March 25

Quit making a "big deal" out of his DUI and other criminal activities said Aruban judge-puncher Sindey Ponson. He added, "Some of you guys [the press] want to live our life off the feild." Uh, non gracias to that. If you want to read more about our resident big fat drunken civic embarassment, here's something from the MLB site. (Rick Bowman/AP photo left)

Sophie Kerr prize award-winner Angela Haley has been arrested for marijuana possession.

A former U of M wrestler, Salvatore Aquia, was hit by a car during a road-rage incident.

Baltimore Police seem to have a real talent for arresting suspects fleeing from other states. Yesterday they nabbed DeWayne Lee Mackell, wanted in North Carolina for shooting two women.

And police in Camden, New Jersey, caught a fleeing Baltimore (alledged) murderer and coke dealer Vance White.

Six arrests have been made in the shooting death of Christopher Weaver, a Baltimorean pot peddler and business student at Hampton University in Virginia.

The bail review of Donta Allen is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. today at the Wabash Ave. District Court building. The Alpha Phis are breathing a sigh of relief. (Bizarre quote of the day: "The fact that she knew him is kind of disturbing," said junior Vijay Sudan. "I think I would have felt a little more comfortable if it was a more disconnected, random act.") Meanwhile, Hopkins hopes to have security cameras on its Homewood campus, in the Moument Street area and on Charles Street by June.

A disgruntled pizza shop employee in White Marsh has been charged with murder after stabbing store owner Amir Shahmaee in the neck.

According to a new policy, Baltimore County Police will no longer be allowed to sell guns.

The mother of murdered 15-year-old Lauren Zinsavage (left) is furious that her murderer will be eligible for parole in 7 1/2 years. (Note to WBAL, he got 15 years, not 10).

BTW, I spoke with the very helpful and friendly Mark Vernorelli of the Department of Corrections yesterday, who explained to me that in Maryland, prisoners convincted of a violent crime are eligible for parole after serving half of their time. Perps of non-violent crimes only have to serve one-fourth (!).

And speaking of non-violent crimes... two married Pikesville lawyers, Christie and Jonas Needleman, are accused of conspiracy to distribute OxyContin.

March 24

Theral Isadore Harris, 25, pled guilty to second-degree murder today before Judge Thomas J.S. Waxter, Jr. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with all but 15 years suspended. n the early morning hours of August 18, 2004 Harris and the victim, Lauren Zinsavage, 15, and other individuals were walking in the 3100 block of Gough Street in Highlandtown. Zinsavage followed Harris into an alley where witnesses heard one gunshot. She was found with one shot in the chest. The City Paper reported last August that they were fighting over a cell phone.

Milton K. Engle, 70, pled guilty to attempted first-degree murder today. He now faces a maximum prison term of 20 years and will be sentenced on May 23. On September 28, 2004 Engle hit his live-in girlfriend, Darlene Burke, 31, in the head repeatedly with a sledgehammer at their home in the 600 block of Savage Street. Ms. Burke suffered permanent brain damage and is now partially paralyzed and requires 24/7 medical care.

Donta Allen's bail review is scheduled for tomorrow at Wabash district court. Police say that he confessed to attempted robbery and assaulting Trinh soon after he was arrested but denies killing her.

Robbery, burglary, robbery in the blotter.

There's a certain criminal element that hangs out downtown... and the call themselves the Orioles. Anger management classes are apparently not having much effect on pitcher Sidney Ponson, who, after an 11-day stay in an Aruba jail for hitting a judge, showed up to practice with an injured hand from hitting somebody else. Meanwhile, another Oriole picher, Eric DuBose, was arrested for drunken driving in Florida.

Trial has been delayed until June for the three teenagers (Antonio Williamson, Percy Johnson and Sean Howard) charged with shooting students as they exited Thurgood Marshall High School in East Baltimore.

Plenty of robberies, shoplifting, drugs et al. in Laurel and PG County, and lots of crack in Annapolis.

A Frederick high school chemistry teacher, Donald Glen Wiggins Jr., 35, who taught Gov. Thomas Johnson High School, pleaded guilty Monday to molesting a 17-year-old student.

March 23

Found an article that might explain why two people have been shot in the head on Chinquapin Parkway this year... apparently it's the territory of the local Bloods. If you're not familiar, the Bloods were founded in 1972 in Compton as a counterpoint to the Crips. Both are black gangs, but have been known to be affiliated with other groups, such as MS-13 (usually affiliated with the Crips and currently the most violent gang in DC, if not the country).

Bloods= the color red and bright colors, and red team jerseys, the right side, Biggie and L'il Kim, graffiti with the letter "C' crossed out, also "OTM" (out tha mob or on tha move) and "MOB" (member of bloods).

Crips= color blue and dark colors, left side, Suge, Snoop and Dre, symbol of the pitchfork, GD (Gangster Disciples), graffiti with Star of David, 8 ball, letter B crossed out, LA sports team gear, affiliated with the Latin Kings (last I heard).
In both gang$, u$e of the dollar $ign as an 's' means they're $elling narcotic$.

A 27-year-old Cheesecake Factory employee, Donta Allen, has been arrested for the murder of Hopkins student Linda Trinh. Police held a press conference at 4 p.m. today. The Washington Post reports that police took a DNA sample from Allen a month ago, and were waiting for test results to come back before arresting him.

Arrests, muggings, blah blah in the blotter.

Murder Ink tally: Four this week, 55 this year. And here's last week's.

And the Keith Jennings sexual assault trial has been postponed to May 31.

Cumbersome bloomers and petticoats will be things of the past if Annapolis passes a bill fighting "upskirting" and "downblousing".

In Montgomery county, 19-year-old high schooler Jose Carrillo is accused of pistol-whipping two classmates with a BB gun (mmm... pistol whip...).

Also in MoCo, 27-year-old Ofni Gonzalez is accused of arson.

Kithric Pearly, wanted for murder in Orlando, Florida, was arrested in Baltimore by our intrepid police.

Kenyatta Costes, 19, was paid $1,630 by Baltimore City yesterday after being jailed for 163 days after she failed to show up to testify at a murder trial.

Leonard D. Hamm was quietly sworn in as Baltimore's police commissioner on Monday.

The "cameras-in-shopping-mall-parking-lots" bill was passed.

Rachel L. Riffee was found guilty of misdemeanor electronic harrassment after sending obscenity-laced missives to the brother of a murder victim.

BoCo police are investigating the shooting of Steven McGilton, who was shot by an officer in White Marsh after brandishing a lead pipe.

March 20-23

Back from yet another vacation, with another load from the State's Attorney. Justice never sleeps! I'll report this Baltimore Sun-style, aka copied almost verbatim from the press release...

Duane Garrett is scheduled for bail review this morning. On January 18, Garrett shot and killed Pierre Forrester, 23, as he was exiting his car. Forrester was shot several times in front of his residence on N. Central Avenue. Family members heard the gunshots, came outside and attempted to render aid to the victim. Two bullets were recovered from the front door of the next door neighbors' house.

The attempted first-degree murder trial of Antonio Williamson, 16, of the 700 block of Mello Court, Percy Johnson, 17, of the 10 block of Southeast Avenue, and Sean Howard, 17, of the 1500 block of East Fayette Street, was scheduled to begin this morning. The Baltimore City Grand jury indicted Williamson November 12, 2004, Johnson November 22, 2004 and Howard December 1, 2004 with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and handgun violations. Court documents allege that Williamson shot two teenagers on October 21, 2004 in front of Thurgood Marshall High School at 5700 Moravia Drive. Williamson is currently being held on a no bail status at the Baltimore City Jail.

Antoine Adams and Richard Damon Jr. pled not guilty yesterday. This was the pair accused of robbing and murdering Penelope Sharpe-Medina, Theresa Moore, Michael Mick and Justin Gaglione.

The sex offense trial of Baltimore Police Officer Keith Alexander Jennings, 37, of the 1000 block of Billie Holliday Court, was scheduled to begin this morning before Judge Joseph P. McCurdy at the Calvert Street courthouse. The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Jennings more than a year ago for first-degree sex offense, kidnapping, false imprisonment and misconduct in office. Court documents allege that in the early evening of January 15, 2004, Officer Jennings, while on duty, kidnapped and sexually assaulted an 18-year old woman. On February 26 of last year, Jennings was released on $250,000 bail.

On Monday, Michelle McKnight, 36, of the 5800 block of The Alameda, pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter. McKnight faces a maximum penalty of ten years in the can when Judge Joseph McCurdy sentences her on May 16. On May 30 of last year McKnight stabbed her husband, Thomas McKnight, while inside their home. McKnight remains held at the Baltimore City Detention Center on a no-bail status.

On Tuesday the Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Ryan Jason Conaway Lamana, 27, of Lutherville for automobile manslaughter in connection with the death of Chardan Lorenzo Johnson, 18. The indictment also charges Lamana with driving under the influence of alcohol. On October 26 of 2003, in the 4200 block of Frederick Avenue, Lamana's automobile struck a vehicle driven by Johnson.

At a hearing last Thursday the 17th, Judge Wanda K. Heard sentenced Mark A. Batts, 36, to life in prison plus 20 years, with the sentences to run consecutively (in Maryland, "life" is defined as 15 years, which in some parts of the city is about accurate.) A Baltimore City jury convicted Batts December 23, 2004 of first-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence for the murder of Stephen Francois, 41. On March 29 of 2002, Batts laid in wait for Francois in the 3800 block of Fords Lane and shot him to death. Batts and Francois had argued that week over a woman.

Also on the 17th, Kendall Jones, 29, of West Lafayette Avenue, got 50 years in prison after being convicted last month of first-degree assault, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence and reckless endangerment. Jones got 25 years for the assault count, 20 years for the handgun count and five years for the reckless endangerment count with the sentences to run consecutively. On July 14, 2003, Jones chased a group of women and children inside of a house in the 500 block of Half Mile Court, shooting at them. Fortunately, no one was injured but the house.