May 16

Six officers have been placed on leave after the death of inmate Raymond Smoot, left. The story's now hit the AP wire and been picked up in hundreds of papers nationwide. In case you haven't heard, Central Booking is a total mess, with the city unable to bring charges in a timely way and now having to release scores of arrested people back on the streets.

Burglary and carjacking in the blotter.

At a hearing today, Judge Joseph McCurdy sentenced Michelle McKnight, 36, of The Alameda, to ten years in prison with four years suspended and three of probation. McKnight pled guilty March 2 to the voluntary manslaughter of her husband, Thomas McKnight, whom she stabbed to death May 30 of last year.

Preston Nichols is being held with no bail. On Thursday, May 12 Nichols allegedly stabbed and killed Charles Anderson, 20, on the 4100 block of Audrey Avenue. Nichols apparently approached Anderson as he was standing near his car and began fighting. The victim came out from behind the car saying he'd been stabbed. Anderson was transported to the hospital but died shortly after. Nichols has a lengthy arrest record including CDS, deadly weapon charges, and most recently for selling counterfeit CDs.

The murder trial of Torri Fatherly, 25, of Woodyear Street, is scheduled to begin 9:30 a.m. tomorrow before Judge McCurdy. The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Fatherly for first-degree murder September 30, 2003 in the death of Kevin Blackston, 20. Court documents allege that on July 12, 2003 Fatherly stabbed to death Mr. Blackston in the 1600 block of West North Avenue.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning for Renardo Lynch, 22, of Spaulding Avenue. A Baltimore City jury convicted Lynch March 16, 2005 of second-degree attempted murder, two counts of first-degree assault, three counts of reckless endangerment and three counts of uswith the first 15 years to be served without parole. On January 1, 2004 about 12:20a.m., uniformed police officers responding to a call for discharging firearms in the rear of the 900 block of N. Montford Avenue observed a group of males in the backyard of a home. Lynch then drew a handgun from his clothing and attempted to escape down an alley where he saw and fired shots at Officers Ketajh Brown, Nicholas Petrozzino and Sergeant Gary Klado. Lynch then ran back up the alley, where he shot Officer John Dolley in the right hip. The jury convicted Lynch of the second-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment of Officer Dolly; the first-degree assault of Officer Petrozzino; the first-degree assault and reckless endangerment of officer Brown and the reckless endangerment of Sgt. Klado.

In Baltimore County, a man was shot after a standoff with police.

A man named Leslie Lamont Sedgwick ran over a five-year old child in Annapolis while drunk, plus assorted other misbehavior in the Annapolis police blotter.

Twenty-two-year-old Jeffrey Lance Minarik was arrested and charged with attempted murder after alledgedly being involved in a violent break-in in Halethorpe.