June 9

A man was found dead this morning in the 4500 block of Bonner Rd.

If the Fox Baltimore web site weren't a useless piece of crap, I could link to their story on a bus beating in the Northern. Since they don't provide a permanent link, I'll just quote the story:

Another attack on board a city bus.
This time, a bus driver is assaulted by a group of kids.
It happened sunday afternoon at 39th and Greenmount in North Baltimore.
Police tell us the kids were playing around on the bus and threw some kind of liquid on the driver.
The driver called for help.
She was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
Police arrested all of the kids involved.

Because it's Monday morning and I'm in no shape to tolerate both unruly teens and incompetent journalists, I'm opening a Baltimore Crime contest. Whoever finds the most grammatical and/or journalistic mistakes in that stupid article and presents them in a suitably snarky manner will win the warm glow of knowing you made me laugh. Plus, if we're ever in the same room, I'll buy you a beer.

In case attacking bus drivers isn't enough fun for you, you can always attack a paramedic.

... or a cab driver. Hardworking Aston Beadle, 63, was shot in the abdomen in the county June 4 after telling his would-be robber that he had no money. Police have no leads.

Circuit Judge Emory A. Plitt Jr. "makes it clear he'll have plenty to say" about both Kevin Johns and the Maryland correctional system.

The Examiner gives more about the wacky antics of the Bolden family.

Former HoCo teacher Alan Beier won't get a new trial, even though he was, like, totally not turned on after taking risque pictures of a teenage boy.

June 8

Herlinda Rodulfo was arrested in Texas and is awaiting extradition to Maryland, where she will be charged with the murder of 18-year-old Valerie Barnes.

Remember my comment from May 27, "Somehow, it's fitting that a Waffle House would appear in a story about a family that's this screwed up?" Well, brother Reginald is in the slammer again, and brother Justin is dead after swallowing some bags of drugs.

Do naughty black BPD officers get punished more harshly than naughty white ones?

Beware of hoochie mamas bearing badges. In HoCo (ha!) "police arrested seven men Thursday on charges of solicitation of prostitution after setting up a sting targeting an area of North Laurel."

I actually like this idea, at least on the surface: implement a surcharge for the druggies from the 'burbs who support the city's drug trade.

Why do we get all the crazies? Uma Thurman's stalker, Jack Jordan, was punished by being sent to live with his parents in our fair state.

Chifonne Frazier Indicted in Light Rail Stabbing

The Baltimore City Grand Jury today indicted Chifonne Frazier,17, of the 2900 block of Ulman Avenue for attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and related weapons charges. Court documents allege that on May 7, 2008, Chifonne Frazier assaulted and stabbed a young woman with a knife in the 100 block of North Howard Street. An arraignment is scheduled for July 11, 2008 before Judge Sylvester Cox, 203 Mitchell Courthouse. Assistant State's Attorney Michael Leedy will prosecute this case.

Aaron Speaks Convicted of Shooting Palsied Victim

A Baltimore City jury today convicted Aaron Speaks, 23, of the 2100 block of N. Guilford Ave of attempted first-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence after a two-day trial. From your intrepid SA's office:

Judge Thomas J.S. Waxter scheduled sentencing for September 16, 2008. Speaks faces a maximum possible prison term of life plus 20-years.

On August 6, 2007 at approximately 4:18PM the victim, who suffered from cerebral palsy, was walking in the 300 block of East 21st St. when Speaks crept up behind him and shot him one time at close range in the back of the neck. A CitiWatch pole camera captured Speaks feeling [sic] the scene. Witnesses testified that only one person approached the victim, only one shot was heard and only one person fled the scene. Another witness testified that shortly after the shooting the defendant admitted to shooting the victim. This shooting left the victim paralyzed from the neck down; he remains on a ventilator and is unable to speak without medical intervention. Assistant State’s Attorney Tonya LaPolla of the Firearms Investigation Violence Enforcement (F.I.V.E.) Division prosecuted this case.

Indictment for Murder of Ellsworth Monroe-Bey

The Baltimore City Grand Jury today indicted Keon Christian Dorsey, 20, of the 5300 block of Cuthbert Avenue for first-degree murder, conspiracy to robbery and robbery.

Court documents allege on April 25, 2008 Keon Dorsey assaulted Ellsworth Monroe-Bey by striking him in the head as he walked in the 3800 block of W. Belvedere Avenue. Documents further allege that the assault rendered Monroe-Bey unconscious causing him to fall into the street. It is further alleged that Dorsey continued to assault and rob Monroe-Bey. Mr. Monroe-Bey was transported to Sinai Hospital where he succumbed to his massive head injuries on May 2, 2008.

An arraignment has been scheduled for June 27, 2008 before Judge Sylvester Cox.

Murders Revisited

Hey kids! Have some Friday afternoon fun and go take a look at who got away with murder and who didn't! There are five victims (six, if you count Ashley Harris' unborn baby) and seven potential murderers in this week's installment.

How many are doing time? How many were found not guilty? How many had charges against them dropped? And who's the lucky bastard who got nine years, seven months, and five days dropped from his 10 year sentence?

(FYI, Ashley Harris' fetus didn't count as a murder victim. The murder conviction against David Lee Miller in March was the first time Maryland's fetal homicide law was used. Miller was convicted for killing Elizabeth Walters, who was about 32 weeks into her pregnancy.)

June 6

It's tough for me to get all excited over tough federal/state sentences for handgun crimes when guys like Lucky Williams only get nine years. Baby steps, I guess. Just make sure you don't witness any murders while our leaders our baby stepping their way to greater political aspirations.

A jury found Natasha Fowlkes guilty for the beating that paralyzed her neighbor. I sure didn't see that one coming.

This is a long and convoluted story, but it seems to boil down to dropping a bunch of criminal cases because of some shady behavior by a cop.

A dude with a gun and a crowbar got his home invasion on at the house of a 25-year-old Middle River woman. No word on whether or not she was hurt.

Huh. I never knew that throwing poop at someone counts as assault. Now I'll totally have to re-think my office communication strategy.

Smash and grabs are on the rise in HoCo.

Looks like there's still some Harsonists on the loose.

Guess what they found in Senator Currie's house? Here's a hint: it's green, it smells funny, and it makes you craaaaaaaazzzzzy.

Checkpoints in DC

Interesting article from the Post about police tactics to help stop a streak of violence in DC's Trinidad neighborhood.
(Thanks for the link, David)

June 5

The Blotter has the trifecta of pain: shooting, stabbing, and beating.

The Thunder From Down Under got its van back, but no word if their loincloths and swords were still inside.

Murderer and witness-intimidator Lucky Williams got nine years, a sentence that even the judge called "very, very lenient."

Meanwhile, in CarCo, Mary Gates got five years simply for trying to hire a guy to whack her husband.
More on that case here. No murder and no witness intimidation, yet she still gets more than half the time that Lucky got.

Afternoon

After some morning wonkiness at the Examiner site, Luke has his May recap posted. It's a good article, and Dr. Sharfstein's comment ("Homicide is the leading cause of death among young men in the city. When you're talking about that many people being killed, it's absolutely a public health problem.") is much more insightful than the head-in-the-sand comment in 2005 by then-Health Commissioner Beilenson ("Baltimore is actually a very safe city if you are not involved in the drug trade."). Why don't you tell that to Anna Sowers, Pete?

Mr. B. always seems to come up with these one-two punches on the days of his murder recaps, and today is no exception. He takes a look at five women who work in the same office at the Baltimore City District Court, all of whom have lost at least one male family member to the city's homicide problem.

I hate it when they bury two news stories in one link: There was a knife fight on a bus in Annapolis, and police have ID'd a suspect in the murder of 21-year-old mother-to-be Christen Hawkins.

June 4

Four murders in the Ink, and a really depressing quote from a now-dead witness who was trying to do the right thing: "I know how my brother Brandon is and I know how my homeboys is and like I said in my statement that something has to be done before it get any crazier or somebody actually get killed and the next time somebody probably won't make it out the hospital."

There's a bit more info about the Woodmere murder that happened early yesterday morning, and Derrell E. Smith was ID'd as the man who was killed on Clifton Ave. on Monday night.

It's gotta be kind of embarrassing to be arrested for drug dealing and only have $24. If I was in prison with her, I'd totally be calling her stuff like Dozens of Dollars Ashley and 24 Buck Tucker.

This should be interesting. The BPD is asking crime victims how well the police handled their cases. If Commissioner Fred actually does something useful with this information, he will move a notch higher in my already high opinion of him.

Man Indicted for Shooting Gal in Front of his Mom

Today the Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Montreal Proctor, 18, of the 2000 N. Bentlou for attempted murder and other counts on Monday, June 2, 2008.

Court documents allege that Proctor is responsible for a shooting incident in the unit block of S. Ellwood Avenue on May 7, 2008. The victim traveled with the defendant’s mother to pick up her children including the defendant in East Baltimore. The defendant instructed his mother to stop in an unknown alley. The victim exited the vehicle, Proctor ordered her to get back in the vehicle, she refused, and an altercation began. Court documents allege during the altercation, Proctor shot the victim in the head. The victim was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital and released. An arraignment is scheduled for June 30, 2008 before Judge Michel W. Pierson, Room 329, Courthouse East.

sheeze, i don't even cuss in front of my mom!

June 3

We all know that dropping out of school in Baltimore is bad for your health (unless you're a teacher, in which case staying in school could be detrimental), but who knew that sitting on the porch was so dangerous?

In the time it took me to write today's post, the Sun published an article about another murder. Someone was killed at about 3:00 this morning in the 5400 block of Crismer Ave. in the Northern (or would that be Northwestern?).

And wow again. MJB just sent me a really disturbing article from the Post reporting that 49-year-old Calvert County resident Ricky Joseph Salvatore got all hepped up on beer, weed and PCP, listened to the song "41 Shots" on the radio, then fatally shot his younger brother.

Damn. I didn't realize that Shannon Dudley got stabbed in the heart. That's brutal. Of course, the two kids who were charged claim they didn't do it.

Wise words from Annapolis murder victim Jerome Hughes' grandmother during an emotional sentencing where Dupree Rashard Williams got 17 years: "You have to forgive. If you don't, it's like a cancer. It's time for all of you to grow up."

Someone in Baltimore is making some serious threats against the folks at CASA de Maryland.

Convicted car thief William Spessard escaped from a work detail yesterday with the old "I gotta pee" routine. Haven't these prison guards ever watched any movies? OF COURSE he was trying to escape. Like, duh.

Today is a rough news day for city workers. DPW employee Melvin Talbot was arrested for allegedly selling smack while he was working on Pulaski Highway, and a Public Works supervisor was arrested at the salt dome (or is that Salt Dome?) on Falls Rd. this morning for allegedly stealing water from a distributing company.

I wonder who plundered the Thunder from Down Under?

Pasadena Purses Pilfered! (I totally missed my calling as a headline writer for the New York Post.

Did Natasha Terresa Fowlkes lead the Edgewood attack that paralyzed Gregory Simmons, or was she innocently in the wrong place at the wrong time? Only God and the jury know for sure.

Hey Luke, where's your monthly recap? There are still a lotta dead people in May who need to be acknowledged, even if WJZ says this has been the least homicidal May since the '70s.

Man indicted for Kidnapping

From the SA's office:

The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Christopher Johnson, 22, of the 5600 block of McClean Boulevard for kidnapping on Friday, May 30, 2008.

Court documents allege that on May 2, 2008, Johnson forced two victims into a vehicle at a bus stop located at Northern Parkway and McClean Boulevard. They were then driven to an apartment in the 5600 block of McClean Boulevard and held against their will. It is alleged that Johnson thought a Playstation 3 game had been stolen from the same apartment by the two victims.

This isn't the kidnapped teens from April, that was Catonsville. Nor does it have to do with the police-involved shooting at the same intersection in January. I'm not sure I've heard of this case before.

Murders Revisited - new post

The new "Murders Revisited" is now posted. I'm trying to find a clever way to highlight the sentence for Jason Blake, but it's really just another pathetic example of the failures of the city legal system. 358 days. Hooray, Baltimore!

June 2

Two worthless pieces of crap teenagers were arrested for stabbing aspiring barber Shannon Dudley at a bus stop downtown last week. Dudley is still in critical condition at Shock Trauma.

Father Worthless piece of crap Mark Castillo cried like a little girl (one who's still alive, that is) when he was told that city prosecutors were seeking like without parole.

21-year-old Jessup resident Christen Hawkins was three months pregnant when she was murdered.

There was a double shooting (non-fatal, so far) yesterday in the Southwestern. Otherwise, news reports indicate that everyone in Baltimore got along smashingly well over the weekend.

Uh, yeah. Never mind about that last comment.

Okay, these guys are totally awesome for driving a boxful of pipe bombs to the police, but they're totally fucking crazy for driving a boxful of pipe bombs to the police.

Goddamned immigrant guns, stealing the job of killing from our native Maryland guns.

May 31

Fascinating! FBI agents have searched the home of MD Senate Budget Committee Chair Ulysses Currie.

"Three people were shot, including one by police, during a spate of unrelated violence late Thursday and early yesterday in the northeastern and downtown areas"

Broadwater reports that new charges were filed last week against Brandon Grimes; the alleged cop-killer also allegedly assaulted a jail employee. And he also allegedly has a girlfriend-- how depressing is it to hear that if you're a single guy ISO love!

Do I detect cynicism, Ms. Linskey? "Christopher Shaw has avoided prosecution three times. In November, prosecutors dropped a drug-distribution case. Four years ago, they dropped a charge of murder; two years before that, it was an assault charge that was dropped. But this time, prosecutors say, it will be different."

Never a dull moment at Casa del Garmin: 17 years for Hollins Market hair-ron; jail for a crooked yearbook salesman; an MTA officer headed to the hoosegow for burning his own car. And, of course, the PDJ.

HarfCo is investigating the death of a jail inmate, 25-year-old Justin Eugene Bolden.

Brandon Grimes Not Guilty of Gun Charges

From the SA's office:

Late today a Baltimore jury found Brandon Grimes, 23, of the 800 block of Cator Avenue, Baltimore not guilty of handgun crimes, including prohibited possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, following less than 2 hours of deliberation.

The counts against Grimes originated early afternoon on April 13, 2006 after a car stop near his home. The allegations included that Grimes tossed a handgun into an adjacent yard after exiting his vehicle and entering his home on Cator Avenue, following a car stop by officers on routine patrol.

Grimes was found not guilty on all counts following a jury trial before Judge Wanda Heard.

Castillo Re-Arraignment Explained

From the SA's office:

Today the State filed formal written notice of its intent to seek an enhanced penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole in the case of Mark Castillo, 42, of Rockville, MD.

Under Maryland law, the State must file notice of its intention to seek enhanced penalties 30 days or more before the first trial date; his trial date is Aug. 22, 2008. A decision as to whether or not to file for the death penalty has not been made at this time. That decision will be made by State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy. She is reviewing all the pertinent court papers in this case and is also awaiting the court medical evaluation. There is no timeline other than meeting the 30-day requirement as mandated by law.

May 30

Michael S. Falls was arrested and charged with killing his 63-year-old girlfriend, Josephine House, in her N. Port St. home on Tuesday.

The body of 18-year-old Steven Parrish was found at a Baltimore County cemetery. Police have no motive or suspects in the murder.

21-year-old Christen Hawkins' beaten body was found behind a pool in Laurel.

Shannon Dudley is the guy who got stabbed at a bus stop on Charles and Baltimore on Tuesday night. It sounds like his only crime was waiting for the bus. Safe and reliable, baby, safe and reliable.

There's a whole lotta shootin' goin' on. And stabbin', and carjackin', and other assorted misbehavin', too! (WMAR's got video about the police shooting in the Southeastern.)

Shawn Lee Gray says 'Reds' was driving the car that hit and killed a Dundalk biker, but police say Shawn's a liar.

Damn. The Examiner isn't pulling any punches with this one: "Man accused of raping teen sentenced to 20 years - Not even her mother believed she was raped."

1.5 years for kiddie porn? Is Balto County getting soft on pervs?

The Frednecks don't put up with kiddie porn, though: Larry Cordell got 25 years for "making videos of sex acts with boys and distributing them through the Internet and elsewhere." This is his second conviction for child sex abuse. I can't even put in writing what I hope happens to his ass in prison, but let's just say it involves lit firecrackers and watermelons.

In HoCo, a kid was gonna bring a gun to school, but then he played hookie instead. In almost equally exciting news, I was gonna vacuum my house last night, but then I talked to one of my friends on the phone instead.

Crackheads and stockbrokers alike reported great excitement at the headline "Clean Air Act means healthier coke production." Then they read the story and didn't care.

There were probably some sort of fancy schmancy shenanigans going on with the sale of the Paramount Hotel on N. Howard St., but even after reading the article, I don't understand what the hell any of it means. White collar crime is, like, totally hard.