Saturday, January 28, 2006

January 28

Correctional officer Jeffery Alan Wroten, shot in the face by an inmate, has died.

The Sun has more bullet points on the Central Booking recommendations.

William English, 24, got 15 years for firearm possession.

A former Baltimore firefighter, Carl Kus, got two years for bringing 150 pounds of pot up from Texas.

The good news: the Department of Juvenile Services has a ten-year plan to build detention centers. The bad news: construction won't start until 2011, there'll be fewer beds than before and there may not be enough money in the budget to actually make the plan happen.

Robert Smith of Aberdeen was arrested for impersonating an EMT.

Friday, January 27, 2006

January 27

Two children and an adult were shot in the Southwestern.

Two Baltimore officers, Hadyn D. Gross and Anita C. Pitts, are being investigated for perjury.

The murder trial of John William Smith, 40, aka the guy who stabbed the guy at a dinner for the homeless, is scheduled for 9:30 Monday morning before Judge Wanda K. Heard. The BCGJ indicted Smith July 25, 2005 for first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and weapons counts. Court documents allege that on June 18, 2005 Smith stabbed Rodney Dickerson, 42, once in the chest at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. Smith and Dickerson allegedly began arguing in the church's dining area while eating dinner.

The murder trial of Martin Michael Morgan, 18, is scheduled to begin at 9:30 Monday morning before Judge Wanda K. Heard (yes, Wanda's got two trials at once, so expect postponements). Morgan was indicted April 7, 2004 for the shooting death of Wade Walker, 32, on March 12, 2004 inside a carryout in the 3700 block of W. Belvedere Avenue. The Grand Jury also indicted Morgan for the attempted first-degree murder of Tavon Jennings, 16, who was shot on March 6, 2004 in the 3700 block Beehler Avenue. Morgan remains held on a no-bail status at the Baltimore City Detention Center. A co-defendant in this case, James Murphy, pled guilty January 10 of last year to second-degree murder and is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence.

Edward Johnson, 21, pled guilty today to second-degree murder. Judge Lynn K. Stewart sentenced Johnson to 18 years in prison. On April 30, 2005, Johnson stabbed Henry Trociuk, 41, to death at Ditto's Bar on Hudson Street during physical altercation.

The Associated Press managed to get an un-censored copy of the Florida consultant's report about the problems at Central Booking. The conclusions: Stop arresting people for crimes that won't result in charges, reduce paperwork, provide more phones and TVs to inmates so they stop getting bored and wrecking shit, have medical staff conduct medical screenings instead of corrections officers. The story also hints at backstory of the mess: Schmoke had the state take over Central Booking in 1991, and then "a lack of sustained accountability throughout the booking process created conditions that led to frequent violations of a state law."

Temitayo Olowolayemo was fatally shot during a robbery in the Northwestern. James Ronald Wright, 31, was identified as the shooting victim found at GreenMount School.

A witness who was shot to prevent him from taking the stand showed up and took the stand anyway in the murder case against brothers Tracy Love and Tamall Parker, who are accused of shooting James Wise for robbing drug dealers. The trial is going on now before the Honorable Judge Cox, Part 27, Room 407, Mitchell Courthouse.

In AACo, a Severn teenager was convicted of killing 52-year-old EMT David Brown, who was taking a walk in the park. Said Terry Cooks Jr., "I went to the park to shoot someone... I felt sorry for him at first, but then I didn't worry about it."

Condemned inmate Vernon Evans Jr. has a blog and is taking questions.

The trial of Gregory A. Alston, 20, (you'll remember him as the carjacker who reported his stolen car stolen) is scheduled for 9:30 Monday morning before Judge John M. Glynn. A BCGJ indicted Alston June 16, 2005 with two counts of carjacking, two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of second-degree assault, one count of theft under $500, one count of theft over $500, one count of car theft and one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. If convicted on all counts, Alston could receive a maximum prison sentence of 144 years.

An MTA officer fired shots at armed robbery suspects in Hopkins Plaza.

A 45-year-old Texas woman, Lan Dang, got 12 federal years for a cocaine posession/distribution charge in HarfCo.

Loyola has stepped up patrols following three muggings so far this school year.

Some students in Frederick made their own $10 bills on the computer... and got caught, of course.

Editorial: Time for Ehrlich to come clean about his relationship with felon Jack Abramoff. Meanwhile, buckle your seatbelts for a dirty race: Ehrlich has hired a campaign manager notorious in GA for airing ads comparing a Vietnam-vet triple-amputee to Osama Bin Laden.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

January 25

There will be a hearing Friday in federal court regarding the intended execution of Vernon L. Evans Jr. The Supreme Court said today that it would hear arguements in a Florida case that the three-drug combination used for lethal injection (also used here)= cruel, unusual.

An unidentified man found dead with a gunshot wound to the head behind the GreenMount* School in Remington was city homicide 28.

Troy Smith was arrested January 20 for the fatal stabbing of Terrance J. Williams last September.

In the Ink: shot to death, Johnny Evans, 43; Gary Rideout, 41; Raymond Williams, 35; Mervyn Beckles, 23; Fernandez Woodson, 23; Karlee Blackwell, 14; Gregory Hopewell, 21; Kayla Baker, 12; Lemuel Davis, 48; Clyde Tatum, 18; Antwoine Armstead, 21. Stabbed to death: Kristopher Reinhard, 16, two unnamed males, 15 and 20.

Your tax dollars at work: the city has already paid out $187,000 to settle brutality claims in three separate incidents involving flex squad alleged rapist Jemini Jones. Meanwhile, flex squad officer Michael Nelson has been reassigned.

Crazed ex-boyfriend Jose Padilla-Colin pled guilty to kidnapping 19-year-old Delmy Beatriz Rivera in Frederick last July.

A rally was held at the SSq mall scene of the murder of Warren Fleming.

A second adult, Clyde Colmes Jr., has been charged in the daycare shooting, and the boy's dad, John Linwood, is a felon with a "criminal record that dates to the 1960s."

millsWhat the ?! Channel 2 sportscaster Keith Mills was charged with two counts of burglarly. Apparently our short sporty friend has some kind of problem with Vicodin, admitting "the rush and euphoria was real good." ED: Isn't Vicodin what you get from the dentist after your wisdom teeth get pulled out? Wouldn't a bag of frozen peas work just as well?

More tumult at the liquor board: now the head of the agency, Nathan Irby, has been suspended.

Good point: why are we debating slots when we already have video poker?

CP reader Maggie Blom: "the city has left-winged itself right into its own hell."

*It really is spelled as one word with an uppercase M in the middle. Weird.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

January 24

The murder trial of Bryant Thompson, 20, of the 300 Block of East 29th Street, is scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning before Judge John P. Miller. The BCGJ indicted Thompson on February 17, 2005 for first-degree murder. Court documents allege that Thompson shot and killed Damon Lamont Brooks on September 26, 2004 in Brooks' apartment in the 300 block of East 23rd Street.

There have been 27 murders so far this year, incluing six juvenile victims.

Two men shot to death in the Eastern were identified as Gary Rideout, 41, and Raymond Williamson, 35. And in the Northern, a man was shot on Loyola Southway (a man was shot on Loyola Northway Dec. 12). Also in the Blotter, stolen beef, 130 pounds of shrimp, giant TVs, Chinese food, Acuras, some shop vacs, a gas truck, electrical wiring.

Jeffrey A. Ziegler, now 29, got a three-year prison term for the hit-and-run auto manslaughter of William Ruffin, 42. Ziegler is the horrible human being who hit a highway-construction worker with such force it sent his body flying 100 feet. According to witnesses, Ziegler then stopped, checked his car for damage, and sped off.

The family members shot by James Lydell Ray were identified as Kayla Baker, 12, Travon Baker, 16, Devin Baker, 15, and family friend Michelle Hickson, 39.

Money laundering, hooker parties, underage drinking, gambling, a police detective shot to death out front, tax evasion, mafia ties... it was once a helluva establishment, but after 50 years, Joe's Tavern on Dundalk Avenue is being shut down by the Liquor Board for selling booze to snitchy teen cadets.

Speaking of hookers, more on naughty women's studies prof. Brandy Britton.

WTF? In Montgomery County a 7-year-old girl was shot at a before-school daycare center by an 8-year-old boy.

In Rosedale, robbers tied up one employee of the Mars supermarket, assaulted two others and took money.

Greyhound: Another mugging strikes Loyola. [Is that correct? Can a mugging strike? Where my grammar bitches at?]

Crimes against occupational safety: Benjamin Kirk Locust died after falling into a 25-foot-deep hole at BWI.

Here's the story about Samuel Mercer, the guy who stole $325k from the Museum of Industry.

An idiot teenager led police on a high-speed chase in Hagerstown.

Ehrlich to immigrant children: drop dead!

Monday, January 23, 2006

January 23

The murder trial of Jerome McCardell, 33, of 5100 block of Frederick Avenue, is scheduled for 9 a.m. tomorrow before Judge John M. Glynn. The Baltimore City Grand jury indicted McCardell for first-degree murder February 7 for the December 9, 1991 shooting death of Thomas Robert Pratt, 26, in the 4700 block of Delaware Avenue. McCardell is currently being held on a no bail status.

The BC Grand Jury indicted Reginald Martinez Williams, 35, of the 600 block of North Carrollton Avenue, for first-degree rape, four counts of first-degree sex offense and three counts of second-degree assault. Court documents allege that between December 20-23, 2005 Williams raped and sexually assaulted three victims (news sources put the count at 9). Williams allegedly pulled a gun on police officers on December 23, 2005 while they were arresting him and the indictment charges him with three counts of second-degree assault in connection to that incident.

The BCGJ indicted Alvin Augustus Williams, 25, of the 6000 block of Marquette Road, Baltimore County, for first-degree murder and attempted robbery. Court documents allege that in the early morning hours of November 12, 2005 Williams shot and killed Brian Jones, 34, of Millersville, MD in the 1100 block of South Ellwood Street. Williams is currently held in the Baltimore City Detention Center without bail. An arraignment is scheduled for February 15, 2006 before Judge Martin P. Welch.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

January 22

Sun: Five unrelated homicides in the last 24 hours have brough the murder total to 23.

Details on the cases of some violent, lucky criminals who will be roaming free in the Southwestern. Add those to dozens of cases jeapordized when Southern district detectives Clarence Grear and Kevin E. Jones were charged with perjury, and you have... the entire lower 2/3rds of the city being completely uninhabitable*.

James Lydell Ray died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at the home of Bernard and Linda Ganoe. He shot and killed a 12-year-old girl and wounded four other people on Sherwood Avenue ealy yesterday morning.

More details on the shootingn of Islam Fahad, the four-year-old wounded by a stray bullet in a Columbia "Hot Spot."

Three men with the oddest names you ever did hear were arrested for shooting James Rivers on his lawn in Essex: Chaunisty Terrell Wallace, 26, John Louise Williams, 21, and Deandre Lamont Williams, 17.

Joseph Schroen, 20, is accused of kidnapping and biting his ex-girlfriend in Sykesville.

The lawsuit brought by relatives of the late Noah Jamahl Jones saw their $1m lawsuit dimissed. Judge Paul Harris faulted the victim for going to the home where there were armed boys and starting a fight.

Graphic backstory from HoCo: troopers took down Paul Banville after his SUV was tracked using LoJack. Now he's awaiting extradition to MA for strangling his 17-year-old neice to death with a dog lead.

Post editorialist abuses horse metaphors, gripes that MD 'crat race is "glum".

Ehrlich is not happy about the results of the big gay lawsuit. JZ reports his omnious and awkwardly transcribed response: "Maryland is in the lime light {sic} nationally, and it's not a positive story, and we'll do what we can to correct the situation." That should come as good news to the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, which plans to stage a protest at the funeral of Sgt. Michael McMullen, 25, a soldier from Salisbury who died in Iraq. Church members and its leader, Fred Phelps, are famous for protesting the funeral of Matthew Sheppard with "God Hates Fags" signs, and multiple interviews on the Howard Stern Show.

I can't believe I missed this: In March, while a jury was in judge Prevas' courtoom listening to testimony in a murder case, the jury room was burgled. Jurors were robbed of cell phones, cash and car keys. "They were angry, hot, livid," said Warren A. Brown.

*If you look at a map, it's really shocking how much space the "good" neighborhoods take up! Like less than a fourth of the city land!