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December 1, 2011

Police report release in Conaway/Meister altercation

A police report documenting last month's altercation between Baltimore Clerk of Courts Frank M. Conaway Sr. and a blogger contradicts the accounts of both men, who could face criminal charges as a special prosecutor continues to deliberate.

Conaway and blogger Adam Meister have given different versions of what happened, and the eyewitness account of police who were driving by offers a third. Police have withheld the report citing the ongoing investigation, but released it Thursday morning after inquiries from the Baltimore Sun.

The report is written as a "common assault," and Conaway's name is redacted because the report lists him as the victim. But a follow-up report for a "handgun violation" says Conaway's gun and ammunition were seized because he had an expired concealed carry permit.

According to the report, officers with the citywide robbery unit were driving through the Ashburton neighborhood when they witnessed a "younger white male screaming at an older black male" on the sidewalk, who they later determined were Meister and Conaway. Police said they next saw the white man "take a fighting stance and attempt to kick the black male with his right foot," according to the report.

The officers said Conaway then swept his rain coat to the side, "displaying a tan leather holster containing a handgun," something both Conaway and Meister deny. The officers made a U-turn and saw the younger man running away, broadcast his description to other units, and stopped to talk to the man with the gun, the report says.

Conaway identified Meister as the man who fled, and said Meister had been banging on the front door of his home while screaming, the report says. Conaway said he followed Meister down the sidewalk and said he exposed the holstered weapon after Meister kicked at him, according to the report.

Conaway has said that he never left his property, and Meister maintains that he never tried to kick Conaway.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 11:08 AM | | Comments (0)
        

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

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



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