All Right, Fine

Here's a digest of what's been up lately for you non-Facebook-having people.

City officer Vincent Cosom was caught on tape cold clocking victim Kollin Truss in the face for no apparent reason at a North Avenue bus stop; the clip went national, Cosom got suspended with pay two months after the incident.*

Police are ISO this guy for robbing a convenience store on Pulaski Highway and beating a customer with a bottle. Also robbed: a business in Canton and a bunch of other poor decent souls in the Southeast.

Meanwhile, at Hopkins Homewood: "Two female undergraduate students were approached by an unknown male about 30 years of age who asked one of them what kind of shirt she was wearing then grabbed the back of the shirt to see what size it was. The male left the cafe and returned about 15 minutes later and offered to take pictures of them at his apartment. When his offer was declined, he said "Don't be scared. I won't chop you up in pieces." ... because that is totally what someone who won't chop you into pieces would say.

The kid curfew went into effect last month and officers scooped up 120 wayward yutes.*

That lawsuit against Carol Ott was dismissed.

Unshockingly, officer Jeffrey Bolger, one of two officers accused of slitting a shar-pei's throat wants the case dismissed.* Less unshockingly his lawyers have requested this by means of an open letter to Gregg Bernstein.

Police finally caught Davon Wallace, suspected of killing 3-year-old Knijah Bibb in PGC while trying to shoot his girlfriend's brother who borrowed his clothes without permission.

Local nutcase/Republican candidate for sheriff David Anthony Wiggins went on a rant about "Jew women" and "white liberal bullshit."

Ray Rice. Fun fact: even though the Ravens have had 17 players arrested since 2000 they're not even in the top 10 of the teams with the most arrests. And, shockingly, the NFL's arrest rate is actually lower than the national average.

Chris Davis got suspended for 25 games for using Adderall and lifted a flipped truck.

Justin Fenton and Ian Duncan are upset that Young Moose's raps are being used against him* in his gelcap-slinging trial. If the simile you use for "posted" is "like some posters" maybe stick to your day job.

Gerald Wiseburg

This guy was allegedly running a Lutherville pill mill and he looks pretty darn happy about it.

A lady was robbed at gunpoint by the Roland Park water tower.

The City Paper's "Best Of" issue is out, confusing as usual with its convoluted praise, double negatives and latent sarcasm. Por ejemplo, the Hennessey Heist won "best burglary," Dan McIntosh of the Nicka Conspiracy scored "best sentence" and Judge Motz's inaction on our leaky sewers got "best block."

A terrifying piece on NPR detailed the cellphone spyware that domestic abusers can use to stalk their victims. Pull quote: "The strategy of offenders is to have complete and utter domination and control of their victims."

And O'Malley cosplay'd on a horse.

Designate Evidence Afterwards/ Secret Obfuscation Department

Nicka

 Putney

D'Amico

Matt Nicka, of Nicka Conspiracy fame, was nabbed on Monday with his weird-looking girlfriend Gretchen Peterson whilst waiting for a ferry in Vancouver near his new home/meth lab in Coquitlam, British Columbia. Nicka was considered the leader/recruiter of the scheme, which involved trucks, trains, planes and a lot of local stash houses, and was found to have laundered some of his pot-sealing proceeds by buying sound equipment for Sonar, the "armpit of a venue" he silently co-owned with local restauranteur/money launderer Dan McIntosh from 2007- 2012.*
    The import business started in about 2001 and involved moving about $150-200 million bucks' worth of pot from Canada and Northern California to Baltimore and then elsewhere. Nicka and Peterson's arrest leaves only two of 20 alleged conspirators at large, David D'Amico and Jeffrey Putney. Putney had actually been arrested back in 2009 after a bust on Hickory Avenue in Hampen, said Van Smith, but MD just took his Toyota 4Runner and declined to prosecute, because in Baltimore that's how we do.
     And could the latest NSA/DEA/SOD revelations collapse the government's case? Dan McIntosh's sentencing is currently on hold waiting on a ruling because, reported Smith, Deborah Johnson, the U.S. attorney prosecuting the case against McIntosh and pilot Keegan Leahy, 'stated that the government knows 'for a fact that there’s been telephone communications' between defense attorneys and a Philadelphia lawyer named Michael Farrell. The statements suggest the government listened in on lawyers’ conversations about the case, and that’s a no-no that, if proven, may breach attorney-client privilege and poison the integrity of government’s entire case." Better hurry up and get to recreating that investigative trail, federales. Sentencing for McIntosh is scheduled for September 18.
    Other defendants involved in this vast soap opera: Jacob Jeremiah Harryman (real estate developer), Andrew Jin Park, Brandon Marrow, Anthony "Mr. Purple" Marcantoni (large-scale distributor, owner of martial arts studio), Michael Phillips, Ryan Foreman (Rolex watch delivery), Jeremy Landsman (Nicka and McIntosh's landlord), Andrew "Bird" Sharpeta, Sean "Chong" Costello, Daniel Fountain and Ian Travis Minshall (mid-level dealers), Adam Constantinides, Joseph "Goose" Spain (truck driver sentenced to one day), Michael Borakove and Kevin Brandes.

Antonio "Tank Top" Davis was convicted of being the ringleader of a fake robbery* proposed by undercover DEA agents. Sounds like the dictionary definition of "entrapment," though federal agents claim it wasn't because Davis had been involved in robberies before. And speaking of the DEA, Austin "Yellow" Roberts III got 19 years in the federal pen for taking Kate Moss to the shore. He was one of 71 defendants indicted in Wicomico Co. in January.
Related TIL: in California making a car trap is illegal.

Robert Jarrett Jr. used to love her, but he had to kill her. He knew he'd miss her, so he had to keep her. He buried her right in his backyard. Thirty years* seems insufficient.

Also in HoCo, a woman's breasts grabbed on a walking trail and cellphone thief Travon Millar hit his victim and a witness with his car.

The defense has rested in the Karla Porter trial. She admitted to police to hiring a hit man to kill her husband William, but took the stand to claim she was abused by him-- a claim that witnesses handily refuted.*

JM Giordano's Summer of the Gun series continues with hauntingly beautiful photos of the August all-male anti-gun-violence march.

Wat? Former MD Republican Party director of opposition research and assistant chief of staff for Bob Ehrlich, Robert Ballinger II, was arrested for impersonating a Secret Service agent to withdraw money from somebody's bank account.

Make that 36

Ginnie Shird, from Twitter

Last night three women were shot at Elmora and St. Cloud in front of 50-100 witnesses in what the commissioner calls a "neighborhood dispute." One Ginnie Shird, 21, has died. In an interview with Rodricks, Batts attributed some of the carnage to the BGF, implying that the takedown of Tavon White and co. has left a power vacuum. ("We believe there’s a connection at the jail that’s spilling out on the street. But I don’t want to get too much more into that"). And another murder in the 900 block of Bennett Place, where one Marcus Taylor was killed just last weekend. The 2013 toll is now up to 116. Police have now taken the usual step of shutting down the whole street. Here, have a video of a fire hose spraying down human blood.*

"Daniel McIntosh, the erstwhile co-owner of the erstwhile downtown nightclub Sonar and Hampden’s McCabe’s," is awaiting sentencing for his part in a massive pot conspiracy, and if he ever gets out will owe the government $6.3 million. Which sounds like a veritable crapton unless you take into account that the operation was estimated to rake in $150-$200 million a year.

Councilman Stokes has reached out & apologized for his comments & says he stands w/@BaltimorePolice. Let's stay focused on fighting crime.
— Baltimore City FOP (@FOP3) June 27, 2013

Women in media, carjacking, Mandingo fighting

After weeks of motions, trial starts today for Phylicia Barnes' alleged killer, Michael Johnson, with jury selection today and Judge Nance presiding. Fenton (or somebody) is "liveblogging" (?) the trial and says they're now considering trying to fit a 5'9" person into a 35-gallon plastic storage container* to see if it can be done. Blergh. Prosecutors say Johnson sent Barnes 500+ text messages before her fateful trip.  Fenton also posted Judge Nance*'s meticulous list of courtroom restrictions for reporters* that include a display period for reporters of exhibits, but no photos allowed. Men of media, round up your adjectives (all the crime reporters are all men now, aren't they?)
Ian Duncan notes, "The media attention Barnes' case received had the paradoxical effect of stoking public debate about missing minority children typically receiving less attention.*" Though given the sex tape and the lurid nature of it all, maybe it's not a bad thing that Nancy Grace is not vamping around-- nobody remind her this trial is happening, ok?

Happy 40th birthday, Roe v. Wade, and happy 40 years of wasting everyone's time with jackassed "personhood amendments," revolting fetus-corpse signs and other harassment, fake Christians. Fivedollarfeminist nails it:

"why sponsor legislation pretending that a tiny fetus is a person when you know it will never become law? Because it's more important to show your radical constituents that you believe a women has no right to control her own body than to actually do the work of passing [real] laws. Everyone's got priorities." 

It's been 40 years. Mifepristone is a reality. All these people are doing are harassing women carrying non-viable fetuses. Enough already, "personhood" people. Time for RU-486 to be sold in fruit flavors at every bodega, next to Plan B (and that male bc pill we've been promised since the dawn of time).


It's Tuesday and this is a crime blog, let's revisit Ray Lewis' murder charges. (Anyone else think if Calvin Candie existed today he'd own a football team?)

Carjacking reported in Cylburn (2800 Oakley Ave - Northern District)— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) January 21, 2013

AAC police are ISO convict Raynard Boston, right, wanted for shooting a bouncer and another guy outside the My Place bar in Odenton Saturday.
Also in AAC: more rape at the Naval Academy.

Some drunk-mick city officer, left, pointed his gun at Towsonites. Looks like a real mouthbreather.

The Patch's Sean Tully is pissed about rats.

Have you seen these Nicka conspirators?

210

One of the victims shot yesterday on Pitcher Street, Tarrell Logan, has died.* If Delma Barnes' hit-and-run death is found to be intentional, Logan is the city's 210th homicide of the year.

The MTA is ISO two passengers who assaulted a bus driver on the 13 bus Thursday

I hadn't realized this till someone mentioned earlier today - if convicted, @baltospectator's charge carries MANDATORY MINIMUM 5 yrs prison [link added]
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) December 11, 2012

Ten years for gun-toting heroin dealer Keith James (TIL mannitol is a plant sugar people cut heroin with), and 10 years and a month for pot dealer "Mr. Purple," (Anthony Marcantoni), one of the Nicka conspirators, who, the DOJ notes, received deliveries at "a Mt. Washington supermarket" that's gotta be Whole Foods.

A man was robbed at gunpoint in the 2300 block of Charles St.

County police are ISO this suspect, left, who robbed SoBo Gold Buyers in Pikesville

Got a few minutes to do a good deed? Write a message of encouragement and hope to a sexually assaulted prisoner.

194

The person shot at 28th and Fenwick in CHUM last night has died,* he was/is 18-year-old Christopher Briggs of Montpelier Street. Fenton notes that Briggs was charged with murder in 2009 at the age of 15, but prosecutors dropped charges due to lack of evidence.*

Accused child-killers Policarpio Espinoza and Adnan Canela's third trial began today; WBAL reports they've been offered a plea deal. Here's Julie Bycowicz's guide* to what's likely the most opaque and byzantine case in Baltimore history, a telenovela from hell. The alleged killers, also cousin and uncle of the victims, were/are all illegal immigrants from Veracruz, Mexico, and even after eight years and two trials, still no one's established a motive for the murders.

Van Smith has a rundown of the statuses of the various Nicka Conspirators.

Automatic license-plate readers that scan tags, check the criminal history of vehicle owners and track movements are already in some police cars, it appears, and Adam May and somebody named Captain Long took a look at the "police tool in action." Is this the news or Honcho? Someone pass me my salts, I'm getting the vapors!

A woman unlocking her car on S. Curley Street was stabbed in the stomach and robbed of her purse, another woman had her own hat pulled over her face and was punched in the face by a robber, a woman walking through Patterson Park and was choked and robbed while the perp's buddies laughed at her ... why does it seem like the SE is home to especially gratuitously sadistic robbers? (also see Sowers, Zach.) Lead in the pipes? Bayview human test subjects? Seriously, if you live there you really need to move the hell out. Way to kill my vapors, Baltimore Guide SE Blotter.

Another city officer is in hot water, though details are vague*-- Officer Roberto Santigo-Pagan is being investigated by the HarfCo Child Advocacy Center, which deals with cases of serious cases of child physical and sexual abuse.

Sasha Samlal

For shit's sake, this 15-year-old girl, Sasha Samlal, right, has been missing from Reisterstown since September 21 and police are just now releasing her photo.

The blech files: a 19-year-old with fetal-alcohol-y eyes who was arrested for robbing old people has also been linked to assgrabbing activities along East Joppa Road.

What the?! A professor of engineering at Morgan, Manoj Kumar Jah, has been indicted in a grant fraud scheme, wherein he allegedly solicited grants from the National Science Foundation to do research, but then used the $$ to pay his credit card bills, mortgage and give a $11k check to his wife.

The medical marijuana lobby is gearing up for its annual fight against the prison lobby. (Speaking of, according to The Sentencing Project, in 2010 MD had 70 prisoners housed in private, for-profit prison(s). Wonder what prison(s) and what companies run them?)

And finally, apropos of nothing, this painting of the Oriole bird, Mr. Boh and Poe doing the heroin lean deserves its own $24.5 million wing at the BMA.

186

Terrence Seale, 29, 1200 block of Linworth Avenue, in addition to murder of Erwin Daniels on Lakewood Ave makes for two homicide vitcims (so far) this weekend. There were also five other shooting victims, including three 20-something men shot within six minutes of each other* this weekend. Also to add to the toll: Dewey Hampton, 47, died 10/31, and Anthony Diggs, shot in 2001 but ruled a homicide in the past week.* Diggs may have been paralyzed from the waist down, but he didn't let his disability get in the way of his dreams: in 2008 he supplied a gun to some stickup men, and after the robbery drove them away in his modified Cadillac.

What the?! According to the Brew, should question 7 pass, the SRB administration is primed to fork over $6 million in community development money to Casear's Entertainment Group/ Harrahs Casino. Said Mary Pat Fannon (previously semi-famous as the recipient of one of Sheila Dixon's gift cards, now a policy advisor for the mayor's office), "This is not a $6 million give-a-away as insinuated by the [Baltimore Brew], but a recommended reimbursement." Ba-dum-tssshh!

After a six-week federal trial, Daniel McIntosh was convicted of "con­spir­ing to dis­trib­ute and pos­sess­ing with intent to dis­trib­ute 100 kilo­grams or more but less than 1,000 kilo­grams of mar­i­juana" which Van Smith reports earns him a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, but not the mandatory life sentence he would have gotten if he'd been convicted of more than 1,000 kilos. McIntosh is former co-owner of the now-closed Sonar and Talking Head clubs and (still open) McCabe's restaurant in Hampden, and also allegedly part of a massive pot-dealing conspiracy. VS notes in comments, "The pilot, Keegan Leahy, was also convicted of some charges, acquitted of others. He was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute less than 50 kilograms of pot, and interstate travel to promote crime, and not guilty of money-laundering counts. He faces a maximum five-year sentence, but, without prior convictions, will likely get on the low end of that."

The Sun's Kevin Rector has more details in the tale of David Kwiatowski, the medical technician who traveled around the country infecting people with Hepatitis C* -- apparently Kwiatowski was an addict  who stole syringes of fentanyl and then replaced the stolen needles with ones he'd used to inject his Hep-C-infected self with. (fentanyl = hardcore pain medication, main ingredient in epidurals)

Against questions 4 & 6: Rob Siobhani. For questions 4 & 6: Nike®, PayPal® and Nordstrom®.

Self-help books, cigars and shrimp

?? A jury acquitted and dropped all charges against a man accused of beating a 73-year-old Hampden cab driver to death*-- in spite of the fact that the cab driver knew the man as his roommate's brother and identified him by name before he died. WTF, jury?

Ink details last week's seven murders

Batts reportedly requested a VINN diagram of Black Guerilla Family,* told Fenton in addition to their usual gangful activities the gang is also forcibly expanding and demanding that subsets pay tributes, leading to friction. The BGF is, of course the biggest crime franchise in town, running the city's best open-air drug markets, smuggling champagne, shrimp and cigars into prison, extorting prisoners for protection, laundering money, committing numerous horrific murders and publishing self-help-books.

Speaking of Batts, his City Council confirmation is tonight at 5; CD Witherspoon and Occupy is planning a protest to start at city hall at 4.

Crime is up nationally, says the FBI's UCR. But it's down in Baltimore city, right?

A month after it began, that Daniel McIntosh pot/money laundering/Nicka conspiracy trial is still going on in Greenbelt, sounds like.

Scene Freaked by The Man; Bum Trips Ensue

Two men found each shot in their respective arms in a car right next to Homeland, at Bellona and E. Northern Parkway. But relax, Homelanders, police say they were shot elsewhere and drove there. Wonder how they were discovered?

Police tweeted regarding a "Questionable death" in the 900 block of Saint Dunstan's Road. "Homicide detectives are investigating." (But relax, Homelanders, that's on the bad side of St. Dunstan's Road).

McIntosh as snapped
by Frank Hamilton
at CP's 2005 BOB party, via CP

In a nod to the quaint reporting techniques of a bygone era, CP's Van Smith is physically in the Greenbelt courthouse for the trial of Daniel Gerard Joaquin McIn­tosh Sr., 36. McIntosh, co-owner of the now-closed Sonar and Talking Head bars and McCabe's in Hampden is accused of being involved in a conspiracy with 15 others to sell a literal ton of pot in a prodigious operation that involved planes, trucks and local stash houses. If convicted he faces life in prison based on his four prior felony convictions. (The jury won't know about his priors or the potential sentence. Still, what would you do on that jury? Selling pot after four convictions is criminally stupid, no doubt, and he seems like kind of a wiener, but $38k a year from taxpayers to support this guy for the rest of his life just for the selling of the pot? Smart move, taking that to a federal jury. I can't think of six denizens I know who wouldn't nullify the pants off that case.) The CP's referring to it the 'Nicka Conspiracy,' as one Matt Nicka was supposedly the guy in charge, the other accused conspirators are Kee­gan Leahy (pleaded guilty), Anthony Marcantoni, David D’Amico, Gretchen Peterson, Jeffrey Putney, Daniel Fountain, Andrew Sharpeta, Jeremey Landsman, Sean Costello, Ian Travis Minshall, Michael Phillips, Adam Constantinides, and Joseph Spain.

If you ❤ charts you'll be all aflutter at the latest missive from the Bernstein bureau, showing how his circuit court conviction rate is housing Jessamy's-- a charteriffic rejoinder to critics who have groused about the office's gloomy murder clearance numbers.

A guilty plea in federal court from 34-year-old Evan Foreman, who robbed check-cashing joints, a liquor store and the PNC bank inside the Owings Mills Giant (where one of his brothers worked).

Harriet Taylor, 56, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a mortgage-title scheme that netted her $1.5 million. Mortgage lenders sent her the money for properties, Taylor kept the money, and somehow managed to get away with that for an entire year.

QTD: "You can't equate your sin with my skin!" In this month's Mother Jones, some behind-the-scenes on the fight for marriage in MD, including the beaucoup d'$$ funneled to a PGC "bishop" by the National Organization for Marriage. But the bigots aren't the only ones getting out-of-state money, last night Annie Linskey brushed shoulders with swells in Soho,* including Dubya's daughter Barbara (aka "the hot one").

Pay yer taxes people, because The Man does not ef around and will throw yer azz in jail -- like Lauryn Hill, or this guy Makushamari Gozo from Zimbabwe, arrested for fraudulently collecting more than $180k in refunds that he claimed he was owed for buying 39 million gallons of "alternative fuel."

The Man also closed down the Loads of Fun art space in station north after somebody squealed to the housing authority that artists were subverting the dominant paradigm by using it as a flophouse.

And some sad media blabber: after a decade, the Urbanite* es muerto. It will cease publication at the end of the month.

Live your life, hug your kids and go shopping

The Sun's Johnathan Amos covers the funeral of LaRelle Amos* (and finally, the correct spelling of her name)

Fenton identifies some recent homicide victims, and notes that victim Rudolph Horton (#148) was charged with killing a 3-year-old* in 1992. Doesn't sound like there are suspects or motives for any of these murders.

In Pikesville, an elderly couple was found murdered in their home in the 800 block of Olmstead Road with no signs of forced entry.  Tweeter @chrisinbmore says "Neighbors say a younger man had been living with them; he's nowhere to be found"

A man was mugged of $200 on Calvert St. (I assume this was last Friday-- why doesn't Patch date their articles?)

Jeremy Landsman,
via the CP via his web page.
Though this pic is way awesomer.

Remember that big poker robbery Greektown in 2006, that netted $23,875 and included among its victims the brother of dear departed Judge Prevas? In true Smalltimore fashion, another victim of the robbery, it seems, was a young up-n-coming real-estate tycoon, Jeremy Landsman, who would go on to own a bunch of local properties, including Sonar and the buildings that house McCabes and Johnny Rad's. Also included in his holdings a bunch of stash houses for his doobage collection as part of his alleged involvement in a $30 mil nationwide weed business. Now Landsman is embroiled in yet more drama, battling with his former business partner Remy Esquemet over some D.C. properties at risk of being forfeited to the gubmint.

Web find: the City courts has a "highlighted trials" page, where you can read certain selected tidbits from the state's cases against Gahiji Tshamba, Mark Castillo, Lipscomb, Dixon, and Holton, and Policarpio Espinoza Perez and Adan Espinoza Canela. Why just these?

Oh, way to give the vote-suppressers more ammo, Wendy Rosen! The prospective Democrat challenger to Andy Harris has dropped out of the race following reports that in 2006 and 2008 she voted in both MD and FL. Obviously now all citizens should now have implanted, bar-coded microchips in order to be able to vote.

Perry Hall High shooting victim Daniel Borowy is out of the hospital and craving football and tacos.

New law: MD schools must have EpiPens on hand to save the peanut-allergic children.

Media blabber: the Abell Foundation still wants to buy the Sun.  Also Justin Fenton has a web page now, which can only mean he's trying to escape like Bykowicz and Hermann. Those selfish bastards, wanting fripperies like "sane hours" and "decent working conditions." And the Police Copter is Tweeting (location: ALL UP IN YOUR SHIT).

WTF is wrong with prospective Attorney General Jon Cardin? Mr. Boat Proposal is holding a fundraiser for his campaign today. Who holds a fundraiser on a Tuesday?

And oh yeah, it's 9/11, let's all remember to "never forget." As in, never forget that the hijackers were Saudi Arabian, Egyptian and Lebanese, not Iraqi or Afghan. Or the CIA desperately, repeatedly warned G. W. Bush that al Qaeda was about to attack in the U.S., specifically telling him they were planning to hijack airplanes, and how he ignored the warnings and went fishing, and during the attack kept reading "My Pet Goat" with that dumb-monkey look on his face. Never forget how a mix of fear and hubris rallied the press to unquestioningly support pre-emptive war in Iraq, barely batting an eyelash as the Patriot Act was (and still is) used to round up dissenters. Two thousand, seven hundred and fifty-two people died as a result of the 9/11 attacks. But 4,486 Americans have died in Iraq and 2,114 so far in Afghanistan (not to mention thousands of Afghans and Iraqis, including an estimated 132,000 civilians). Terrorists are dangerous. But an unchecked, unquestioned government power is more dangerous. Never forget that.