Friday, February 11, 2005

Friday February 11

Hizzoner's hijinks have made him a Republican threat and an AP story.

The States Attorney's office reports that the sentencing hearing for Camille Marie Bivins, 23, of the 5900 block of Daywalt Avenue, is scheduled for 2:00P p.m. Monday (aka Valentine's day) before Judge Roger W. Brown, 339 Courthouse East, 111 North Calvert Street. Bivins pled guilty to child abuse resulting in death September 29, 2004. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. On October 10, 2002 Bivins killed her 20-month old son Messiah Kahil Wright in her Daywalt Avenue apartment. A second defendant, Timothy Horne, is also charged in this death and is scheduled for trial February 15, 2005.

Stabbing, robbery, etc., in today's blotter.

Judge Allen L. Schwait today convicted Baltimore City police officer Gregory M. Mussmacher, 29, of Hanover, PA, of second-degree assault and misconduct in office. Testimony in this court trial concluded February 7, 2005 and Judge Schwait announced his verdict today and scheduled sentencing for March 29, 2005.

Pugalistic cop Gregory M. Mussmacher could receive a maximum prison sentence of ten years in prison for the second-degree assault count. Misconduct in Office is a common law offense, which means that Mussmacher could be sentenced to whatever period of incarceration a judge deems fair and reasonable. The conviction stems from an investigation by the Baltimore Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division and the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office of the events surrounding the arrest of a 17-year old juvenile on April 27, 2004. Mussmacher assaulted the teen by striking him in the face and with his expandable baton at the Northwest District Station on Reisterstown Road while the teen was handcuffed and shackled. The teen was treated at Sinai Hospital for a laceration to the left cheek and two nondisplaced fractures of the left sinus.

John Sachs III of Dundalk got 15 years for scamming women by pretending to be "Bmores-hottestcop."

More about the men charged in the Harwood firebombing.

More on the prison bus strangling... apparently broken interior lights on the prison bus kept corrections officers from seeing a prisoner being strangled a few feet away. Yikes.

Another Hopkins student is dead, this time it's a suicide, and there's robbery arrests in the Sun's City/County Digest.

Elsewhere,

A seven-year-old stabbing case has been reopened in Hagerstown.

A death-row inmate who wrote the governor asking to die has now changed his mind.

A Middle River man, already in the can, is now accused of trying to get his witnesses killed.

DNA evidence has implicated a serial rapist and robber in cases from the 80's.

Mob-supported car theft is the scourge of MoCo.

The Owings Mills Times' Linda Stowbridge reports that Baltimore County police have charged two men in the burglary of two Smith-Greenspring apartments and are investigating a possible link to a series of burglaries in the area.

A pedophile priest from St. Mary's Seminary has died of natural causes in Boston.

A touching essay about the journalism skills of the late and former News American reporter Lou Linley.

The NYT story about Baltimore's bittersweet streets has hit the newsstands in China and India (also see yesterday).

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Thursday February 10

An assaulted officer and a shot robbery suspect in the blotter.

Jury selection has begun in the Maurice Blackwell case. "On Wednesday, Blackwell spoke publicly for the first time ... he compared himself to the biblical figure Job."

More about Ehrlich's personal rumormonger Joe Steffan.

Elsewhere,
The Big Black rapist has struck again, this time in Rosedale. Watch out for cars with tazmanian devil stickers, suburbanites.

A Baltimorean gal's dad has stolen her identity and savings and vanished.

A woman is under arrest for trying to smuggle smack into the Cumberland jail.

There's a lot of drunk drivers in Laurel.

Seven teenagers are in jail for throwing rocks, concrete and other debris at cars from an overpass.

And what does the penis pump judge have to do with Baltimore crime? Not a damn thing.

Wednesday, February 9, 2005

Wednesday February 9

Four murders this week, 37 so far this year, a spike that reflects two men who were beaten last year but died in January, reports Anna Ditkoff in this week's CP Murder Ink.

Owing in large part to MD's limp-dick intimidation laws, the McAbier firebombing case has gone federal.

At a hearing yesterday morning, Robert Lee Fox, Sr., 65, pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Judge John C. Themelis sentenced Fox to 10 years in prison, suspending all but four years, with two years' probation and ordered Fox to stay away from the victim’s family. On December 7, 1963 Fox murdered 3-year old Howard January by pushing him down a stairwell.

Shot three times, then defrocked, and now Maurice Blackwell is going on trial for boy-fondling. Dontee Stokes gave an interview to the Sun's Julie Bykowicz.

An inmate waltzed out of booking by switching IDs.

For some reason the Big Papers are both covering on B-more's shooty ways today. The L.A. Times published a piece today about Baltimore's "Bleak Math of Killings" (Login "fortheloveofbug", password "menot.com"). The New York Times has an excellent report on our "meaner" streets (but Charles and Pratt is "tony"?). If you're not registered at the NYT use login "downwiththis" password "holahola". And the Sun published a positive editorial about the mayor's Operation Safe Kids program.

And were the O'Malley extramarital-affair rumors started by a player-hater in the Ehrlich administration? Wouldn't surprise me a bit. But I digress...

Elsewhere...

The Rev. James J. Behan, 61, an Oblate priest who lives in Childs, Md., has pled guilty to repeatedly smoking the pole of a high-school boy.

A gun-toting 15-year-old and a mysterious death in Milford Mill in the digest.

Pistol-whipping, road rage and and sword swinging in the Annapolis police digest.

Tuesday, February 8, 2005

Tuesday February 8

The State's Attorney's office reports that the witness intimidation trial of Erik Johnson, 32, of the 2200 block of Orleans Street and Juan Tucker, 29, of the 700 block of West Fayette Street, is scheduled to begin 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Mitchell courthouse. The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Johnson and Tucker May 14, 2004 for intimidating/corrupting/influencing a juror/witness. Court documents allege Johnson and Tucker attempted to intimidate and retaliate against a witness in a pending murder case in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

WJZ is reporting on the Fox murder trial.

And the Sun is now covering the trial of Dwayne Gibson, aka the guy who beat the guy with the crowbar and set him on fire for stumbling in to the wrong yard.

In a case worthy of "The Wire," five members of the North Avenue Boys drug gang have bargained their way into decades-long sentences for charges ranging from dealing heroin and coke to kidnapping and murder of the girlfriend of a member of a rival gang.

Police have arrested freaky-looking Kevin Johns (left) kevinjohnsfor last week's prison bus murder.

There's a homicide arrest along with the usual crimes in today's blotter.

Elsewhere...

in Annapolis, a son admitted to stabbing his mother 53 times at a Subway shop, and stashing her body in the walk-in.

And Shawn Eric Woodlin, 31, of Annapolis, pleaded guilty to the Aug. 29 shooting of a man outside an American Legion hall in Annapolis.

A man charged with molestation in Randallstown is now charged with double murder in upstate New York.

Police in Pennsylvania are investigating a murder in the Woodside Meadows suburb (wherever that is).

Monday, February 7, 2005

Monday February 7

The murder trial of Robert Lee Fox, Sr., 64, of the 3600 block of 2nd Street, is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Mitchell Courthouse. Fox was indicted by a grand jury March 11 for murding a three-year-old boy named Howard January 43 years ago. If you've got time on your hands and want to take in a macabre trial from the cold case files, this sounds like the one to see.

The State's Attorney's Office reports that a Baltimore City jury convicted Dwayne Gibson, 20, of the 3900 block of Grantley Avenue, of first-degree murder and two weapons counts today following less than an hour of deliberation and two days of testimony. A court trial will begin at 10:45 a.m. tomorrow before Judge Wanda K. Heard to determine if Gibson is criminally responsible for the murder of Wayne Rideout, 43. On September 28, 2003 Gibson set Mr. Rideout on fire after assaulting him with a crowbar. Gibson is being held at Baltimore City Detention Center.

At a re-arraignment this morning Darryll Purefoy, charged with more than 100 counts of sexual child abuse, pled not guilty. A trial date of March 8, 2005 was set.

Assault, rape and a mugging in Canton in the blotter.

Elsewhere,

There's a big black rapist on the loose in the suburbs.

Gary Neal, a college student and basketball player from Baltimore, will soon be on trial for rape in Philadelphia.

Thanks to "America's Most Wanted" and a snitchy girlfriend, a fugitive slasher from Jersey was arrested in Baltimore.

A man was shot in the street last week on Clay Street in Annapolis, and playtime turned violent between a Glen Burnie man and his much-older girlfriend.

..hey Claire, did you know that Dashiell Hammett is from Baltimore, and dropped out of Poly? I had no idea!

Sunday, February 6, 2005

Friday February 4 - Sunday February 6

The Office of the State's Attorney reports that Darryll Purefoy, 34, of the 9100 block of Liberty Road, Randallstown, is scheduled for re-arraignment tomorrow at the Mitchell Courthouse. A Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Purefoy December 6, 2004 on more than 100 counts of sexual child abuse and related other counts. Court documents allege Purefoy had sexual contact with a minor female between the years of 1995 and 2000. Purefoy remains held on $250,000 bail.

Friday, Satrina Roberts was sentenced to 40 years in prison in the child-abuse death of Ciara Jobes (left). 4167943_120X90 On November 18 Roberts pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and child abuse. Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Kaye A. Allison said the girl died after "months of what can only be characterized as torture."

Earlier this week a psycho prisoner murdered a fellow inmate on the bus to the Supermax prison. Outside investigators have been brought in to figure out what happened.

Police officer Gregory M. Mussmacher's trial began Friday. A Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Mussmacher July 2, 2004 with one count of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of misconduct in office. Says Jessamy's office, "The indictment stems from an investigation by the Baltimore Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division and the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office of the events surrounding the arrest of a 17-year old juvenile on April 27, 2004. It is alleged that Mussmacher assaulted this teenager in the 3800 block of Glengyle Avenue after the teen was handcuffed and placed under arrest. It is further alleged that Mussmacher once again assaulted the teen by striking him in the face with his expandable baton at the Northwest District Station on Reisterstown Road while the teen was handcuffed and shackled. The teen was treated at Sinai Hospital for a laceration to the left cheek and two nondisplaced fractures of the left sinus. Mussmacher is currently suspended with pay."

And on Friday football player Jamal Lewis reported to prison in Atlanta.

And the missing monkey has now been returned and a south Baltimore couple has been charged with monkeynapping (aka theft).

Elsewhere,

in Howard county, after two hours a jury found Walter J. Blannon, 39, guilty of participating in the robbery that ended in the death of deli owner Kwang Jun Kim, 53.

In Texas, Sgt. Javal Davis, a seven-year Reservist from Maryland's 372nd Military Police Company who claimed he had abused inmates at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison for only 10 seconds, was sentenced to six months in prison by a military jury. He is one of seven Maryland soldiers accused in the scandal.

A former Towson principal is suing students who charged him with sex abuse in the 70's.

In Harford County this week there was buttlegging and fraus, and Sen. Nancy Jacobs wants to make recruiting new gang members a crime. Jacobs' bill came two months after the shooting death in Edgewood of Derald Guess, a taxi driver and father of nine children. Jacobs said a gang initiation ritual is suspected as a motive. Wayne Lavon Bond, 17, was arrested and charged with murder in the case.

Thursday, February 3, 2005

Thursday, February 3rd: Help the baby monkey!

"I feel bad for the monkey most of all because the monkey is who is gonna suffer," says Judie Harrison of the baby Capuchin monkeys stolen this week from a Glen Burnie home. Yes, stolen monkeys. They eat three times a day and if they're not fed, become quite unpredictable. A $1000 reward is offered for the return of the monkeys. Please, if you have information, call (410) 222-8610.

Marcus Byrd was arrested for the murder of Terry Street. Byrd is 20 years old. Street was 23 at the time of his death.

Welcome to Baltimore, now get over it! The story, from the godforsaken Washington Times, reads: "The killing of a Hopkins senior Jan. 23 has underscored the sense of vulnerability students feel in a city where there has been virtually a murder a day since the beginning of the new year." OK, please. One Hopkins student suddenly made the Rev. Moon aware of the murders happening all over town? Yeah, okay, you're gonna get killed while waiting for your triple latte chai at Xando. Ugh. Hopkins students. Go to East Baltimore sometime, willya? Then you can complain.

Elsewhere:

Police in Frederick say that a skull found in the middle of the street was probably stolen from a nearby cemetery.

In White Marsh, a woman was sexually assaulted at gunpoint. So much for being safe in the county.

Tuesday, February 1, 2005

Tuesday February 1

The murders of two teenagers in West Baltimore bring the year's homicide toll to 31.

The Sun picked up the story of the graffiti on the Arena, and tells us who the mysterious Tyrone Knox is.

thiefAn 80-year-old man (left) has pled guilty to defrauding the city school system.

The city is trying to figure out how to deal with officers injured in the line of duty.

The IRS is after the NAACP, and the Baltimore-based nonprofit is refusing to open its books.

Robbery and drug arrests in the blotter.

Elsewhere,

Witness intimidation is on the rise in Baltimore County. I wish the assistant Baltimore County state's attorney hadn't quoted Bob Dylan.

Charles Sealover, a suspect in a Baltimore County murder, has turned himself in.

A Baltimorean is under arrest for the murder of a mom and her daughter in Binghamton, NY.

Police are looking for the guy who robbed a Wachovia bank branch in Milford Mill.

A man in Easton was arrested for ramming the minivan of two moms who he thought were taking too long to order at the McDonald's drive-thru.

In Carroll County, a man and woman were arrested for stealing hillbilly heroin and other perscription drugs from the pharmacy where they worked.

The Hopkins student murder has hit the wire and has been covered from Georgia to California. The school announced plans to spend $2 million to improve security.

Monday, January 31, 2005

Monday January 31

knox
Graffiti on the the wall of the Baltimore Arena

Trial will start tomorrow in the case of Dwayne Gibson, 20, alleged to have murdered Wayne Rideout, 43, by setting him on fire in the backyard of Gibson's home on Grantley Avenue on September 28 of 2003.

An alleged pot dealer and bad driver fleeing the law was arrested in St. Pauls North Carolina, population 2,137 (it's in the southeastern part of the state).

Shootings, stolen cars and burglary in today's blotter.

Kevin Clark's suit against the city can go on, says judge.

After a cameo in the "Stop Snitching" video, Denver Nugget Carmelo Anthony will now be shooting PSAs for the government. "He is a very nice young man," says the Governor's office.

Elsewhere,

Trial continues in the case of Ronald Deondre Evans, who at age 16 was allegedly involved in murdering 18-year-old Kozar Goode during a mugging in Parkville.

Police are looking for whoever keeps robbing hotels in PG County.

Trial starts today in the murder of a Jessup deli owner.

St. Mary's County cops had a "busy weekend", what with a catfight over a television set and a disroderly drunk at the Burger King.

Sunday, January 30, 2005

Friday, January 28, 2005

Friday January 28

betterPolice are looking for 24-year-old Lamont Maurice Better, left, accused of stabbing his neighbor and who is also wanted for another assault.

A 41-year-old mom has pled guilty to killing her 18-month-old daughter.

And trial starts today in the stomach-turning case of a Pasadena teenager alledged to have beaten his girlfriend's daughter to death.

The usual crimes in today's Police Blotter.

Eight Dundalk teenagers were arrested for a parking lot fight after a basketball game.

Also in Dundalk, a woman was shot to death during a drug raid. (anybody know what "black powder" referrs to?)

A newly released report about former police commish Kevin Clark's domestic dispute reveals that Clark's ex dropped off his kids two days late for visitation and beat him on the head with a telephone.

Thanks to the sweaty Dexters of Hopkins, technophile car thieves will now be able to do the job without breaking windows or messing up your steering column.

And finally, police report that they seized eight guns yesterday in various incidents. Says the Sun, "in one incident, a man was spotted limping Wednesday afternoon in the 2900 block of Charles St., police said. Officers stopped him, found a 12-gauge shotgun he was carrying was the cause of the limp, and arrested him."

Elsewhere...

There's been a crime alert issued by Towson U. after a mugging in the parking lot of St. Joseph's Medical Center.

In Towson yesterday 18-year-old Matthew McCullough was sentenced to 100 years in jail for the Randallstown High shooting.

The State's Attorney announced yesterday that Jamaal Walker, 27, was found guilty in the April 16, 2003 carjacking of Edward Hawkins. Sentencing will be April 15. Co-defendant Jeremiah Poole previously pled guilty to the carjacking and use orf a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.

In Annapolis two vigilantes tried to run a bad boyfriend over with a truck.

Here's the Washington Post crime blotter for PG county.

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Thursday January 27

Anna Ditkoff reports on this week's seven murders in the CP column Murder Ink.

Robbery, shootings and thievery in today's police blotter, and in the digest a man pleads guilty to beating his infant son.

Stop the killing by attacking the drug trade, says this unoriginal and leaden Sun editoral.

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Wednesday January 26

An arrest has been made in the shooting deaths of three men at a halfway house in Remington, and police are seeking a second accomplice.

Stop snitching

A few weeks ago, the house of a 59 year old outspoken anti-drug activist (whose name they haven't released) was firebombed. They've now charged four suspects: according to WBAL, "Jackie Brewington, 18, and Antonino Newsome, 18, Richard Royal, 20, all of Baltimore. A fourth suspect, Andre Wilkins, 31, is from Randallstown." This is two years after the horrible firebombing that killed the entire Dawson family, kids and all.

According to the AP, "The new incident comes about six weeks after a DVD titled "Stop Snitching" hit Baltimore streets, warning people they could "get a hole in their head" for telling police about illegal drug activity." "Stop Snitching" was produced by Rodney Bethea, owner of One Love Underground in Baltimore, and a guy named Skinny Suge, who appears to sell a lot of mix tapes online, usually with names like "Street Wars 6".

Evidently, the DVD was aimed at one particular Baltimore drug kingpin who rolled over. Still looking for details.

I think it's clear that some major upheaval is going on out there, what with the 27 murders this year so far and the new police commissioner saying the drug trade is being squeezed so hard, it's causing violence. I dunno what his logic is there. They haven't come out and said it's an all-out war, but come on.

Wednesday January 26

The murderers of Justin Gaglione were arrested on Thursday after a street robbery in the Patterson Park area. Gaglione was the fourth person murdered execution-style by a pair of street robbers; the pair has also been charged in the January 20 murders of Teresa Moore and Michael Joseph Mick, who were shot in their homes, and Penelope Medina, who was shot on the 2100 block of East Fayette Street.

This item from Dick Irwin's police blotter sounds like it has an interesting backstory:

Arrest: Sheldon Eubanks of the 2100 block of N. Smallwod St. was driving a car in the 1900 block of W. North Ave. about noon yesterday when he was stopped by members of the Warrant Apprehension Tasks Force and arrested on a charge of first-degree murder. Eubanks, 23, is charged in a warrant with shooting Alphonzo Harper, 26, in the 1000 block of Tiffany Court on Aug. 29, 2002. Members of the cold case squad assisted in the investigation of the homicide.

irv_gotti2

The CEO of the record label formerly known as Murder Inc. surrendered today to the FBI on money-laundering changes. The unsubtly nicknamed Irv "Gotti" Lorenzo is childhood friends with Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, a crack kingpin from Queens believed to have arranged the revenge killing of two witnesses in Baltimore.

And fittingly, the governor introduced legistlation yesterday to make witness intimidation a crime. Believe it or not, it's currently only a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of five years, which as this Swedish-based news site points out, "is a similar penalty to racing a horse under a false name."

Finally, if you live in Baltimore and want people to care if you get murdered, note that going to Johns Hopkins apparently guarantees celebrity-level coverage by local news media.

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Tuesday January 25

Detective Jones of the Baltimore City Homicide Department reports that there has been an arrest made in the shooting death of Justin Gaglione (see Sun blotter item below), but could give no further information, though interested parties may be able to get more details from the detective on the case, Napoleon Maclane, at 410-396-2400.

Jones also reports that, contrary to what was previously reported by the Hampden Happenings, the highly suspect-sounding death of Nick Marsalek has still not been classified as a homicide, a decision which rests with the Medical Examiner's Office, and the case is not currently being handled by the homicide division.

in other news...
WBAL reports that a Hopkins student was found strangled in her Charles Village apartment on Sunday, the 27th homicide in Baltimore this month. The killing was six blocks from where another Hopkins student, Christopher Elser, 20, was stabbed nine months ago.

An article form the Afro-American about the Baltimore informant who's been forced out-of-state by drug gangs.

A story about the Thanksgiving-morning whodunit murder of 23-year-old Waldorfian Christopher Mader.

from the Sun city/county digest:

Police release names of four homicide victims
City police released the names yesterday of four victims of homicides over the past 10 days.
  • Police said Michael Mick, 40, was the man found fatally shot Thursday along with Teresa F. Moore, 51, in their home in the 800 block of N. Bradford St. She had been named earlier.

  • A woman found shot to death in a public park in the 5700 block of Chinquapin Parkway, also on Thursday, was identified as Reshawn Myers, 19, of the 700 block of Exeter Hall Ave.

  • Kenneth Battle, 29, of the 2800 block of Echodale Ave. was fatally shot Wednesday in the 2900 block of Brighton St.

  • The other victim, shot to death Jan. 14 in the 300 block of E. 20 1/2 St., was identified as Justin Gaglione, 29, of the 1200 block of St. Paul St. (see middle of the page for the obituary in the Annapolis Capitol).



...and there's rape, robbery, assult and other assorted crimes in today's blotter.

Three people have been arrested in Dudalk for shooting at a police officer carrying out a drug raid.

The Washington Times reports that the murder rate in Baltimore has caused a shake-up in the police department.

in surrounding areas...

A woman in Rockville has pled guilty to stabbing her father.

The whole world, including the British press, has picked up the story of a refugee from Myanmar accused of stabbing his wife in front of his two kids in Catonsville over the weekend who now faces deportment.

In Harford county a fight between girl gangs led to assault with scissors.


Monday, January 24, 2005

Monday January 24

This study by the Baltimore Chronicle seems to agree with me that "TV news in Baltimore under-reports both black and urban crime," but comes to the opposite conclusion that TV news ought to report less crime than it already does.

Anyway, in Baltimore crime news, a shooting and assault made the crime blotter today.

In surrounding areas...

The Sun reports than a man has been arrested in the beating of a college sophmore in Annapolis.

News Channel 8 reports that a guy has been arrested for killing his grandmother in Beltsville.

WBAL reports that two best Buy employees were stabbed on the job in Laurel.

Saturday, January 22, 2005

Saturday January 22

CNN today picked up an AP story published in the Sun that belies election-year propaganda... city homicide rates are up, not down.

BALTIMORE, Maryland (AP) -- The city's homicide rate increased last year for the first time since 1998 as authorities said killings became more targeted, often in connection with the drug trade. As of Wednesday, the city had reported 271 killings in 2003, compared with 253 in 2002. It's a 7 percent increase and the highest homicide total during the four-year tenure of Mayor Martin O'Malley, who campaigned on a pledge to reduce annual homicide totals to 175.


The Baltimore City Paper's Anna Ditkoff didn't shy away from the story, getting right in there and asking lots of questions in Baltimore's East side murder mile, in this Wire-esque piece, The Toll.

The Sun, obsessed with various weather-disaster stories, had not much to report in local violent crime today:
A single story about how two Baltimore men were charged in double slaying
and an editorial (as opposed to research-based reportage) from Gregory Kane, seemingly the only Sun writer that discusses violent crime.

nick marsalek
And speaking of slayings, the Hampden Happenings newsletter reports that city police are now investigating leads in the suspicious death of 26-year old son Nicholas Z. Marsalek, who was found dead under the bridge at the 3100 block of Remington avenue at 4:35 a.m. by a passerby on November 17. Marsalek was last seen at the 3100 block of Keswick road at 2:30 a.m. on the morning that he died. There is a $5,000 reward for information leading to an indictment in this case. The investigation is being handled by the northern district homicide division, 410-396-2100.

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