Still No Bail for the Spectator

Man shot and killed at the Continental Arms shooting range* in Timonium

Two teenagers were shot last night in Edgewood

Metaphor fail: Republican E.J. Pipkin calls the gov's handgun-licensing requirement a "poll tax." Because you're not really participating in democracy if you aren't equipped to shoot yourself or others in the head.

Carrie Wells reports that the officer who shot a man Tuesday* was also implicated in the shooting of Donnie Chestnut in 2007 (which you may remember as the "Popsicle-stick case")

Though rape charges were dropped against one of the owners of the Blue Agave, Cheshire says the investigation of the incident is ongoing.*

Really?! Some senators want to change the speed-camera law to give camera operators even less oversight, letting "specified persons" review tickets instead of requiring police officers to do it. Some nerve!

And, shocking to no one, the Spectator has been denied bail again (for the third time) by the same judge he yelled at at the last bail hearing.

Hardworking defectives

Sounds like Michael Johnson's goose is cooked, stuffed and served up with a nice Chianti, but you never can tell what a jury might do. Today prosecutors read text messages from Johnson to his baby's mom, Tabitha Fickling, in which he said he was thinking about fleeing to where he couldn't be prosecuted.

WBAL just lost a poop-ton of credibility with a fawning report on the glories of Catholic schools. "more Baltimore-area Catholic school students are finishing high school and going onto college." But, laments the school Superintendent, "The challenge is always being enrollment." Gee, why might that be? "These economic times are challenging," she concluded. Oh, that must be the only possible reason why.

A 15-year-old was shot in the foot; but rest assured, WMAR reports that "defectives are working to figure out who shot him."

A Spanish-speaking man was stabbed in Owings Mills

Release the hounds

Dayum. Day 764 of the case against Michael Johnson, and yesterday's witness sounds like a doozy.* Drifter James McCray aka Jason Lee says he saw Phylicia's body and gave Johnson advice on disposing of it/her, and that Johnson told him he killed her because he raped her and then she wouldn't stop crying.

A man was shot to death yesterday in the 4600 block of Laurel Avenue (south of Sinai hospital and north of Cold Spring), the 14th murder of the year; a man was shot yesterday in Barclay.

Cham ID's the man shot to death in Lauraville yesterday as Travis Jennings, age unknown. The Ink has more details on last week's murders.

The world is again safe for queso: after reviewing the video of New Year's Eve at the Blue Agave, prosecutors have dropped all charges against the restaurant's co-owner.

In Glen Burnie a 22-year-old man is accused of strangling his 66-year-old aunt.

A man was robbed, punched and kicked near Belvedere Square.

The Patch reports that twice in the past week, booted vehicles have driven away.

They know how to take care of business in Rogers Forge: two Hamdenites were arrested after a resident saw them trying car door handles. Down in the city you'd be lucky to get a lackadaisical police drive-by a half-hour after such a call, but up in the county officers set up a perimeter and brought in dogs. "The Forge" always seemed kind of like Camazotz to me, but that level of service makes it darned appealing.

And finally the third bail hearing for Baltimore Spectator Apollos James MacArthur is tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. in the Mitchell Courthouse.

Sad and Happy Endings

A man was shot to death and found on Southern Ave. in Lauraville yesterday morning*

Good for you, Ed Ericson Jr., doing the tough and tedious work to trace Johns Hopkins U's $49 million payout for developing military drones, an activity rather at odds against the University founder's Quaker principles.

Day 763 of the Phylicia Barnes case. Fenton tweets that the Medical Examiner is testified her death was from asphyxia (lack of oxygen) and that after being bitched out and threatened with jail by Judge Sweeney yesterday Phylicia's father and stepfather are now sitting next to each other. The Deuce reports jurors were shown autopsy photos and that the defense floated the possibility she could have jumped into the water on her own.

Also from the CP: more on the assault of inmate Kenneth Davis at Roxbury; the end of Joshua Goldberg's epic mortgage fraud scheme

Headline of the week: "Men got 'Happy Endings' at York Spa massage parlor, thanks to City Paper ads." (Q: are topless rubdowns legal even if happy endings aren't?) or maybe it's "Ray Lewis denies using deer antler spray"

PA gun-store robbers caught in Baltimore, police say the robbers hoped to trade the guns for money and/or drugs.

Lawyers for Robert Gladden, the accused Perry Hall High shooter, argued today that his case should go to juvenile court.

Hampden man stole bike, crashed bike, got caught.

The principal of Mt St Joe's has resigned after accusations of "inappropriate" communications with students.

Barnes trial day 3

Fenton explores why a grand jury was convened in Harford County re. Phylicia Barnes' murder*, prosecutors played tape of Johnson's account of events made days after Barnes went missing,* jurors were shown a picture of Barnes' body that made her stepfather cry. And blogger David Adams dug up a transcript with Deana Barnes vehemently denying giving her sister alcohol or drugs, and alleges that Johnson had a child with another woman named Tabitha Fickling while he and Deana were broken up (though I haven't seen this reported anywhere else). Hrm.

Tyrone Alson was arraigned for the caught-on-tape murder of 18-year-old Tashawna Jones, and trial was scheduled for April 5.

And the 3rd police-involved shooting in five days,* what is up with that?

Also, John Peesocold, I mean Leopold, was found guilty of two charges and suspended, and what a relief to learn it was plastic coffee container.

Princess of Poli-tricks

Another homicide: Thomas Donaldson, 46, was shot and killed on Stonewood Road near his home yesterday.* Cham reports he has a long arrest record, but most of it for open containers.

Police say the man they shot yesterday was trying to run officers over.

Fenton's at the Johnson trial for Day 3, and one salient deet: Deana testified that a 35-gallon storage bin was missing from her apartment. (my question, seems like there is a ton of incriminating evidence against this guy, so why did it take so long for the state to bring charges?)

Justin Fenton ‏@justin_fenton

Day 3 of testimony.There was some type of exchange between Phylicia's mother's husband & her father, &judge threatened to throw them in jail

Defendant's brother was asked if he recalled searching online for info on cell phone GPS data day after Phylicia went missing; he said no

Throughout trial, there's been multiple references to witnesses testifying before a Harford Co grand jury, at least as far back as Nov 2011

Why is someone (or someones) vandalizing the Mount Carmel Baptist Church?

The Brew profiles recently arrested activist Kim Trueheart. (LOL, SRB = "dictatorial Princess of BMore Poli-Tricks") She's due in court tomorrow.

Rikki Spector wants to ban panhandling in median strips

Up in Altoona, PA, a bar manager is accused of managing a Baltimore-to-Altoona cocaine caravan. Also, in case you were wondering, the Altoona Mirror tells you how to make crack.

Misconduct Monday

Speaking of Gregg Bernstein, not long after the Hitler post, he made an appearance on* the Larry Young show on WOLB 1010 AM (have other people heard of this station?) to defend his decision to not pursue any charges against Detective Todd Strohman, the one who tackled Anthony Anderson, causing his death. Bernstein said that the ME found that Anderson had a pre-existing enlarged spleen, which is interesting because the autopsy report doesn't mention that at all and lists his primary cause of death as from torso injuries. Also interesting, Bernstein apparently agreed with a caller that the war on drugs is "not working," but apparently didn't explain why, then, his office still prosecutes them.

An officer shot a man tonight who he believed was concealing a gun*-- the man is in serious condition and the gun apparently has not been found. Fenton Tweets it's the second police-involved shooting since Friday night.

And finally in misconduct news, the Board of Estimates is fixing to pay out $270,000 in settlements, on top of the $10.4 million paid out in the previous three years.

... and here's a link to the full Fenton Phylicia Barnes* court case report of the day, and a bonus douchey detail:

Justin Fenton ‏@justin_fenton

Deena testifies that when [Michael Johnson] came over the night Phylicia disappeared, he said he was concerned for himself since he was last to see her

Really?! Really.

So this past weekend on the Facebooks, a Friend of MacArthur David Anthony Wiggins commemorated European Holocaust Remembrance Day by posting a picture of Gregg Bernstein with a photoshopped Hitler moustache, and, in case one of the group's 500+ followers might have missed the point, declaring him the titular "Adolf Hitler of Baltimore City."

Blog help us, we try to ignore the infinite amount of ignorant things stupid people things post on the Internet, but sometimes stupid is so stupid it's stupefying. Does this Wiggins person not realize that a). Bernstein is Jewish or that b). actual Adolph Hitler would not have bothered with the optics and niceties of the judicial system and just had people shot on the spot? What has our education system come to? Not only have people apparently forgotten to remember to not forget the Holocaust, more than a few also apparently never got clue one about what the heck it was in the first place. 

Here, have a story about the time a decorated general disagreed with Hitler and was forced to commit suicide. And, y'know, Stalin and Mao both killed more people than Hitler, why doesn't anyone ever get to be the Mao a/o Stalin of Baltimore City? Or the Franco, Mussolini or Staatssicherheit? Come on people, up ya game!

Fathers, sisters, uncles of the year

A homicide, one Terry Williams was shot to death in the 400 block of Parksley Ave., Cham reports this is the city's 11th homicide of 2013.

Deana Barnes testified today* about being unable to reach Michael Johnson because his phone was off on the day Phylicia disappeared, Johnson's contradictory statements about when he last saw her, and about the video of drunken streaking that was apparently shown to the jury (but not the gallery of spectators). On Friday James McCray testified that Johnson had asked for his advice and help moving Phylicia's body.

Article in the NYT this weekend about new legal inroads towards restitution for child-pornography victims, and online has the story behind the story. Also in the NYT magazine: glorification of our fair city's illegal dirtbiking scene (so exotic!).

Patch crime blotters: a Chesapeake High student robbed by classmates, two Montgomery Ward freezers stolen and a cuckold threatened with a sword.

Homicide arrests in an AAC murder include a father-daughter team.

They said you'd have to be on crack to try to sell a slice of pie for $7, and unfortunately they were right.  One of the owners of Dangerously Delicious pies, Joey Belcher, died a mysterious and likely drug-and-alcohol-related death last month. The edgy pie chain is now down to one Baltimore location, in Canton.

The defense rested Friday in the Leopold case, with an orthopedic surgeon testifying that Leopold needed a catheter and was in horrible pain with deteriorated discs and leaking spinal fluid. Let that be a lesson to you, kids: two mistresses is too many.

Robbed, beaten, stabbed, raped, shot

A city officer shot and killed a man in the 500 block of N. Madeira St.* (in soon-to-be-redeveloped E. Baltimore) (non-Sun link)

A man was shot at the Lutherville Light Rail station and a suspect is still at large. You may recall in 2008 two teens were abducted from the same light rail station and one was raped, 22-year-old Kiheem Malik Taylor and 18-year-old Brian Scott were found/pleaded guilty in that case. Actually, a lot of stuff has gone down at and on the Light Rail. 

Opening statements in the Michael Johnson trial* told a tale of a feckless older sister, videotaped nude frolicking, a jailhouse snitch who Johnson alleged to have asked for help disposing of Phylicia Barnes' body (opines Fenton on Twitter, "My interpretation/analysis of the new witness is that prosecution isnt putting too much stock in him.... on its face, what he is saying is enormously crucial. But he was almost an afterthought in opening statements.") and the doomed teen being targeted by the 28-year-old's lust and text messages. ... Barnes' cause of death is still unknown.

One Daren Ruffin allegedly stabbed his wife Melissa to death, less than a week after being released after wife-beating charges*

A man was robbed and beaten on University Parkway (almost two weeks ago)

Somewhere Judge Prevas is toasting to this-- former Catholic-school teacher and convicted child rapist John Merzbacher will stay in jail.

The Hyatt Regency of Baltimore has paid to settle Federal charges of unfair labor practices.

Activist Kim Trueheart was released from Central Booking at 3:45 a.m. on Thursday.

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?