Sin, the wages of

"Alcohol tax increase advances to full senate." Fun fact I learned from this book:before Prohibition, all government activities were paid for by the alcohol tax; the income tax was supposed to get the government off of the teat. But of course now we have both, because there's no such thing as the government ever wanting less money. Also poised to pass, the wine shipping bill. So how long until I can order 18 cases of Trader Joe's 5-buck chuck to dodge the jackassed tax?

Also approved in the Senate: medical marijuana.

Doug, put ya Ballys on. It started on White Marsh Drive, and now county police are looking for Seth Josiah Burgess, 21, a suspect in a shooting at Bally's Total Fitness White Marsh.

36

Man found stabbed to death in vacant home on North Ave

Creepy & sad: officer shot on the same block where another cop was killed a decade before

It all seemed like just so much grousing, but now I'm starting to wonder if the Sun (or at least Laura Vozzella) really does have something against Jill Carter. "Deadbeat" is an awfully strong term for someone with an unpaid water bill, whilst there's nary a word in the papers about Belinda Conaway, who either doesn't live in the district she represents, or does but is cheating on her taxes by claiming her primary residence is somewhere she doesn't actually live (a sin of commission, as it were).

Making the scene

Whoa! City officer charged with sexually abusing a minor, and the dept apparently has no compunction about putting his name right on out there.

Can you ID any of the people in these photos from the scene right before the fatal stabbing of David McLaughlin Jr.?

The Ink has last week's four murders and some updates.

Former marine Tyrone Brown was shot by off-duty officer Gahiji Tshamba, who was indicted for first-degree murder and assault. The police department is being sued by his family for $270 million, and today Tricia Bishop delves into the victim's sketchy mental health history (and the officer who shot him is apparently no prize pig either). Also witness accounts and charging documents

More on the Landsdowne murder of 17-year-old Keon Dobbs

Hee hee! Van Smith covers the drug bust of Reptilian Records' "Chris X," noting that the reporter was familiar with X's pot-dealing past, "having purchased small quantities of marijuana at the store more than 10 years ago while working as a freelance journalist and bartender." Then Van and Mike get into it in the comments section. I love this town!

Inside the mind of child killer Melvin Jones

Inside the case of the sex offender who killed an 11 year-old boy for cheating on him, by the BPD homicide detective who worked the case.

Might as well face it...

The Justice Policy Institute trains its sights on drug courts in its latest report, "Addicted to Courts: How a Growing Dependence on Drug Courts Impacts People and Communities"

Four more shootings yesterday, and Fenton says the total over the weekend was 18, WBAL says 20, in any case the highest weekend total I can remember. Said FHBIII, "we should punch these guys in the mouth that are contributing to this violence."

A teenage boy shot & killed on Birdknoll Court and Songbird Circle

Police say Kenyon McClain, 35, has been missing for a week

Crazy/awful details in the Bethesda lululemon murder. Guess the perp was "living in the moment" and doing her "one thing a day that scares you"

Family of comatose cyclist Nathan Krasnopoler are suing the octogenarian who ran him over

Alleged toilet terrorist Duane Davis talked to JZ hottie Adam May from Spring Grove hospital for the artistically misunderstood

Adam Meister questions Belinda Conaway's residence, wonder if he'll run by her house in the morning to watch her take her kids to school?

Inside Baltimore city homicide

Former BPD homicide detective Kelvin Sewell asks the question, "Why do we Kill?" revealing the inside details about the case of Devon Richardson, who shot a 67-year old Baltimore woman in the back of the head on a dare.

Dangerous interactions

Mom of David McLaughlin, Jr, father of four, says he was robbed and murdered for minivan money.

Shot police officer Michael Rice was a war veteran (wonder which war?), the suspect who shot him had a history of "increasingly dangerous interactions with police"

The perv du jour is Jeffrey Trantham, a HoCo 20-something who allegedly enjoys child rape, webcams and fleeing to Canada.

The gun that a 4-year-old shot himself with was not legal, say police

No bail for Brittany Norwood, suspect in the Lululemon murder

North Baltimore Patch, aka Adam Bednar, "live blogged" tonight's City Council meeting.

What tha...? Fifty-one poodles, yorkies and porkies removed from one home in the 'deener

Maybe the feds are fed-up

Lawyers cooperating with Feds investigating tax lien auctions drop claim against city resident fighting foreclosure for 12 years.

I apologize in advance

Not Baltimore, but can't resist this headline: "Crack Found In Man's Buttocks"

Park Heights shoot-out

At least nine shots fired in one of three separate shootings in Park Heights Sunday.

34, 35

Homicides 34, 35, and much, much more.

34 Id'd as Darshewn Freeman.

35 Id'd as David McClaughlin Jr.

Sad news keeps coming, a 4 year old boy accidentally shoots himself in the head and dies.

Also, an arrest for the February 22nd murder of Martez Hall. Respectable looking gentleman Patric Glasco arrested for the killing.

33

A 21-year-old man, id'd as Angelo Fitzgerald, killed in the 300 block of McMechen Street during the course of a crazy night last night, with eight (or is it 11?) shooting victims in four separate incidents, including the officer shot in the neck and the alleged gunman, who is in "grim" condition

A case against a 48-year-old man charged with raping a 15-year-old is dropped, Bernstein's office apparently doesn't believe the public is owed an explanation, and Peter Hermann is justifiably puh-issed.

William Vincent Brown's only known surviving victim confronted him in court (I ♥ u IV, but Fenton's story is much more in-depth & readable)

In the county, Jeremy Richards pled guilty to first-degree murder and admitted to robbing his 61-year-old neighbor and setting her house on fire

Bel Air residents busted for supplying booze to minors (and what is going on in that picture?)

Officer shot

An officer is in stable condition after being shot in the neck near East 25th Street and Harford Road

Wha?? "The 27-year-old co-worker of the woman killed at a Bethesda yoga store, who originally was portrayed as a victim in the violent outburst, has been charged in the killing of [co-worker] Jayna T. Murray"

Serial killer now tied to PA case

William Vincent Brown's only known surviving victim gave dramatic testimony at his sentencing hearing today. Prosecutors also revealed he had a prior conviction for "terrorizing" and imprisoning a woman in Philly.

32

A man shot to death at the U.S. Fried Chicken on Pennsylvania Ave.

And in Frederick, a worker killed at the Burger King

Life with all but 50 years suspended for William Vincent Brown (so how much time will he actually serve?)

Senate says yes to medical marijuana, ignition-locking devices for drunks, bans on novelty lighters & smoking in a car that has kids in it, and a 180-day use-it-or-lose it parole deadline for the guv. .. and $60 million in new fees?! Effing effers!!

Page Croyder: "if the governor is simply removed from the parole process, prison and parole proceedings will be left shrouded in darkness and unavailable to the public."

WYPR’s Garland Thompson reports why three-year investigations of large drug-dealing conspiracies are worth it (audio link).

"Independent Examiner" Hassan Giordano reports that "The 49-year old former Baltimore City Council President, Lawrence Bell took the first step in exonerating the charges and clearing his name of allegations made against him. Shan Mabry, a longtime 'friend', who brought forth her second peace order claim against Bell in six months, while also filing a criminal complaint against the man she once shared her heart with." (includes a courthouse picture of the plaintiff, so totally not kosher!)
Fun fact: in 1999 Bell won a CP award for "Best Scandal"

Denied!

Perhaps spurred by the House passing the "Use it or Lose it Bill," looks like O'Malley is planning to make like the Circle Jerks and deny everything, starting with these seven cons.

Trunky McGuilford-Robber, aka John Couplin, got 20 years and the label of "menace" from Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher-Hill, but Mary Pat Clark thinks it's a load of crap: "Twenty years becomes 10 years becomes a modified sentence." The conviction also means Couplin violated his probation for a 2008 knife attack, but the wack-azz judge in that case is letting him serve that time concurrently.

Here's a picture of that a-hole disturbed individual who set his mother on fire

Police are ISO a guy with a tattoo on his throat reading "REAL GOON"

Yeeks, a doctor at a clinic owned by Bon Secours Hospital is accused of performing unnecessary eye procedures, including surgery that blinded a woman.

Adorable local hipsters create an app to help you avoid tickets

Say what? MD senators want to help sluts slots parlors dodge local taxes.

Changing minds

Intriguing article in the New Yorker this week about how childhood trauma can lead to health problems in adults and predispose them to violence later on.

The Ink has last week's two murders and lots of case updates

An inmate in a federal heroin case managed to get a list of witnesses against him and "convinced many defendants to change their minds about pleading guilty"

Van Smith on Jean Therese Brown's "terrifying pot-smuggling saga"

Have you seen these two suspected armed carjackers?

A drug dealer may get off because DEA agent & convicted embezzler Mark Lunsford "admitted to the FBI that he concocted information in the case."

P.G. County police confirm that a body found in a trunk was that of a missing man, but they're not treating the case as a homicide(?)

Confessions of a Baltimore serial killer

William Brown pleaded guilty two killing two women and maiming another between 2003 and 2004

Half psychotic, sick hypnotic...

A rare "not criminally responsible" finding for D'Lana Simmons, who beat her aunt Cecelia Mitchell to death.

The last two TTP Bloods defendants were sentenced yesterday to 100+ months each

A MoCo police officer is accused of helping to run a cocaine ring

Fox reports that "A Baltimore County man is accused of setting his mother on fire. It happened just before 11a.m. this morning inside a home in the 7900-block of Baltimore Street in Eastview."

Thoroughly, deeply, completely depressing

Not only was 19-year-old murder victim Tanise Ervin an "innocent bystander," according to police, she just came off of a 10-hour shift at McDonald's, then went back to have her last meal there. She left, was shot in the back, and when her mom arrived at the scene, she says "police wouldn’t let me touch her." Apparently the gunperson(s) were shooting at Ervin's companion; the male "friend" was shot also but is not co-operating with investigators.
Mourners gathered tonight in Better Waverly.