Wednesday, February 22, 2006

February 22

Remember Kevin Clark? Commissioner until November 2004 until fired abruptly after it was revealed that his wife had allegedly beat him about the head with a telephone 14 years prior? Now BAL's Jayne Miller's tracked him down in New York, and he's got not only allegations, but numbers from an internal audit in 2002 that pointed to "significant problems" in rape and robbery numbers that led the crimes to be underreported by 15 to 20 percent. Clark says the Mayor was aware of his concerns, but he was told by the O'Malley administration to drop the issue because it made the Mayor look bad. The mayor's press office responded to the story by calling Clark a liar and disgruntled employee. Meanwhile, Hamm's playing chief bulwark of uncomfortable meetings.

Five murders last week brought the 2006 toll to 40. The Sun reported four of the five.

Michael Lynn, 15, was arrested for the murder of Kwane Walker, 16. Three days after Walker's murder, another 16-year old boy was shot in the stomach on the West side of town. In the Northwestern, a 26-year-old was shot in the face. And on the West side Carrington McNutt, 18, was arrested and charged with attempted murder for shooting Eric Baker, 28.

A 15-year-old high school student stabbed a 16-year-old student shortly after the school day ended at W.E.B. Dubois high school in the Northeast.

Last Friday the BCGJ indicted Anthony Miller for the murders of Jason Convertino and Sean Wisniewski. Miller had been arrested repeatedly and was even charged with two murders, but he got away no less than five times because the State's Attorney's office declined to prosecute.

At a hearing today, Judge Edward Hargadon sentenced Lamar Johnson, 22, to life in prison plus 20 years for first-degree murder and the use of a handgun in the commission of a violent crime. On March 26, 2004, Johnson shot Carlos Sawyer, 31, multiple times next to the Tilghman Elementary School and Recreation Center in the 2200 block of McElderry Street as school was being dismissed for the day. After the first shot, while Mr. Sawyer lay in the gutter, and as schoolchildren looked on, Johnson continued shooting.

Kathryn Brown's grinning headshot looks just a little inappropriate next to a story about how a policeman discovered a burning body near Old Mill High School in Millersville, Anne Arundel County.

The grandmother of 17-year-old Jeremiah Brown Hall, accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old boy and forcing him to rob banks says her grandson is no criminal.

Navy football quarterback Lamar Owens Jr. has been charged with rape.

Are ugly teenagers more likely to become criminals, or just more likely to get in trouble?

6 comments:

Si Fitz said...

"2200 block of McElderry Street"

dead link

Anonymous said...

'Miller had been arrested repeatedly and was even charged with two murders, but he got away no less than five times because the State's Attorney's office declined to prosecute.'

and so, my question is: who's gonna be fired? In Balto., killers get away scott free and we say that's ok. Either the police didn't exert sufficient effort or the SA wimped out. Once in a blue moon, the pieces just don't come together for a prosecution, but no city can be under the same moon for ten years. Or are we saying it's ok because if he kills long enough, eventually someone will prosecute? Apparently you get two practice swings at murder.

Isn't anyone else in this town pissed?

Anonymous said...

Hamm told wjz he didn't know whether the investigation is political, but all he knows is "we do good police work."

Um,... compared to whom?


How's about the city publishes the internal audit?

Question: Is that available under the Public Information Act?


Observation: Kevin Clark may be a disgruntled former employee. That doesn't mean he's lying about O'Malley manipulating numbers. It certainly doesn't mean he's lying more than O'Malley's people.

Maurice Bradbury said...

I saw the piece -- love that Jayne. The last paragraph says that just yesterday "the police department provided what appears to be a later version of the 2002 crime audit. {Jayne] Miller said that report reduces the number of crimes that had to be reclassified and declares its findings a sign of good performance."

And if Clark is a disgruntled liar, why did he wait for Jayne Miller to track him down two years later before going public? I can't believe the Mayor's response, just bad, bad, bad PR.

Anonymous said...

The Google Ads are lame

Anonymous said...

I lived in the apartment Sean and Jason were killed in- 1917 A2 Gough for a year. Moved in two months after the morder. Landlord was straight up about telling what happened there. Glad this case got solved, or is closer to it.