Wednesday, October 24, 2007

October 24

Update: alleged baby-killer Billy Martin was re-arrested last night.

A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment (whatever that is) yesterday charging Steven Stone of Frederick and Jessie Dorsz of Walkersville with conspiracy to commit witness tampering for murdering federal witness David Lee in 2005. They both face a maximum sentence of death.

The October 19 death of Qur'ron Holloway, shot in the Lowell Liquors incident, was reported by police.

What the @#?!: "The Baltimore parking agent accused of writing dozens of bogus tickets is still on the city payroll, officials confirmed [yesterday]."

Prosecutors have dropped all charges against Latoya Renee James, a Central Booking guard accused of participating in a ring that stole inmates’ credit cards and ran up charges at Target and Wal-Mart.

"A suspected Bloods member who was allowed to walk out of court — despite an open warrant — has been arrested. But the case of Gary Watson, 20 — charged with participating in a riot at the Inner Harbor — is indicative of how administrative breakdowns hurt Baltimore’s efforts to serve 44,000 outstanding warrants, law enforcement officials say."

Blotter: A woman was carjacked and kidnapped in Reisterstown*; Marco Smoot, 28, was arrested for the murder of Lucy Hazel on August 28; George Scruggs, 34, was arrested for killing Darnell Thomas on August 29; burglaries & robberies.
* Wouldn't you think this would warrant a whole story? Has kidnapping become that common?!

The civil trial of the Westboro Baptist Church began yesterday with testimony from church members and the father of Marine Matt Snyder.

In HarfCo, Harold J. Tulley, a former assistant state’s attorney who screwed clients out of some $2 million, faces 300 years in jail.

Not Baltimore but irresistible... a 9-year-old girl escaped a perv in a VA Wal-mart with a swift kick to his gonadular area

Organizers on Facebook of the event, "Wear Black on Friday Oct. 26 For Justin" [ (Warfield, 18 of Columbia. HoCo, who OD'd on heroin in NJ) have a stipulation for participants:
READ THIS! IMPORTANT!
DO NOT REPLY TO ANY MESSAGES OR EMAILS FROM PEOPLE ASKING FOR INFO ABOUT THIS HORRIBLE EVENT. THEY ARE NEWS REPORTERS ASKING FOR A STORY. ALSO, THERE WERE NEWS VANS PARKED AROUND THE SCHOOL CAMPUS ASKING FOR STUDENT INTERVIEWS. DO NOT TALK TO THEM.

The media has already made lies about this, so don't give them anything so they will drop the story.
I wonder how many addicts OD'd in Baltimore City last year? because I haven't heard about a single one!

16 comments:

ppatin said...

"They both face a maximum sentence of death."

:)


BTW, a superseding indictment is when the defendants have already been indicted for a crime, and then new, more serious charges are filed in place of the old one, since federal indictments cannot be amended.

Anonymous said...

Thanks PP
you know I looked that up on the law.com legal dictionary and it said "no word found"

John Galt said...

Let's review:

witnesses are often intimidated

warrants are not routinely served

correctional officers are allowed to steal

officers of the court file fraudulent reports

prisoners escape with some regularity


Whatta great jurisdiction !

ppatin said...

A few years back there was an article in the City Paper about one of their staff members (I think it was Anna Ditkoff) who was arrested because of a bench warrant over a traffic issue. How is it that the city can serve those kinds of warrants, but not the ones that are for violent crimes?

John Galt said...

Because it's easier.

It's in the same way that they will issue a citation to the homeowner behind whose house a matress is dumped rather than the criminal who dumped it.

It's easier.

It's also why cops will enforce behavioral norms in a 'nice' neighborhood, but not in the 'hood.

It's easier.

ppatin said...

PDJ nominee:

A Carroll County judge sentenced a man convicted of raping and sexually abusing two girls to 106 years in prison Tuesday.


Here's the heart-warming part though:

"This was Bruneau's second trial in the case. In 2005, he pleading no contest to two counts each of child abuse andsecond-degree sex offense in exchange for a 12-year sentencing cap. But after Bruneau argued his public defender provided an inadequate defense and manipulated him into accepting the plea deal, he was granted this new trial."

What a dumbass. He'll have the next few decades to reflect on how stupid he was to turn down that plea.

Anonymous said...

Cybrarian: "I wonder how many addicts OD'd in Baltimore City last year? because I haven't heard about a single one!"

Whatever the number, I bet it was A LOT less than the number murdered or the number killed in auto accidents.

When the "solution" makes the problem worse, you

(1) keep applying the "solution"

or

(2) develop another strategy.

The morons running Maryland and Baltimore have decided to keep bangning their heads against the wall.

Anonymous said...

Actually anon, I'm willing to bet there were at least as many OD's, if not more.

I was down at the OCME (Office of County Medical Examiner) the other morning (requirement at UMB to view an autopsy). It was a 'slow' morning with only 8 cases to review (so far though more probably come in later). They told me they average 15/day. The day I was there, while anecdotal, I can say there were only 2 cases that were probably homicides, and 4 accidental OD, 1 elderly person (natural causes), and 1 probable suicide.

They were rolling in another "probably accidental OD" when we left at 10am to go to class.

I think there are a lot more ODs in this city that most of the population realizes.

Anonymous said...

Everyone please excuse the plethora of grammatical and spelling errors in that last post. Exam monday. Yay virology and mycology (dear God please just let it be over).

burgersub said...

baltimore city ain't a county. the 'C' in 'OCME' stands for "chief."

Anonymous said...

I stand corrected; this is true, the "C" in "OCME" does indeed stand for chief.

However, Baltimore City is, in fact, it's own county. Hence the division between Baltimore County and Baltimore City County.

And for the record "ain't" isn't a word, if we're going to be snarky.

Sean said...

ain't
One entry found.

Main Entry: ain't
Pronunciation: \ˈānt\
Etymology: contraction of are not
Date: 1749
1 : am not : are not : is not
2 : have not : has not
3 : do not : does not : did not —used in some varieties of Black English usage Although widely disapproved as nonstandard and more common in the habitual speech of the less educated, ain't in senses 1 and 2 is flourishing in American English. It is used in both speech and writing to catch attention and to gain emphasis (the wackiness of movies, once so deliciously amusing, ain't funny anymore — Richard Schickel) (I am telling you—there ain't going to be any blackmail — R. M. Nixon). It is used especially in journalistic prose as part of a consistently informal style (the creative process ain't easy — Mike Royko). This informal ain't is commonly distinguished from habitual ain't by its frequent occurrence in fixed constructions and phrases (well—class it ain't— Cleveland Amory) (for money? say it ain't so, Jimmy! — Andy Rooney) (you ain't seen nothing yet) (that ain't hay) (two out of three ain't bad) (if it ain't broke, don't fix it). In fiction ain't is used for purposes of characterization; in familiar correspondence it tends to be the mark of a warm personal friendship. It is also used for metrical reasons in popular songs (Ain't She Sweet) (It Ain't Necessarily So). Our evidence shows British use to be much the same as American.

Anonymous said...

As I do not live in 1749 and I am over-educated, I stand by my original assertion

Sean said...

Overeducated? Really? Hmm... Here's some more education - the year in a dictionary entry indicates when the word came into usage in the English language. So, according to Merriam-Webster Online, "ain't" has, in fact, been an English word since 1749. Picking a word at random, "polygraph" entered the language in 1871. I have a feeling that, although you do not live in 1871, you would still use the word and acknowledge that, in fact, it is a word.

The year doesn't appear in my hard copy dictionary, but "ain't" is on page 66 of the 9th edition of Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. "Ain't" is often listed with the usage label "substand," which of course means substandard. Webster's explains this "is used for those words ... that conform to a widespread pattern of usage that differs in choice of word or form from that of the prestige group of the community." Note the use of "words" and "widespread pattern of usage." So... stand by what you will, ain't is indeed a word. You just likely belong to "the prestige group of the community," what with you over-edumacated ways and all.

Sorry, just being snarky! :p

Anonymous said...

Touche (imagine the accent over the 'e'); I concede it is a word as defined by the M-W's Collegiate Dictionary. What command of "substandard" language you have. I am above-the-board impressed.

Sean said...

I accept your snarky concession speech.