July 7

Huh. Seems like the Sun has all the gory details today. If anyone has any non-Sun links, stick 'em in the comments, por favor.

After all the shootings over the weekend, you'd think we'd be out of ammo, but we've got bullets to spare!

• 28-year-old Kenneth Baker was fatally shot while he was sitting in a car in the 2600 block of E. Preston St. early Sunday morning.
• Two men were shot last night, one in the 3500 block of Reisterstown Rd. in the Northwestern, and one at Charles and North near the fancy schmancy Station North Arts District (and the not-so-fancy schmancy Club Choices).
• And it's not just the city, folks. In AAC, two guys robbed an off-duty cop in Pasadena then fired a shot into his car.

The police shooting at a "rowdy" 4th of July party in the Southwestern happened when three guys in a car rolled by the cops and started shooting at them. The cops, apparently, had better aim than the guys in the car.
Also, police have released the names of the shooters. I'm sure the White family's got a few items between them on the JIS!

Looks like "Bob" was a suicide.

An inmate at the minimum-security Brockbridge Correctional Center in AAC was stabbed yesterday. He was taken to UMMC, was in stable condition, was uncooperative, and had not escaped from police custody. Yet.

This one just speaks for itself: "A woman, 18, was watching two men fight in the 1000 block of W. Baltimore St. about 1 a.m. Friday when someone stole her purse."

Also in the Blotter (above link), someone stole a pit bull puppy from a house on McElderry St. Since the dog was a rescue from the SPCA, there's a fair chance that it wasn't going to be fought, but now I'd bet that chances of a happy life for that puppy are pretty much shot to shit.

Holy shit! There's something else in the Blotter that I just saw. SOMEONE STOLE A GPS FROM A PARKED CAR!!! That's fucking crazy!

Two local econ profs slam the city's business-unfriendliness in the WSJ: "If you've seen HBO's 'The Wire,' you know why those of us who live in Baltimore are often asked whether our city really is the hellhole it is portrayed to be on TV. Our answer is, well, yes. .. The city has waged a war on capital for more than 50 years, raising property taxes an astonishing 21 times from 1950 to 1985."

14 shot in two days

Reports el duce:

The first shooting was reported at around 12:30 a.m. on the [1] 300 block of South Monroe Street in south Baltimore. According to police, a man was found suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest at that location. He was taken to an area hospital with severe injuries. Homicide was called to the scene.

Nearly a half hour later at 1 a.m. police got a call for a [2,3] double shooting on the 3000 block of Elizabeth Avenue also in south Baltimore. Both victims were taken to area hospitals where their conditions are unknown at this time.

Then at 1:23 a.m., [4] a third shooting was reported in south Baltimore. This one was on the 300 block of South Bentalou Street. A male who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the side took himself to St. Agnes Hospital. He was reportedly shot on Bentalou Street.

Just a few minutes after that, at 1:35 a.m., police in west Baltimore were called to the 2200 block of Dukeland Street. [5] A woman was shot in the leg at that location. She was taken to an area hospital where she is expected to make a fully {sic} recovery.

... there were also [6, 7, 8] one shot plus two killed by police, but let's not count "Bob" in the Harbor. And then there are two more [9, 10], one on 21XX Hollins, one location unknown.
Then Thursday you'll recall a triple on Federal [11, 12, 13] and the [14] 15-year-old in Govans.

... in other news, Border & customs found some stolen cars en route to Nigeria and Niger, which are, apparently, two totally different countries.

Bang, bang, bang. Bang.

A triple last night in the 1600 block of East Federal Street. Everybody lived!

A 15-year-old was shot in the ankle yesterday in Govans.

As galt reported in comments, attempted murderer Calvin Boswell was released from jail by accident, a day after his conviction!

WTF?! "At least four people were injured in a brawl involving golf clubs and baseball bats at an Abingdon elementary school Wednesday night."

July 3

Luke B. brings out the June homicide recap. It's nice to know that Bealefeld's pissed. Makes me like the guy even more.

WTF? The dude who murdered Brandon Allen was the same guy who almost got killed by the man Allen was testifying against. This city is fucking insane sometimes.

In the "better late than never" department, the Sun finally got around to writing about murder victim Chicas Santiago, who was found beaten on June 23 in Patterson Park.

Nothing I can say about the moronic circumstances of Marcus Anderson's escape would be as eloquent as what Judge Bernstein said: "If I were a young enterprising criminal, I'd come to Baltimore to set up my practice. This is the place to be. This is the Promised Land."

If you see a Crip in West or South Baltimore whose family is trying to hide him, he just might be suspected murderer Kevin Randolph. And if you see a guy wearing a Seattle Mariners cap, he might be the one who shot a man on Argyle Ave. on Tuesday night. Let's hope he doesn't think to disguise himself by taking off his hat.

A 15-year-old boy was shot in the ankle near Cold Spring and The Alameda.

Some guy in Annapolis got arrested three times in 14 hours.

Crawl-space killer Vaughn Garris pleaded guilty yesterday to killing his neighbor, Chontae Waters. Because he 'fessed up, he got life instead of the death penalty.

A former high school pitcher pleaded guilty to having way too much of the wacky tabaccy. He lost his baseball scholarship and everything.

how could that possibly be legal?!

The CP reports that retiring police officers are not paid earned comp time when they retire unless they sign a highly unusual and very broad gag order.

... also, the CP has more on the wild world of bail bonds.

Need a laff? Enjoy "Carroll Park fitness trail symbols redux."

Alleged Baby-Killer Indicted

The Baltimore City Grand Jury has indicted Jeanine Blackwell, 34, of the 300 block of S. Monroe Street on charges of murder and child abuse resulting in death. Court documents allege on March 9, 2008 Jeanine Blackwell was responsible for the death of her newborn son, delivered in the toilet of a home in the 300 block of S. Monroe Street and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. An arraignment is scheduled for July 25, 2008 before Judge Sylvester B. Cox, Room 203, Mitchell Courthouse.

Forged checks, gun-toting teens and a robber shot in the knee in the blotter.

July 2

Three murders and a whole bunch of follow-ups in the Ink. This is the first I've heard about the beating death of Chicas Santiago in the 2600 block of Baltimore St., next to Patterson Park.

There was a shooting Monday night on Mosher and N. Calhoun, and a kid near Druid Hill Park acted like a dick to the wrong homeless man.

Should it really be this easy to escape from custody? "After getting out of the transport van at St. Paul and Fayette streets, (Marcus) Anderson took off running..."

Three teens in Brooklyn Park were arrested for two carjackings. In one of them, one of the kids punched a pregnant woman in the stomach.

Paul Justin Krastas got 59 days for an attempted rape in Brooklyn Park last fall. He allegedly picked up a 13-year-old girl, carried her into his grandmother's basement, and pulled down her pants before he was interrupted.

Yet another son of Cindy McKay has been charged with murder for helping mommy to kill her boyfriend in 2006.

Cordero Taylor got off on an attempted murder charge for the stabbing of a 17-year-old outside the Columbia Mall, but he got hit with first degree assault.

Master Giddins got five years for buying gas for a Remington firebombing.

The bones found in HarCo last week are not from a homicide victim.

Larry in the Henhouse

tonight's Larry King is "Women Behind Bars" at MD's women's correctional facility in Jessup, and features Felicia "snoop" Pearson.
Scary stats: Warden Brenda Shell says 35% of inmates are on psychotropic meds, and the recidividism rate is @45%. Also, the fish is a little dry.
Q: the women kept saying "there is no self-defense law in Maryland." What do they mean by that?

CNN also covers the alleged 'vigilante' killing of Ronnie White in pgc.

Sounds like a serial killer

Janis: Four prostitutes strangled since April, nine unsolved strangulations of women since '03, but police do not believe there's link between the cases.
As readers may recall, police also publicly denied a link when old people were being robbed and killed in 2005; the crimes turned out to be the work of serial killer Raymont Hopewell. Considering how unusual and labor-intensive strangulation is, it's hard to believe that it's all just a horrible coincidence.
Meanwhile, AngerHangover's post on the murder of Amanda Bishop has generated some interesting comments.

This list of the "22 rules for street mongering" is one educational read!

Police are ISO a robbery suspect in Prada sunglasses.

"DaJuan Marshall, 26, of the 3800 block of Byfield Road was being held at Central Booking and Intake Center on June 25 when authorities there learned of an outstanding warrant charging him with killing Kenneth Cooper Jones."

Former Democratic state Sen. Thomas L. Bromwell checks into federal prison today. The judge apparently didn't agree with Olesker that he'd punished himself enough already.

Adam Meister uses the word "urinate" five times in this anti-SA's office Meistertorial.

Franklin Morgan is behind Joy Shushinsky all the way, and has some suggestions for Hampden's bored teenagers.

No post today, so kindly stick your news links where the sun don't shine. Y'know, in the comments section. Thanks, y'all.

Afternoon update: shiny, sweaty gangsters toting guns

Melody Simmons: "Baltimore's Gangs Battle for Turf and Power"
(Love the illustration! Meow!)
There's also one of those fun "ask some jackass on the street" features.

Starting today, you have to put your kids who're younger than 8 in a booster seat (unless they're extra big and fat). You also have to remove them and take them with you while you go shopping.

La migra están en el condado del Anne Arundel!

June 30

The Examiner and the Sun offer up more stories on Nicole Sesker's murder. Janis also takes a look at the neighborhood where Nicole died, and writes about the human side of the woman who was murdered.

This is yet another crazy story that, for some inexplicable reason, got virtually no meaningful coverage. Back in early May, you might recall a couple of fact-light stories about a teenager who was abducted and assaulted (including sexual assault) because of a stolen PlayStation game. Turns out it was two teens abducted by four men, and "(t)he teens were taken to a house, beaten, cut and burned, while being questioned about a PlayStation video game ... (and) were later given clothes and cab fare, and dropped off, police said." Anyhoo, one of the abductors is in custody, and two more are being sought. So if you happen to know where Kavon Roberts or William E. Roberts are, pick up the phone and start a'dialin'.

What's happening in the Blotter? Besides the normal crew of dumbasses who leave GPS devices, iPods, cameras, and chef knives in their cars, we have a couple of shootings, a couple of robbers, a stabbing, a birthday party melee, a typo, and a car thief with a penchant for old Pontiacs.

June 29

What's up with the way-down murder rate?

Annals of unsmartitude: Baltimore Raven Derrick Martin took his stash to the Cleveland airport.

Rodricks: "Behind drugs, stories of pain"

Life + 20 for Murder of Daniel Savage

From Ms. Burns @ the SA's office:

At a sentencing hearing Friday, June 27, Judge Lynn Stewart sentenced Alton Teel, 44, of the 3700 block of Bonview Ave. to life in prison and a consecutive 20-year sentence for a handgun charge. The sentence will run consecutive to any sentence Teel receives following a violation of probation hearing that is pending.

A Baltimore jury convicted Teel on April 14, 2008 of first-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence.

On February 21, 2007 Teel fired five shots from a .22 - caliber handgun that killed Daniel Savage, 32, in the 1500 block of N. Bradford St. over a drug dispute.

Assistant State's Attorney Theresa Shaffer of the Homicide Division prosecuted this case.

odd that the SA's office sent out a press release on a Sunday!

Hamm's Stepdaughter Murdered

Nicole Sesker, 38, former police commissioner Leonard Hamm's stepdaughter, was found strangled to death in West Baltimore. Here's a link to the 2005 NYT story about her.
She was the second prostitute to be killed in the city this week.

June 27

A woman was shot yesterday afternoon in Park Heights, a man was shot Wednesday night on N. Broadway, and a man was cut as he tried to break up a catfight on Tuesday morning.

An AAC cop claims he got demoted and ridiculed because he reported a crazy-ass stalker co-worker.

Wow. Young men with guns kill each other. Who'd'a thought?

Not a lot of crime in today's news, but there's a whole lot of punishment.

44-year-old Dundalk perv Scott Carpenter got five years for kiddie porn.

Convicted felon Michael Martin got 15+ years for having guns and crack.

Remington arsonist/dealer Eric Robinson got 12 years in the slammer and has to pay restitution of $175,000.

Mohammad Ijaz got four years for bribing Immigration officials for green cards.

Ronald McConnell was indicted in the May 17 fatal shooting of Jason Batts in Columbia's Oakland Mills neighborhood.

June 26

Woodlawn apartment manager Milton John Barnes III might have gotten killed for trying to make his complex a better place to live.

Remains that might be human were found near Rocks State Park in HarCo.

A woman who claims she was sexually assaulted while receiving dialysis has come forward because it's been a year since she filed charges and nobody has been arrested.

Police are seeking McClayton Daniels for possible involvement in seven burglaries.

Fashion thieves are running amok in the Blotter.

16-year-old Damon Simpson pleaded guilty and got 15 years for fatally shooting Charles Hargrove last year.

Raul Garcia got two years for selling guns in the can at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington.

Thanks to everyone who tried to intelligify me on the Sheila D. case in the comments a few days ago. I particularly liked Mr. Meph's

Martin O' worries
Bobby Haircut's comeback near
Does Sheila have dirt?

and Betsy's

Dixon is corrupt as her environment; getting the big picture means dismantling Maryland’s political elite, so the investigation focuses on mink coats.

That's my kind of cynicism! Meanwhile, today's articles on the big Dixon include Sheila getting mad, Sheila getting honest, Sheila getting gifts, Sheila being a survivor, Sheila being not totally aware, and Sheila's money getting linked.

Requiescat in pace, Amanda Marie Bishop

Blogger AngerHangover has identified murder victim #101 as Amanda Marie Bishop, age 22.

June 25

No time for a proper post today, so please add articles to the comments. A few quick ones, though: Annie Linskey wrote a story about the Druid Heights neighborhood where two murders occurred on the same block, and don't forget to read about nine (!) murders in this week's Ink. (Also, don't forget Murders Revisited, which I again forgot to link to last Friday.)