Love in the Time of Cholera

Oh shiz. Two students are dead near the University of MD in College Park after a murder/suicide.

A custodian was attacked this morning at Gwynns Falls Elementary school.

A man was shot in the leg and jaw in the 1100 block of N. Stricker Street.

We've heard a lot of crazy here at the blog, but this takes the crazy cake. SRB wants to start charging a fee for trash pickup.* She also wants firefighters, who already make 25% less than their counterparts in surrounding areas (see right), work more than 42 hours a week. No details yet on the trash proposal, but if it means that payers are surrounded by the garbage and rats from their non-paying neighbors (while the house burns down), Baltimore, dude, baby, cookie, you know I love you, but I am outta here. I'll do a lot for love, but gotta draw the line at heaps of rotting garbage, rat orgies and plague.

Habitual drunk driver Thomas Green, who mowed down two Hopkins students, was taken into custody after trying to drive his car drunk twice while it was outfitted with an interlock device. Fox reports that Green has 18 points on his license (warning, link has audio).

Web site The Robing Room = Yelp for judges. Judge Themelis ("a gentleman") is at the top for the city, at the bottom (Retired) Judge John Glynn ("a crank"), Evelyn Cannon ("chemical imbalance") and Yvette Bryant ("a nasty person").

In case you're wondering, here's who has drones. All the federal agencies, of course, and in MD, Queen Anne's county.

File under amazing but true: NBC News tracked fatal shootings over the MLK Jr. weekend and neither Baltimore nor Chicago had any (Melissa Davis was stabbed to death, however).

A rare disbarment for Paul W. Gardner II, aka the lawyer who repped Snoop.*

This is brilliant. Not the easiest thing on the ears, but brilliant.

Don't date, don't drive, and never, ever buy tickets

Monte Carter

Another online-dating murder?! Jennifer Conyers, 32, was murdered and her house set on fire allegedly by a guy she met online.* She was murdered Friday and Monte Delano Carter, 38, was arrested Saturday, driving her car and with blood *still* on his pants and shoes. FWIW he (allegedly) used her ATM card to get cash and buy stuff he traded for heroin. How about instead of doing a background check on someone before dating them, just never dating anyone ever.

Inside: Delightful Chinese New Year party. Outside: Stabbing on Charles Street. Metro Gallery hemmed by crime scene tape. #Baltimore
— Julie Bykowicz (@bykowicz) February 10, 2013

Also on Friday, a shooting on Homestead St.


Really, Daily Record?! "Capital Punishment Already Dead in Maryland" ... just because a crass headline comes over the wire it doesn't mean you have to publish it, geeze

"Just give us the cash, yo." Nice-guy Medfield robbers let a victim keep his wallet, reports the Patch.

Haha, winning. The Sun obtains the Mayor's office's bitchy emails about speed camera coverage.* Also, Larry Young of WOLB apparently helped provide the Mayor's office with "talking points." Shady.

Carl Stokes wants to vacate the never-enforced law that bars high event-ticket surcharges.

Not Baltimore, but worth a mention: MSN claims that Christopher Dorner, a guy allegedly stalking and targeting members of the LAPD, is the "first drone target on U.S. soil." Not true, that honor goes to one Rodney Brossart of North Dakota. Also unless the drone is equipped with Hellfire missiles, not sure how it is any different than using a helicopter.

Meet the two old white guys who will be head of the Tribune Co. .. apparently the CEO sees the news audience as old and male, so which came first? Does the news reflect old male perspectives because old males are the primary consumer, or are old males the primary consumer because the news is from an old male perspective?

Thar he blow'd

His name is Don Dwyer, and he's an alcoholic. Good gracious, .24. Kind of amazing he could stand. Related: drug treatment programs in MD are facing a $4.5 million budget cut; advocates went to A-town today to protest. And thar blows the pirate-cruise industry: drunken sailing has now been declared unlawful.*

(Alleged) Perry Hall High shooter Robert Gladden is to be tried as an adult. He also wants everyone to know that he was not bullied, rather, he was a bully.* Duly noted.

A guilty plea from a "financial advisor" who defrauded his clients

A stripper is suing Norma Jean's Gentleman's Club for unpaid wages (TDR login required). You may recall that Norma Jean's was Cherrie Gammon's workplace before she was murdered.

Ugh, another murdered toddler. FYI all two-year-olds are possessed by an evil spirit.

A guy threatened a bank teller at the SECU in Towson with a screwdriver,* lighter and scissors. Hrm.

And a pair of HoCo serial burglars were tracked down in FL.

Realtionship status: complicated

Police Tweeted a photo of Deontae Smith getting stabbed on Tuesday, and another of the suspect. And Cham found Smith's Facebook page.

One Jason Hamel was convicted of murder for killing Keyva Bluitt over a drug deal gone bad in Federal Hill; Bluitt sold Hamel a $5,000 t-shirt.

The State's Attorney's office has released some vivid pie charts re. its conviction rates.

Blaes & Jones

Margaret Ellen Jones of Parkville pleaded guilty to charges of producing child pornography, she and her BDSM partner, John Andrew Blaes, met a 15-year-old from North Carolina online, took explicit pictures, distributed them, and are now facing 15 to 30 years. Six in 10 of the DOJ's press releases so far this month have to do with sexually exploited minors.

A man caught trespassing at North County High School in Glen Burnie was arrested after he was found to have a shit ton of guns in his house, including an AK-47 and an Uzi. Won't someone think of his human rights?! Related: PolitiFact fact-checks gun-law arguments, NYMag has a piece on the history of the firearms in Adam Lanza's arsenal, a photo of Senator Jamie Raskin allegedly playing chess on his computer during testimony yesterday has gone viral-ish

Confirmed Shooting: Washington Blvd & W. Cross St. Southern District. Adult male shot in the arm. District Detectives are investigating.
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) February 6, 2013

Katie Ann Hadel

One Jeffrey Shiflett (DOB 5/1979) was arrested for the murder in Garrison of 33-year-old mom Katie Ann Hadel. Police spokesperson: "We don't believe there's any current romantic relationship between the victim and suspect at this time. However, we do know they are acquaintances from several years ago." Shiflett was charged in the past with robbery, assault and making harassing phone calls. UPDATE: Kevin Rector reports that Hadel committed the robbery with Shiflett, and then testified against him, Hadel had a protection order out against him and was told by police not to go home but did.* Oddly, Hadel also has at least three different Facebook profiles.

Duane "Shorty" Davis and his toilets have returned to Towson.

Also in the county, the police union is suing the chief for using police pension funds to improve the county recycling center. Speaking of pensions, why are certain media outlets just now starting to freak out about how the city can't afford the ones it's committed to? I thought this was old news and common knowledge? Oh well, better late than never.

A man was robbed of his wedding ring at gunpoint in Charles Village 

Van Smith: Inmate beating by 14 officers at Roxbury strong evidence that prisoner abuse is/was institutionalized

Tom Kiefaber barred from the Senator Theater again, ordered to take anger management classes

Boy Scouts Uphold Traditional Values

From the law firm in Portland that uncovered them, the Boy Scouts' "Perversion Files" from Maryland 1965-1985, including media clips and sordid reports, and also a collection of stories about more recent cases (some links are expired, but you can search the alleged perp's name to find out more). The firm estimates that 6,000- 24,000 boys have been sexually abused as Scouts. And apparently more recent Perversion Files are TK in the near future.

Michael Johnson Guilty

Justin Fenton

Jury finds Michael Johnson Guilty of second degree murder in the killing of Phylicia Barnes

His attorney is speaking to reporters now.
Johnson faces a maximum 30 years in prison
Sentencing will be March 21

10 for 10

The teenager stabbed to death during yesterday's Ravens parade was ID'd as Deontae Smith, 15.* And a block away (but 10 hours before the parade) 22-year-old Darius Parks was stabbed to death.* Fenton notes, 

There have been 10 people killed in the past 10 days in Baltimore; murders up 43% over this point last year
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) February 6, 2013

Day 770 of the Phylicia Barnes case, and the jury is deliberating.* Deliberations began yesterday; Judge Nance reportedly asked the jury if they wanted off to watch the Ravens parade and they declined.*

The Ink covers last week's seven homicides

A woman was found dead in Pikesville, and two children were found unharmed.

Baltimore's Inspector General, David McClintock is departing for the less-ethically-compromised climes of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. He will be replaced by a chimp with a stick.

A seemingly extreme number of robberies in the Southeast this past week.

'Where is Baltimore at?'

The city's 18th homicide victim was a woman shot in the face* in the 1600 block of McKean Avenue, allegedly by her "boyfriend" during the Superbowl last night. Victim #17 was a man named Christopher Samuels, shot to death on Wheeler Avenue.

Ian Duncan has more* on the murder of Lois Jean Vance Smyth-- apparently she and her killer, Kenneth Todd Brunetti, were romantically involved. And his Facebook page is still live; he enjoys Ultimate Fighting and the movie "Hitch."

Scott Dance Tweets/reports (Tweeports?) that the defense has rested in the Phylicia Barnes case, after calling just one witness, Michael Johnson's co-worker, who testified that he was a good worker who nevertheless called in sick the day Barnes went missing. Here's more from Fenton* on what Judge Nance had to say about the circumstantial evidence in the case; prosecutors have moved to add a second-degree murder charge.

Baltimorean goes to NOLA, steals Superbowl tickets from Georgians, gets arrested

Also during the game, a barricade situation in Edgewood

188 months in prison for Danilo Garcia, who the feds say was the leader of a large heroin distribution ring

... so did anyone else find themselves having to say more than once yesterday, "he's not a murderer! He just let the killers ride in his limo!"well, this piece would have come in handy. Also, the lead detective on the case now says Ray Lewis should never have been charged with murder. Well, duh.

A would-be cellphone robber stabbed a guy in the neck in Harwood

Have you seen an awkward-looking ponytail'd white guy with a truck named Franklin? (see right)

A spate of robberies on the East side, including cell phones stolen by a pack of 10 or 11 guys, and a burglary in which a size 11 Prada shoe was left behind (Cinderfella?)

I guess a protest at Gregg Bernstein's house did happen on Saturday, though when I drove by at around 2 p.m. I didn't see anyone.

Twitter: where there are people who don't know where Baltimore "is at" and aren't ashamed to admit it.

The Stupidbowl

A triple shooting in the NW early this morning, with one fatality.

Life + 25 for Kenneth Brunetti, the Facebook friend of Lois Jean Vance Smyth who was convicted of her murder/robbery.

An indictment for Kyle "Cappo" Stevens of Remington, accused of dealing drugs and "use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug conspiracy related to two murders"

And 50 years for Randall Martin Jr., who tried to burn down his ex-girlfriend's house while she, her 5-year-old son and two other people were inside.

A Middle River family's Taser lawsuit can go ahead, rules 4th circuit.*

Ten years for Brian Williams, 28, accused of videotaping boys at urinals* at two MD rest stops.

A guilty plea from a woman accused of defrauding the National Guard.

Kim Trueheart was let back into City Hall

The guy who says he sold Ray Lewis deer velvet antler spray brought spray and a pair of perky nipples to New Orleans, told the press that he's gotten death threats

'This is Not Judge Judy!'

Day 765 of the Phylicia Barnes case: the state has rested, and Fenton Tweeted that Judge Nance "gave a long speech" the essence of which was that he was "not impressed with the State's case." Also today prosecutors played an unintelligible jailhouse recording* and a neighbor testified he saw Johnson with a blue tote.

Adam Meister popped in on The Spectator's 3rd bail hearing, apparently it was actually a different judge, who was most focused on the possibility that AFJMcM might "Tweet" instead of showing up for trial. And naturally "It would not be a MacArthur hearing without audience drama," an audience member stood up prompting the Judge say "this is not Judge Judy." ... if only everything were Judge Judy. Put your hand down, MADAM!

Stolen in the Northern: Newports, stromboli, a makeup bag.

An arrest in yesterday's stabbing in Owings Mills

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.