July 11

Police are seeking 28-year-old kidnapper David Piccione, driving a silver Honda with the tag MAZ-586.

The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Devren Deshazo, 20, for first-degree murder and a handgun count. Court documents allege that on June 19 police responded to the 300 block of Dennison Street after hearing gunshots. Police observed the victim, Ryan Mills, 23, attempting to gain entry to the house and the suspect, Deshazo, firing at Mills. Deshazo fled the scene and police caught him a short time later without incident.

On July 7 the Baltimore City Grand Jury harshed the mellow of one John Arbuckle, 33, of the 1900 block of East Pratt Street, indicting him for "manufacturing" (aka growing) Righteous Bushes and possession with the intent to distribute in excess of 50 pounds, plus other giggle-weed-related counts. Court documents allege that on June 9 someone snitched to the Man that a white male, later identified as John Arbuckle, was selling boucoup de wacky terbacky from a premise in the 1900 block of East Pratt Street and was using the premises to store said chiba. On June 13 5-0 was at the do' and police recovered suspected Mary Jane and other drug paraphernalia. If convicted, maximum penalties are as follows: growing the chronic: 5 years/$15,000; possession with intent to distribute: 5 years/$15,000; possession of the 420: 1 year/$1,000; possession with intent to distribute in excess of 50 pounds: 5 years without parole; paraphernalia: $500 fine; paraphernalia: $500 fine; paraphernalia: $500 and carrying a concealed jammy: 3 years/$1,000.

On July 16, 2002 Donald Smothers and Anthony Wallace murdered Phillip Kent, 22, during a home invasion at 2218 Round Road. A Baltimore City jury convicted Smothers and Wallace of first-degree murder in January 2003, but the Court of Special Appeals vacated the guilty verdicts 21 months later due to the improper admission of both defendants' prior criminal convictions at trial. At a hearing today, Smothers, 29, pled guilty to second-degree murder and Wallace, 26, pled guilty to manslaughter. Judge Allen L. Schwait, sentenced Wallace to six years in prison. Smothers faces a maximum of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced September 12.

A triple shooting last night in the Southwestern.

Timothy Meadows, 17, got four years, and Kenneth George, 26, got three for involvement in the attempted murder of 21-year-old Paige Boyd in Remington.

Methadone mom Gina Camponeschi of Dundalk got eight years for the the OD death of her two-year-old daughter Adriana.

Evil son Zachary Neiman had been charged with assaulting his parents prior to shooting his mother, Rae Bajus.

Lt. Clarence W. Bell Jr., state police commander and candidate for County Executive, was struck by remote control, punched in eye by wife, neglected to pay mortgage. There were 1,735 assault incidents against Baltimore officers last year.

They're shroomin' at Hopkins!

Enjoy documentaries about violent Salvadorean gangs?
Then you'll ♥ "18 With a Bullet" tonight on PBS.

Keith Ray, the North Baltimore carjacker/robber, was released from a 14-year prison stint on April 7. Proof positive that our prison system truly works! Charges against him have increased to 10, with more to come.

Five people were chosen -- four of them Naval Academy grads -- to participate in the court martial process for Navy quarterback Lamar Owens.

Looks like there's an aspriring Sheila Dixon staffer working at the Maryland School for the Deaf.

Bmore living tip: Don't forget to go to 7-11 for your free Slurpee®!

July 10

Warning: this is awful. At a hearing today, Andre Broadway, 47, of 2316 Winder Street 21230, pled guilty to sexual child abuse and recieved no jail time for forcing his 14-year-old daughter to perform oral sex on him last August 2nd. Judge Allen L. Schwait sentenced Broadway to a suspended 15 year prison term, five years of probation, ordered him to register as a convicted child sexual offender, have no unsupervised contact with children under 18 and to undergo alcohol and drug screening and evaluation and treatment as needed for sexual offenders.

The murder trial of Tyrone Beane, originally scheduled to begin today, was postponed AGAIN. No courts were available. A pre-trial motions hearing was specially set before Judge Wanda K. Heard, 540 Courthouse East, for 9:30 a.m. Thursday, July 13. A trial date was specially set before Judge Heard for 9:30 a.m. Monday, July 17.

Keith Ray, the suspected home invader / carjacker / abductor / armed robber, was arrested and charged with three robberies in Central Baltimore. (Funny how WJZ refers to the crimes as "burglaries.")

Elroy Long (#136) was the man who was fatally shot in the back while driving in Southwestern Baltimore.

Ravens linebacker Roderick Green was stabbed in a Reisterstown bowling alley after he bumped into someone. After stabbing him, the attacker unsuccessfully tried to chase Green down as he ran through the parking lot.

Today's Blotter tells of two men who tried 13 times to shoot each other, but only succeeded in shooting two innocent bystanders.

25-year-old Zachary T. Neiman was arrested in Pasadena for fatally shooting his 53-year-old mother on Saturday night.

The trial of Lamar Owens, the Navy quarterback who was charged with rape in 2005, is scheduled to begin jury selection today.

The Fast and the Furious: Westminster, Maryland.

Trouble in the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

July 9

Hidden down at the bottom of the Sun's Regional Digest is Baltimore City murder #136, an unidentified 20-year-old man who was shot while driving in Southwest Baltimore.

One woman is dead after a double shooting in Pasadena that Anne Arundel police describe as a domestic incident.

Another dubious record: Maryland is one of the leading states for bank robberies, and we're doing pretty well with ATM thefts, also.

July 8

David Simon: Wire character Lt. Charles Marimow is not based on Sun editor Bill Marimow. Meanwhile the empire of the Sun is setting in Moscow and Johannesburg.

Tyrone Beane, now 21 and surely one of the most horrible citizens the city has ever endured, is again set to go on trial on Monday for killing Taharka McCoy.

Judge Glynn gave Robert Williams 50 days for knowingly giving his girlfriend HIV.

Damn, is Puerto Rico that bad?

On Thursday morning, a stalker broke into a 34-year-old woman's home in Roland Park and raped her.

Apparently misunderstanding the meaning of "Get In On It!", Joaquin Deshaun Leycock fell into a Howard County pond while running from police. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't know how to swim.

The family that preys together stays together. At least until two of them get released from jail.

Two homicide victims from May, Aaron Wilson and Steven Wallace, killed each other in a gun battle. (#136 and #137?)

Convicted felon Andre Mills was sentenced to 5 1/2 years for possessing ammunition. Apparently, the assualt rifle, two 9mm handguns, .357 handgun, or 12 gauge shotgun that cops found weren't relevant to sentencing.

Thanks to the anonymous comment yesterday regarding the sentencing of Itchy Man and Bam. (Sun and Examiner links.)

A Frostburg pharmacist was arrested for dispensing Oxycontin, Oxycodone, and Percocet in exchange for cash and/or sexual favors.

The principal of Govans Elementary was asked to retire after writing a letter in support of a teacher who was found with 5 pounds of cocaine in his trunk.

In the Blotter: two robberies (including two teens who robbed a 33-year-old woman near Baltimore St. and Charles), five thefts, and seven burglaries.

July 7

At a bail review hearing today for Kemoni Sterrette, 15, charged with the first-degree murder of Justice Georgie, Judge Nathan Braverman reduced his bail from no bail to $250,000. As of 3:30 p.m., the defendant had not posted bail was being held at the Baltimore City Detention Center.

Assistant State's Attorney Julius Silvestri, a 31-year veteran of the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office, was named Juvenile Master this week to the Baltimore City Circuit Court Juvenile Division. Master Silvestri will take the bench July 31.

Police believe that the home invasions, carjackings and robberies in the northern of late are the work of one do(o)-ragged individual (wonder if all victims described the same wrist tattoos?).

The Sun's new columnist debuted today, uses "I" 42 times, calls Bmorians "provincial," compares self to Meg Ryan, speculates movie will be made about her life.

Back to vacation!

July 6

Two unidentified men were stabbed, one fatally (#135), as they tried to break up a fight in Northeast Baltimore.

As mentioned in yesterday's comments: at 11:50 on Tuesday, a 34-year-old woman was abducted in Charles Village, forced to drive to an ATM, withdraw $500, and give it to the robber, who then stole her car and left her downtown.

More info on Darrell Jett, the man who drove himself to Roland Park after being shot several miles away.

Anne Arundel police used beanbags to quiet a violent and suicidal man.

An 18-year-old Harford County gang member got life in prison for killing 20-year-old Brandon Jacob Clayton Gregory last year.

The mother of the three children murdered in 2004 testified in support of her belief that the two suspects are not guilty.

In the Blotter, we have two shootings, an arrest for a shooting, an attempted stabbing, a beating, and an armed robbery. Get In On It!

Eric Lamont Clark was sentenced in federal court to 10 years for his role in a 2005 carjacking. He was acquitted of murder in an unrelated 2002 case.

The PSC: Defenders of the Maryland Constitution and Protectors of the People.

A 55-year-old man is suspected in 10 bank robberies.

Breaking News! Politicians lie in their campaign ads!

A con-artist in Baltimore County is taking deposits for home improvements then not doing the work.

A Pomeranian-napper stole a $1,600 hypoglycemic puppy from The Mall in Columbia. And in related crime news, a mall pet store in Columbia was charging $1,600 for a hypoglycemic Pomeranian puppy. (FYI, pet store puppies are often abused and inhumanely bred. Use a reputable breeder, or support the Maryland SPCA or the Baltimore Animal Shelter. This concludes your daily public service announcement from Baltimore Crime.)

July 5

Luis Jabree Santiago, 17, was shot to death yesterday morning on a footpath in Middle River.

A teenager was arrested for beating 42-year-old Tariku Yukon Dembi to death as he walked to work in Catonsville last month.

A man was shot in the head in Northeast Baltimore last night, and then drove himself to the corner of Cold Spring Ln. and Roland Ave., where police found him. The print edition of the Sun erroneously reported he died.

And in today's "why it's safe to be a criminal in Baltimore" section: an Edgewood man sitting at his dinner table was hit in the leg by a stray bullet, but neither of the two men shooting at each other were hit. Harford County police are looking for information, which makes me assume that both shooters got away.

The APG soldier/carjacker was hit with multiple charges yesterday, and the victim remains in serious condition at Shock Trauma.

The BPD is recruiting in Puerto Rico to "increase the number of Spanish-speaking officers and fill the department's depleted ranks at a time when better-paying jobs and military service are luring potential hires elsewhere."

A 27-year-old registered sex offender was arrested for hitting on a 15-year-old girl.

Harrassment and restraining orders at the HoCo Elections Board.

A homeless man was charged with burglarizing the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Harford County.

July 4

The body found near Pikesville has been tentatively ID'd as a 26-year-old (or 29 according to the Sun) murder victim.

The mother of the three kids who were murdered in 2004 was the first to testify in the retrial of the murder case.

Greg Doda pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide for the snowboarding accident that killed Heather Donahue.

In the "why is this only mentioned on the WBAL News Radio web site" department: A Harford county man may lose his leg after his car (and 5-year-old son) were carjacked by an 18-year-old soldier from APG.

Rodney Bethea is competent to stand trial for holding a police employee hostage.

Defense attorneys are spending "more time attacking our officers than defending their clients".

They're watching you drink chardonnay on the mean streets of Federal Hill.

Drinking and smoking dope with teenagers in Carroll County is a no-no.

Potty pyros are loose in Carroll County.

July 3

The weekend's murders are neatly tied up in the Sun's Metro Digest: an unidentified man (#134) was shot to death yesterday in South Baltimore's Cherry Hill neighborhood, and 22-year-old James Maurice Coates was fatally shot in Annapolis early Saturday morning. (WBAL offers 37 additional words about Coates' death.)

Yesterday's Metro Digest featured a triple homicide in PG County (which might be related to MS13) and the decomposed body of an unidentified man under a bridge in Pikesville. (WBAL nearly tripled their coverage of this one with a whopping 84 word story.)

This swell guy not only beats women, he kills kittens too.

Testimony is scheduled to begin today in the re-trial of Adan Canela and Policarpio Espinoza, the two men accused of murdering three children in May, 2004.

There's a riot goin' on.

Graffiti "artists" even less talented than Oricl have defaced a war memorial in Medfield.

You know you live in Baltimore when you have to read this headline three times before you understand there were no crackpipes or hookers involved: "Crack Found In Shuttle Fuel Tank"

July 1

Clark is back, in court that is. I'm sure he has a lot to say about the state of policing of the city and I hope we get a chance to hear it.

The Cybrarian will return in September.

June 30

At fist it seemed like Tariku Dembi of Catonsville was the victim of a hit-and-run, but an autopsy revealed he was the victim of a homicide.

Jury selection in the Adan Canela and Policarpio Espinoza case is complete. At 12:35pm the court swore in a 12-person panel, plus six alternates. Opening statements began at 2:15 p.m. today in room 234 Courthouse East. Testimony will begin 9:30 a.m. Monday, July 3.

D'oh! The holding company of Baltimore County Savings Bank lost $6.9 million(!) to a check-kiting scheme.

A Coast Guard inspection in Baltimore revealed that ship operator PCM used a 'magic pipe' to take a big oily dump in the bay. Rear Admiral Bone seeks punishment.

The assault, deadly weapon, escape, and false imprisonment trial of loco hombre Rodney Bethea, 21, is scheduled for 1:30 Monday afternoon at Hargrove District Court, courtroom 5. Court documents allege that on April 13 Bethea, while being interviewed by police at the Northeast District Police Station following a CDS arrest, struck an officer in the head with a halogen light bulb and ran from the interview room and into a civilian employee's office, holding that employee against her will. Bethea remains held without bail.

Burmese refugee Tialhei Zathang (left, LA Times) got 25 years for stabbing hs wife in front of their two children. He's now a man without a country.

WBAL has more on the Oakenshawe home invasion. Do you know a 20-something black man with tattoos on each wrist?

A home invasion in Woodlawn, and a lot of muggings, armed robbery and theft in what's now the Tyrone special.

A Bethesda woman, Ellen Violet Griever, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her newborn.

UB Law School students are helping young truants get to class.

ps. don't forget to wear bug spray and dump out your garbage juice ... the mosquitoes are off the hizzy out there!

June 29

Wow, it sounds like Luke Broadwater AND Matthew Dolan really physically went to the courtroom for the contract-killing and drug-conspiracy trial of Bam and Itchy Man(for at least a few hours anyway)! Way to rock it old-school!

The Sun covers the Oakenshawe home-invasion story (note to ed.: there's only one "o" in "do-rag," as in hairdo), and in the Examiner,Raj Dosanjh is disillusioned by the whole episode.

Cuckold James Michael Johnson got 50 years for killing back-door man Matthew Boyd IV.

Gregory Kane dishes up a tearjerker about the family of murder victim Jerrod Hamlett, shot by a 13-year old, and the son Hamlett left behind.

Diabolico Juan Lopez of MS-13 pled guilty in federal court to conspiracy to conduct and participate in the activities of a racketeering enterprise.

George "Stop Fucking Snitching" Butler pled guilty to selling heroin. Claim to fame is the ironic quote, "We don't talk about what we're going to do. We just do it."

Armed robbery at the Fell's Point Subway, various muggings, lots of buglary in the Blotter.

Two gals pled guilty to bilking the University of Maryland Medical Center of more than $317k. And Tremaine Carter got 10 years for firearm possession.

Workers at the Cheltenham youth facility falsified time sheets, didn't get required training. And speaking of youths, police are stepping up enforcement of curfew violations. Anyone under the age of 16 who's out past 11 p.m. can be picked up and taken to a truancy center, and parents can be fined as much as $300.

June 28

Eight murders last week brought the number to 133 (adding Thomas Batty but not Demone Jackson, whose homicide will almost certainly be ruled justifable). Katiria Delacruz, 24, was a victim of domestic violence; Ryan Cornell Mills, 20, was shot by a man his own age; Demithrius Spears, 32, was found on the 300 block of East 27th street; Anthony Rheubottom, 25, was also a domestic violence vitcim; Janiya Williams, 4, left, was raped and beaten to death by her cousin; Russell Duckworth, 33, was stabbed in the neck during an arguement; and Robert Lee King was shot in his car. The Sun reported 4/7 (57%) of the murders.

At a hearing today, Brian Jones, 18, pled guilty to second-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence. Judge Wanda K. Heard scheduled sentencing for September 18. On December 11, 2005 at approximately 8:20 p.m., Jones fatally shot Damian Mitchell, 28, once in the head. Jones confessed to the shooting, telling police Mitchell had threatened him. However, a witness in close proximity to the victim interviewed by police shortly after the shooting did not corroborate that claim.

Jury selection in the Adan Canela and Policarpio Espinoza case continued through yesterday afternoon, but court is off today and tomorrow. Jury selection will resume on Friday, room 234 Courthouse East.

An Oakenshawe resident posted an account of a home invasion/ hostage situation on Monday night.

Jack Odom, Jr. and Michael Brassell pled not guilty at their arraignment this morning and the court set a trial date of September 5, 2006.

A man shot in the thigh on Bond Street, an old Ford set on fire, a robbed pizza man, and the Family Dollar was robbed again. And burglary, etc. in the Blotter. Hey, who's Tyrone?

Martius Harding's fiancee: he turned to drug dealing to pay the legal fees for his child-custody battle.

The ATM-machine bandit was arrested in a Tennessee Wal-Mart after a security guard recognized him from a picture. Wow! Also from Drug dealer and murderer Charles Garrison, 36, got 22 1/2 years for the drug dealing, is yet to be sentenced on the murder part. And 52-year-old Charles Allen got 112 months for running the smack.

Mary Ann Saar: we're not rewriting the execution manual.

Baltimore living adds a lot of mileage. Murder victim Thomas Batty was 66, not 86.

Web finds: Sperling's BestPlaces lets you search the demographics of any zip code. GreatSchools lets you compare schools by test scores, ethnicity and other factors (did you know? 32 city schools are 100% black!) And the city has a handy "Citizen Resources" page, with links to news sources, maps, courts and other public facilities.

Oops, she did it again: She's famous for saying she'd shoot Britney Spears if the chance arose, and that she'd like to punish newspapers like lying 5-year-olds. Now Kendel Ehrlich appears to have stuck her foot in it again, saying that early voting makes a mockery of men dying overseas. No way to verify her exact words yet, as there was no transcript, but the local ABC affiliate was filming... let's hope WMAR gets the tape and airs it so we can find out what she really said!

Where are they now?

A reader wrote to ask whatever became of Brent Allen Gates, which is a very good question.

In 2004, Gates was indicted on felony theft charges. Said the Sun in 2004,

An officer in the city Police Department's organized crime division has been charged with stealing $1,400 from a man he had stopped for running a red light on a scooter, prosecutors said.

Officer Brent Allen Gates, 30, surrendered yesterday after a grand jury indicted him on charges of felony theft and misconduct in office. Gates, who was hired in 1999, has a role in about 40 pending criminal cases that could now face additional scrutiny, according to court records.

Neither Gates nor his attorney could be reached for comment yesterday. If convicted of theft, Gates could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. If convicted of misconduct, he would face whatever penalty a judge deemed fair.

The charges against Gates stem from a June 2 traffic stop in the 2300 block of Ashland Ave. in East Baltimore. According to Assistant State's Attorney A. Thomas Krehely Jr., the man on the scooter pulled out his identification and with it came at least some of the $6,300 he had in his pocket. The city state's attorney's office has confirmed that the man received money in a settlement for a traffic accident, Krehely said.

Krehely said Gates requested the money and took it to his car. Another police officer told prosecutors that it appeared Gates counted the money, according to Krehely.

Krehely said Gates returned a wad of money to the man, issued him three traffic tickets and, when the man started to count the cash, told him to drive away. The man rode the scooter a short distance, counted the cash and discovered he was missing $1,400, Krehely said.

The scooter's driver, Tony Julius Robinson, called police to report his money missing, Krehely said. The other officer followed Gates to a liquor store, where Gates entered the bathroom, Krehely said.

The prosecutor said the second officer waited until Gates left the bathroom, entered and found about $500 hidden behind a mirror.

Krehely said the second officer left the money in the bathroom and called his superiors. A short time later, officers with search warrants recovered the $500 in the bathroom and $400 from Gates, Krehely said. No other money was found, he said.

In June 2005, we reported, "the theft and misconduct in office trial of Baltimore City police officer Brent Allen Gates, 30, of Essex, Maryland, is scheduled to begin 9:30 in the morning on Monday, June 6 before Judge Joseph Kaplan, 227b Courthouse East."

I didn't think of the case again until I was reminded. Looked it up on the case search, and it says that he divorced his wife Heather Lynn in 2003. Also that both the theft and misconduct charges were "NOLLE PROSEQUI."

So what happened? Said the State's Attorney's office, "Brent Allen Gates had his charges dismissed on June 5, 2005. In exchange for the State dismissing his charges he had to resign from the Police Department and is not to work in law enforcement any more."

A pretty sweet deal. So now you know.

June 27

An arraignment for Baltimore City police officers Jack H. Odom, Jr., 44, and Michael D. Brassell, 34, is scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning before Judge John M. Glynn. The Baltimore City State's Attorney's office filed a Criminal Information (which, I hear, is when the State's Attorney's Office files charges directly, replacing an indictment) against Odom and Brassell on May 26. Odom is charged with three counts of second-degree assault and Brassell is charged with one count of second-degree assault. If convicted of the count of second-degree assault, a defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison per count. Court documents allege that on or about October 22-23, 2005 Odom and Brassell committed assault against patron(s) of a restaurant in front of Maria's in Federal Hill.

Media biz news: Is a bloody battle (aka proxy fight) on the way in the drama of the embattaled Tribune Co.? The Tribune is buying back shares, probably as a way to pay last year's $1 billion tax bill. The buyback will make the Chandler family the largest shareholders of the company that owns the Sun. Team Chandler, which wants the Tribune broken up, calls the buyback "hasty and ill-informed" and "fundamentally flawed."

An 80-year-old man, Clyde Lewis, shot and killed 86-year-old Thomas Batty (#133) at a seniors' high rise in Bolton Hill. Lewis is being held without bail at the BCity detention center.

Defense attorneys for the Rice Organization: we didn't read the whole agreement.

Leroy Young got 27 years for the robbery and murder of Terrence Smith.

In Baltimore County, prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty in the case of Brian Keith Rose, accused of robbing and murdering Warren T. Fleming at Security Square Mall.

Three people were arrested at Howard County General Hospital after trying to push their way into a triage area as medical staff tried to resuscitate murder victim Anthony Owen-Smith.

Businessman Wilkins McNair Jr. was indicted on money laundering charges for a fraudulent investment scheme involving an obesity-treatment clinic.

Thirty-five years later, the identity of the Freeway Phantom serial killer is still a mystery.

June 26

The office of the State's Attorney announced the following indictments made by the Baltimore City Grand Jury today:

Damon Holmes, 16, of Baltimore, Maryland, has been indicted for first degree murder /and robbery with a deadly weapon. Holmes is alleged to have shot and killed Oumar Bah, a taxi cab driver in northeast Baltimore, in late May. His arraignment is scheduled for July 19. Assistant State's Attorney Samuel Yee will prosecute this case.

William Fuller, 44, of Baltimore, Maryland, has been indicted for first degree murder. Fuller is alleged to have stabbed Kiam Moody this March. Moody was rushed to Johns Hopkins Hospital shortly after the alleged assault where he died as the result of stab wounds. His arraignment is scheduled for July 19. Assistant State's Attorney and Homicide Division Chief Mark P. Cohen will prosecute this case.

Chris Ward, 23, of Baltimore, Maryland, has been indicted for first degree murder. Ward is alleged to have shot and killed two individuals at 1600 E. 25th Street in Baltimore in February this year. His arraignment is scheduled for July 18. Assistant State's Attorney Robyne Szokoly will prosecute this case.

In a completely unscientific poll, looks like Mary Pat Clarke is the people's choice for mayor in '08! Second choice, Keiffer Mitchell Jr. Third place? O'Malley again!

Good news (or as good as it gets around here): County police have arrested a man, Raymond Peter Boyer, 42, for the sexual attack on the nonagenarian woman.

In the County, Daniel Rushton was charged with first-degree murder for the beating death of Robert Proescher, 53, outside of a Rosedale bar.

Jeffrey Lanahan and Michael Kelley go on trial tomorrow for their guitar-stealing scheme.

A 46-year-old inmate died mysteriously at Jessup.

Hmm, I wonder if Judge Panos has any older brothers...

Only Baltimoreans could come up with this: "To Catch a Pervert" -- a "Dateline NBC "spoof featuring erotic acts with the Friends School crab, a garlic press and a strange obsession with Checkers.

June 25

Gov.: firing zealous rumor-mongers and people religiously opposed to homosexuality= the same thing. Firing staffers who happen to be Democrats= totally different.

Christ. Janiya Woodley, the four-year-old who was beaten and raped has died. Her cousin has now been charged with first-degree murder.

Since when is "gay" a noun? Also appointed to the Circuit Court, by the way: Yvette M. Bryant, defense lawyer for insurance companies (the gov. ♥s him some insurance companies!); John A. Howard of Towson, a white male heterosexual with an indistinguished law career; and Timothy J. Doory, Loyloa Don, UB Law, lawyer for 22 years, judge for 10.

Someone was shot in Columbia.

Antonio Murray got 139 years for robbing drug dealers and reselling the plunder.

Legislators: maybe we shouldn't let pedophiles keep their teaching cerificates.

This just in: it really blows to be poor and live in a crappy neighborhood.

Two employees were fired last week from an Eastern Shore juvie facility after two teens Did It in a classroom.

June 24

Aaron Spelling is dead!

June 23

Writing contest: speculate on the origins of items for sale at propertyroom.com. ("I am a rug; reeking ... reeking...")

Two men, Latar Bradshaw and Phillip Carter, have been charged for robbing and beating Sun writer Carl Schoettler. Feel bad for him and all, but is it fair to devote two pages of reportage when other robberies and beatings get a paragraph or less?

JFC! Ronald Hinton, a 15-year-old boy and son of a police trainee who died mysteriously in 1992, beat and raped a four-year-old girl within an inch of her life.

WTF? Neighbors had a cookout within feet of the bedroom window where Kenya Lincoln was chained to her bed.

Yike, a serial killer right in Harford County! ... now police are wondering if there's a connection to nine missing women and teenage girls.

A Baltimore man, Terence Turrell, got 30 years for his part in a home invasion and murder in Northern New Jersey.

Glynn: No change of venue for the officers accused of beating Raymond Smoot to death.

Police are looking for a jowly man who robbed the Royal Farms where the Channel 2 reporters stand in front of every time it snows, plus a 7-11 on East Baltimore Street.

The Duncan story: his violin and clarinet aren't playing the same tune. The Post compares it to the 1972 admission by VP candidate Thomas Eagleton that he'd had electroshock therapy (how refreshing to read something by a reporter with experience and a sense of history for a change ... !)

The lastest installment of the Post's "Being a Black Man" follows two high school students who rejected Catholic-school scholarships to make their local high school a better place.

William Steeg, 48, pled guilty to pantsless dancing in OC.

Supreme Court: if you complain about discrimination or harassment you're legally protected on the job. But if you work for the government and blow the whistle on wasteful or dangerous practices you can be fired. Gotcha.

Op-Ed
I like this essay... but "rebirth" on North Avenue? I'm sorry Jacques, you're a great Baltimorean, but that's the dumbest idea I've ever heard! Why does everyone want to sink so much into hopeless neighborhoods where no one wants to go (see the "rebirth" of the West Side), while Hampden and CV are covered with garbage, right at Lanvale and Charles is a property that's been derelict for more than 15 years, our public transportation goes nowhere, and if you want to visit the Harbor parking is $10? I'm sorry, Baltimore, you don't get a new neighborhood until you show me you can take care of the ones you have!

June 22

THIS JUST IN... Doug Duncan has dropped out of the governor's race because he's depressed !!
(imagine how No'Malley Dems feel...) I believe it, every time I've seen him he's seemed leaden and unenthused... But why would someone prone to depression want a job that requires so much extroversion in the first place? Anyways here's hoping the Dougnut gets some him-time to chill out, go fishing with Moose, pop some 'zac and get his groove back.
Is it too late for someone else to run? Simms (Stuart or Barry)? Mary Pat? Who do you nominate, readers?

Opening motions in the retrial of Adan Canela and Policarpio Espinoza start today.

A month in jail for Joe Cary, principal of the Owl's Nest club.

Steven Janis is on fire today... unlike those other lazy quitters! The Examiner had crime scene experts look over the Robert Clay autopsy report. Their conclusion: fishier than a Norwegian cathouse. And where are the gunshot residue reports? Well?

JZ: PowerPoint graphs don't prove the existence of arrest quotas. Examiner: yes they do.

Finally some good parenting: A HoCo mom is suing the man who molested her daughter for $16.1 million. And mom of a 14-year-old girl from Virginia who ran away to Baltimore says, 'I think I'm going to get her some counseling.' Good idea!

David William Richardson, 55, died a mysterious death in Stoneleigh.

A man was stabbed in the arm and a man and woman were arrested for crack and paraphernalia on Dru Hill.

Los federales are handing down huge drug sentences this week. And hey, we're getting a cyber-crime and intellectual property unit!

Now, that's funny. A Hagtown motorist claims he was "defending himself" when he shot at a PT Cruiser that wouldn't let him pass (3rd story from the top).