing near a disabled car when another car crashed into the back of it, forcing the vehicle into her cruiser, and into her.

Here are more stories on the officer and tapes of police communications from the accident.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: East Baltimore
        

UPDATE: An update to this shooting can be found here.

A man was shot early today in the Station North arts district at North and Maryland Avenues, according to city police. Few details were immediately available, but police said the incident occurred about 12:30 a.m. and the victim is 22.

Reporter Julie Scharper says it happened in front of Cyclops Books, while patrons of an ale house and restaurant lingered nearby.

Station North is in a new arts district, reclaiming troubled and abandoned neighborhoods along North Avenue between the train station and lower Charles Village. Several merchants are trying to stake a claim, including an upscale pizza restaurant that attracts patrons from Bolton Hill, along with art studios and a book store.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: North Baltimore
        

Barry H. Landau, the well-known collector of presidential memorabilia, was indicted by a federal grand jury today. He had been charged by the state with stealing documents from the Maryland Historical Society. Now, charges include thefts of important documents from several other archives:

* Writings of President Roosevelt and his treasury secretary from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, N.Y.

* A letter dated April 1, 1780, from Benjamin Franklin and John Paul Jones, from the New York Historical Society.

* Sixty docuemtns from the F. Furlong Baldwin Libary at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, including a land grant dated June 1, 1861 to a soldier from the Maryland Militia, War of 1812, signed by Abraham Lincoln. 

“The federal government will provide a firm and swift response to those that steal parts of our nation’s history for their own private benefit," said Special Agent Richard McFeely of Baltimore's FBI office. "Alleged crimes like this rob all Americans of the rich heritage that these museums preserve for present and future generations.” 

Read the indictment:

Posted by Peter Hermann at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Courts and the justice system
        

Court records show a 23-year-old man has been charged with shooting three people in Northwest Baltimore in March. Michael Santana, AKA Oswaldo Neal Santana, AKA Swado, AKA Swaldo, was arrested in June and charged with shooting Anthony Timpson, Travis Barnes, and Daquan Gardner on March 20.

Police first responded to the 4200 block of Pimlico Road, where they found Timpson suffering from gunshot wounds to his head, torso and limbs. Moments later, officers were dispatched to a McDonald's at the intersection of Reisterstown Road and Cold Spring Lane, where they found Barnes with a graze wound to the top of his head. Then, a shooting was reported in the 2600 block of Loyola Northway, where Gardner had been shot in the right calf.

Detectives were led to Santana, of the 2800 block of Rockrose Ave., when a witness identified him as the shooter and picked him out of a photo lineup, records show. He faces three counts of attempted first-degree murder, and related charges.  Santana has only one prior arrest - in 2009, on drug charges, which led to a five year prison sentence with all but time served suspended.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Northwest Baltimore
        

This just in from courts reporter Tricia Bishop:

A 21-year-old Pasadena man pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Thursday for shoving a stranger who couldn't swim into the Inner Harbor in 2008 — an act previously characterized by one Baltimore judge as complete stupidity.

Wayne Black, who was 18 when he pushed 22-year-old Ankush Gupta into the water and ran, will be sentenced to four years in prison at his sentencing, scheduled for Aug. 30, per an agreement cut with Baltimore Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock.

His mother dabbed tears as the deal was done, while Gupta's friends and family sat stone-faced on the other side of the courtroom. "That is not justice," Saneel John Masih said after the hearing. He and Rohit Gupta were longtime friends of Ankush, more like brothers than buddies.

Read complete story here.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Courts and the justice system, Downtown
        

Baltimore City Councilman Robert W. Curran stood by his controversial remarks advising residents in need of police to tell 911 operators that a gun is involved, even if it isn't, to get quicker police response.

His comments to a community meeting, and repeated in an article published today, sparked a furor and a debate over how quickly cops respond to calls. He said he didn't mean to imply that people lie to police when they call. Here is Curran at a news conference today at City Hall.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Confronting crime
        

A man and a woman have been indicted on charges that they pistol whipped and robbed a man and his aunt, who jumped from a second story window of their Northeast Baltimore home to escape.

Donnell Mackey, 29, of the 1000 block of N. Milton St., and Antoinette Brown, 19, of the 2600 block of Garrison Blvd., face charges of armed robbery, assault and burglary, according to the indictment, which was filed on July 15.

Mackey has been indicted 12 previous times, according to court records.

According to charging documents, on June 1, Christopher Harper was in the basement of his home in the 3000 block of Iona Terrace, in the Arcadia neighborhood, when he heard his aunt, Deshawn Penn, yelling for him to come upstairs.

When Harper got upstairs, he saw two men and a woman pointing guns at him. They ordered him upstairs into his aunt's room, where they demanded money and began pistol whipping them, records show.

One of the attackers picked up a 32-inch TV and smashed it over Harper's head, records show. Police say the suspects rifled through the bedroom, taking two passports, a .45 caliber handgun, $600 in cash and an iPhone.

As the attackers were ransacking the room, Harper and then Penn jumped out of the second-story bedroom window, according to court papers. Penn shattered her right ankle, broke her right leg, and sprained her left ankle, and required three staples on her head from the gun attack. Harper required 10 stitches above his right eyelid.

Records show the suspects were picked out of a lineup. Mackey was charged June 3 and arrested June 11, and has been ordered held without bail. Court records show he has a long list of prior charges, including handgun charges that were dropped by prosecutors in 2008 and an attempted murder conviction from 2004 that resulted in a sentence of 15 years in prison, with all but three years suspended.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Northeast Baltimore
        

From reporter Arthur Hirsch:

An account clerk in Baltimore County's Budget and Finance department has been suspended without pay after she was arrested in her office this week on theft charges, a county spokeswoman said.

Santrel L. Goodwin, 30, of Towson, was arrested at the historic courthouse on Washington Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, said Baltimore County spokeswoman Ellen Kobler. Charging documents filed at District Court in Towson show that Goodwin was charged with stealing a man's wallet in June and charging nearly $1,000 on a credit card.

Kobler said Goodwin worked as an account clerk, was hired by the department in December, 2008 and went through routine criminal background checks that turned up no convictions. She said Goodwin did not have access to sensitive information and the county is "confident" that no such information was compromised.

Kobler said Goodwin was suspended Thursday without pay pending the outcome of the case.  Baltimore County Police Det. Cathy Batton said Goodwin was released on Tuesday after posting $3,500 bail.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore County
        

Howard County police have made an arrest in an overnight fatal stabbing in the Columbia village of Long Reach, and are investigating the suspicious death of a child in April as a homicide, according to authorities.

The stabbing occurred about 10 p.m. Wednesday night on Airybrick Lane and found a 17-year-old in a hallway suffering from multiple stab wounds. He died at Howard County General Hospital. Police said the victim had been involved in an earlier fight that one of the combatants returned and stabbed the young man.

In the other case, police had responded to a house on Basket Ring Road for a report of a child not breathing. The 3-year-old victim died and the death was ruled suspicious. Police said the medical examiner's office ruled the death a homicide, but a cause of death was not released.

These are the first two homicides in Howard County this year. See a statement from Howard County Police:

Posted by Peter Hermann at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Howard County
        

The number of drug overdose deaths in Baltimore rose from 2008 to 2009, but dropped when compared to 2007, according to a new study released this morning by the Baltimore City Health Department.

Since 2000, the number of deaths from alcohol and other drugs has dropped about 10 per year, according the study. The reasons are not fully understood, health officials say. Among the conclusions:

• Deaths associated with heroin decreased in 2009 compared to 2008 by 3 percent. Heroin
remains the most common substance associated with intoxication deaths, though
compared to 2008, the proportion of deaths associated with heroin in 2009 decreased by
about 19 percent among city residents.

• The number of methadone-associated deaths for both city residents (46) and overall (51)
remained unchanged from 2008.

• Alcohol-associated deaths among city residents climbed by 26%, the largest increase of
any substance (44 deaths in 2009 vs. 35 deaths in 2008).

• No buprenorphine-associated death were reported in 2009; the last noted death was in
2007.

Read the full report:

Posted by Peter Hermann at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Confronting crime
        

A note to readers: I messed up.

I was deleting a bunch of spam and accidentally deleted a bunch of reader messages instead. Many were about the city councilman advising residents to tell police 911 operators a gun is involved to get a quicker response. The messages were perfectly OK. They should've been posted.

Please post again if you can, and I'll go easy on the delete key!

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Confronting crime
        

Frustrated by a slow response from city cops?

One Baltimore City councilman has come up with a solution. Tell the 911 operator a gun is involved, even if it isn't. Practically guaranteed police will swarm to your call. True, you risk delaying police to a fellow citizen who might be in more danger, but was more honest when he called for help. But you'll get plenty of attention.

City Councilman Robert W. Curran advised residents to do this at a recent meeting in Hamilton Hills. A retired police major was in the audience, and he agreed with the advice. Upset residents say they either lie and get immediate, overwehelming response, or they're honest and wait too long for help.

Of course, this is troublesome for many reasons. Cops -- not just one, but many -- speed to gun calls, bursting through red lights and putting themselves and others in danger. They arrive thinking they're about to confront an armed person, and they might have their guns drawn. Their entire mentality is different, and they react accordingly.

Said police union president Robert Cherry: "What if the officers think that person is armed, come guns drawn and the person only has a cell phone? The next thing you know there is a shooting."

Curran's comments are bound to generate controversy, and debate over police resources, response times and crime. Read the full article by reporter Rebekah Brown with quotes from all sides.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 6:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Northeast Baltimore
        

In Washington DC, killings are down for the year after a summer that has seen 44 percent less murders than last summer. The Washington Examiner had this report today:

As temperatures climbed relentlessly this summer, homicides in the District fell just as dramatically, something a leading expert says may not be a coincidence.

Since Memorial Day weekend two months ago, the number of killings in D.C. has dropped by 44 percent compared to the previous year. Before the holiday, which traditionally kicks off the summer season, homicides in D.C. were up 16 percent. The pace of killings in the city have slowed so that homicides for the year are down 12 percent and violent crime is down 7 percent, according to police records.

Criminologists, the story notes, "have long noted that crime can rise in the summer months. People become more aggressive and lash out. Rapes, riots and 9-1-1 calls go up. Part of that is that teenaged males are out of school and unsupervised, the days are longer, and outdoor activities increase. But searing heat may drive people indoors, and even dull the ardor to keep cycles of revenge killings going."

DC and Prince George's County went homicide-free during the record-breaking heat, and so did Baltimore, with six days going by before a spate of killings this week. But for the summer, Baltimore isn't enjoying the same lull in violence. While DC has seen a 44 percent summer drop, there have been the same number of killings in Baltimore since Memorial Day, 40, as there were during the same period last year. DC has seen just 18 summer killings, down from 32 at the same point last year.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Crime elsewhere
        

Remember this story from September 2009?:

Sitting in her car Tuesday night outside the Kennedy Krieger Institute as police investigated a shooting, Ana Matheus held up what may have spared her from serious injury: her Vera Bradley handbag.

She reached in and pulled out her pocketbook. Inside was a checkbook, a credit card and a $20 bill - all pierced by a bullet that narrowly missed striking her as she left work at Kennedy Krieger.

Matheus was not harmed, but a female co-worker was wounded when one of the stray bullets struck her in the hand about 6:30 p.m. Matheus said the woman was walking just a foot in front of her when the shots rang out. With the errant bullet piercing the bag that was slung over her shoulder, Matheus was inches away from being wounded herself.

 "I've always felt pretty safe with the security guards on the corners, but I don't know, it definitely feels less safe now," said Matheus, a 27-year-old social worker in the pediatric hospital at Kennedy Krieger. "It's pretty surreal."

The State's Attorney's Office announced today that the suspect charged in the case, 44-year-old Timothy Gaskins, was sentenced today to 54 years in prison for the shooting after being convicted during a six-day trial in May on two counts of attempted second-degree murder and 18 other charges. Prosecutors say Gaskins fired five shots - in addition to the bullet that traveled through Matheus' bag, one bullet pierced the intended victim's pants but missed his leg, and another struck the hand of Matheus' co-worker.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Courts and the justice system, East Baltimore
        

Sian James was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday for hurling a chunk of concrete that killed an off-duty Baltimore police officer last year during a heated argument over a parking space, The Sun's Tricia Bishop reports.

James, 26, was charged with murder in the death of Det. Brian Stevenson, but a jury in April convicted him of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum 10-year prison term.

His attorney said James — who was out on bail during the incident in a separate case charging him with the attempted rape of an ex-girlfriend — acted in self defense, believing the officer was intoxicated and going to shoot him and his friends.

Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Barry G. Williams said the court was "beside itself" over the "senselessness of it all."

"We have a life that is lost," Williams said. "This did not have to happen."

Stevenson's wife was left to ask the court Wednesday: "What man now is responsible for our family? Who do we belong to?"

Posted by Justin Fenton at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Courts and the justice system, Southeast Baltimore
        

Baltimore County Police are investigating a bank robbery that occurred at the PNC Bank inside of Giant Food, 8100-block of Loch Raven Boulevard, 21286.
 
Baltimore County police are searching for a man who robbed a PNC Bank branch inside a Giant Food store on Loch Raven Boulevard. The holdup occurred about 1:30 p.m. when police said man handed a note a teller demanding money and implying he was armed.

He left with the store and may have driven away in a vehicle. Police said the man was in his late 30s to early 40s, stands about 5 feet 10 inche tall and weights about 190 pounds. He has a light to medium complexion.

Anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts of the suspect is asked to call Baltimore County Police at 410-307-2020 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).

To text a message to Metro Crime Stoppers, send to "CRIMES" (274637), then enter the message starting with "MCS," or e-mail a tip to Metro Crime Stoppers. Those contacting Metro Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Baltimore County
        

The intriguing story of the presidential memorabilia collector Barry H. Landau and his alleged accomplice gets more interesting by the day.

Not only are they charged with trying to steal documents, including one signed by Abraham Lincoln, from the Maryland Historical Society, but one might have been caught flushing a document down a toilet as police closed in at downtown archives.

Assistant State's Attorney said that Savedoff may have flushed the document down the historical society's toilet. The prosecutor said he was in the bathroom when police arrived, and they knocked on the door repeatedly. When the door opened, two officers and a historical society employee went in. The employee noticed what looked like remnants of an old document in the toilet, Varda said, but was not able to get to it immediately. But before the scraps could be retrieved, someone used and flushed the toilet, Varda said.

And, a prosecutor said at a bail hearing on Tuesday, they're suspected in stealing other documents from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Archives in Hyde Park, N.Y., and from the New York Historical Society.

Read Liz Kay's full account of the hearings.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Courts and the justice system
        

For three years, the death of 25-year-old Dwayne Hawkins in a fire in East Baltimore has been listed as an accident.

But this week, Hawkins’ death was officially reclassified a homicide. Police say new information uncovered in March of this year sparked a new investigation that determined Hawkins was killed.

Hawkins was found on June 13, 2008 in the rear of a home in the 600 block of Cokesbury Lane, in the East Baltimore Midway neighborhood, and was rushed to Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital. He died three days later.

At the time, police now say, investigators smelled an “ignitable liquid” at the scene. But they also received reports that Hawkins had been drinking, and determined that an “open flame combined with combustibles” to spark an accidental fire, police said.

In March of this year, police received new information that Hawkins had actually been killed, police say. Detectives consulted with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the state medical examiner’s office, and re-examined the details of the case.

Fire investigators changed the cause of the fire from “accident” to “incendiary,” and the medical examiner classified the manner of death as “homicide.” State medical examiner David Fowler said medical examiners rely on the expertise of investigators when determining a manner of death, and it is not uncommon for a death to be re-classified when new information emerges.

Hawkins’ death, in city police homicide records, is now reflected as July 25, 2011, the date it was added to their active cases. Police say the case remains open, and could not divulge other details about what leads detectives are working.

Little was known about Hawkins – no one answered the door Tuesday at the home of Hawkins’ family, a quaint blue and white home decorated with figurines. In 1998, The Sun reported that Hawkins, then 15 years old, and a 21-year-old man were charged with shooting and wounding a man, though records show the case was dropped.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: East Baltimore
        

The investigation into the three people who were shot and killed inside a Northeast Baltimore house that was set on fire took a new twist this afternoon:

Baltimore police officers responded early Tuesday to a citizen’s complaint of shots fired inside a house on Nicholas Avenue, but left after getting no response to their repeated knocks on the door or finding other evidence of a shooting, a department spokesman said.

Less than 90 minutes later, someone set the Northeast Baltimore house on fire, and firefighters found the bodies of two men and a woman who was critically injured. Each victim, police said, had been shot, and the woman died at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

City police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the department is examining how the patrol officers responded and whether they acted appropriately by not forcing their way inside the house in the Herring Run neighborhood.

Police acknowledge there is a possibility that the killer was still inside the house when the officer arrived, and at least one of the victims was still alive. The anonymous call for gunshots came in at 4:33 a.m., the officer arrived at 4:36 a.m. and left at 4:59 a.m., Guglielmi said.

Firefighters pulled up at 6:37 a.m., meaning there was a two hour delay between the time of the first call for help and when authorities rendered assistance. Police said they recovered physical evidence and that an accelerant was used to start the fire, but no suspects has been identified.

The victims identifications were not immediately released, but police said the dead are the 58-year-old homeowner, his 36-year-old daughter and her 27-year-old companion.
Guglielmi said the officers “made multiple attempts” to attract attention by banging on the front door and windows of the brick, end-of-group rowhouse in the 4300 block of Nicholas Ave. He also said the officers canvassed the neighborhood and knocked on doors of neighbors in an attempt to speak to them.

The spokesman said the review will include determining whether the officers could have forced their way inside the house, citing exigent circumstances that allow police to conduct warrantless entries in emergencies or life-threatening situations.

“We’re looking at it to determine if we did everything we could,” Guglielmi said. He noted that the officers did spend more than 20 minutes at the scene.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Northeast Baltimore
        

Se was 15, brandishing a silver revolver, and she pointed at two men in a robbery attempt. One of the men laughed, and she shot both in the head. One man died.

Today, Arteesha Holt pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with that brazen killing last year near Patterson Park. Sun reporter Tricia Bishop writes some chilling lines in her story (complete version here):

On Aug. 13 last year, two Honduran men — Jose Rodolfo Gonzalez-Coreas, 43, and Wilmer Bonilla, 26 — sat talking on row house steps near Patterson Park, when Holt approached them, demanding cash, a prosecutor said.

“Mr. Bonilla and Mr. Gonzales-Coreas did not take her seriously and began to laugh,” Assistant State’s Attorney Nicole Lomartire said during the plea hearing, reading aloud from a statement of case facts.

Holt fired the gun, grazing Bonilla and fatally wounding Gonzales-Coreas, who died a week later.

Holt fled and found her brother, Lomartire said. She was crying and repeating, ‘‘I did it, I did it.’”

Posted by Peter Hermann at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Southeast Baltimore
        

Maryland State Police have arrested two Caroline County women and charged them with killing a man and leaving his body in the Choptank River, near Denton on the Eastern Shore. Police identified the suspect's as the victim's step-daughter and friend. From a statement:

An autopsy of the victim conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore determined the victim was murdered. Forensic pathologists found the victim had cutting wounds to his head and hands, none of which had injured vital organs, but some of which were wounds he likely sustained while trying to defend himself. 

According to the medical examiner, the victim had also sustained blunt force trauma to the head and had been asphyxiated. Autopsy evidence indicated the victim was already dead when his body was placed in the river.

More details from state police news released, including names:

Maryland State Police homicide investigators have charged two Caroline County women with the murder of a man whose body was found in the Choptank River near Denton Sunday morning. 

The victim is identified as Louis R. Nichols, 71, of the 300-block of South Fourth Street, Denton, Md. Nichols lived at that address with Charlene Weddle, the daughter of his deceased spouse, and Weddle’s friend, Mary Chider. Nichols’ wife died about one month ago.     

The first suspect is identified as Charlene R. Weddle, 45, of the 300-block of South Fourth Street, Denton, Md. She is charged with first and second degree murder and first degree assault.  Following her initial appearance before a court commissioner, Weddle was incarcerated in the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. 

The second suspect is identified as Mary S. Chider, 34, of same address.  She is charged with first and second degree murder and first and second degree assault.  She will be taken before a court commissioner for an initial appearance later this morning. 

At about 11:00 a.m. on July 24, 2011, a man fishing in the Choptank River just north of business Rt. 404, saw a body in the water near the west bank of the river, not far from the old Rt. 404 bridge.  Deputies from the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office responded, along with Natural Resources Police and criminal investigators from the State Police Easton Barrack. 

State Police Homicide Unit investigators were called and continued the investigation.   They were provided invaluable assistance from investigators with the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, the State Police Easton Barrack, and members of the Caroline County State’s Attorney’s Office. 

An autopsy of the victim conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore determined the victim was murdered.  Forensic pathologists found the victim had cutting wounds to his head and hands, none of which had injured vital organs, but some of which were wounds he likely sustained while trying to defend himself. 

According to the medical examiner, the victim had also sustained blunt force trauma to the head and had been asphyxiated.  Autopsy evidence indicated the victim was already dead when his body was placed in the river. 

State Police homicide investigators obtained search warrants and processed the victim’s home and vehicle for evidence.  Inside his home, investigators found blood and other evidence that indicates the victim was murdered there.  Inside his vehicle, a conversion type van, they found blood evidence consistent with a body that was bleeding being transported in the vehicle. 

During interviews with friends and witnesses, investigators learned Weddle was heard threatening to kill the victim Saturday night.  A witness also saw Weddle driving the victim’s van at about 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning, near the river where the victim was found. 

A motive for the murder remains unclear at this time. The investigation is continuing.  

Posted by Peter Hermann at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Crime elsewhere
        

UPDATE: Police now confirm that all three victims had been shot  -- a man, 38, another man, 27, and a woman, 36. 

UPDATE: A third victim has died at the hospital.  

The two people found dead in a fire in Northeast Baltimore had been shot, at least one in the head, accoridng to a city police spokesman. A third person is in critical condition. The photo is by The Sun's Kim Hairston.

Details are still developing and police and fire investigators are at the scene, in the 4300 block of Nicholas Ave. The home is off Belair Road in the Herring Run neighborhood.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Northeast Baltimore
        

Baltimore County Police said Monday that they arrested two suspects late Sunday for a double shooting in Woodlawn earlier in the day that left one victim dead. They also identified the victims of the shootings and said detectives were able to determine that the victims and suspects knew each other before the incident.

According to Det. Cathy Batton, the suspects arrested Sunday were Ryan Mackenzie McLean, 17, of the unit block of Calgary Court, and Elrich Delona Smith, 18, of the 900 block of Joshua Tree Court. McLean and Smith were both charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Smith was also charged with use of a handgun during a felony crime.

The victims were identified as Darnell Hill, 22, of the 4100 block of Brookside Oaks Road, and Katelyn Messina, 17, of the 10800 block of Liberty Road.

On Sunday at 4:45 a.m., police said, officers responded to a report of a shooting around Stansfield Lane and Stansfield Court. They found Hill suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso, and Messina suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest and head. Both victims were transported to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where Messina was pronounced dead later in the day. Hill remains hospitalized Monday with “very serious injuries,” according to Batton.

According to police, the exact motive for the shooting is unknown. Both suspects are being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center, awaiting trial.

Here is a statement from Baltimore County Police:

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Baltimore County
        

The Baltimore Police Department removed its commander in charge of internal investigations late Monday, a move police sources describe as fallout from last week's indictment of a city police officer on drug charges.

Maj. Nathan Warfield, picked in 2009 by Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III to root out corruption within the department, was reassigned a week after Bealefeld said the arrest of Officer Daniel G. Redd proved his agency would not tolerate misconduct.

Earlier Monday, The Baltimore Sun had asked the department to comment on pictures posted on Facebook showing Warfield socializing with Redd and a man named Sam Brown (pictured at right, in the middle), who was also charged this month in a separate heroin distribution conspiracy. Through a spokesman, Bealefeld declined to comment.

Warfield has not been accused of wrongdoing. But sources say the department was concerned about Warfield's social relationship with Redd and didn't want a cloud over his head. Warfield did not return messages seeking comment.

"Just being associated with Redd in any way shape or form — there's questions that need to be answered there," said one police source who was not authorized to talk about the case. "In that position [with internal affairs], there's no room for errors."

Posted by Justin Fenton at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Top brass
        

Bumper Bash on the Magothy River this weekend drew hundreds of revelers, and man cops worried about a repeat of last year's fights, rowdy behavior and drunks on the water. But the party on the river turned out relatively tame.

Here, from Outdoors Girl Candus Thomson, is a summary of people who behaved badly:

The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) responded to several incidents at Saturday’s Bumper Bash at Dobbins Island in the Magothy River. The event was attended by an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 people with approximately 500 vessels.

NRP and Anne Arundel County Police responded to 14 fights/ disorderly situations, arrested three for operating a vessel while intoxicated and one on an outstanding warrant. NRP also charged one with theft and charged two with underage possession of an alcoholic beverage. Officers issued 59 citations and gave out 44 warnings.

The Anne Arundel County Fire department responded to ten medical incidents where three were transported to area medical centers for minor injuries.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Anne Arundel County
        

From Baltimore police:

The Baltimore Police Department is seeking information concerning an arson that occurred on Saturday, July 23, 2011, within the 2300 Blk of E. Fairmount Avenue.

Just after midnight, two possibly teenage suspects ignited what appears to be a tee-shirt and placed it near a wooden storage structure that is attached to the Lucky Corner Convenience Store. 

The resulting fire damaged the storage structure and items within, along with the brick wall of the business, causing approximately $4,000 is property damage. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Baltimore Police Department. 

Posted by Peter Hermann at 1:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: East Baltimore
        

From Baltimore County Police:

Baltimore County Police are releasing two sketches of men in connection with the Club Baltimore shooting on July 2. George William Bryant was found in the parking lot suffering from gunshot wounds and was later pronounced deceased at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Baltimore County Police detectives are trying to identify the individuals in these photographs who are believed to have been at the nightclub at the time of the shooting.  
 
Anyone with information about the identities or whereabouts of these two individuals is asked to call the Baltimore County Police Department at 410-307-2020 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).

To text a message to Metro Crime Stoppers, send to "CRIMES" (274637,) then enter the message starting with "MCS" or e-mail a tip to Metro Crime Stoppers. Those contacting Metro Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a case reward of up to $2000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of a suspect for this case. 
 

Posted by Peter Hermann at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Baltimore County
        

Baltimore police just put out this alert:

It appears as if the missing juvenile and infant have been located in DC, and are being held by DC Metro PD. Our detectives are en route as I type this to confirm. I will advise immediately upon receiving confirmation. Additionally, preliminary reports are that both individuals are in good health.   

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

At a rally Sunday night for missing 7-month-old Ki'Yauhn Birch, who Baltimore police say wa taken by 16-year-old Jonae Boozer, many complained that authorities did not issue an Amber Alert to help in the search. That would've activated the state-wide Emergency Broadcasting System, interrupted television shows and flashed messages on highway information boards.

It's up to the Maryland State Police to activate the system, they use a strict set of criteria. Among them, they need a description of a vehicle. There is no vehicle description or involved in this particular case. An Amber alert was issued earlier this month when a boy was abducted and forced into the trunk of a car (he was later found safe in an abandoned rowhouse).

Here is a story I wrote last year on how the Amber Alert gets activated:

On Friday afternoon, Baltimore police said a man abducted his girlfriend's two daughters, ages 3 and 5. A few hours later, police in Elkton said a man took his estranged wife's 4-year-old daughter. Saturday night, Prince George's County authorities reported that an acquaintance had taken an 11-year-old girl.

And on Monday, Howard County police said a teenager in foster care had run off with the 15-month-old girl she had been baby-sitting.In just two cases - the abductions from Prince George's and Cecil counties - did officials broadcast an Amber Alert, which flashes emergency information on highway billboards and breaks into television shows to enlist the help of viewers.

So why did two missing children get full-blown statewide alerts using the Emergency Broadcasting System while the others did not? In the cases this weekend, both alerts interrupted Olympic coverage.

Police in Baltimore City and in Howard County say the cases from their jurisdictions did not meet all the steps required to issue an Amber Alert, set up in 1997 as a voluntary partnership among law enforcement agencies across the country to warn about child abductions using the same broadcasting tools used in natural disasters.

Local authorities investigating a missing child must go down a checklist to decide whether to ask for an Amber Alert, but a final decision is up to the Maryland State Police. Among the criteria, police must confirm that a child has been abducted, must believe the child is "in danger of serious bodily harm or death," and must have "enough descriptive information about the child, abductor and /or suspect's vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help."

Anthony Guglielmi, the chief spokesman of the Baltimore Police Department, said that although the suspect had threatened to harm one of the children, officials did not seek an Amber Alert because there was no vehicle description to broadcast. In fact, police don't believe that a vehicle was involved.

That meant putting information on highway signs would have been useless. And Maryland State Police fully agree.

"If there's no vehicle, there's nothing for us to pursue," said state police Sgt. Tracy Hart, the headquarters duty officer on Monday. "The only way we send out Amber Alerts is if they're connected to a vehicle. That way, we get all eyes on them."

The Amber Alert network began after the 1997 abduction and murder of a 9-year-old girl who was taken while riding a bike in Texas. Most child abductions, such as all the ones in Maryland over the weekend, are connected to estranged relatives or acquaintances, and are not stranger-on-stranger crimes. Most children are quickly and safely recovered.

The two girls taken from a home in Baltimore's Westport neighborhood were found 90 minutes later on Howard Street. The child from Elkton was soon found at a convenience store in Delaware, and the girl from Seat Pleasant was located at a truck stop in Tennessee. Suspects were arrested in all three cases. The Howard County toddler was found Monday.

Police in Baltimore say many cases in the city do not involve cars, so statewide alerts on highway signs don't make sense. But police in Baltimore City and in Howard County issued quick statements to the news media complete with names and photographs of the people involved.

Cecil and Prince George's counties gave detailed descriptions of vehicles, in one case down to the black tape on a car roof and, in another, an orange flatbed Freightliner tractor-trailer with Virginia plates.

Sherry Llewellyn, spokeswoman for the Howard County police, said their case wasn't close to meeting the criteria. "It must be clear that it is an abduction," she said, "and we don't know that to be the case." The suspect was baby-sitting the child over the weekend and failed to return.

"This was an arranged situation with an approved caregiver," Llewellyn said. "Second, an Amber Alert requires that a child be in danger of bodily harm or death. We do not know that to be the case." In addition, the spokeswoman said, they, like Baltimore City authorities, do not have a vehicle description.

"If they're traveling," Llewellyn said, "we believe it is by bus."

Hart of the state police said a bus description could meet the criteria for issuing an Amber Alert, but police in Howard County had only information that the suspect had been given bus fare, and nothing to suggest she ever got on a bus, much less which one.

Criteria for issuing an Amber Alert:

* Law enforcement officials must have a reasonable belief that an abduction has occurred

* Police believe that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death

* Enough descriptive information exists about the victim and the abductor, and/or suspect's vehicle, to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help * The victim of the abduction is a child age 17 or younger

* The child's name and other critical data have been entered into the National Crime Information Center system Source: Maryland State Police and the U.S. Department of Justice

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

UPDATE: Baltimore police are headed to Washington to investigate a possible sighting of the child. 

From Andrea Siegel:

More than 70 people gathered Sunday evening on an Edmondson Village street corner, rallying for the safe return of an infant who disappeared Friday with the teenager who had been left to watch him briefly.

Pastors and relatives surrounded Whitney McGee, the mother of Ki'Yauhn Birch, as she tearfully pleaded for Jonae Boozer, the 16-year-old last seen with the 7-month-old boy, to surrender the baby.

"Put my baby somewhere safe and call somebody. He's probably hungry," McGee, 20, wept, as she said she was deeply worried about her baby's well-being, especially in the intense heat of the past few days.

"I want my son back. Bring him back, that's all I want — I want my son," she said, later adding, "It's a 7-month-old baby — you got to have some kind of heart."

Baltimore police have put out an urgent request for the public's assistance in locating the baby and Boozer. Police said she might be in Prince George's or Montgomery counties. The baby was last seen with Boozer around 5 p.m. Friday in the 1100 block of Lynhurst St., police said.

No amber alert was issued. Police typically tie that to several pieces of information, including a vehicle description.

Neighbors and friends turned out just before dusk to show support and pass out fliers. They vowed to keep the search going.

The Rev. Paris Evans of HG Ministries in Baltimore, a close friend of the mother's family, said she organized the rally to bring more public attention to the situation and to offer prayers. The goal, she said, was "that we will be able to find the baby and bring him home safely to his mother."

After calling on God for help, she turned to McGee and said, "He is not going to fail you," softly into McGee's ear.

Charles Birch, the baby's 20-year-old father, arrived late to the rally, saying he had just returned from questioning by police.

Birch said Boozer was a friend of a friend and stopped by his home on Lynhurst Street while he was taking care of his young son. After a while, she asked for a cigarette; he didn't have any, and left Boozer to watch Ki'Yauhn while he went to a neighborhood store.

"I went to get cigarettes, and my son's gone," he said. The baby's things and the bottle the infant hadn't finished remained. Birch said he barely knew Boozer and didn't know how to reach her; he called police Saturday morning.

"I want my son just how I left him," he said, his eyes filling with tears as his mother wept on his shoulder.

At the rally, one friend had T-shirts that were made from the flier for the families of Ki'Yauhn's parents. Others took piles of fliers to pass out as they continue going door to door. A City Council candidate, David Smallwood, said he would include the fliers with his campaign material.

A relative, Karen Zepp, brought balloons and a Teddy bear. "The Teddy bear's for when he comes home," she said.

Guardian Angels said they came by to provide whatever assistance is needed.

Kevin Tossie, a friend of Evans, was clutching his 7-year-old daughter's hand tightly as Kenae watched the crowd. "It's a shame you can't trust people these days," he said "I would lose my mind if something happened to her."

Boozer is a black female, about 155 pounds and 5-feet, 4-inches tall, according to police, has a blond Mohawk hairstyle and piercings in her lips, nose and eyebrow. She was last seen wearing a purple leopard print outfit, police said. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call detectives at 410-396-2100.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

An overlooked item from earlier this week: The Baltimore City Council wants to quiz Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III about police misconduct lawsuits, the Baltimore Brew reported.

... The Baltimore City Council is calling for an informational hearing on the rising rate of police-involved lawsuits.

Council members say they discovered the trend during deliberations earlier this year on the already-approved 2012 budget, which includes an additional $1.9 million to settle police lawsuits.

“We want to ask the Commisioner to come over here to talk to us about it, to look and see if there is something that could be done, some training we could initiate, that could reduce these claims,” Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke said, at the Council’s regular Monday meeting.

The Daily Record has been reporting on the apparent rising cost of police lawsuit settlements for some time, including a secretly-approved $200,000 settlement paid out to a violinist wrongly jailed on child sex abuse charges. Clarke co-sponsored this week's resolution, but Councilwoman Belinda Conaway had first spoken out in March. "It's got to stop," Conaway said. Settlements of such cases totaled more than $7.25 million from mid-2007 to mid-2010, the Daily Record reported at the time, and the city had already paid out $800,000 in the first two months of 2011.

Add at least another $100,000 to that total, with the city approving that amount to a 65-year-old man who said he was arrested, beaten and detained by officers who mistook his cigarette for drugs.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Maryland State Police are seeking a man charged with pushing his girlfriend out of a vehicle that was traveling 60 mph along Interstate 95 earlier this week. The 27-year-old woman "bounced on the road several times," police said, but she managed to crawl to the side.

The woman was seriously injured and is being treated at Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Police identified the suspect as Dante A. Williams, 36, who lives at several locations in Baltimore, Brooklyn and Catonsville.

He is charged in a warrant with attempted first-degree murder and assault, and police said they believe he is armed with a knife.

The incident occurred about 6 p.m. Tuesday on southbound I-95 near I-195, the exit to the airport. Police said he was in a borrowed Ford Explorer with his girlfriend and his 14-month-old son from another relationship. Police said Williams and his girlfriend argued and he struck her in the eye and threatened with her a knife.
 
"The victim said she pleaded with Williams to pull over and let her out, but he refused," police said in a statement. "She said she unlatched her seat belt and opened the door, continuing to ask Williams to pull over. The victim said Williams grabbed her and pushed her out of the door of the moving SUV."

Anyone with information about the location of Dante Williams is urged to contact Maryland State Police immediately at 410-780-2700, or call 911. Police describe the suspect only as a black male standing 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore County
        

The 20-year-old man accused of shooting at Baltimore police officer with a rifle this week had long-term aspirations to shoot someone and remarked that he “felt nothing” after injuring the officer, court records show.

Police arrested and charged Chey Jordan with attempted murder for the Tuesday night shooting, and Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III said a motive for the attack was unclear. Bealefeld said, however, that in interviews with detectives, Jordan showed a strong disdain for police and had “no love lost for the Baltimore Police Department.”

In charging documents, homicide detective Brian Kershaw wrote that police were contacted by a witness who had been with Jordan the night of the shooting and saw a rifle in the backseat of his vehicle. The witness went into an apartment in the 1100 block of Cooks Lane and heard several gunshots, then saw Jordan disassembling his rifle, records show.

“At that time, Chey Jordan stated, ‘Is it bad that I don’t feel anything?’” Kershaw wrote in charging documents.

Jordan was ordered held without bond at a bail review Friday morning.

Read more here. 

Posted by Justin Fenton at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

The governor's office has just announced the retirement of Col. Terrence B. Sheridan, the superintendent of the Maryland State Police. He's pictured here with Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III at a news conference in April.

The current chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority police, Marcus Brown, a former Baltimore city police commander, will take over as state police superintendent.

We're just starting to report the story. Here is a statement from the governor:

Governor Martin O’Malley today announced the retirement of Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel Terrence B. Sheridan.  Colonel Sheridan was appointed Superintendent by Governor O’Malley in June, 2007.  During a law enforcement career that began with the Maryland State Police and then Chief of the Baltimore County Police Department, before becoming Superintendent, Colonel Sheridan has served the citizens of Maryland for 46 years.  Ensuring a smooth transition in leadership, Governor O’Malley announced that Marcus L. Brown, currently chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police, will replace Colonel Sheridan as MSP Superintendent effective August 1st.

“There is no more important responsibility of our state, local or municipal governments than that of public safety,” Governor O’Malley said.  “Colonel Sheridan has done a tremendous job leading the more than 2,500 employees of the Maryland State Police.  With 46 years of law enforcement experience, Colonel Sheridan helped strengthened our relationship with local, state and federal law enforcement to improve public safety and homeland security.” 

“It has been a great honor and privilege to lead the dedicated hard working men and women of the Maryland State Police,” said Colonel Sheridan.  “Working with our federal, state and local partners, we have made important strides in improving public safety during these challenging times.  I look forward to spending more time with my family and pursuing other career opportunities.”

“I am humbled by Governor O’Malley’s decision to allow me to lead the men and women of the Maryland State Police,” said Chief Brown.  “Colonel Sheridan has made significant achievements over the last several years and I look forward to building on those accomplishments and continuing to serve the citizens of Maryland with professionalism.”

Prior to becoming Superintendent, Sheridan served as Chief of the Baltimore County Police Department, a position he held for more than 11 years.  Before leading Baltimore County’s police force, Sheridan worked in the Baltimore County Public School System as the Executive Assistant for Student Safety.  Before that, Sheridan served for 30 years with the Maryland State Police, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Chief of the Bureau of Drug Enforcement.  In his career, Sheridan worked in patrol, internal affairs with the Maryland State Police and Division of Corrections, special operations, criminal intelligence and criminal investigations.

Colonel Sheridan’s accomplishments include: 

• Firearms Enforcement Task Forces - Organized gun task forces with local, state and federal partnerships.  Four task forces are currently in operation in the Baltimore, Prince George’s County, Hagerstown, and Salisbury regions. 
• DNA program milestones - Oversaw Governor O’Malley’s commitment to eliminate the backlog of more than 24,000 convicted offender DNA samples.  Since 2007, the number of convicted offender profiles entered into the database has more than tripled.  
• Statewide interoperability program – Oversaw procurement and implementation of a statewide communication infrastructure that would enable first responders in all 24 Maryland jurisdictions to communicate with each other.  The first of five regions in Maryland is expected to be operational in the near future.   
• CAD/RMS Approval - Implemented a plan to provide the Maryland State Police with a modern computer dispatch and records management system.  All public safety and criminal justice partners including police, fire, emergency medical services, aviation, courts, and other related systems can be served by the system, significantly enhancing the efficiency and decision making of the State's dispatchers, officers, analysts, and administrators.
• Gang Elimination Task Force - Established the Gang Elimination Task Force Project, which serves as the lead in a centralized information clearinghouse for sharing criminal gang related law enforcement information in the Mid-Atlantic region. 
• License Plate Recognition Program (LPR) - Currently, there are 122 networked LPR systems from 38 law enforcement agencies.  Maryland is the first state in the nation to create a centralized statewide network for LPR systems. 
• Regional Automated Property Information Database (RAPID) - In 2009, the RAPID database was created under the supervision of the Maryland State Police.  In 2010, police made almost 500 arrests and recovered $5.2 million in stolen property with the assistance of the database. 
• New Hagerstown Barrack Under Construction - Construction is underway on a $10 million, 33,000-square feet building that will more than triple the size of the existing Maryland State Police Hagerstown Barrack.  It will house also house an expanded satellite crime lab and enable law enforcement agencies to be co-located by providing office space for the Maryland Natural Resources Police and the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM). 
• Warrant Apprehension Task Forces - MSP is a key partner in two multi-agency/multi-jurisdictional warrant task forces operating in the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan areas.  The efforts of these units provide significant assistance to the Governor’s goal of reducing violent crime in Maryland. 
• Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center – Helped increase MSP’s role in this cooperative law enforcement center which is committed to preventing terrorist acts or other types of major criminal activity in Maryland. 
• Auto Theft Task Forces – Participated in the operation of two multi-agency / multi-jurisdictional auto theft task forces, the Washington Area Vehicle Enforcement (WAVE) and Baltimore Regional Auto Theft Task Force (RATT).  The Maryland Vehicle Theft Prevention Council, which provides grant funding across the state for auto theft enforcement and prevention initiatives, is an agency of the Maryland State Police.
• Work Zone Automated Speed Enforcement Program - Oversaw implementation of this program to reduce highway fatalities and injuries that occur in work zone regions and increasing safety for both motorists and highway workers. 
• Automating State Police Licensing Division - In 2010, the Maryland State Police began automating the processes associated with the tasks performed by the Licensing Division.
 
Marcus L.  Brown has served as the chief of the MDTA Police since 2007.  Chief Brown previously served as the Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the Baltimore Police Department, responsible for over 3,000 officers and all operational units.  During his career with the Baltimore Police Department, his commands included the Northwest Patrol District, the Special Weapons and Tactics Team, the Narcotics Unit and the Internal Affairs Unit as well as assignments to the Legal Affairs Unit and the Training Academy.

Chief Brown is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and the University Of Baltimore School Of Law.  He is a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Executive Institute and serves on the Maryland State Sentencing Commission.

Chief Brown is an active credentialed Assessor for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).  He is a certified facilitator for Franklin Covey’s The Nobility of Policing Workshop and currently serves as the 2nd Vice President of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association.

Accomplishments of MDTA Police under Chief Brown include:
• The MDTA Police have been repeatedly recognized by the TSA and the US Coast Guard for their efforts to provide security and law enforcement services at the BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and the Port of Baltimore during the last four years. 
• The number of traffic crashes occurring on Authority roadways has consistently declined on an annual basis over the past four years resulting in recognition from Maryland’s Office of Highway Safety.
• The Department’s License Plate Recognition (LPR) program was expanded and the Electronic Enforcement Unit was created during Chief Brown’s tenure which resulted in the apprehension of numerous violators, fugitives and the recovery of stolen vehicles.
• The MDTA Police play a vital role in Governor O’Malley sponsored Statewide 700 MHz Radio System Project and Computer Aided Dispatch /Records Management System (CAD/RMS) Project. The Statewide 700 MHz Radio system project will allow police and other public service agencies to have interoperability throughout Maryland. The CAD system will enhance police dispatch capabilities by providing timely, accurate, complete and up-to-date information to officers in the field. 
• Chief Brown, in an effort to ensure that all law enforcement activities were conducted in a non-biased manner, created the Department’s Non-Biased Policing Section.  The unit coordinates related training which includes the U.S. Department of Justice Non-Biased Policing Training Curriculum.  Additionally, command level training was conducted at the New York Museum of Tolerance and “train-the-trainer” course from the Tolerance Center of Los Angeles.  Under Chief Brown, the MDTA Police became active participants in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Law Enforcement and Society: Lessons of the Holocaust program.
• The MDTA Police is a nationally accredited police department through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).  In order to be accredited, member agencies must meet over 400 standards that represent “best practices” in law enforcement. Due to Chief Brown’s leadership, the MDTA Police will become accredited in CALEAS’s Communications and Training Academy programs resulting in receipt of the prestigious Tri-Arc Award.
• Chief Brown has strongly encouraged the MDTA Police to participate in many community oriented events.  The MDTA Police organized the Ft. McHenry Tunnel Run and the ICC run, both supporting the Maryland Special Olympics. The MDTA Police continues to participate annually in the “Toys for Tots” campaign during the holiday season. 
• The MDTA Police served as a host agency for the annual National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) Conference in 2010 and the regional NOBLE “Blessing of the Badge” event.  Additionally, the MDTA Police hosted the Mid-Atlantic Association of Women in Law Enforcement (MAAWLE) Annual Training Conference in 2010.  During both conferences, Chief Brown provided opening remarks and facilitated workshops on the Nobility of Policing.

 

Posted by Peter Hermann at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Top brass
        

Justin Fenton reports:

Baltimore police say a 20-year-old man with a grudge against the department was the gunman who fired a rifle from at a Southwestern District patrol officer on Tuesday night. The officer was spared from serious injury when the bullet grazed him and struck his service weapon.

Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III said detectives received a break in the mysterious case when a community member phoned in a tip Thursday morning that two possible suspects were in a vehicle in the neighborhood.

Chey Jordan, of the 1100 block of Cooks Lane, has been charged with attempted murder. Bealefeld declined to give a specific motive for the shooting, saying officers had conflicting accounts from the suspect.

What was clear, Bealefeld said, is that Jordan had “no love lost for the Baltimore Police Department” and had a “large animus” for city officers. The officer, who was not identified, is a five-year veteran and was hospitalized with graze wounds.

“It’s a miracle that our officer was not more seriously injured,” Bealefeld said.

For more detail:

Bealefeld said there was no indication that Jordan or the other man knew the officer or had any interactions with him. Court records do not indicate that Jordan had any prior arrests.

According to a Facebook page for a man named Chey Jordan from Baltimore, he attended Milford Mill Academy and lists the United States Army as his employer.

Bealefeld praised the residents who called in the tip to city police.

“I want to emphasize, the incredible speed at which we held this dangerous person accountable is a result of fantastic cooperation from neighborhood residents,” the commissioner said. He said police can get “dramatic results” when the community helps police.

The unidentified officer was working in the Southwestern District when he responded about 11:40 p.m. to a domestic violence call in the 1100 block of Cooks Lane, just south of Gwynns Falls Park. Bealefeld said the officer was talking to people involved with the call when he heard what sounded like fireworks and realized he had been struck.

The bullet, which Bealefeld described as full metal jacket ammunition, struck the handle of his service weapon, and fragments hit his stomach just below his body armor. Bealefeld said the ammunition had the potential to pierce that armor, causing more serious injury.

The officer was treated and released from Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

At some point Thursday morning, police received a tip that a vehicle possibly involved in the shooting was in the area again, police said.

Police say Jordan and another person tried to flee but were apprehended by officers. Inside the vehicle, police found a telescopic lens for a rifle, Bealefeld said. Detectives then obtained a search warrant for a home in the 1100 block of Cooks Lane and found dismantled pieces of an SKS rifle.

The second man was not charged.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

The Baltimore Police Department has seen its share of lawsuits - see departing Daily Record reporter Brendan Kearney's reporting on the topic - but this one stands out. Tania Baker, who is representing herself in a suit filed in U.S. District Court this week, believes Central District officers are tapping her phone and following her around. In a line you'll likely never see again in a federal lawsuit, Baker asserts that she has no criminal record that would "warrant me being followed around like a bad smelling fart. ... Are they out of their mind??" We don't mean to undermine her claims if they are indeed true, but... well ... for a bit of levity, read on:

Posted by Justin Fenton at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

From the U.S. Attorney's Office:

U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Raymond Moore, a/k/a “Money,” age 20, of Baltimore, today to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute powder and crack cocaine.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Theresa R. Stoop of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein; and  Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III.

“This investigation has significantly reduced the violence in the 4 X 4 area of Baltimore,” says ATF Special Agent in Charge Theresa Stoop, “ATF and the Baltimore Police Department have put several career offenders like Raymond Moore 'out of business,' where their next destination will be federal prison.”

According to Moore’s plea agreement, the indictment and other court documents, from at least June 2009 through August 2010, Moore was part of a drug distribution organization that operated in the Northeast Baltimore neighborhood known as the “4x4." The “4x4” is a small, relatively closed neighborhood consisting of four streets running north-south and four streets running east-west. Ravenwood, Elmora, Lyndale and Elmley Avenues all run east and west and are one-way streets. Greenview, St. Cloud, Highview and Longview Avenues all run north and south and are two-way streets. The area is bordered on the east and west ends by Edison Highway and Belair Road, respectively. 

According to his plea and other court documents, law enforcement overheard Moore and his co-conspirators discussing their drug activities.  Moore admits that during the time of the conspiracy he distributed crack and powder cocaine, collected money from drug customers and distributors, and cooperating with and furthered the drug trafficking activities of other members of the drug conspiracy.  Moore admits that he during the time of the conspiracy, he was responsible for the distribution of 280 grams or more of crack cocaine, and 5 kilograms or more of powder cocaine .

Posted by Justin Fenton at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: East Baltimore
        

[UPDATE, 11:15 A.M. Police say that the preliminary investigation reveals the shooting may have been accidental and police are conferring with prosecutors.]

[Read more on Harvell here from Matt Bracken at The Sun's Recruit Report sports blog.]

An 18-year-old fatally shot in the Brooklyn Homes housing project on Wednesday afternoon was identified as Marcus Harvell, a basketball standout at a South Baltimore high school.

Investigators said the shooting occurred just before 3 p.m. Wednesday inside a building in the 900 block of Herndon Court in South Baltimore. Harvell was shot in the chest and was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead at 3:57 p.m., police said.

Harvell was a 6-foot-5 forward for Masonville Cove Academy in Brooklyn, where The Sun's Recruiting Report blogger Matt Bracken said he was generating serious interest from junior colleges. 

Coach William Russell told Matt in October that other city coaches told him that Harvell was one of “the most athletic big men in the city.”

According to top police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, officers detained and questioned two people who were on the scene and appeared to be trying to leave the building. As of Thursday morning, police say no suspects have been arrested. Harvell did not have an adult criminal record, court records show.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
Categories: South Baltimore
        

Baltimore's police commissioner has weathered storm after storm - constantly, it seems, forced to address everything from crime to corruption allegations in his department.

One of his friends died in a car crash, one officer shot and killed another in a case of mistaken identity, an off-duty officer killed an unarmed Marine outside a bar, and 50 officers have been implicated in kickback scheme involving a towing company. That's just the last year, and many observers - both within the department and outside - wonder how much more Frederick H. Bealefeld III can withstand.

Today, Justin Fenton explores the stress in the aftermath of the latest scandal -- a police officer charged with running a heroin network. City officials say they've brought the problems into the light and are addressing them, sometimes demonstrably, as in the case of Bealefeld personally taking the badges of officers implicated in the towing scandal. But the fact that the problems exist and continue is for others evidence of problems of supervision.

For his part, Bealefeld still has the support of elected officials and his police union.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she is "confident in his leadership. ... We live in the real world. I don't think there's an industry where there are no bad actors — you couldn't name one. For me, it's about making sure that people understand that we're not going to turn a blind eye to corruption for fear of embarrassment."

"The police commissioner has clearly taken adequate steps once a situation arises where the integrity of our officers is called into question, making clear he won't tolerate any of that," said Robert Cherry, the president of the city police union. "I think he deserves credit for that."

But others within the department who spoke to Fenton on background, as well as those plugged into the community, said the incidents are collectively snowballing for the city's top cop.

"I would have to use the scenario of a baseball team — you might have a good manager, but sooner or later you can't get rid of the nine players or the whole team," said Larry Young, the influential radio host and former state senator. "I think the ice is getting thin."

"We keep having these things happening," said Marvin "Doc" Cheatham, the former head of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP. "Fred has to account for it, and all of these signs point to there being a serious leadership problem within the Police Department."

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Northwest Baltimore, Top brass
        

Baltimore police are questioning a possible suspect in the shooting of a city officer who was wounded while responding to a domestic violence call on Tuesday night, according to a department spokesman.

The spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, released no other immediate details pending formal charges.

The officer, a five-year veteran on the midnight shift in the Southwestern District, was grazed in the hip by a bullet as he stepped out of his patrol car after arriving at a call in the 1100 block of Cooks Lane, just south of Gwynns Falls Park. The shooting occurred about 11:40 p.m.

The officer was treated and released from Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Detectives are still trying to determine what prompted the shooting; they said earlier they do not believe it was related to the domestic violence call.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

A Baltimore police officer was arrested over the weekend after firing a gun at a vehicle at her estranged boyfriend's home in Northeast Baltimore, officials said.

Lynette Glover, 35, a seven-year veteran assigned to the personnel section, was charged July 16 with malicious destruction of property, discharging a firearm, and other handgun-related offenses, court records show.

Detective Nicole Monroe, a city police spokeswoman, said Glover arrived at the man's house, in the 4700 block of Parkwood Ave. at 1 a.m. and shot out the window of a vehicle belonging to a visitor. Glover has been suspended and is free on $100,000 bond.  

Posted by Justin Fenton at 7:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Northeast Baltimore
        

A human skull found on a beach in Kent County belonged to man who was killed with blunt force trauma to the head, Maryland State Police said on Wednesday.

Beyond that, police say they have little information about the identity of the victim or of any people who might be responsible. In a statement, police said they believe the victim was killed sometime this year.

Authorities said a man walking along Tolchester Beach found the skull about 3:30 p.m. Monday. An autopsy determined the man been killed the death has been ruled a homicide. Police said they are reaching out to other law enforcement agencies “to check missing person files.”

Statement from Maryland State Police:

A Maryland State Police homicide investigation has been initiated after an examination by forensic experts of a human skull found Monday on a Kent County beach has determined the victim was murdered.

The skull was found by a man walking on Tolchester Beach in Kent County, not far from the Chesapeake Bay shoreline, shortly before 3:30 p.m. on July 18, 2011. After processing the recovery scene at the beach, Maryland State Police criminal investigators had the skull transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an examination and autopsy. 

Forensic experts in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled today the death was a homicide and the victim had trauma to the head. The medical examiner’s findings also stated the victim’s skull was consistent with a male. A forensic doctor estimated the victim’s death is believed to have occurred sometime in 2011.  

Investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit have initiated an investigation into the murder. Information has been communicated to police departments throughout the region and requests have been made to check missing person files for potential persons matching the currently available victim information. Additional forensic tests are continuing. Evidence obtained at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will be reviewed and used to further the investigation into whom this person is and who was responsible for his death. 

Anyone who may have information about who this person is or who was responsible for his death is urged to contact Maryland State Police investigators immediately at 410-758-1101.  

Posted by Peter Hermann at 4:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Crime elsewhere
        

A man who was stabbed Tuesday afternoon in West Baltimore near Harlem Park died from his injuries, police said.

Police were called to the 800 block of N. Gilmor St. at about 4:30 p.m. and found medics working on the victim in the middle of the street. He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead at about 5:20 p.m. Additional details, including his identity, weren't immediately available.

The killing is the 25th fatal stabbing this year in Baltimore, surpassing the total stabbing deaths in all of last year when 24 people were killed by knives or sharp objects, according to police records. Overall shootings - including non-fatal shootings - are up for the year, and the Police Department does not keep statistics on non-fatal stabbings, so it's hard to pinpoint whether this is a genuine trend of knives becoming more prevalent. 

Overall homicides are up, with 116 people killed as of yesterday compared with 110 at the same time last year. Among them: one undisclosed homicide, the fatal shooting of Omar Richardson on July 14 in the 2100 block of Homewood Ave. Police reported the shooting, but it was not known until today that he had died. Richardson celebrated his 24th birthday a day earlier.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: West Baltimore
        

Readers of Crime Scenes know that I've gone on a rant in the past few days over how we covered Sunday's killing in Pigtown. People demanded we do more, and complained that we failed to tell the whole story in the shooting's immediate aftermath.

We reported the story out and it appears in today's editions.

Reporters Nick Madigan and Don Markus confirmed what many in the community thought -- the victim was a convicted drug dealer (guilty findings in a drug distribution and a drug possession case), and had been out on bail on another drug case when he was killed.

We also learned much more. That police think Sunday's shooting was related to another killing two weeks earlier, and both stemmed from a year-old dispute. We couldn't learn why prosecutors had dropped so many charges against the victim in years past, but that the current state's attorney had upgraded misdemeanor charges to a felony and had the victim on their rador.

We also heard, by pulling a court file, from the victim's mother, who had written a judge pleading for mercy for her son. At the time, charges were pending in connection with a 2009 police raid on her house in which cops said they found two handguns and drug packaging material.

The victim's lawyer said prosecutors had to drop those charges because the police had only described suspected drug dealing on the street, but could not link it to the home. The mother said the guns were hers -- legally registered in her name -- and not her sons. That's a little more insight into why authorities had a tough time putting the victim away before he became another murder stat and a blemish to Pigtown.

Here are some details from the police raid in 2009, from a police report: 

PROPERTY RECOVERED:
1. BLACK CASE CONT.(12) 9MM ROUNDS
2. TAURUS MILLENNIUM 9MM HANDGUN WITH TWO MAGAZINES MODEL PT111           (SERIAL #TYG11486)
3. BERSA MINI 9 FIRESTORM 9MM HANDGUN WITH ONE MAGAZINE                   (SERIAL #745253)
4. PURPLE CIGAR TUBE WITH 2 PARTIALLY SMOKED HAND ROLLED CIGARS CONT.     GREEN PLANT MATERIAL (SUSPECTED MARIJUANA).
5. PROBATION CARD - RASHEED ABDULLAH
6. VARIOUS PERSONAL PAPERS
7. REMINGTON GOLDEN SABER BOX CONT. (1) 9MM ROUND
8. BLACK PLASTIC BAG WITH NARCOTICS PACKAGING, A SCALE WITH RESIDUE    (SUSPECTED HEROIN), A CARD BOX, 2 STRAINERS WITH RESIDUE          (SUSPECTED HEROIN), A SPOON CONT. RESIDUE (SUSPECTED HEROIN), AND A    DECK OF CARDS CONT RESIDUE (HEROIN)
9. SET OF HOUSE KEYS - RASHEED ABDULLAH
10.BOX OF (39) AMERICAN EAGLE 9MM ROUNDS

ON 5-14-09 AT 1730HRS THIS DET. ALONG WITH DET.'S FROM VCID - WS2 EXECUTED A SEARCH WARRANT AT 1121 SOUTH CAREY STREET. THE WARRANT WAS SIGNED BY THE HONORABLE JUDGE MANN 1 MAY 2009. UPON APPROACHING THE FRONT OF THE DWELLING DET.'S LOCATED MR.RASHEED ABDULLAH (M-B-12-12-89), RUSSUN BROOKS (M-B-12-14-88), GREGROY LEMON (M-B8-13-85), AND MYRON HENRY (M-B-8-14-81). ALL INDIVIDUALS WERE DETAINED. AS DET.'S WERE APPROACHING THE DOOR MR RASHEED ABDULLAH YELLED "I CAN GET THE DOOR I LIVE HERE."

DET.'S APPROACHED THE DOOR AND BEGAN KNOCKING YELLING "POLICE POLICE SEARCH WARRANT". AFTER NOT RECEIVING AND ANSWER FORCE WAS USED TO GAIN ENTRY. UPON GAINING ENTRY DET.'S LOCATED MS. LASHAUN SCOTT (F-B-11-29-75) STANDING IN THE HALLWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STEPS. MS. SCOTT WAS DETAINED. DET.'S THEN CONTINUED TO SECURE THE DWELLING. ONCE THE DWELLING WAS DEEMED SAFE AND SECURE ALL PERSONS WERE DETAINED IN THE LIVING ROOM AND ADVISED OF THEIR "MIRANDA" RIGHTS BY THIS DET. AT 1740HRS. ALL INDIVIDUALS VERBALLY ADVISED THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD THEIR  RIGHTS. THIS DET. THEN ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING IN THE HOUSE THAT DET.'S SHOULD BE ADVISED OF? MS. SCOTT ADVISED THAT SHE HAD TWO HANDGUNS IN THE CLOSET OF THE FRONT BEDROOM THAT SHE SHARED WITH MR. ABDULLAH. DET.S ALONG WITH MS. SCOTT RESPONDED TO THE FRONT BEDROOM. LOCATED IN THE FRONT BEDROOM CLOSET WAS A BLACK CASE CONT. (12) 9MM ROUNDS, A TAURUS MILLENNIUM 9MM HANDGUN MODEL PT111 WITH TWO EMPTY MAGAZINES(SERIAL #TYG11486) AND A BERSA MINI 9 FIRESTORM 9MM HANDGUN WITH ONE EMPTY MAGAZINE (SERIAL #745253). ONCE THE CASE WAS RECOVERED DET.'S FOUND THE CASE UNSECURED AND THE HANDGUNS HAD NO TYPE OF LOCKING MECHANISM. THE HANDGUNS WERE READILY AVAILABLE TO ANYONE IN THE HOUSE.

ONCE THE HANDGUNS WERE SECURED DET.'S THEN BEGAN A SEARCH OF THE LOCATION.

LOCATED IN THE FRONT BEDROOM  BY DET. ROSEBOROUGH (MS. SCOTT'S AND MR. ABDULLAH'S BEDROOM) IN THE TOP OF THE RIGHT BED POST WAS A PURPLE CIGAR TUBE WITH 2 PARTIALLY SMOKED HAND ROLLED CIGARS CONT.GREEN PLANT MATERIAL (SUSPECTED MARIJUANA). LOCATED IN THE FRONT BEDROOM IN THE TOP OF THE LEFT BED POST WAS A PROBATION CARD IN MR. ABDULLAH'S NAME.

LOCATED BY DET. LIND IN THE FRONT BEDROOM CLOSET WAS A SAFE CONT. PERSONAL PAPERS IN MS. SCOTT'S NAME AND A REMINGTON GOLDEN SABER BOX. CONT. 1 9MM ROUND.

LOCATED BY DET. GARNER IN THE KITCHEN WAS VARIOUS PAPER WORK

LOCATED IN THE BASEMENT BY DET. GARNER WAS A BOX OF (39) AMERICAN EAGLE ROUNDS.

SEARCH INCIDENT TO THE ARREST REVEALED THAT MR. ABDULLAH WAS IN POSSESION OF THE KEYS TO THE LOCATION ALONG WITH KEYS TO A 99 ACCURA (MD TAG 7DRB89). SGT. AMADOR AND K9 "DJ #2495" RESPONDED TO THE SCENE AND CONDUCTED A SCAN OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE SCANNING THE VEHICLE A POSITIVE ALERT WAS MADE ON THE TRUNK. DET.'S THEN USED THE KEY AND RECOVERED FROM THE TRUNK A BLACK PLASTIC BAG. WITH NARCOTICS PACKAGING, AND A STRAINER WITH RESIDUE (SUSPECTED HEROIN).

WHILE BEING DETAINED OUTSIDE MR. ABDULLAH WITH OUT BEING PROMPTED ADVISED DET. ROSEBOROUGH THAT HIS GIRLFRIEND HAD TWO REGISTERED HANDGUNS IN THE HOUSE.

AFTER THE PROPERTY WAS RECOVERED MR. ABDULLAH ADVISED THAT THE RECOVERED CDS IN THE HOUSE AND THE CAR BELONGED TO HIM. MR. ABDULLAH WAS ARRESTED.

ALL PROPERTY WAS RECOVERED AND SUBMITTED TO ECU BY DET. ROSEBOROUGH. ALL EVENTS OCCURRED IN BALTIMORE, MD.

PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN OF THE LOCATION AND THE PROPERTY RECOVERED.

A COPY OF THE WARRANT WITH THE PROPERTY LISTING WAS LEFT WITH MS. SCOTT WHO WAS NOT ARRESTED DUE TO A MEDICAL CONDITION.

AS A MEMBER OF THE BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT I HAVE HAD OVER 50HRS OF TRAINING AND MADE OVER 800CDS IN MY 6 YEARS AS A BALTIMORE POLICE OFFICER.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 6:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

The Baltimore police officer charged with running his own drug ring was so brazen, federal prosecutors say in court papers backing up an indictment filed Tuesday, that they say he dealt drugs from the parking lot of the Northwestern District station.

It's just one of the details contained in 50-page affidavit that details part of the FBI investigation that included wiretaps on phones and surveillance. Read Justin Fenton's full story here. And here is one part about the stationhouse:

Authorities charge Baltimore Police Officer Daniel Redd with running a suspected heroin organization with Tamim Mamah, also known as Abdul Zakaria. On March 31, at 9:55 a.m., the FBI says it intercepted this telephone conversation:

Mamah: Where you say you want me to meet you at?
Redd: At my building. Not down where, where I work, at but at the building. You know how you meet me on the lot?
Mamah: Yeah
Redd: No, not down, not down at Park Heights. Up at the building.
Mamah: Oh, okay, okay, okay, alright, okay
Redd: Up near the five mile, you know up there at my station.

FBI: "Subsequent law enforcement video surveillance observed Redd leaving the Northwest District Police Station, located at 5271 Reisterstown Road, while in full police uniform, retrieving something fromhis car, the 2004 Acura TL, and placing it in his jacket pokcet. Redd was then observed walking to another part of the parking lot. ... I believe that Redd and Mamah met in the Baltimore City Northwest District Police Station parking lot so that Redd could give Mamah a quantity of heroin."

Here are some of the latest scandals to hit city police:

February -- Federal authorities arrest 17 city officers and two owners of a towing company as part of a what prosecutors described as scheme in which drivers of damaged or disabled cars were steered to a repair shop in exchange for kickbacks for police. Five police officers and the owners have pleaded guilty. Court documents implidate as many as 50 officers.

2006 -- A sergeant and six plainclothes officers in the Southeastern District were accused of embellishing or making up cases to obtain arrest warrants. None of the officers were charged with crimes and it's unclear what, if anything, happened with the internal investigation.

2006 -- Two Baltimore police detectives were sentenced to each serve more than a century in prison for shaking down drug dealers for money, and stealing cocaine and heroin for their informants. They argued that their tactics were widely used and endorsed as part of legitimate undercover work.

2005 -- Police commanders disbanded the Southwestern District's "Flex Squad" after an officer was charged with raping a woman in the police station. Detectives reported finding drugs haphazardly kept in desk drawers and evidence that members had been planting contraband on suspects. Nothing ever came of the broader investigation into the squad.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Courts and the justice system
        

A gunman opened fire on a Baltimore police officer as he stepped out of his patrol car at a domestic violence call Tuesday night, grazing his hip, according to a statement from a city Police Department spokesman.

Few details were made available this morning. Police said the shooting occurred about 11:40 p.m. in the 1100 block of Cooks Lane, near the southern edge of Gwynns Falls Park, about a quarter-mile from Security Boulevard and Forest Park Avenue.

The Southwestern District officer, who has been on the force five years, was treated at Maryland Shock Trauma Center and was to have been released, according to police. No one is in custody at this time.

Police said in the statement that the officer had responded to a domestic violence call and was “fired upon by an unknown individual” when he got out of his cruiser. It’s not clear whether the shooting was related to the call.

A news conference has been scheduled for noon at city police headquarters.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 6:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

UPDATE, 6:15 P.M. For the full report, with details from court records, click here.

A Baltimore City police officer has been charged in a drug dealing conspiracy, officials confirmed.

The officer, Daniel G. Redd, was taken into custody Tuesday at the Northwest District police station. Details of the case were not immediately available, but law enforcement sources say Redd has been under suspicion for years.

An indictment was expected to be unsealed later today, while Redd was scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court at 1:30 p.m.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed that the FBI began investigating Redd at their request.

“We brought it to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to send a very clear message that corruption and potential criminal misconduct will not be tolerated in the police department,” Guglielmi said. “I think our track record speaks for itself, that we’re committed to holding ourselves accountable and vigorously investigating the slightest allegations.”

Redd was first hired in 1994, but was fired in 2002 after being found asleep on the job at the reservoir at Druid Hill Park, where he was supposed to be on anti-terrorist duty, The Sun reported in 2004. Redd sued and was rehired under a court order, and the city had to pay him $75,000 in back pay.

“This is not what taxpayers of Baltimore expect from police officers,” the police department’s then-legal counsel said after Redd and another officer were disciplined. “You have to send a message to troops that gross neglect of conduct will not be tolerated.”

Posted by Justin Fenton at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Northwest Baltimore
        

Baltimore County police are seeking help from light rail passengers in identifying people who may have witnessed a double stabbing that occurred at the Patapsco Avenue station. It occurred Saturday shortly before midnight.

Baltimore County police said in a statement:

Officers responded to the light rail station in the 700-block of West Patapsco Avenue, 21227 for an armed robbery call. Two victims, a 27-year-old male and a 19-year-old male, were walking to the buses when they were confronted by a group of suspects. Both victims were stabbed multiple times and had their cell phones and other personal property taken during the robbery. 

The 19-year-old victim boarded an MTA bus and left the light rail station. He was taken to a local firehouse for treatment. Both victims were transported to Shock Trauma for treatment of serious injuries. A third victim, a 45-year-old male, tried to intervene to stop the robbery and was punched. He did not require medical treatment for his injuries. 

The suspect believed to be responsible for the stabbing is described as a black male, approximately 16 to 17 years old. The suspect and the rest of the group with him fled the location prior to police arrival and were last seen on foot headed towards the Cherry Hill area of Baltimore City. 

Detectives were able to retrieve surveillance photographs of two individuals who may be able to provide information in the case and are asking for the public’s help in identifying these individuals. 
 
Anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts of the suspect is asked to call Baltimore County Police at 410-307-2020 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587). To text a message to Metro Crime Stoppers, send to "CRIMES" (274637), then enter the message starting with "MCS," or e-mail a tip to Metro Crime Stoppers. Those contacting Metro Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Baltimore County
        

Baltimore police say a 16-year-old boy has been charged in a shooting that seriously injured two security guards patrolling a North Baltimore apartment complex.

Keymo Tubias Martin Jr. was arrested Monday night by the regional Warrant Apprehension Task Force and charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder for his role in the shooting, which occurred July 14 in the 2800 block of Matthews St, in the Better Waverly community.

A 32-year-old female security guard, who was shot in the eye, has been released from a hospital but is expected to require additional surgeries related to her injuries. The 38-year-old male victim, who was shot in the chest, remains hospitalized, police said.

Patch.com reported today that the female officer's 9 mm handgun was stolen after she was shot, and the attack is listed as an armed robbery in police records.

Police are still searching for a second suspect, described as being a black male in his 20s, 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9, of light complexion with short hair and average build. He is considered armed and dangerous, police say.

Anyone with information was asked to call the Northern District Detective Unit at 410-367-3105. 

Posted by Justin Fenton at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: North Baltimore
        

From City Hall reporter Julie Scharper, at the Maryland Politics blog:

Mayoral candidate Otis Rolley said he would seek to reduce the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana, create a dollar tax on bullets and increase funding for youth recreation and jobs, as part of his plan to fight crime.

Rolley, who is slated to unveil his public safety platform Tuesday, said the city needs a "multi-faceted approach" to cutting cutting.

Rolley said he would increase police hiring and fitness standards and bolster police training, but not increase the size of the force.

"We don't need more cops. We need screened, well-trained, reasonably-compensated police," he said, adding that standards much be increased to prevent some more police department scandals.

Rolley said he would push for state legislation to make carrying a small quantity of marijuana a summary offense -- subject to a citation and fine, but no jail time. Philadelphia and Seattle have similar policies, he said.

"It takes a lot of the burden off of the court system," he said.

For more on Rolley's crime fighting proposals, click here.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: City Hall
        

Jermaine Davis was careful to wear gloves while handling his .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun, according to city prosecutors. He is a felon — convicted twice of felony drug charges — and it’s illegal for him to have a gun.

But the precautions that prosecutors say Davis took didn’t matter after he got arrested on Baltimore’s North Curley Street in January. The city State’s Attorney’s Office said they caught Davis on a recorded jailhouse telephone bragging to his girlfriend how he could beat the gun charge.

Shortly after prosecutors disclosed the recording to a judge, 29-year-old Davis pleaded guilty to possession of a gun by a convicted felon. Circuit Judge Steward R. Berger sentenced him to five years in prison.

Police say Davis, who has various addresses in West and Northwest Baltimore, was arrested Jan. 3 by officers who smelled marijuana. The officers then saw Davis put his right hand into his left inside jacket pocket, “revealing the butt of a handgun,” prosecutors said in the statement.

Davis initially pleaded not guilty to the gun charge.

“But during his pre-trial confinement,” the State’s Attorney’s Office said, “Davis betrayed himself by explaining to his girlfriend, during recorded jailhouse phone calls, that he knew his fingerprints were not on the handgun because he had been careful to wear gloves while handling it.”

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

From Baltimore and Maryland State police:

Multiple criminal and traffic charges are being filed this afternoon against a suspect who is under arrest and a Baltimore Police officer is undergoing treatment for what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries after a late morning police pursuit down the Baltimore Washington Parkway ended at an Anne Arundel County mall.

The accused is identified as Darin L. Sympton, Jr., 22, of Brooklyn Park, MD. He is being charged with possession with intent to distribute both heroin and marijuana, possession of both heroin and marijuana, fleeing and eluding, resisting arrest, multiple counts of assault, driving on a suspended/revoked license, and other traffic charges. After processing, he will be taken before a court commissioner for an initial bond hearing later tonight.

The officer from the Baltimore Police Department who was injured was involved in a single vehicle traffic crash during the pursuit. He was transported by ambulance to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

More details:

At about 11:30 a.m. today, a Maryland state trooper from the Glen Burnie Barrack was patrolling the Baltimore Washington Parkway near the city line when he observed a 1998 Honda Accord being pursued by a Baltimore Police Department patrol officer southbound on the parkway out of the city.

The trooper joined the pursuit as it headed away from the city and into Anne Arundel County.
Just south of I-195, the suspect, later identified as Sympton, apparently attempted to ram the Baltimore police officer’s patrol car. The officer took evasive action, which resulted in his car leaving the roadway and coming to rest in the median. The investigation into what occurred in that crash is still continuing.

The pursuit continued south on the parkway at speeds up to 100 mph. Sympton took the exit to the Arundel Mills Mall, striking several civilian cars as he continued into the mall parking lot. Sympton bailed out of the car near the entrance to the movie theaters and ran into the mall.
The trooper pursued Sympton on foot.

Sympton threw multiple items at the trooper as they ran through the mall. The suspect ran into a clothing store, where he was arrested by the initial pursuing trooper and other state troopers who had responded to the mall to assist. No one in the mall was injured during the pursuit and arrest.
Troopers recovered more than a dozen caplets of suspected heroin and several bags of suspected marijuana from Sympton. He was transported back to the Glen Burnie Barrack for processing.

Baltimore Police Department officers report that prior to the pursuit, Sympton had been observed participating in a suspected drug deal in the city. Due to his behavior while being observed, officers also believed he may have been armed with a gun. When the patrol officer attempted to stop Sympton, he refused to stop and the pursuit was initiated.

 A gun has not been recovered at this time. Troopers will be processing the car the suspect was driving for that and other evidence. The car was not stolen, but was not registered to Sympton. 

Posted by Peter Hermann at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Anne Arundel County
        

Police tell me that they've arrested a suspect in the shooting of two security guards Thursday night in North Baltimore. Few details were immediately available but police say they should have an announcement soon.

The suspect is being questioned pending formal charges. Here is some background from a previous story:

Two uniformed, armed security guards who were patrolling a townhome development near Harwood Park were shot in the 2800 block of Mathews St. at about 8:30, said Detective Donny Moses, a city police spokesman.

A 32-year-old female was shot in the right eye and a 38-year-old male guard was shot at least once in the chest, he said. Both guards were taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital and were in serious condition Thursday night, he said.

Police do not know how many people were involved or what caused the shooting, Moses said. The male officer returned fire but it is not known if an assailant was struck, he said. The shooting happened on the property of the Oak Hill Townhome complex and the guards worked for Assured Protection, he said.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Breaking news, North Baltimore
        

UPDATE: Baltimore Police have now identified the man killed Sunday i Pigtown. He is the man identified in the community emails: Rasheed Abdullah

Cham once again takes exception to what we do and don't publish in some crime stories. Today, it'a about Sunday's killing in Pigtown, and anger in the community over whether the victim was a drug dealer that prosecutors failed to go after. Here is her comments:

I didn't break the Sun's written rules on comment posting yesterday on this story or the imaginary Peter Hermann rules about posting additional information on the comment section. The Sun on Sunday reported that an unidentified man was shot to death in the 1200 block of Ward Street, and then, as usual, didn't give much more information because homicides to the Sun that involve black men are just numbers, streets and, if we are lucky, a name. The readers and the commenters were left with the task of adding whatever information they could muster. Did they get it right ? I don't know but I did appreciate the effort by what you snub "citizen reporters".
I put up a post mentioning that this homicide was in close proximity to another homicide ( a July 2 death that the Sun didn't even bother to report BTW) on Carey Street 2 weeks ago. But since you felt the need to once again delete comments I am unable to read the responses to my comment and all of the other rule-abiding comments. I don't like being at the mercy of your delete button.
Posted by: Cham | July 18, 2011 8:38 AM

Here is my response:

Cham, these aren't "imaginary Peter Hermann" rules, but simple guidelines of professional reporters. Yes, we published a short item on the Pigtown slaying. Yes, it could be a longer story, and it might very well be once we begin reporting.

Please keep in mind. The slaying occurred Sunday. As of this writing, police have NOT RELEASED the man's identity. His name on a community Internet blog is NOT GOOD ENOUGH for publication.
Likewise, publishing his name and a court docket list is NOT GOOD ENOUGH for publication.

The post calls him the neighborhood drug dealer. He may very well be, but until I get a name and then GO TO COURT to look up the court entries we won't call him that. He has two conviction FOR DRUG POSSESSION. A drug dealer that does not make. Yes, we want to hold police and prosecutors accountable.

But first we must examine the court filings and police reports and see if opportunities were missed, why this man seemingly continued to escape justice. We need to talk to police, to prosecutors, to the community, to the community law center. That is done BEFORE we publish a story, online or otherwise, about a suspected drug dealer being slain and any allegations that the state failed to pursue him.

That takes time. That takes reporting that begins with the allegations in the emails. You seem to think that because we fail to repeat a court docket and allegations in emails we have yet to confirm, that we have failed in our journalistic responsibilities. Actually, by holding back to get the complete story, we are upholding the tenants of our craft.

You might argue that is exactly why our industry is so threatened by the Internet. I would argue the opposite, that once people have their fill of gossip, inuendo and inaccuracies, they will flock back to the so-called "traditional media" where the events of the day can be put into proper perspective. In the end, the best way we can promote ourselves is through out integrity. We may disagree with what that means, but I fall on the side of providing a consistently accurate portrait of the day's events, being fair and upholding standards not found elsewhere.

Repeating emails and court dockets is not journalism. It is simply repeating rumors. That may satisfy the Internet minions out there, but it doesn't satisfy us, and does a disservice to people who want to understand the full story. I'm sorry that such a complete story cannot be done within minutes of a body falling. As I've stated before, the emails and allegations are where we start, not where we end.

I don't want to discourage free-form community journalism. Any and all public discussion should be encouraged, and embraced. But different forums have different standards, and everything that is posted on the Internet simply cannot be repeated in The Baltimore Sun.

Cham notes that it was up to citizen journalists to fill in the blanks left by The Baltimore Sun. She says, "Did they get it right? I don't know ... " Well, sorry, but we have to get it right. Guessing is not a luxury we have.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: South Baltimore
        

UPDATE: Baltimore Police have now identified the man killed Sunday i Pigtown. He is the man identified in the community emails: Rasheed Abdullah

The Sunday morning killing of a man in Pigtown has stirred plenty of anger on the email circuit. Residents in South Baltimore's Pigtown neighborhood are fuming that a the victim, who they allege is a drug dealer, couldn't be put away.

I've been criticized recently for failing to note the criminal past of people whose names appear in this space, and so I'll go halfway until we can report out further. Here is what Baltimore police have told us thus far:

Baltimore Police are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Sunday morning in south Baltimore. At 5:51am, officers were called to the 1200 block of Ward Street for a report of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found a 21 year old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his body. The victim died from his injuries at the scene. 

Detectives are currently canvassing the neighborhood in an attempt to locate witnesses. Anyone with information is urged to contact Baltimore Police Homicide Detectives at 410-396-2100.

As of this morning, police have not released the victim's name. Of course, people in the community have identified him as a drug dealer they were trying to evict, and they criticize prosecutors for failing to follow through.

I ran the man's name and indeed came up with a string of arrests, but only two convictions for possessing drugs. Other charges linked to alleged drug distribution and guns were not pursued by prosecutors. Yes, we will try to determine why those cases were not handled in differently. But at this moment, before the courts even open, I cannot yet pull files. We will call prosecutors and the community law center and see what happened here.

Here are some emails circulating in Pigtown. I've deleted the man's name until we get official verification from law enforcement: 

On 7/17/11, suspect(s) murdered alleged long time Pigtown drug dealer [name withheld] DOB:12/12/1989. On 6/30/11, WVDA’s President, Dan Cosgrove, attended [name withheld] last court date to make sure prosecutors did not drop his most recent felony drug charges. On 5/14/2009, Police raided [name withheld] house -- recovering drugs, guns and over $15,000. Following the raid, WVDA asked prosecutors to incarcerate him, and WVDA hired the Community Law Center (CLC) to file a nuisance abatement lawsuit to evict him from Pigtown. CLC sent a letter to the landlord, dropped the matter, and prosecutors dropped all charges related to the drug raid. Prosecutors and CLC did not listen to WVDA and now another murder has occurred in Pigtown.

There's a reason why 83% of City Police officers live in the surrounding counties.

---

At 6 a.m. in the 1200-block of Ward Street, police found a 21-year-old man shot several times in the back of the head and dead. I'm sure the so called "victim"  and "assailant" could have been in jail, should have been in jail but were set free repeatedly by City prosecutes and judges. The City learned nothing from the Stephen Pitcairn case!

Incarceration saves lives and stops violence. However, too many people in positions of power and influence, in the City, believe drug dealers are victims of society--lack of education, employment, etc.  They argue against against incarceration and make statements like, "We can't arrest our way out of the high crime rate".  I would argue we can't murder our way out of the high crime rate!!!!!

---

A WVDA sponsored crime summit will take place on 7-20-11 at 1805 Wicks Ave, Baltimore MD 21230--ST Mark's United Church of Christ.  St Mark’s church is located behind the Dunkin Donuts on Washington Blvd in Morrell Park.  The meeting will begin promptly at 7pm.  This meeting will be a closed-door meeting so very specific information can be discussed.  The agenda will be determined by who can attend.  WVDA hopes the following will attend:
 
Robert Durocher, City Housing Attorney
John Kowalczyk, SDPD
Ross Albers, ASA
Joe Clocker, Parole and Probation
Councilman, Ed Reisinger
Anyone else on this e-mail list, who cares, is also invited.
 
Please RSVP individually to confirm attendance. 

It’s our hope to discuss, Nolle Prosequi, Nuisance Abatement, Felons on City streets out on multiple probations, middle class flight, etc.  If I've missed anyone who should be extended an invitation, please forward their name and contact info.
 
Thank You,
Dan Cosgrove, President
WVDA

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: South Baltimore
        

Here's charging documents in the arrest of Nathaniel Booker, charged with abduction 8-year-old Darrick Brown Jr. and leaving him in a vacant house in hopes of obtaining a ransom of "more than $500" (A law enforcement source told The Sun this week that the kidnappers requested $30,000). Police were led to Booker after tracing his phone, the records show.

Another suspect, Raheem Taylor, remains at large. The charging document is displayed below.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

A Maryland prison has banned a book written by an inmate serving a life sentence, citing "security reasons."

In a memo circulating the Internet, the warden of the Maryland Correctional Training Center in Hagerstown said that "Marshall Law - The Life & Times of a Baltimore Black Panther" the autobiography of inmate Marshall "Eddie" Conway was being banned and should be "confiscated and disposed of ... at the inmate's expense" if found. Prison officials confirmed the authenticity of the memo.

David Rocah, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, called the book ban "flagrantly unconstitutional." 

The book came out in April, and for years there has been a campaign by supporters to get Conway, the convicted killer of Baltimore Police Officer Donald Sager, pardoned. Conway has maintained his innocence.

Rick Binetti, a spokesman for the state prison system, said the book was banned because it featured pictures of inmates without proper notifications being made to the victims of their crimes.

"[Division of Correction] procedures dictate that any inmate photographed for media/other publication purposes be cleared through the proper victim notification process. This means they check to see if there is a victim notification request by the victim or victim's family in the inmate's file requesting they be notified should there be a photo/interview/media request of the inmate," Binetti said in an e-mail. "Generally speaking, victims ask that the inmate not be allowed to be interviewed/photographed."

Rocah, of the ACLU, said the prison system's explanation didn't hold water, and its policy appears flawed.

"First, the policy giving victims of crime the power to veto interviews or pictures of inmates is totally unconstitutional.  Inmates retain a 1st Amendment right to communicate with the press, subject to reasonable rules applicable to all," Rocah said. "Second, even if it was constitutional, the failure to adhere to it is not a constitutional basis to ban the book.  Such publications can only be censored for penological reasons, such as because they pose a threat to prison security.  Here the book is being censored for reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with prison security, but because of an alleged failure to comply with a policy that is itself blatantly unconstitutional."

[Conway is being held in the Jessup Correctional Institute, not MCTC, which apparently means another inmate from MCTC appears in the book without approval.] 

Dominque Stevenson, the co-author of the book and a prison activist who works with the American Friends Service Committee, said she had heard about the ban and took it in stride. "I guess it's up to the facility to determine if it's a security threat," she said. "In my opinion, I wouldn't think it would be, but they're entitled to their own opinion or to look at it case-by-case."

Stevenson denied rumors that accompanied word of the ban that she had personally been banned from entering the MCTC.  "I was just there the other day," she said.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Prisons
        

The Baltimore Police Department has identified the officers involved in Wednesday's shooting in Northeast Baltimore.

Detective Joseph Crystal, a two-and-a-half year veteran, and Detective James McShane, a six-year veteran, were conducting a drug investigation when they approached a vehicle in the 1400 block of Fillmore Street and the driver reached for a weapon, police say. He apparently did not fire any shots.

The officers opened fire, and the driver sped off. His bullet-riddled vehicle was later located in East Baltimore, and police were notified that the man had walked in to University of Maryland Medical Center for treatment for gunshot wounds to his arm.

Police said no weapon was recovered, and it is not clear if the man has been charged with a crime.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Northeast Baltimore, Police shootings
        

"I thought, 'We're going to die either way.'"

These are the words of Elsya, the 24-year-old mother who along with her 20-month-old son was carjacked from a West Baltimore gas station (video above) Wednesday night. She managed to escape with her child Julius by jumping from the moving car during a police chase on the Washington Beltway.

Thursday night, she spoke with reporter Steve Kilar:

“I don’t know what his motive was,” Elsya said. The rest of the incident, she said, is a blur.

After shoving the woman into the backseat, he sped off, she said.

She remembers him breaking the driver’s side window with his elbow. He wagged his tongue at her and muttered “nasty stuff,” she said. She said he threatened to kill her when he realized she had a cellphone, which he threw out the window.

Finally, on the Beltway near Rockville, police said, the driver slowed and the 24-year-old woman seized the opportunity. She opened the door and jumped onto the pavement, her toddler firmly in her arms.

“I thought I was going to suffocate him, as tight as I was holding him,” said Elsya.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Crime elsewhere, West Baltimore
        

Two armed security guards were shot and seriously injured after getting into an altercation with a group of men at a North Baltimore apartment complex.  

According to various media reports, a 32-year-old female security officer was shot in the eye, while a 38-year-old male security officer was shot multiple times in the chest. Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III visited the scene and told reporters that the officers were conscious when medics arrived, and were taken to area hospitals in serious condition. 

The incident occurred at the Oak Hill townhouses in the 2800 block of Matthews Street, as the armed security officers were making their rounds, according to reports. The shooting occurred about three blocks from where a shooting occurred earlier in the day, at the intersection of Barclay Street and Whitridge Ave. Another shooting also took place less than a mile south, at the intersection of Homewood Street and Kirk Avenue. 

Posted by Justin Fenton at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: North Baltimore
        

From The Sun's John Fritze at the Maryland Politics blog:

Without ever stepping into the courtroom, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, it turns out, was inadvertently at the center of U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton’s decision to declare a mistrial Thursday in Roger Clemens' perjury trial. Or, at least, it was the use by prosecutors of a 2008 video of Cummings that was to blame.

During the baseball star's trial prosecutors played a video of the Baltimore Democrat in a congressional hearing in which he quotes from an affidavit provided by Laura Pettitte. Pettitte, the wife of Clemens’ teammate Andy Pettitte, testified that her husband told her that Clemens admitted to using a human growth hormone.

The problem is Walton had prohibited Laura Pettitte’s testimony from being used in the trial.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The man who police said robbed a Howard County gas station took pains to cover his face, but maybe he should put the same thought into his shirt. He was captured in a surveillance photo wearing a police explorer's shirt.

Here is a statement from police:

Howard County police are asking the public’s help to identify a man who robbed a gas station in Columbia and stole numerous lottery tickets, cigarettes and cash. A reward of up to $500 is being offered for information leading to the suspect’s identification and arrest.

Police responded to Shell gas station in the 9100 block of Snowden River Parkway on July 1 at 3:34 a.m. for a reported robbery.  The suspect entered the gas station displaying a gun, assaulted an employee and demanded cash. Two employees in the store complied, and the suspect exited with lottery tickets, cigarettes and cash. The suspect also stole one of the employee’s vehicles, a 2002 Oldsmobile Brevada. Police later recovered the stolen vehicle, which had been abandoned.

Neither of the employees was seriously injured in the robbery. There were no customers in the store at the time of the robbery. The suspect is described as a black male; 35 to 40 years old; approximately 5 feet, 10 inches tall; 200 pounds; wearing a gray polo shirt with “Police Explorer” written on the back, blue jeans, white tennis shoes, a black baseball hat and a red bandana covering his face. Photos are included with this news release.

Police do not believe the suspect has a connection to any regional Police Explorer programs.
Police are offering up to $500 in reward money for information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspect. If you have information, please call 410-313-STOP. Callers may remain anonymous.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Howard County
        

A 30-year-old man who was found shot in a West Baltimore alley on Tuesday has died from his injuries, police say.

Officers were dispatched at about 10:10 p.m. for a report of a serious shooting in the 1800 block of N. Pulaski St., near North Avenue, and found Jawan Vonel Weeden suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, police said. He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where police were notified today that he died of his injuries.

Police said they had no additional information about the case, which remains open. Anyone with information was asked to call homicide detectives at 410-396-2100.

Weeden's death marks the 110th person killed in Baltimore this year, compared with 109 at this time last year.

Weeden could have been in prison at the time the shooting occurred, having been sentenced to five years in prison in mid-May for a violation of his probation on a drug distribution charge. But four years, 11 months and 26 days of the sentence were suspended, and he was placed on three years supervised probation - the same punishment as his original sentence. He was hit with a new violation on July 6, court records show, which had yet to be heard.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: West Baltimore
        

The interim warden at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center, in place since a January incident that led to the indictment of five corrections officers on charges of excessive force, has been formally appointed to the position.

Carolyn Scruggs, a veteran of 16 years with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and a former District Court Commissioner, will supervise more than 500 employees. She replaces Naomi Williams, who retired after being placed on administrative leave after a 26-year-old female detainee was allegedly assaulted by corrections officers and required hospitalization. The incident was never reported by on-duty staff, including the shift commander, officials said in May.

Larry Morris, Kimberly Livingston, Shannon Rivies, Aleesha Edmond, and Terrence Taylor are tentatively scheduled to stand trial in Baltimore Circuit Court on August 30 on assault charges.

Scruggs holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Towson University and a master's degree in criminal justice administration from Coppin State University. She was on the team that developed Maryland's Automated Fingerprint Identification system and a key player in the public safety agency's offender case management system, the agency said. 

Posted by Justin Fenton at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

[UPDATE: While the New Jersey press reported that Dwek's whereabouts were previously unknown, I was pointed to a link tonight showing that the Baltimore Jewish Times had written about Dwek's local residency a full year and a half ago, link here. I regret the oversight.]

The operator of a massive Ponzi scheme and key informant in a federal corruption sting in New Jersey, which led to the arrests of dozens of politicians, public officials and rabbis, has been living in Pikesville while waiting to testify in the cases.

The information first came to light late last month in New Jersey, when Solomon Dwek, 38, was unable to take the stand in the trial of the former mayor of Secaucus, N.J. because of an arrest here. Dwek, who turned informant after being implicated in a $400 million Ponzi scheme, was charged in Baltimore with failure to return a rental car, triggering a federal judge to revoke his bail.

On Thursday, the car theft charges were dropped in Baltimore District Court. Defense attorney Marc Zayon called the case a "financial oversight with no criminal intent." He said the car had been returned to Hertz Rent-a-Car, where Dwek is a "gold" member, and all payments had been made.

But Dwek's troubles are far from over. His bail was revoked after the FBI said he lied in an affidavit when quizzed about the car theft, and a federal judge ordered him jailed over recommendations from prosecutors that he be placed on home monitoring. A $12,500 monthly stipend he was receiving from a federal bankruptcy trustee has been revoked, along with a $100-an-hour private security team.

With Dwek incarcerated, prosecutors had to move forward without his testimony in the trial of former Mayor Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, who was convicted last week of bribery but acquitted on extortion charges.

Elwell was charged with taking a $10,000 cash payment from Dwek through a middleman in exchange for his support for a purported hotel project, the New Jersey newspaper reported. Dwek played the role of a corrupt developer in the three-year sting, a high-profile case which shocked the Jewish community there.

Zayon said attorneys are "working very hard to try to get him another bail review in New Jersey and get him released back to the community."

Dwek became involved as an informant in the corruption probe after he was charged with passing a bogus $25 million check through drive-through window of a bank, then immediately withdrawing $22 million. He has been convicted of bank fraud and is awaiting sentencing in that case.

A one-time multimillionaire real estate mogul and son of a respected Monmouth County rabbi, his investment empire was later revealed to be a massive Ponzi scheme fueled by bogus mortgages and phony land deals.

He then turned informant, against public officials but also against rabbis from New Jersey to Brooklyn, which was seen by many in the Syrian Jewish community as an act of betrayal. According to media reports, his father planned to sit shiva - the traditional Jewish mourning period held after a family member dies - for his son out of disgust.

Dwek was under heavy security during his court appearances, and had been reported to be hiding out with his wife and six children since his role as an informant went public.

Zayon said Dwek has been living in the Pikesville area for about a year. He declined to comment on whether Dwek has been working or involved in the community here.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore County, Crime elsewhere
        

In an earlier post here I lashed out at readers who complain that we fail when we choose not to report every detail from court records that are readily available on the Internet. I tried to explain how we choose what we report carefully, and try to check and verify all information before repeating it in print.

We are reporters, not stenographers, as my colleague over at the Paragraph Factory nicely points out in his own posting on the subject. John McIntyre, on his You Don't Say blog, gives me far too much credit for being eloquent. Mr. McIntyre writes:

A proper reporter does not merely record and publish uncritically the contents of police charging documents or court proceedings or other files, because they may contain irrelevant information or factual accuracies. A reporter judges what is germane and reliable, insofar as his abilities and access to information and officials permit.

Take a look at his post and take the test he provides. It might help you understand how and why we differ from armchair journalists who think they're practicing the trade.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Confronting crime
        

A parent's worst nightmare -- a woman carjacked with her and her toddler still inside.

Maryland State Police said a man forced his way into an occupied vehicle on Edmondson Avenue Wednesday night and sped off, with the terrified woman holding her 20-month-old child. The man sped south on I-95 and sideswiped a state trooper, triggering a chase that led to the Washington Beltway at speeds exceeding 100 mph.

The driver sped up and slowed down during the pursuit, and near the Cabin John Parkway in Rockville, police said the vehicle slowed to about 20 mph, and the victim was able to escape and roll out onto the road.

Police quickly stopped the car and arrested a suspect. More details from Maryland State Police:

Maryland State Police arrest a Baltimore City man after a reported carjacking in West Baltimore, sideswiping a State Police cruiser and fleeing police on the Capital Beltway.

The accused is identified as Terron Alvin White, 22, of McCulloh Street in Baltimore.  White is the driver of the vehicle.  He is charged with multiple traffic violations including fleeing and eluding police, hit and run, and negligent driving. Criminal charges are pending in relation to the reported carjacking incident in West Baltimore. White is currently being held at the Rockville Barrack.

The victims are a 24 year old mother and her 20 month old baby of Baltimore. The mother is the registered owner of the vehicle, a black 1995 Lexus GS 300, allegedly involved in the carjacking.  She had her 20 month year old baby with her at the time of the incident. Both were treated and released from Suburban Hospital early this morning.

At approximately 10:10 p.m. last night, the Baltimore Police Department received a call for a reported carjacking in the 2800 block of Edmondson Avenue. Witnesses told police they observed an individual forcefully enter a vehicle at a gas station before driving away with a woman and small baby still inside the vehicle. In the process of leaving the location, the suspect reportedly struck at least one other vehicle.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m. a trooper from the College Park Barracks was sideswiped by a speeding Lexus. The trooper was positioned in his marked patrol car with emergency lights activated, on the shoulder of southbound I-95 at Route 212. He was working a double lane closure, construction detail on an overtime assignment for the Inter County Connector.

The trooper immediately activated his emergency lights and siren and began traveling southbound on I-95 in an attempt to pull over the reckless driver. White continued driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph onto the outerloop of I-495 towards Rockville.  The trooper radioed a description of the vehicle to Rockville Barrack. 

At 10:45 p.m., a trooper from the Rockville Barrack spotted White on the outerloop of I-495 at Connecticut Avenue. After activating his emergency equipment, he attempted to pull the vehicle over, which was now traveling at 45 mph. The passenger door of the Lexus appeared to be hanging open, due to the collision with the trooper on I-95.

White continued to drive erratically, changing lanes, increasing his speed to 60 mph and then slowing down to 10-20 mph, refusing to stop for police. As White continued to swerve across the four lane highway, the mother, while holding the infant, exited the vehicle and rolled out into lane 3 of the highway, just past the Cabin John Parkway. 

White finally pulled over onto the shoulder of I-495 less than one tenth of a mile past the area where the two victims left the vehicle. White was immediately taken into custody by troopers from the Rockville Barrack.

Emergency personnel from the Montgomery County Fire Department responded to the scene.   The mother suffered a laceration to her head and the baby appeared uninjured. Both were transported by ambulance to Suburban Hospital where they were later released.

The trooper from College Park Barrack was transported to Laurel Regional Hospital for non life threatening injuries. The investigation continues.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: West Baltimore
        

People hold up banks all the time -- with notes, mostly, but sometimes guns. People also burglarize houses all the time. Rarely does someone burglarize a bank. But that's what police say happened today in Edgewood.

The Harford County Sheriff's Office says it arrested a man who broke into a vacant house, bore a hole through a wall and got into a bank on Pulaski Highway. He and an accomplice then broke off the top portion of an ATM, according to police.

Authorities are still trying to determine if any money was stolen. Here is a statement from the sheriff's office:

On Wednesday July 13, 2011 at approximately 3:59 a.m. Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to 1401-A Pulaski Highway Edgewood, Maryland 21040 for an alarm at the Sun Trust Bank. A Black Male was seen leaving a vacant business next to Sun Trust Bank.

The deputy stopped the Male subject leaving through an open door at a vacant business and identified him as Edgar Saler of Euclid Ave. Baltimore Maryland 21229. It was later determined that Mr. Saler and another suspect had entered the vacant building with a key they had obtained and then proceeded to knock a hole in the wall that lead into the Sun Trust Bank. 

The hole in the wall led them to the ATM machine where they had broken the top portion off and tampered with the safe.  It is unknown if any money had been taken from the machine as of this writing. The second suspect fled in a dark colored older model Toyota with deputies pursuing but after the vehicle entered into Baltimore County the pursuit ended and Baltimore County was notified of the vehicle description. 

Anyone with information regarding this crime and vehicle involved is encouraged to contact Harford County Sheriff’s Office Detective Andrew Lane at 410-836-5431.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Harford County
        

A 34-year-old man was shot by Baltimore police officers after officials say he pulled a gun on them during a traffic stop in Northeast Baltimore.

Police say plainclothes officers were conducting a drug investigation at about 11 a.m. in the 1400 block of Fillmore Street, in the Coldstream Homestead Montebello neighborhood, and pulled over a Jeep and approached the driver. Detective Donny Moses, a spokesman, said the driver pulled a handgun from between the seats and detectives opened fire on him.

The man was able to speed off and elude officers, and the bullet-riddled vehicle was later located in the 1000 block of Central Avenue near Johns Hopkins Hospital in East Baltimore, Moses said. There was blood on the inside, but there was no victim and no weapon.

At about 1:45 p.m., a gunshot victim walked in to University of Maryland Medical Center with a wound to his forearm, he said.

Police determined the victim was the same person who detectives had fired upon, Moses said. Homicide detectives were investigating the case and no arrests have been made. Per policy, the department will not release the names of the officers involved for 48 hours.

Separately, police confirm that a gunshot victim walked in to Good Samaritan Hospital in the Northeast District with a wound to the foot. Police were working to determine where the shooting occurred. 

The police-involved shooting is just the fourth such incident this year, and first since April. City police shot 10 people last year, down from 22 the year before and 33 in 2007, according to The Sun's records. 

Posted by Justin Fenton at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Northeast Baltimore, Police shootings
        

From a police statement:

Baltimore County Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying six individuals in reference to a robbery investigation for an incident at the Owings Mills Mall, 10300 Mill Run Circle, 21117 on June 13.   

On June 13 at 12:02 a.m., an employee of the Greene Turtle, unit-block of Restaurant Park Drive, 21117, reported that he was robbed while walking home from work. He told officers that he was cutting across the parking lot of Owings Mills Mall when two suspects approached him and displayed a handgun.  The victim gave his wallet, cellular phone, MP3 player, and his keys to the suspects.  The victim ran home to report the crime, and the suspects were last seen running across the mall parking lot. Detectives later recovered surveillance video and are attempting to identify six individuals as part of their investigation.  

Anyone with information about the identities or whereabouts of the suspects is asked to call Baltimore County Police at 410-307-2020 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).

To text a message to Metro Crime Stoppers, send to "CRIMES" (274637), then enter the message starting with "MCS," or e-mail a tip to Metro Crime Stoppers. Those contacting Metro Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Baltimore County
        

Police in Ocean City and Delaware have charged a man with being what they describe a "serial peeping Tom." The Pennsylvania man was arrested Tuesday and charged with peeping into windows of three different apartments:

Here is a statement from police:

During the evening of July 12, 2011, Ocean City Police, in conjunction with Delaware State Police
Troop Four’s Major Crimes Unit, concluded a serial “peeping-tom” investigation with the arrest of
William Devon Jones, 44, of West Chester, Pennsylvania.

During the investigation Jones was observed riding his bicycle in the north end of Ocean City and into Delaware. While in Delaware, Jones was observed by detectives peeping into windows of three different apartments at a housing complex that borders Ocean City. Jones rode back into Ocean City and was also observed trespassing on private properties in the area. Jones was taken into custody by Ocean City Police after a brief bicycle chase.

In addition to last night’s incident, Jones was wanted in Delaware and Maryland. Delaware
authorities had outstanding arrest warrants for Jones for trespassing with intent to “peer” or
“peep.” The charges rise out of three different incidents that occurred at the East of the Sun
complex in Fenwick Island, during which Jones was observed looking into windows of the complex.
Ocean City Police also wanted Jones for second-degree assault and fourth degree sex offense.

The Maryland charges were brought when the Ocean City Police Department received a
complaint in June 2011, at which time a subsequent criminal investigation took place and Jones
was identified as the suspect.

Jones is being held on Delaware State Police arrest warrants and Ocean City Police arrest
warrants. Additional charges are pending for Jones from both the Ocean City Police Department
and Delaware State Police.

Jones is being held at the Ocean City Public Safety Building pending an initial appearance before
an Ocean City District Court Commissioner. Ocean City Police are asking citizens who have any
information regarding these incidents or any unreported incidents to please contact the Ocean
City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division, Detective Brett Case, at 410-723-6632.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Crime elsewhere
        

A frequent poster to the crime blog and comments section on stories, Chamgreen102, takes exception to our disabling comments section on some stories -- the latest the boy who was abducted:

"You guys make great journalists, and you play right by the book. But when all citizens have access to the Judiciary Case Search it becomes apparent that the average citizen is sometimes able to see the rest of the story that you don't report."

She is talking about people who commented on a criminal history of a person who appeared in a story, and wondered why we didn't. "This is the kind of history that I want to know about, it makes a bit of sense out of the crime. The commenter's are the ones that often tell the rest of the story, the story that the Sun won't tell, yet is perfectly legal to report."

We turned off the comments on this story, as we do sometimes on others, because they had turned nasty and spiteful, with unsubstantiated personal attacks and filled with racist, demeaning statements. Some newspapers ban comments on crime stories altogether, realizing that it is seemingly impossible to have civil discourse on such a passionate subject. It's too bad that people cannot have a rational discussion on such an important topic.

For more:

Chamgreen is right -- public court databases make it easy for us, and everyone else, to research the criminal histories of people whose names appear in stories. And people are finding out what cops have known for years -- many people who are either victimized by or suspects in crimes have criminal records.

But the Maryland Judiciary Case Search is just one of the many tools we use when reporting on people. It is valuable, and oftentimes, as we did in the abduction story, we report on convictions. The suspects had drug and robbery convictions, and the abduction was tied to drugs. The convictions were relevant.

But not all cases are so clear-cut. Many times we see a dozen or so arrests and no convictions. Or the arrests involved alleged crimes that have nothing to do with the story. True, we don't always report everything we find on case search. Again, that website, while an invaluable service to the public, is for us a beginning. To do a proper job, we need to go to the courthouse and pull the files, read them, contact attorneys and examine sentences. Those files often lead reporters into unexpected directions, provide additional contacts and numbers and, more importantly, additional context for the story.

It's not that we ignore what we find in case search, or allow this new army of citizen journalists to find out what we refuse to report, but that we take great pains to be responsible and report what's relevant. We cannot allow comments that libel others, nor can we allow statements that infer guilt on someone based on a string of arrests that went nowhere in court. Perhaps the person is guilty and got off by our judicial system -- but to prove that takes far more time than a simple glance at the case search web site. It takes real reporting. It may be legal to recite what's on there, but it's hardly fair, or even, in some cases, accurate. And spouting off in print based on a quickly glance of a court docket would be irresponsible. The court docket is a guide to what can be a treasure-trove of information. But it takes work and time to get it.

Chamgreen notes a murder victim who a year earlier had filed a complaint against a man alleging assault and for non-support of child payments. The poster wishes we had included that in the story, to make sense of the crime. It does seem obvious but for us that simple finding provides fodder for more questions. We ask police if this man is a suspect, based on his past. Where is that person now? What happened to those charges? Is the woman involved in something else that might have gotten her killed? Unfortunately, there are far too many murders in this city to do such a thorough job -- again, it's more than looking at case search -- on each and every slaying, and I'm the first to admit that we often fall short. We pick cases to highlight that we think tell a bigger story about violence in Baltimore, and in that we sometimes miss the smaller cases that also could be interesting.

But to suggest that we have abdicated our journalistic responsibility because we don't simply regurgitate everything bit of information that is publicly available is just plain wrong. Actually, by only looking at Case Search, you are only getting a small part of information that's available. It's just that the information is not readily available on your home computer.

Case Search limits you to state court records. PACER gives you access to all federal court records, across the country, both civil and criminal. And unlike the Maryland court database, PACER gives you access to ALL the filings, not just the docket entries. But PACER costs money, and armchair journalists are not abt to pay for this service. We do.

I would like to see our citizen reporters lobby for the state court system and police to put more records on line. Why can't charging documents be linked to the docket entries and be available without having to go to the courthouse? (this is under consideration). That would make it easier for bloggers to have their own, fuller account of the cases.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Confronting crime
        

At the Maryland Historical Society, they're calling it the Great Cupcake Caper.

Before being arrested by police on Saturday and charged with stealing dozens of historical documents, author and collector Barry H. Landau had brought cupcakes for the center's staff. They figure he was trying to ingratiate himself with the staff, much as he has for decades with political and Hollywood elite.

And it may be a calling card of sorts. As the investigation into the thefts continued to broaden Tuesday, officials of at least one other state historical society said they had been visited multiple times in the past by Landau and his alleged conspirator, who brought Pepperidge Farm cookies for the staff and aroused suspicions with their "odd" behavior.

Word of the arrests has set off a ripple effect among the historic preservation community, with the FBI requesting that other museums and libraries review their logs to see if Landau and 26-year-old Jason Savedoff had been visitors and, in turn, made them potential victims.

Landau is a renowned collector, reputed to have the largest collection of presidential memorabilia outside of museums and the presidential libraries. The former White House protocol officer has claimed to have 1 million artifacts in his Manhattan apartment on West 57th Street.

The director of the Maryland Historical Society confirmed that the pair had previously visited its Baltimore library in June, and authorities were working to account for documents that were checked out during that visit.

Read more here.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 6:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Reporter Steve Kilar caught up with the woman who spotted the 8-year-old boy was was abducted Monday evening and found this morning in a vacant rowhouse. Police also charged a suspect in the case, and continue to look for his accomplice.

Steve wrote:

A doctor’s appointment brought Helen Jones out of her Allendale house earlier than usual Tuesday morning. While she waited on the porch for her ride, a man came out of a house across the street, got into a green car and drove away.

“Then a little boy came out and looked around,” Jones said. “I said, ‘Wait a minute. I wonder if it was that little boy.’” The little boy Jones wondered about is 8-year-old Darrick Charles Brown, who was abducted while walking with friends Monday night, just a few blocks away from Jones’ house.

A man in the distance scared the little boy back into the house, Jones said, but he came back out a short time later, just after 7 a.m., and began walking toward her.

“When I saw the little boy, and I saw the green car, I said ‘Wait a minute,’” said Jones, who realized that the little boy approaching was the one who had been kidnapped. “Thank God I’d seen the picture on the news.”

The story continues:

Darrick had been walking with friends near his home in the 300 block of Gwynn Ave. at about 6:30 p.m., when, witnesses told police, he was taken by someone driving a green Ford Taurus Monday night, Baltimore police said. Tuesday morning he was found unharmed in the 300 block of Lyndhurst St., about a half-mile from his West Baltimore home, said Agent Donny Moses, a police spokesman.

“He was hungry,” said Jones, who said that Darrick told her that he was left alone in the vacant house while he was sleeping. When he awoke and realized he was alone, Jones said, he escaped. “The little boy, to me, he was brave.”

Darrick called his grandmother from Jones’ home and police were notified. Jones, who has lived on Lyndurst for over a year, said she did not know that the house where Darrick was being held was vacant. No one ever entered or left the house, said said.

Police have arrested 20-year-old Nathaniel Booker and charged him with kidnapping, kidnapping a child under the age of 16, reckless endangerment, first and second degree assault, false imprisonment, and extortion. Moses said detectives are still “actively searching” for Raheem Taylor, 21, as a possible accomplice in the abduction.

A light green, newer model Ford Taurus with two people inside stopped near Darrick and his friends, Moses said. One of the people inside the car got out, grabbed Brown and threw him into the trunk before the vehicle sped away, he said. The car had not been located by Tuesday evening, police said.

Police said the suspects are not related to the boy, but Moses said the abduction was not random. He said the boy was targeted and that his abductors made a ransom demand. Police declined to comment further about the motivation for the kidnapping. Tuesday afternoon police were inspecting the vacant home were Darrick was found.

A law enforcement source who is not authorized to speak about the case said the abduction is related to drugs. The ransom demand, the source said, was for drugs and tens of thousands of dollars. Police are trying to learn more about the boy’s family, who were not previously on the radar of city law enforcement, the source said.

Taylor was found guilty of drug distribution in 2009 and sentenced to three years in prison. Booker was recently released from prison where he was serving a five-year sentence for armed robbery.

Darrick’s extended family gathered Tuesday afternoon at the boy’s Gwynn Avenue home to celebrate his safe return.

“He seems to be doing very good,” said Darrick’s cousin LaTonya Blue. “He’s just very, very exctied to see his family, know he’s safe and secure.”

Blue said that the family was trying not to discuss the abduction with Darrick in too much detail. “We just wanted to keep it as normal as possible for him,” Blue said. “He’s very outgoing, playful. He seems to be the same type of kid he was before everything happened.”

City Councilwoman Helen Holton, whose district includes the area where the abduction took place was disturbed by the news. “We live in different times,” she said. “When I grew up, when we went out to play, the door wasn't locked, and the neighbors were on watch. I'm just in shock.”

Holton said police had not communicated with her about the incident, but that she saw the Amber Alert on the beltway while driving home.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 6:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

Baltimore police have made an arrest in the abduction of an 8-year-old boy Monday in Southwest Baltimore, charging a 20-year-old with kidnapping, assault, and extortion, among other charges.

Nathaniel Booker (right) was charged after being taken into custody earlier this morning. Police found the boy unharmed in a vacant rowhouse, and said the kidnappers had sought a ransom.  Sources said the abduction stemmed from a drug dispute, with one of the men calling the boy's family to demand drugs and cash.

Detectives are still searching for a second suspect, Raheem Taylor, and ask anyone with information to call 410-396-2100.

Court records show Booker was sentenced to five years in prison in 2007 after pleading guilty to armed robbery in Baltimore Circuit Court. Convicts in violent crime cases typically serve three-fifths of their sentence with good behavior.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

An 8-year-old boy who was abducted while walking with friends in Southwest Baltimore Monday night has been found safe in a vacant rowhouse just a few blocks from where he lived, a Baltimore police spokesman said.

Darrick Charles Brown was found unharmed in 300 Lyndhurst St. in West Baltimore, and he was being checked out by medics as a precaution, said the spokesman, Agent Donny Moses. Investigators have one suspect in custody and were interviewing him at police headquarters.

Moses said the suspect in custody is not the man who police named Tuesday morning. The spokesman said detectives are still “actively searching” for Raheem Taylor, 21, as a possible accomplice in the abduction.

The boy had been walking in the 300 block of Gwynn Ave. at about 6:30 p.m., when, witnesses told police, when he was taken by someone driving a green Ford Taurus Monday night, Baltimore police said.

"We live in different times," said City Councilwoman Helen Holton, whose district includes the area where the abduction took place. "When I grew up, when we went out to play, the door wasn't locked, and the neighbors were on watch. I'm just in shock."

The light green, newer model Ford Taurus with two people inside stopped near the group of kids, and one of the people inside the Taurus got out, grabbed Brown and threw him into the trunk before the vehicle sped away, police said.

Moses said that a concerned citizen saw what she thought was suspicious activity at the vacant house.

“That citizen noticed a little boy at the vacant house,” he said. “She thought it may have been the little boy we were looking for, and it turns out it was.”

Moses said police sped to the house and found the boy inside and alone. “He was a little hungry, still a little nervous,” Moses said.

Police said the suspects are not related to the boy but Moses said the abduction was not random. He said the boy was targeted and that his abductors made a ransom demand. The spokesman declined to comment further.

A law enforcement source who is not authorized to speak about the case said the abduction is related to drugs. Taylor was found guilty of drug distribution in 2009 and sentenced to three years in prison.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Breaking news
        

The 8-year-old child who was abducted Monday evening from a Southwest Baltimore street has been found safe, city police confirmed moments ago. Police said he was found in the 300 block of Lyndhursts Ave. in West Baltimore.

Police said a suspect is in custody. Authorities are promising are details shortly.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Breaking news
        

Baltimore police have named a potential suspect in the abduction of 8-year-old Darrick Brown, who was taken from a Southwest Baltimore street Monday evening. Authorities said they are searching for Raheem Taylor, 21. The child remains missing.

No other details have been released, including whether the suspect knows the child. In a statement this morning, authorities said:, 

The above listed individual is wanted for questioning in reference to the Kidnapping / Abduction of 8 yr old Darrick Brown Jr (m/b dob 7/25/02) from 300 blk Gwynn Ave. Anyone coming in contact with Raheem Taylor is asked to hold same and notify Det. Bennett or Sgt Simmons of Homicide at 410-396-2100.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Breaking news, Southwest Baltimore
        

From Jessica Anderson:

An 8-year-old boy was walking with friends in southwest Baltimore when he was taken by someone driving a green Ford Taurus Monday night, Baltimore City police said.

Darrick Charles Brown was walking in the 300 block of Gwynn Ave. at about 6:30 p.m., when, witnesses told police, a light green, newer model Ford Taurus with two people suddenly stopped near a group of kids.

One of the people inside the Taurus got out and grabbed Brown and threw him into the trunk and sped away, police said.

Darrick was wearing a black shirt with a red and white rocket on the front and black shorts. In the picutre at left, he's in the blue striped shirt on the right.

Anyone with information urged to call police at 410-396-2100.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Southwest Baltimore
        

Barry H. Landau has rubbed elbows with presidents, helped plan inaugurations, and claims one of the largest collections of Oval Office memorabilia outside museums and presidential libraries. His Manhattan apartment includes a collection of china from Thomas Jefferson's inauguration and a picture of him kissing JFK's dog, Clipper.

Police say he tried to expand that collection by pilfering dozens of rare documents from the Maryland Historical Society on Saturday. Landau, seen at left, whose connections reportedly bridge the Washington, New York and Hollywood elite, now sits in Central Booking and is being held without bail.

The artifacts police say he and 24-year-old Jason Savedoff tried to take during a Saturday of reviewing historical papers at the Monument Street non-profit's archives include documents signed by President Lincoln; presidential inaugural ball invitations and programs; a commemoration of the Statue of Liberty, and a commemoration of the Washington Monument.

Curators of historical collections have had to think differently about theft in recent years. Michael McCormick, director of reference services for the Maryland State Archives, said television shows like the "Antiques Roadshow" and the rise of eBay and other Internet-based auction sites have led to an increased demand for historical items. Smaller libraries and historical societies are particularly vulnerable.

"These are valuable items, held in trust for the public. There's no point in collecting if they're not available," said Michael McCormick, director of reference services for the Maryland State Archives. "But the public needs to be aware that this material is under threat, and it takes resources to protect them."

Related: Landau's personal web site, and a profile from The Washington Post.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Baltimore police have released the 911 calls made moments after a car hit Courtney Angeles, 16, and Emerald Smith, 17, as they crossed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on June 13. Police have questioned a potential suspect in the hit-and-run, but have not yet filed charges.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Downtown
        

From courts reporter Tricia Bishop:

The owners of Majestic Auto Repair pleaded guilty today as part of deal cut with federal authorities investigating kickbacks to dozens of Baltimore City police officers accused of steering business to the Rosedale shop.

Brothers Hernan Alexis Moreno and Edwin Javier Mejia admitted to extortion and conspiracy in back to back hearings in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. They each face a maximum of 25 years in prison and up to a $500,000 fine at their sentencings, which are scheduled for Nov. 18. They are likely to receive terms between six to nine years, according to court statements. Both have agreed to cooperate with investigators in the case.

Four Baltimore police officers have already pleaded guilty in the case and are awaiting sentencing, while a fifth is expected to plead guilty later this week: Officer Eddie Arias is scheduled for arraignment Thursday on a criminal information charging him with one count of extortion.

A total of 17 city officers have been charged in the scandal and suspended from the police force without pay, and an additional 14 others were put on desk duty while the inquiry continues. Court documents have said that as many as 50 officers might be implicated in what has become one of the widest corruption probes of city police in recent years.

More details from Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office:

Hernan Alexis Moreno, age 30, of Rosedale, and his brother, Edwin Javier Mejia, age 27, of Middle River pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit extortion in connection with a scheme in which they paid police officers to arrange for their car repair company, Majestic, rather than a city-authorized company, to tow vehicles from accident scenes and make repairs.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland  Rod J. Rosenstein, Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III.

“This case should serve as a warning to anyone who is tempted to pay off a police officer or other public official,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.  “When there is credible evidence that a government official is on the take, we will use all available resources to investigate and prosecute everyone involved in the corruption scheme.”  
                                                                                
According to their plea agreements, beginning in 2008 the brothers agreed to pay two Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers to contact them from accident and hit-and-run scenes for towing and repair services instead of contacting a city-authorized tow company.   In exchange, Mejia or Moreno would pay the officers $150 to $300 for each vehicle that arrived at Majestic. Moreno provided the officers with his cellular telephone number so that they could contact him from accident scenes.   These two officers began to recruit other BPD officers to participate in the scheme.

Moreno and Mejia knew that the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) requires that police only use towing companies that are under contract with the City of Baltimore to provide towing services for the BPD and that BPD officers could not accept payments for using their authority to steer vehicle owners to Majestic for tow and repair services.

According to their plea agreements, by February 23, 2011, more than 50 BPD officers had joined in the scheme.  Specifically, the BPD officer, using either his personal or BPD- issued cellular telephone, would contact Moreno, or Mejia if Moreno was not available, and provide relevant information about the vehicle involved in the accident, including the type of vehicle and the amount of damage.

Many of the officers, with the consent of Mejia and Moreno, would tell the vehicle owner that Majestic would pay for the owner’s insurance deductible and get the owner a rental car as an incentive to get the owner to agree to have the vehicle towed and repaired at Majestic. Moreno or Mejia would then arrange for the vehicle to be towed to Majestic or come to the accident scene themselves to drive the vehicle to Majestic.

The BPD officers, Mejia and Moreno often instructed the vehicle owner to tell the insurance company that the vehicle was not driveable, even if it was, so that Majestic could submit false towing charges to the insurance company. After a vehicle arrived at Majestic, Moreno or Mejia would pay the referring BPD officer between $150 and $300, either in cash or by a check drawn on the Majestic bank account. Majestic would then perform the repairs to the vehicle and receive payment from the insurance company. Mejia, who was in charge of maintaining the books and records for Majestic, was fully aware of the amounts of cash withdrawn from the company account, as well as the company checks, that were used to pay the various BPD officers.
 
Further, according to their plea agreements, a Majestic tow truck, or a truck from another towing company used by Majestic, would then arrive at the accident scene and tow the vehicle to Majestic, even if the vehicle was not actually disabled.  In some instances, the vehicle was driven to Majestic by Moreno or the owner.  The BPD officer would falsely state in his police report, if one was prepared, that the vehicle owners arranged for their own tow, or the officer would intentionally leave the box blank in the report as to the vehicle removal method.

A claim was then submitted to the insurance company for payment for repairs allegedly made by Majestic to the towed vehicle.  If the car stayed at Majestic, Moreno and the BPD Officer would later arrange to meet so that Moreno could pay the BPD Officer in cash or check for steering the car owner to use Majestic for tow and automobile repair services.  Over the course of the scheme, Majestic paid the BPD officers a total of between $200,000 and $1 million.

Moreno and Mejia arranged with some of the officers to add damage to the vehicles in order to increase Majestic’s profit from the insurance payment in order to cover the cost of paying the BPD officers and the vehicle owner’s deductible payments to the insurance company.  The BPD officer would then falsify the accident report to make it appear that the damage had been caused by the accident so that the insurance adjusters would not question the repairs performed by Majestic and paid for by the insurance companies. The additional damage that Mejia, Moreno and others inflicted on the vehicles caused an additional loss of between $200,000 and $1 million in the form of insurance claims paid by the insurance companies.

Moreno and Mejia each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the extortion conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for November 18, 2011 at 10:30 and 9:15 a.m., respectively.

Four former BPD officers have pleaded guilty to their participation in the scheme.  They are: David Reeping age 41, of Arbutus, Maryland; Jermaine Rice, age 28, of Woodstock, Maryland; Michael Cross, age 28, of Reisterstown, Maryland; and Luis Nunez, age 33, of Baltimore.   Judge Blake has scheduled their sentencings for September 14, 2011; September 23, 2011; September 29, 2011 all at 9:00 a.m.; and October 21, 2011 at 9:15 a.m., respectively.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and Tonya Kelly Kowitz, who are prosecuting the case.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Breaking news
        

A Baltimore County doctor disappeared 13 years without a word or a trace. Then, a sudden courtroom confession in Tennessee finally brought closure, though not one the family would've wanted.

Dr. Henry Peter Ackerman was killed, according to the confession, and his body disposed of and never found. The Sun's Tricia Bishop recounts the tale of the missing man, whose story has never been told in full detail.

You can read the full story here. Tricia's opening:

Henry Ackerman had plans — big, cross country, into-the-wild plans.

It was 1998, and he was 48 years old, alone, sad and somewhat peculiar. He lived with three cats and a big, sandy-colored dog in an unkempt Baltimore County apartment and worked as a child psychologist in the city school system.

His beloved wife had died of leukemia four years earlier in Memphis after a long illness, and he had moved immediately afterward, first to Oregon and then to Maryland to be closer to his sister's family, acquaintances said.

But he yearned for Alaska. He reached out to a tiny school system there in the eastern part of the state, in a town called Circle, and was in the process of quietly securing a new job. He planned to live in a camper out there, in the Last Frontier, a former neighbor told police.

He made all the arrangements, and on June 18, 1998, he set out to purchase a used GMC. He never came back.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Courts and the justice system
        

Baltimore police had another bloody Sunday to contend with, as detectives investigate three slayings and five nonfatal shootings.

The violence raged from one end of the city to another -- with four assaults reported between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Sunday. Read full details here. A brief recap:

* 17-year-old shot several times at 10:42 p.m. in the 1300 block of Luzerne St. Two others were injured in the incident.

* Man shot in the chest near Greenmount Cemetery at 2:20 p.m.

* A 43-year-old woman was found dead about 11 a.m. with head trauma inside her home in the 200 block of N. Belnord Ave. 

* A 46-year-old man died after he was stabbed in the stomach in the 1700 block of Gorsuch Ave. about 2:30 a.m.

* A 22-year-old man wa shot in the abdomen about 2:30 a.m. inthe 1500 block of Lester Morton Court.

* A man walked into a South Baltimore hospital about 2:40 a.m. after being shot inthe 4100 block of Pascal AVe.

* A man was shot int he leg about 2 a.m. in the 3800 block of 8th St. in Brooklyn

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: East Baltimore, North Baltimore, South Baltimore
        

Baltimore police have been busy today investigating several violent incidents. Here are some details as they come in straight from a city police spokesman:

1500 Blk Lester Morton Court Homicide
 
July 10, 2011 / Baltimore, MD - The Baltimore Police Department is investigating a homicide that occurred this morning, just after 2:30 am, within the 1500 Blk of Lester Morton court.  Patrol officers responded to the location for report of a shooting and discovered 22 year-old Jerel McFadden suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso.  He was transported to John Hopkins Hospital and, despite medical treatment, died shortly after 3:10 am.

AT right is a picture of McFadden from his Facebook page. 

Homicide - 1700 Blk of Gorsuch Avenue
 
July 10, 2011 / Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Police homicide detectives are investigating a death that occurred this morning within the 1700 Blk of Gorsuch Avenue at 2:30 am.  Officers responded to discover the body of 46 year-old Richard Mills seated in a pick-up truck suffering from an apparent stab wound to the torso.  Mr. Mills was transported to John Hopkins Hospital where, despite best efforts, he was pronounced dead just before 3:30 am.

In addition, police say homicide detectives are investigating a woman's body that was found this morning in the 200 block of North Belnord Ave. in Southeast and a shooting of a man in the chest on the East side in the 400 block of Pitman Place.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: East Baltimore, North Baltimore, Northeast Baltimore, Southeast Baltimore
        

Baltimore police say the man they believe responsible for stabbing a man with a broken bottle moments after the July 4 fireworks at the Inner Harbor has surrendered. From reporters Arthur Hirsch and Jessica Anderson:

Marcus Sterlin Harris, 32, turned himself in and was charged with first degree murder in connection with the fatal July 4 stabbing of 26-year-old Joseph Lorenzo Calo, who had been in town from Alabama visiting family. Both men were involved in a shoving match outside McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant on Pier 6, police said. Calo was later stabbed in the neck with a broken bottle.

Police provided few details nor a motive into the stabbing during a brief news conference Saturday at police headquarters, where Harris had turned himself in earlier. Police also had little information about a man who they said died after being stabbed in a fight at the corner of North Charles and Fayette streets around 1:30 a.m.

Lt. Col. Jesse Oden, chief of detectives, thanked the person who provided police with the photo of Harris taken during the incident, calling it "crucial evidence." He said "numerous people came forward with his identity" after police released the photo to news media.

Harris, whose latest address listed in court records was in the 400 block of Rosecroft Terrace in Baltimore, has a string of more than a dozen arrests, according to court records. Most of those arrests relate to drug and assault charges. In 2007 he received a three year prison sentence for drug distribution.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Downtown
        

A 25-year-old man was killed early this morning after a large fight broke out downtown at about 1:30 a.m., officials said.

Police said in a news release that two groups of people got into a dispute at the intersection of North Charles and West Fayette streets that became physical, and the victim was stabbed in the leg. He was rushed to Maryland Shock Trauma center, where he was pronounced dead. 

City officials often praise and have been expanded the network of surveillance cameras, which is nowhere more plentiful than in the downtown area, though the cameras appear not have helped investigators responding to the fight. A police spokesman said homicide detectives are reviewing footage in hopes of finding clues. 

The killing is the seventh to occur in the downtown area this year, according to The Sun's homicide map. That's more than the amount seen in the downtown area all of last year. It also comes on the heels of an Alabama man being fatally stabbed during a fight on Pier 5 during the July 4 fireworks, and three months after a man was fatally stabbed during a fight at the Bourbon Street club.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Downtown
        

Below are two police reports from recent home invasions in South and North Baltimore involving suspects who officials say were impersonating police. In a previous blog post, commenters said they wanted more information, and I'm finally getting around to getting these scanned in and posted.

In the South Baltimore attack, one of the suspects is reported to have yelled, "Don't [mess] with us, because we are crooked Baltimore City police." In both instances, it appears that the suspects broke down the door, and in at least one used an object to bust it open.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: North Baltimore, South Baltimore
        

Court records show a 26-year-old Baltimore man has been charged in the killing of a 29-year-old man who died two weeks after being shot in West Baltimore.

Frederick Williams, of the 600 block of S. Beechfield Ave., was charged with first- and second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Sterling Kelly in the 3700 block of Harlem Ave. Kelly was shot on June 21 and died July 5; police charged Williams two days later. 

He is being held without bond. Charging documents, which would provide details on how detectives were led to Williams, were not immediately available. 

Posted by Justin Fenton at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: West Baltimore
        

The hotels and motels around BWI Marshall Airport are frequently used by prostitutes, as anyone monitoring police reports out of Anne Arundel County can attest. Here are some details on the latest arrest:

"On July 7, 2011, at approximately 10:30 p.m., members of the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Vice Unit executed a search and seizure warrant on a hotel room located in the motel/hotel district in Linthicum, Maryland. The execution of the search warrant was the result of numerous complaints of prostitution taken place at the hotel.

"During surveillance conducted on the hotel, detectives were able to stop a client as he left the hotel and conduct an interview. The subject indicated that he responded to an ad located on Baltimore backpage.com. The male client revealed that he paid money for an appointment with a female in exchange for sexual favors. During the execution of the search and seizure warrant, several condoms were located in the room along with four cell phones, prepaid credit card receipts, prepaid credit cards along with U.S. currency. The female subject located in the hotel room was charged with Prostitution by Any Means and Assignation by Any Means."

Suspect: Naomi L. Mason, 23, of 11504 Sheffield Street, Oklahoma City, Okla.   

Posted by Peter Hermann at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Anne Arundel County
        

Baltimore police have issued this warning:

Baltimore Police detectives are investigating three incidents where suspects go on Craigslist searching for individuals who are selling dirt bikes. Once a perspective seller has been located, the suspect makes arrangements for the seller to bring the dirt bike here to Baltimore where the sale can take place. Once here, the suspect then robs the seller of the dirt bike. In one case, the suspect implied that he was armed and assaulted the victim.
 
We want to make the public aware that this is going on and to take every necessary precaution before agreeing to such a transaction. Such precautions may include meeting in a well-traveled public place and/or with additional companions. 

Posted by Peter Hermann at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Confronting crime
        

Baltimore County's Police Chief James Johnson said he is "prepared to act" against a White Marsh club where a 36-year-old man was fatally shot last weekend, saying the club has a history of noise complaints and fights.

"We hoped that the owner of Club Baltimore will cooperate with Precinct 9's efforts to improve conditions there," Johnson said in a news release. "But we are looking at taking action against the club if that does not happen."

"I'm extremely concerned about last weekend's homicide as well as the actions of the patrons on the club parking lot that night," Johnson said, referring to a melee that accompanied the shooting of George William Bryant Jr.

Club Baltimore owners are scheduled to appear before the county liquor board in August for noise complaints, the news release says.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Baltimore County
        

Authorities searching for the killer of North Carolina teen Phylicia Barnes obtained search warrants for email and Facebook accounts belonging to her and at least three other people, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.

The documents, filed by an FBI special agent assigned to the state's child exploitation task force, say authorities are seeking access to the accounts as part of a child pornography investigation and sexually exploitation of a minor, though the affidavits that spell out that angle remain sealed and agencies involved in the case refused to comment.

Legal experts say the move does not necessarily mean that the case has a sex crime element, but that evidence of sexually explicit material discovered during the investigation is being used as an entryway into computer accounts that could provide new insight into her death. Barnes was 16 years old at the time of her disappearance.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It was Sept. 11, 1999, and the body of a man lay prone on an East Baltimore sidewalk. He had just been shot by a Baltimore police officer who mistook a cellphone for a gun. Veteran homicide detective Irvin C. Bradley waded into the angry crowd.

"What are people scared of," he said, amid cries of a cover-up. "Just tell us the truth."

That was vintage Bradley, upfront and unafraid to confront the harsh realities of the street. Bradley, who retired from the city force two years ago, died Wednesday at the age of 55. He had been working with the city sheriff's department.

"We're going to miss him," homicide Lt. Lenny Willis, himself a 25-year veteran, told me this morning. "He was one of my closest friends."

Bradley worked some of the city's most notorious killings, including the 1999 execution-style slayings of five women in a rowhouse and was the lead detective in the near-decapitations of three Mexican children in 2004.

More on Bradley:

The slayings of the children was perhaps Bradley's most emotional case. He spent days upon days on the witness stand in Baltimore Circuit Court, at not just one trial, but at two trials, after the first one ended in a mistrial. Just last month, the state's highest court threw out the convictions of two relatives because of a judge's error.

Bradley told the jury on one day that after seeing the bodies of the children, "I actually prayed."

"He was very diligent in that investigation," Willis said. "He was very instrumental in bringing it to a successful conclusion. He was very kind and giving, and was a great mentor to a lot of young detectives and to a lot of young police officers. They were always going to him for direction and for advice. In his squad, he was always in charge, because he could be counted on."

After he retired from the city force, Bradley teamed up with the local Investigative Voice website to write about old cases. One was titled "Homicide Heat: Life, death and working the streets in Baltimore's homicide unit."

In one section, Bradley had this to say about young men dying on the streets:

I see living conditions and situations that lead to trouble. I see young men that have a lot of kids and the judge has said you have to pay child support or we’re going to throw you jail. They don’t think they have any options and the way they think they can get things done is through violence and being in the game. And I ask them I say why you don’t get out it and they say it’s either me or them.

In other words, I kill them or they kill me. So I’ll ask them, why don’t you just get out of the game?, And they say, 'How I’m going to take care of myself? and I’ll say, you ever hear of a legitimate job? And they say, 'Ain’t nobody going to hire me.' You hear a million stories. I grew up in this city; I always kept a job, or a summer job.

Police officials were pulling is department biography and few personal details could immediately be learned. He joined the Baltimore Police Department in 1979 and spent time in the Southern District patrol, drug enforcement, Vice and the police athletic league. He also worked with the Cherry Hill Youth Initiative. He spent 12 years in homicide, and over the course of his career was awarded five commendation letters, two commendations and a silver star.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Top brass
        

Maryland State Police have reopened all lanes of the Baltimore Washington Parkway but are continuing to seek a person who took a hammer to a speed enforcement vehicle. The man also had a shotgun, but police said no shots were fired.

Still, the incident shut down for hours a major highway between Baltimore and Washington, creating havoc on the roadways, and sent heavily armored police to the highway and roads near BWI Airport. An empty BW Parkway is seen above, in a picture by The Sun's Jed Kirschbaum.

The latest update from Maryland State Police:

The search is continuing this evening for an armed man who vandalized a speed camera vehicle parked along the Baltimore Washington Parkway in Anne Arundel County late this morning.

The suspect is described as a white male, aged 60-65 years, approximately 5’8” tall and 150 lbs, with gray hair. He is said to have been wearing a red and blue plaid shirt, possibly flannel, with blue jeans.

The male victim is not being identified at this time. He was not physically injured in the incident.  He is an employee of the company contracted by the State Highway Administration to conduct speed camera enforcement in construction zones on Maryland interstates.

Shortly before 11:30 a/m. today, the victim was parked in his white Jeep SUV, with cameras mounted on the hood, along the southbound shoulder of the BW Parkway, just north of the Rt. 195 exit. The victim said the suspect walked out of a wooded area to his right and was armed with a shotgun and a hammer.

The suspect tapped on the rear window of the Jeep with his shotgun. Alarmed, the victim began blowing his horn. The suspect then walked to the front of the Jeep and struck the windshield repeatedly, leaving large spider web type breaks in the glass.

In fear for his safety, the victim jumped out of his vehicle and crouched near the guardrail.  He said the suspect was yelling, but it sounded incoherent and he could not understand what the man was saying.

Moments later, the victim said the man walked back into the woods the same way he came, still carrying the shotgun and hammer. No shots were fired.

Troopers from the Maryland State Police and officers from the Anne Arundel County Police responded quickly and established a perimeter around the area. SWAT teams from both departments responded, as did support units that included K-9 teams and State Police helicopters. Due to the proximity of an armed suspect to the BW Parkway, troopers closed the road both north and southbound for the safety of motorists.

State Highway Administration personnel responded and diverted traffic at I-695 to the north and Rt. 100 to the south. Maryland Transportation Authority Police officers also assisted with the search and in securing the area perimeter.

The immediate search of the area did not lead to the location of the suspect. The BW Parkway was reopened to traffic at about 2:45 p.m. today.

The search is continuing in the area tonight. Anyone who thinks they may have seen the suspect or know him, is urged to contact 911 immediately, or the Maryland State Police at the Glen Burnie Barracks, at 410-761-5130.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Anne Arundel County
        

From Sun reporters Steve Kilar and Rebekah Brown:

A stick-on bandage is the only thing covering Kavin Benson’s dime-sized bullet wound.

It hasn’t stopped the rambunctious 4-year-old, who was shot moments after the July 4 fireworks ended at the Inner Harbor, from dancing, jumping and climbing all over his family’s Brooklyn apartment. And it hasn’t stopped the toddler, sporting a red T-shirt and Dr. Seuss shoes, from seeking revenge.

When he finds the person who shot him, Kavin said, he’s going to “punch him in the face.”

The small-caliber slug, possibly from a celebratory shot fired into the air, entered the top of his right thigh near his hip. It seared its way down inside the length of his leg and lodged behind his femur, where doctors were forced to leave it.

“I could dance all night,” Kavin said Wednesday afternoon as he tried to spin on his head like a top, a little boy’s version of break dancing. He proudly displayed his bandage, pulling up his plaid shorts. Being hit by the bullet, he said, hurt like “getting a shot in the arm.” Kavin hates getting shots, said his mother Caitlin Moorhead.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Downtown
        

The 13-year-old case of a missing Baltimore County doctor was solved Tuesday, with a surprise murder confession announced in a federal courtroom nearly a thousand miles away, The Sun's Tricia Bishop reports.

Dr. Henry Peter Ackerman was a 48-year-old widower and recent transplant to the Baltimore area when he went missing in the summer of 1998 during a trip to Memphis, Tenn. He and his wife, Velma, had lived in a suburb there before her death from leukemia in 1994, and Ackerman went back to the area planning to buy a vehicle and drive it to his new home in Maryland, federal prosecutors said.

But he never returned, and more than a decade would pass before anyone looked to Dale Mardis, a gun dealer, for answers.

Mardis, 57, was convicted earlier this year in federal court in Tennessee in the racially motivated killing of an African-American code enforcement officer named Mickey Wright in 2001. Mardis shot Wright, dismembered the body with a Becker BK-1 Brute survival knife, burned it and spread the remains in junk cars that were later crushed, according to court documents and news accounts

Posted by Justin Fenton at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore County, Courts and the justice system, Crime elsewhere
        

Baltimore police have just released the tape recordings of officers responding to last month's accident on the Jones Falls Expressway in which Officer Teresa Rigby was forced over the side of the elevated highway.

The officer suffered severe injuries in the 25 to 30 foot fall. She had been attending to a disabled vehicle when a car hit the back of her cruiser, forcing the vehicle into her and sending her over the side. No charges have been filed in the crash.

Here you can listen to the police officers as they responded.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: North Baltimore
        

Here's the latest statistics from the Baltimore Police Department's weekly Comstat meetings. These statistics are unofficial but provide a snapshot of what police are looking at as they deploy officers and tweak enforcement strategies. Non-fatal shootings are up, rapes are up, robberies are up, but the much larger category of aggravated assaults has total violent crime down. The Northeast District, the city's largest, continues to lead the city in most categories of crime.

And, as we wrote about this weekend, arrests are down 16 percent, while the number of people arrested and released without charges, is down a whopping 77 percent.

Stats after the jump:

Posted by Justin Fenton at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

An update from Sun reporters Mike Dresser and Julie Baughman on the scene unfolding on the Baltimore Washington Parkway near BWI (police now say no gunshots fired (picture of closed Parkway by The Sun's Jed Kirschbaum):

A man with a hammer and a gun attacked a speed enforcement vehicle  on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near the exit leading to BWI Marshall airport this morning, prompting police to close down all lanes of the highway, according to law enforcement authorities.

While the assailant was armed, police disputed early reports of gunfire.

Maryland State Police spokesman Gregory M. Shipley said the attack occurred about 11:30 a.m. in the southbound lanes near I-195. He said an older man came out of the woods and approached a  parked State Highway Administration Jeep being operated by a speed enforcement contractor. Shipley said the man tapped on the rear window with a hammer before yelling incoherently and then striking the windshield with the hammer.

More details:

After breaking the windshield, the man left the scene. Shipley described the suspect as white, about 65 years old, with white hair, standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 150 pounds. He said the man was wearing a black and red shirt, possibly flannel,  and blue jeans. Police were still hunting for the man about 2 p.m., and the parkway remained shut down.

A state police helicopter was flying above the scene, the officer said. The parkway, also known as Maryland 295, was clear of all but police vehicles in the vicinity of the incident.

All overpasses on the parkway in the vicinity were blocked by police. In one case, a jogger trying to run on one of the overpasses was put in a police car and driven across the highway. Armed law enforcement officers ringed the Embassy Suites hotel near the interchange, where police we setting up their command post.

Julie Meddows, 37, an employee at the Westin Hotel near the command post, said she went out to develop some photos but ran into a police blockade when she returned to work. As she stood with co-workers by the side of Winterson Road, she said she was worried when she heard the news.
Meddows, who said she works in social media, was eager to get on Twitter to pass on news of the incident.

“I need to be tweeting about this,” she said. “We want our guest to be sure they’re safe inside the hotel.”

State Highway Administration officials say all lanes are closed in both directions on the parkway. Spokesman Charlie Gischlar said traffic to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport had been disrupted, with northbound  traffic blocked at Route 100 and southbound traffic diverted at West Nursery Road.

He urged motorists heading to BWI to avoid the parkway and use alternate routes. He suggested the best course for people trying to reach the airport is to use Interstate 97 to Dorsey Road to the Airport Loop.

State highway officials said ramps from the Beltway to the parkway were closed as well. Gischlar said I-195 was not closed but is backed up.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Anne Arundel County
        

From Sun reporter Steve Kilar:

The 4-year-old boy who was shot at the Inner Harbor fireworks display on Monday is out of the hospital and, according to a relative, is “running like a maniac.”

“He's out [of the hospital] and he's running like a maniac,” said Kavin Benson’s great grandmother, Carla Moorhead. The hospital left the bullet in his leg, she said.

“He's a pistol,” she said. When Moorhead spoke with Kavin on the phone he was “laughing and carrying on,” she said.

Meanwhile, Baltimore police detectives are continuing to review footage from Citiwatch cameras for more information to find the source of the bullet that struck the boy’s leg minutes after fireworks ended in downtown Baltimore, a city police spokesman said.

Photo is a handout from family, from WJZ-TV.

In addition, police are still working to identify the suspect in the fatal stabbing of 26-year-old Joseph Lorenzo Calo during an altercation outside McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant on Pier 6 that night. A tourist captured images of the suspect on a digital camera, which were released Tuesday.

No one has been arrested or charged in either incident, police spokesman Kevin Brown said Wednesday.

Photo is a handout from family, via WJZ-TV.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Downtown
        

An update on the investigation that has shut down I-295, just sent out by Maryland State Police:

Maryland State Police and Anne Arundel County Police are searching for an armed suspect in the area of I-295 and Rt. 195 in Anne Arundel County.  I-295 is currently closed in both directions at Rt 195.

Calls to police began shortly before 11:30 a.m. today reporting a man armed with a long gun (shotgun or rifle) along the highway at that location.  It is not known if shots were fired.  It is believed the suspect may have used a hammer to break out windows of a vehicle parked near the location.  No one has been injured .

The suspect is described as a white male, between 50-60 yrs old, wearing a black and red flannel shirt and blue jeans.

State and county police have established a command post at 295/195.  A search is underway with K-9, helicopters and police officers on foot.    

Posted by Justin Fenton at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Anne Arundel County, Breaking news
        

A few videos of the July 4 Inner Harbor disturbances are popping up on YouTube. They show crowds moving through downtown, and being moved, either after or during the stabbing and shooting that took place right after the fireworks ended:

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Downtown
        

Challengers to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake seized Tuesday on the Fourth of July violence — including the fatal stabbing of an Alabama man and the shooting of a 4-year-old boy around the fireworks display at the Inner Harbor — saying the incidents highlighted persistent problems that foster a culture of violent crime, The Sun's Julie Scharper reports.

"When you fail to invest in education, when you fail to invest in rec centers, you can't be surprised when you see this kind of violence," former city planning director Otis Rolley said.

Rolley's remarks — along with those of state Sen. Catherine Pugh and former City Councilman Joseph T. "Jody" Landers — came on the final day for candidates to file to register for the city elections. A campaign spokeswoman for Rawlings-Blake declined to respond to their comments.

Pugh, speaking to supporters Tuesday morning after she filed the paperwork to run for mayor, tied the recent attacks to lead poisoning.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: City Hall
        

The resounding question after the July 4 violence at the harbor is whether it's safe. Various city officials, politicians, residents and pundits contributed to our coverage today.

At left, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake holds a picture of a potential suspect police are searching for in the fatal stabbing. A 4-year-old boy was also hit by a stray bullet. She's flanked by Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III on the left and Fire Chief James S. Clack. The picture was taken by The Sun's Barbara Haddock Taylor.

Here is a sampling of what they said. We'd love to he hear from you:

"What goes on in these neighborhoods, it's basically hell on earth," said Ed Burns, the former city police officer who, with David Simon, wrote and produced such Baltimore-defining works as "The Corner" and "The Wire."

"We're very happy if it's confined to these neighborhoods because these people aren't us. But we can't expect it to stay in the neigbhorhoods," He said. "I'm all for people going to the harbor and having a good time. But I think people should pay more attention to their society. Consider the harbor [like] a gated community, like where the rich go to hide behind gates. When you put 600 police there, these people are relatively safe. That's a good thing. But to think that we don't pay attention to those people who aren't safe, that's another thing. It's us living in two separate worlds."

More observations:

"I don't even know how you explain that to your kid: You can be walking down a street and a stray bullet hits you," said William H. Cole IV, the Baltimore city councilman whose district includes the Inner Harbor. "The whole thing is just mind-boggling. How do you stop that?"

"Downtown is the fastest-growing neighborhood in the city. People would not be moving in if downtown was unsafe," said Kirby Fowler, president of the Downtown Partnership. "It's incredibly difficult to stop everything from happening when you have tens of thousands of people."

"Our citizens, our visitors deserve better, and [they] will get better," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Tuesday. Of the injured child, she said: "It's a worst nightmare for any parent to have this happen on a day that we expect to celebrate ... that we expect to have good memories. We will find out who did this."

"It was kind of like a moving mob," said Jean Holzhueter, was at the harbor during the fireworks. Although police responded quickly, she said, Holzhueter was afraid she would be pushed into the water by the expanding crowd. "It was just scary how fast it grew."

Nicola Henry, a 21-year-old from Jamaica, is a first-time Baltimore visitor. "I'm disappointed," she said. "Baltimore is a nice place. I guess things like that happen, but it puts a damper on how I view the city."

Mark and Peg Wytrwal of Las Vegas, dressed in matching patriotic T-shirts, said they came to Baltimore to enjoy the history. "It's sad to say, but that's the world we live in today," Mark Wytrwal said of the violence. "We won't let it deter us from enjoying the city, though."

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Confronting crime, Downtown, Top brass
        

Maryland State Police took nearly 70 suspected drunk drivers off the roads over the July 4 holiday weekend, and issued thousands of traffic citations.

In various crackdowns from the Eastern Shore to Western Maryland, troopers did everything from pull over speeders to rescue boaters. Troopers also helped city police in the Inner Harbor during the violence-marred Fourth of July fireworks.

"Statewide, troopers issued more than 12,000 traffic citations and warnings (6,613 citations, 5,400 warnings) and arrested 68 drunk drivers," state police said in a statement. "Troopers made 78 on-site criminal arrests and arrested another 28 people on warrants. Four guns were recovered by troopers during traffic stops."

Here is the full statement from the Maryand State Police:

Maryland State Police troopers were busy throughout the holiday weekend working a variety of traffic and public safety initiatives that resulted in scores of criminal and drunk driving arrests and thousands of traffic citations and warnings. 

Statewide, troopers issued more than 12,000 traffic citations and warnings (6,613 citations, 5,400 warnings) and arrested 68 drunk drivers.  Troopers made 78 on-site criminal arrests and arrested another 28 people on warrants.  Four guns were recovered by troopers during traffic stops. 

Troopers in the Washington Metro Troop conducted Operation Centipede, a traffic enforcement initiative that put additional personnel on patrol on I-495.  During the initiative, troopers issued 144 traffic citations, 175 warnings, and 28 safety equipment repair orders for defective equipment.  Troopers made three drunk driving arrests, six drug arrests, one arrest for a stolen vehicle and apprehended a criminal fugitive.  Troopers from the same troop also worked with Prince George’s County Police in support of a summer crime reduction initiative in that county. 

Troopers from the Eastern Troop focused on Rt. 50 and other major roads leading to resort areas during the weekend.  During their criminal and traffic enforcement effort named Operation Gauntlet, they issued almost 500 traffic citations and more than 150 warnings.  They arrested three drunk drivers and made three drug arrests. 

State troopers investigated one traffic fatality, which involved a 55-year-old Baltimore man who was in Carroll County riding a motor scooter early on the morning of July 2.  For unknown reasons, the scooter left the roadway on Rt. 75 and collided with a wire fence.  The preliminary investigation indicates the use of alcohol and drugs may have been involved.  Complete information regarding traffic fatalities investigated by other police departments has not been compiled at this time. 

Maryland State Police Aviation Command crews were in full-service throughout the holiday weekend.  State Police helicopter crews performed 46 medevacs, as well as 15 search and rescue missions and six law enforcement support flights.  On July 2nd, Trooper 3 from Frederick located a lost person on the Monocacy River near Buckeystown.  The crew landed and transported the person to a safe area. 

Also on July 2nd, Trooper 6 from Easton was returning from a medevac flight to Salisbury when the crew monitored a lookout from the Easton Barrack for a suspect vehicle in a hit and run crash.  The crew of Trooper 6 located the suspect vehicle from the air and directed troopers to its location, where an arrest was made. 

On July 3rd, Trooper 3 searched for 10 people who were overdue from a tubing trip on the Potomac River.  The crew of Trooper 3 located the group near Brunswick and directed rescue boats to them. 

Troopers also assisted officers from the Baltimore Police Department with traffic and security at the Inner Harbor during the July 4th events held there.  Troopers from the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division monitored a lookout for a vehicle stolen in a carjacking.  Troopers located the vehicle and directed Baltimore PD officers to it.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 6:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Crime elsewhere
        

For the third time in a week, city police are investigating a home invasion in which men identifying themselves as police rushed into a home and bound and robbed its occupants.

“We are enormously concerned about this,” said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. “This is an egregious violation of the trust that individuals place in police, and we are working very hard to catch them.”

At about 6 a.m., police were called to the 2800 block of W. Garrison Ave. in North Baltimore, where the homeowners said they were sleeping when three men dressed in “police-like clothing” entered the room and placed them in plastic “flex cuff” handcuffs, officials said.

The men took an undisclosed amount of cash and electronics, including a video game system, before fleeing.

The incident comes on the heels of a similar home invasion last Monday, when a 32-year-old man was shot when three suspects pretending to be police entered his home in the 1500 block of Medford Road in Northeast Baltimore and bound him and his wife with flex cuffs.

Then, on Friday morning in the 1600 block of Elkins Lane in South Baltimore, a couple said they were bound and robbed by three men who identified themselves as police.

Guglielmi, the police department’s chief spokesman, said investigators are trying to determine whether the incidents are linked, or if others are copying the robbery method. “There’s no correlation based on geography,” he said.

In the North Baltimore incident, police said the suspects were black males, between 5-foot-5 and 5-foot-11, of medium build and about 30 years old. They were wearing black shirts with “police” written on the back and displayed some type of badge, and wore blue latex gloves.

Anyone with information was asked to call the Northern District detective unit at 410-367-3105.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: North Baltimore, Northeast Baltimore, South Baltimore
        

City police have released an image of a man they are describing as a suspect in the fatal stabbing of a 26-year-old Alabama man in the 700 block of Eastern Ave., minutes after the downtown fireworks display had ended. The photo appears not to be from a Citiwatch surveillance camera, but a private photo taken by people attending the event. Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide unit at 410-396-2100.

A second image after the jump:

Posted by Justin Fenton at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Downtown
        

Update: Police report holding a person of interest in the fatal stabbing; victim a 26-year-old from Alabama. 

On Monday evening, Baltimore's police commissioner assured residents that an earlier shooting at a garage on Water Street near thed Inner Harbor was between two rival groups, and not a random attack. He assured residents that hundreds of officers were deployed to keep people safe during the fireworks.

Then, just as the celebration ended, a man was stabbed outside a popular restaurant on the eastern side of the harbor, and an apparent stray bullet fired in a crowd hit a 4-year-boy in the leg.

Police plan a news conference for later this morning. Here is The Sun's Tricia Bishop with a story from last night:

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Downtown
        

From Sunday's paper, in case you missed it:

At the height of the Baltimore Police Department's experiment with zero-tolerance policing in 2005, the number of people arrested reached six figures— a statistic that sparked protests and came to symbolize what critics called a misguided policy of mass arrests.

Prosecutors not only criticized the arrests for minor infractions such as loitering and drinking in public, they declined to file formal charges in about a third of the cases.

Now, a police commissioner armed with a strategy of more targeted enforcement of violent gun offenders has the department on track to record half as many arrests as five years ago — with the added benefit of crime going down.

Just as important, the number of cases tossed by prosecutors in the immediate aftermath of arrests has plunged to less than 8 percent this year.

For police, the numbers represent the first significant proof that a shift away from arresting people for petty crimes — under the guise of lowering crime by instilling fear — has worked, even if some people in neighborhoods feel the police are not tough enough.

Read the rest of the story here.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Baltimore's bail bondsmen often employ memorable marketing methods to get their names and contact information ingrained in the memory of potential customers. But some companies, The Sun's Watchdog reporter Liz F. Kay, may have moved beyond free pens and vinyl-wrapped vehicles and into a less sanctioned medium — graffiti.

Graffiti popped up on the on-ramp to I-83 near Central Booking. One that was posted twice next to the phrase "bail bondsman" and "bail bond" came up on an Internet search to a Facebook page for UpTown Bail Bondsman. A person who answered the phone "bail bondsman" declined to comment.

Another number, next to the phrase "1%," was listed on webpages for Concrete Bail Bonds as the office number for bail bond agent Constance Bennett.

DHCD spokeswoman Tania Baker said code enforcement inspectors are continuing to investigate the perpetrators "to make sure their actions are held accountable."

Read more here. 

Posted by Justin Fenton at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

At Shaffer's Lounge and Sports Bar, a small bar on the fringes of Pigtown with one pool table and a sign above the cash register that reads "Sarcasm: One of the free services I offer," the lone employee heard the gunshots and hit the deck.

Outside, a man lay bleeding. The employee's pickup truck parked outside the door was riddled with bullets. Later, one of the detectives asking her questions broke away to take a phone call — "I'm at the OK Corral," he told the person on the other end, she said.

The statistics say 16 people were killed in Baltimore in June, a figure that, historically speaking, is as low as the city has seen for the month of June in more than two decades.

Still, 16 people were killed in June. People like Omar D. Johnson, a 16-year-old who kept out of trouble — until a fight among a group of girls Wednesday night led someone to pull out a handgun, firing a shot that found Johnson's stomach.

See a video interview with Johnson's grandmother above. (Apologies for the advertisements; this is the only player I can get to embed right now.)

"My son never sold a drug — he wasn't in no gang," said his father, Eric Anderson, 33. "He was no different than any other teenager — into girls, hanging out with friends and riding bikes. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

The victims also include Brittny Devone, a 22-year-old who friends say graduated from Dunbar High School despite being homeless. She held her head high as she scraped and clawed through life, until a man fatally stabbed her Monday inside a Southeast Baltimore home.

And the victims include Chong Wan Yim, a 55-year-old Korean businessman making his rounds when he was shot Tuesday in a shopping center parking lot. Tips from the community led detectives to William Carr, a career criminal recently let out of prison after serving a sentence for armed robbery, who was arrested Friday morning and charged with first-degree murder.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

A man and woman were bound by three men who identified themselves as police officers after breaking into their South Baltimore home early Friday, The Sun's Jessica Anderson reports.

The couple was sleeping in their home in the 1600 block of Elkins Lane when, at about 3:45 a.m., they heard noises downstairs and found three men, who identified themselves as officers and implied they had a gun, said police spokesman Det. Jeremy Silbert. The men were not wearing anything that identified them as police, Silbert said.

After binding the couple, the men searched the home and left with a cellphone, and possibly more items, before fleeing, Silbert said.

He said police are investigating the possibility that Friday's home invasion is related to one that occurred early Monday morning, in which a 32-year-old man was shot. Three men, who also identified themselves as police, kicked in the door of a home in the 1500 block of Medford Rd., in the Ednor-Gardens Lakeside community, and bound a man and his wife with plastic "flex cuff" handcuffs.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: South Baltimore
        

Breaking from the Baltimore Police Department:

July 1, 2011 (Baltimore, MD) – Baltimore Police homicide detectives have arrested William Carr in connection with the murder of Korean businessman, Chong Wan Yim.  Detectives received numerous tips identifying William Carr as the shooter in the June 28th murder that took place in the 3900 block of Erdman Avenue.  Carr was arrested at 9:30 this morning in the 2100 block of Brookfield Avenue.

William Carr has a lengthy criminal record and served a 20 year prison term for armed robbery, for which he was just released in 2010.  Carr was to remain on probation until January of 2019.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The city has launched a new text and email alert system for news. Baltimore police are first up, and you can sign up for alerts specific to the neighborhoods in which you live. But don't expect the system to give you a heads up about crimes in your neighborhood - that's not the objective, at least not yet, said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Cognizant that citizens don't want to be bombarded with text messages, Guglielmi said the city expect to use the system mainly to notify people of events in their neighborhood such as community patrol walks and press releases from the department. For example, there were three shootings this morning, and none were sent over the new system if you lived in those areas.

Here is the statement from the mayor's office:

Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced a new citywide email and text alert subscription service for Baltimore City residents to receive important updates and alerts from city agencies. The new service begins today first with the Baltimore Police Department and will provide important text and email alerts for issues related to public safety and crime. 

Residents can sign up to Baltimore Police Department alerts by individual police districts and neighborhoods if desired. “I am very pleased to be able to provide this new service to Baltimore City residents so they are able to stay informed about important public safety issues and other city services,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “This new system is an important addition to our efforts to improve transparency and communication with the citizens of Baltimore using technology and social media.”

“I encourage all of our neighborhood residents to participate in this new service,” said Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld, III.  “Mayor Rawlings-Blake and I are deeply committed to continuing to improve communications between the Baltimore Police Department and the community.”

To subscribe to the service and obtain updates from the Baltimore Police Department.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Top brass
        

Christopher Jones, 14 got caught up in a gang dispute that he wasn't a part of, got punched while riding his bicycle near his home, fell off and died. He lived in Crofton.

The cases heightened awareness of suburban gangs and revealed flaws in how schools officials, who knew about a gang problem, failed to tell police because of privacy concerns. Now, just two years later, Christopher's killers are getting out of jail.

The Sun's Andrea Siegel reports today that the second of two teens, found responsible for manslaughter in juvenile court, is set to be released and put on supvervised probation. The other was freed earlier this month. Picture of the crime scene is by The Sun's Amy Davis.

Christopher's mom, Jennifer Adkins, had this reaction: "Two years for killing somebody? That's a joke."

The parents have been on a crusade of late; in May, the Anne Arundel County Sheriff's Department did a warrant sweep in their honor.

Read Andrea's complete story here.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Anne Arundel County