A surprise witness

Prosecutors promised a witness who will say that he saw Phylicia Barnes' body on a bed before she disappeared during opening statements today.

Leopold acquitted!!! ... of some lesser lawn-sign-tampering charges. Charges of storing pee in a coffee can, having filthy old-man sex in the parking lot of a bowling alley and of gross and willful douchebaggery still stand. 

No Charges for Anthony Anderson officers

DEREK VALCOURT ‏@DEREKVALCOURT

@Gregg_Bernstein : officers involved in death of Anthony Anderson will not be criminally charged-actions did not amount to excessive force

... But the DOJ's Civil Rights division is investiagting, for what it's worth.

A Tale of Two Andersons

Cheshire and Bernstein are hosting a press conference on the Anthony Anderson case today at noon in Mitchell 506.

Another Anderson, Jamar, was convicted for 1st-degree murder for shooting at a woman and killing her cousin instead.

A jury has been selected for the Phylicia Barnes case, so presumably the five reporters are back in the courtroom today.

Justin Fenton ‏@justin_fenton

Man killed in Tuesday double shooting on N. Milton Ave is named Milton: Justin Lee Milton, 32. Police said he lived in NE Balt.

Cham Green

We have another homicide ID, the man killed on the 600 block of Milton 2 days ago is Justin Lee Milton, 32. From looking on the Judiciary he is originally from Hurlock in Talbot County and lived in Northeast Baltimore. He has no previous drug charges. This may be his FB page: http://www.facebook.com/justin.milton.338?ref=ts&fref=ts

Justin Milton

Works at ElectricianWent to North Dorchester HighLives in Baltimore, Maryland

Justin Fenton ‏@justin_fenton

At Charles Village Civic Association meeting, where both Police Commissioner Batts and State's Atty Bernstein are visiting ... Director of @CVCBD thinks progress being made w prostitution problem in southern part of district: "I think they're getting annoyed with us" ... Bernstein says in six of the 1st 10 mos of 2012, SAO had conviction rate over 70% while taking 13% more cases over prev yr  

The flippin Cold Spring Ro/Fo has been robbed yet again, for at least the 3rd time this year. Where are the pictures? I've heard if >$1,000 is taken police don't even request copies of the tape. ... So out of whose pocket comes the stolen cash? The franchise operator?

Good move, homeowner that took a picture of a burglary suspect he caught trying to break in his front door, bolt-cutting device in hand.

... I generally try to not think about Anne Arundel County, but this story's got it all-- coffee cans of urine, 45-minute trysts in a bowling alley parking lot, sign yanking, boob talk and mistresses catfighting by their Daddy's hospital bed-- someone really ought to write a musical. 

Personal Questions

A man shot to death in the head last night at E Monument and N Milton* is our 10th(?) murder of the year. The Ink details last week's three murders included two women, Melissa Davis (allegedly stabbed to death by her husband) and 17-year-old Michelle Adrian of Middletown, shot on West Baltimore street after following someone into a dark alley to buy drugs.

Judge Alfred Nance,
about 40 years ago

Down at the trial for Phylicia Barnes' alleged killer, Judge Alfred Nance reportedly wouldn't let reporters in the room for jury selection yesterday,* claiming there just wasn't any space because there were 200 prospective jurors and 125 courtroom seats. Uhm, so, doesn't that mean they have to bring prospective jurors over two batches anyway ... ? Fenton notes Nance has "been criticized in the past for asking personal questions of potential jurors, including asking women their marital status and criticizing the way a prospective juror wore his yarmulke. In 2001, Nance was issued a rare public reprimand by the judicial disabilities commission for behaving in an “undignified” and “demanding” manner toward women." Super. Jury selection continues today and tomorrow.

Fenton also Tweeted a photo of someone named Kim Trueheart getting arrested today at the courthouse. Police say she was "disorderly" at a press conference* last week, interrupting the Mayor with questions about the phone system, and Trueheart herself Tweeted that she was banned from City Hall. The Brew notes local yacktivists Sharon Black, Courtly Witherspoon and Tom Kiefaber have also been banned from city hall a/o charged with trespassing.

Ed Ericson Jr. mulls over the idea that publishing gun owners' personal information might help promote a fairer firearms licensing and permit system.

Justin George drops by the Ras-a-ter International Nightclub and Restaurant at 2103 N. Ave. (right), where seven people have been shot* over the past 14 months. The owner's now been charged with operating an illegal nightclub.

A resident of the Wells House drug treatment center on E. Baltimore Street allegedly threatened another resident with a butcher knife.

A group called "YES" has opened a drop-in center for homeless teens at 2315 N. Charles St.

Hagtown corrections officer Ryan Lohr is the 9th person to face Federal charges for the in-cell beating of inmate Kenneth Davis, the recipient of four beatings in 24 hours.

The CP has a tribute to Robert Chew, the actor who played Prop Joe on The Wire

Some fug fat guy exposed his dangly bits to some girls at the Columbia Mall.

BPD crime data as of 1/19 posted: Homicides, robberies about same as last year; non-fatal shootings up (25 vs. 18); property crime down 11%
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) January 23, 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?

LOL OMG TRASHY ❤

Ravens to Superbowl: fans celebrated by either lighting fireworks and/or shooting guns (a possibility Buzzfeed declares a "lol" "trashy" "fail") and in Federal Hill boozy-but-jubilant fans were either sprayed with pepper spray* or Nicorette, depending on who you ask.

A woman named Melissa Davis was stabbed to death Friday by a man she was arguing with in the 300 block of E. N. Ave., she was the city's 9th homicide. The 8th was an unid'd 19-year-old man in the SW*

Speaking of the SW, if someone from the SW wants to buy your phone off Craigslist, just say no.

Depressing: "On Wednesday, school officials from around the state will outline the construction and renovation projects they want the state to fund.  The requests before the Board of Public Works is known as the 'Beg-a-Thon.'" Well, plans were stopped for State Center and the Youth Jail, voters held their noses and voted for gambling and football brings in all this money -- no one should have to be begging for nothin. ...some brand new state-of-the-art schools will be built tout de suite, right?

Judge Althea Handy: State Center Contracts can Suck it

Saw the TDR headline and almost ran into a light pole: Judge Handy has effectively* squashed the State Center project, after more than seven years of legal wrangling. You may recall, State Center was a $1.5 billion proposed government-office complex for downtown, conceived by Ehrlich in 2005 and all set to roll out on taxpayers' dime. But then, one of the two developers, Doracon, had to drop off the project after it was revealed that their CEO, Ronald Lipscomb* literally whored himself out to the mayor. The other developer, Streuver, went tits-up (financially), and all along the project was pelted with lawsuits from two dozen neighbors and landlords* claiming violations of all sorts of procurement laws. Rather outrageously, the state-- personified by Attorney GD Gansler's office-- SLAPPed back with lawsuits against the plaintiffs, and refused to release any documents to the media in response to FOIA requests, claiming that the Attorney General's office couldn't afford to make copies. The Attorney General's office, by the way, was due to get the largest chunk of space-- 111,000 square feet -- in the new complex.

So, seven years of taxpayer dollars were wasted on lawsuits, but that still beats getting hosed for $1.5 billion. And now there's four candidates set to run against Gansler next year, so hopefully after this shameful exercise he'll retire and go smoke a fatty with ol' token Snowden* and his sex offender friend*-- all's well that ends well. The end!

Things people shouldn't do

A city officer, Kendell Richburg, was indicted on charges of selling heroin, crack and pot.*

Trial has started for Stanley Brunson, who FHBIII colorfully called an "engine for violent crime."*

"A Baltimore City Circuit Court jury convicted Genesis Collins Jr. of manslaughter and other charges for killing his mother, Audrey Collins, by setting himself on fire, embracing her and refusing to let her go, causing burn wounds that ultimately claimed her life."  

...Art challenge, create work about Genesis Collins Jr. and/or Audrey Collins-- what they look like, in the past, present or future, post a picture of your work to our FB group page and I will organize an exhibit and try to find photos of either of them. 

Insanity is Hereditary

Justin George reports the city's 7th homicide.*

Anthony Anderson's family is keeping the pressure on for charges to be brought following Anderson's death in custody.

Del. Frank's Ki Dos in Trouble

Speaking of family names, three young Conaways have been arrested for pot dealing. Frank Melvin the 3rd and sisters Lacynda and Kelly Conaway are nieces of disgraced, defeated city council member Belinda and kids of Baptist Gnostic Christian Eubonic Kundalinion Spiritual Ki Do Hermeneutic Metaphysicbipolar Delegate Frank M. (just M) Jr. (D-40th), son of the kooky City Court Clerk Frank M. Sr. and Register of Wills Mary Conaway. I demand mugshots!

BWHAHA! Booze-cruising legislator Don Dwyer blames his turning to the bottle on the gays and other Republicans, reports Rodericks: "I felt a tremendous amount of pressure in my family. You take those personal issues [and] add betrayal on the professional side, and it really gets to be overwhelming." The "betrayal" he felt came when three other delegates, including two Republicans, changed their minds and voted for the same-sex marriage bill that became state law on Jan. 1. "That betrayal really affected me," Dwyer said. "I was physically ill. You pour your heart into an issue like that and it's devastating." No Don, that was the DT's.

DOUBLE BWHAHA! Speaking of bags of dicks, Hassan Giordano reports that homohating /vote-suppressant jailbird Julius Henson aspires to run for a Senate seat against his former employer Nathaniel McFadden for the city's 45th district. Talk about biting the broom you rode in on. ...surely McFadden had Henson sign a non-disclosure/non-compete before he hired him? ... And like Henson even wants that job-- you know he just wants to bleed the beast and get at that GOP war chest. Well, why not, don't hate the player, hate the game. What do you think he'll name his party boat ... ? 

And huzzah, a compromise on the pit bull ban.

No New Youth Jail in the City

Well, activists, don't say you never get what you want-- the Sun reports O'M has not allotted the $70 million* to build a special jail for our 50 youth offenders. But will any of that money now go to help the youthfully offensive?

It's like Siberia!

The Balto Spectator aka Απολλώς Frank James MacArthur sent me a paper letter. Aren't those always so nice to get? I'd sent him a "sorry you're spending the holidays in jail" note before Xmas and a private Tweet during that last-day-of-November standoff, offering to secure his Waverly place at a moment when it sincerely sounded like the whole thing was going to go in the suicide-by-cop direction. His response was postmarked 12/27/12 and he admits ownership of the shotgun:

"I'm sure my 50-year-old shot gun in a closet put me right up there on Baltimore's dirty dozen most wanted criminals list. God forbid I might actually use it to defend myself in my own home. How very primitive and savage of me."

He goes on to say,

Speaking of primitive and so PoMo, he also hand-wrote a post he wants me to edit and post-- no thanks to that, but I'll put up a Tweeted phone picture because I am nice. Also, I believe that if you think "somebody ought to do something to help" that somebody is you -- maybe you, dear writer, should write him and offer him help.

     Now, walking around with a shotgun hunting down teen vandals, that might be rational. I'm sure the little reprobates in Waverly can piss a person the ef off. But him keeping a shotgun after his conviction? not rational or smart. Not double-checking to make sure your probation requirements have been met and your probation is over? Not rational or smart. If he really thinks cops are out to get him, then don't give them an excuse, duh. Not going directly to the police station with a lawyer to sort things out the nanosecond one hears one is the subject of a warrant is not rational. Yelling "and you call yourself a judge," to Judge Lynn Stewart -- it confirmed everyone's worst suspicions of an impulsive and uncontrolled demeanor. 

What happened to the Spectator is exactly what should happen to people with illegal weapons, they ought to be monitored by the state/Feds, and if they go off the radar and don't report for probation or surrender on a warrant they should be tracked town. Especially if they are also making violent public statements, wether they're making them at Harborplace or on Twitter.

so anyway,
if you would also like a paper correspondence with the Spectator his contact info is left. If you are really a friend of MacArthur (cough, Duane Davis, Tom Kiefaber, cough) then you'll try to help him use this experience positively instead of encouraging him to not take responsibility for himself and using him to further your own self-centered agenda. The next hearing for AFJMcA is Feb 8 FWIW.

ps. So looks like his purported attorney Jill P. Carter was at the bail hearing, but then why did she not make the plea for bail on his behalf in the courtroom and some nervous younger woman was doing it instead? Shrug. 

'my mouth was watering the whole time'

Whoa, an arrest in a homicide before we I* found out it happened: 17-year-old Michelle Adrian of Middletown, MD was allegedly killed by 18-year-old Dorrien Allen* in the 3900 block of Mulberry St. The Ink covers the year's murders one through five.

Major gun summit in town yesterday, featuring Bloomberg and with recommendations delivered to the White House.

What. The. Fuck!! Some poor single Baltimore woman had lunch with an old college pal one Gilberto Valle, now a NYPD cop living in Queens. Valle then allegedly proceeded to go online and share his fantasies of killing, slow- cooking and eating her. Oh, and he also had a dossier on 100 other women, compiled from police dept info. His partner, one Michael Van Hise, posted online about wanting to turn his 3-year-old stepdaughter into a sex slave and offering up his nieces for rape. Just, what..? Good gravy, single ladies, watch out for those old college friends.

From the Feds: drugs, firefighter indicted for porn, six mortgage fraudsters indicted

Crimes of passion, crimes of stupidity

A first-degree murder conviction for Anthony Cole, whose crime of passion was shooting a man who happened to be sitting next to Cole's wife. The man died, the wife survived.

Three were shot last weekend in front of an afterhours joint* on W. North Avenue called the Ras-a-Ter International Restaurant and Club.

Sean Lee- PD photo

Ahso, that "flamethrower" being wielded at the Loch Raven apartments-- which actually singed an officer-- was actually an aerosol can and a lighter. The wielder was one Sean Lee, 44, who a neighbor called police to claim he was breaking into an apartment. Lee's lawyer says he has some "psychological issues."*

Oh those crazy junkies! Another hour-long car chase from the city's Southside drug market up to the county, this one ended in Ruxton.

Robbery suspect

Have you seen this robbery suspect at left? He's been hitting up 7-11s and RoFos.

FBI's preliminary crime data shows rise in violent crime and property crime reports: apne.ws/RSwfzm -SS

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 14, 2013

WJZ following reports of a police chase, right now criss-crossing between Baltimore City & County. Suspect fled from city drug arrest.

— Megan Walburn (@megganphone) January 15, 2013

Only God can Judge me for stealing from Fenton's Instagram feed 

An agreement to overturn the put bull ban?

Is it true? If only Annie Linskey was still on the case... an Examiner is reporting that the General Assembly has come to an agreement to overturn the Pit Bull Ban. 

Very sad about the suicide of Aaron Schartz, the 26-year-old co-founder of Reddit, who was being prosecuted by the Feds for making JSTOR articles public. Here's a sorry page: the Reddit opiates forum (thnx reader)

Four people killed

So much for the New Year's lull, three people were shot to death and one stabbed last night* (and the weekend isn't even half over yet). Editorial note, I'm not going to keep a 2013 toll-- it's time consuming and also redundant since this info is available elsewhere. But if you are ISO a running homicide tally for 2013 it looks like Cham is keeping one on her page.

More deets on that Loch Raven apt-building blowtorch/flamethrower situation* from someone named Carrie Wells at the Sun (and firewall-less version from the Deuce. WMAR is pretty worthless for the local news, except on weekends, when it's actually pretty decent).

Oh fer ef's sake-- an 88-year-old robbed at gunpoint at the York Road Walgreens and Middle School students robbed on Regester Ave in the area right north of the city line on York Rd. (aka Idlewylde).

There's a gun show at the fairgrounds. Fun times.

'Makeshift flamethrower'

Life in prison for a guy who shot three officers because he didn't want to go to jail for possessing a handgun.

A barricade situation involving a "makeshift flamethrower" in a senior-living apartment complex at 6301 Loch Raven Blvd.

Fenton Tweets that while homicide has been called out to a couple of shootings, still no more homicides yet this year besides the baby(!)

The sweetest girl on MySpace

Alycia Hoffman may be the sweetest girl on MySpace, but yesterday she was the craziest byatch on four wheels, injuring three police officers in a wackadoo chase following a drug buy that started in the city and ended with a fancy police-car box-in maneuver in the county. What do you think, PCP, crack or meth?

We've "only" had one murder so far this year, but 11 shootings

Fenton has more on the Christmas Day beating and robbery of Kenni Shaw,* attacked by five men when he left a liquor store. 

A NYker article talks about the sorry state of non-science when it comes to predicting pedophiles' future behavior.

Apparently Harry Reid snuck provisions into Obamacare that prohibit wellness programs from having doctors ask about the presence of guns a house, and doesn't make exceptions for parents of young children, abused spouses or suicidal people. Doctors are also not allowed to track gunshot wounds or collect gun-injury data, which would seem to be an execution shot to JHU's Center for Gun Research.

Street life, corporate life, life sentences

"Urban terrorist"/Grand Am driving career stick-up brothers Evan and Christopher Foreman started out robbing drug dealers and illegal immigrants, likely mentored in the robbing arts by brothers Michael, 45, and Brian, 39. The fraternal team went on to stage some very thought-out robberies of check-cashing stores, cash-for-gold stores and banks. Evan was sentenced to 24 years and 6 months* in the federal system, Michael got 12 years, Brian 4 1/4 years.
  For his part, Judge James Brednar called Christopher Foreman "depraved," and quipped, "you don't dip your toe in the water of bank robbery."
  "I don't think the court knows the street life," remarked his mother Darraux Horton, 59, who started her parenting career at age 14.

One Marcus Troy Evans, left, was arrested for a Christmas-day beating of a gay man on North Milton Avenue. Apparently Evans was arrested two days after the beating on drug charges but was released on bail six days ago, in spite of the new drug charges, recent domestic violence charges and a rap sheet that includes numerous assaults, gun charges and burglaries. What dingdong of a judge made that call, I wonder? His trial will be at 8:30 a.m. on Jan 29th at 1400 N. Avenue room 3. As an aside, I see Evans' bail bondsman was Lee Dixon was an agent for Milton Tillman's Four Aces bail bonds. Now that Tillman and son are in the federal pen I see Lee Dixon's working for what's been renamed* as Global Surety and Services, but is still a subsidiary of FCS of Houston, TX. It looks like they're hiring new "agents" if you're ISO a career change. It sounds like it's pretty much like being an insurance agent, only your client is the court and gay-bashing, drug-dealing burglars are your beachfront real estate.

Speaking of gay-bashing, outspoken homohater Don Dwyer says he "sought help" following the wreck of The Legislator; he's attended AA meetings and an alcohol intervention class (like, the same class every person arrested on alcohol-related charges has to go to?).  Happiest of all, he also says he's not planning to run for re-election.

Fenton leafs through the Dead Man Inc. corporate handbook* following an evening trailing the police and a BPD-TV camera crew en route to a shooting on Mannasota Avenue, where victims were transported to the hospital by "private car." (Meaning someone didn't want to wait for the ambalance and drove them to the hospital?)

One man turned himself in and two more were arrested* on charges related to a Thanksgiving road rage incident in Owings Mills.

In PGC you can trade Tide® for crack.

O'Malley says that the DP in MD is two votes close to repeal.

First homicide of 2013 = a baby

That does not bode well. The first murder of the year was a 7-month-old baby, Kendell Brown, killed by his own father, Francois Brown. Also the first baby of 2013 was a preemie born to an obese mother.

The Phylicia Barnes sex tape will be played in open court.* Euugh.

Dead Man Inc.'s Perry "Rock" Roark was officially given life in prison.* The current leader of the gang, James Sweeney, says Roark is a "snitch," Roark's lawyers dispute this. Roark says he's "a clear product of my environment."

A robbery sting netted some BGF members*

A massive child-pornography sweep netted 245 pervs nationwide and internationally, including one Robert Marzola of Essex, left.

The third trial for Espinoza and Canela, the alleged killers of three children, will happen in March*

The city plans to replace all 83 of the $450k-worth of speed cameras* that they bought.

Pigtown Crime Data 2012

There sure was a whole lot of stealing and assault in the Southwest last year.