March 25

Quit making a "big deal" out of his DUI and other criminal activities said Aruban judge-puncher Sindey Ponson. He added, "Some of you guys [the press] want to live our life off the feild." Uh, non gracias to that. If you want to read more about our resident big fat drunken civic embarassment, here's something from the MLB site. (Rick Bowman/AP photo left)

Sophie Kerr prize award-winner Angela Haley has been arrested for marijuana possession.

A former U of M wrestler, Salvatore Aquia, was hit by a car during a road-rage incident.

Baltimore Police seem to have a real talent for arresting suspects fleeing from other states. Yesterday they nabbed DeWayne Lee Mackell, wanted in North Carolina for shooting two women.

And police in Camden, New Jersey, caught a fleeing Baltimore (alledged) murderer and coke dealer Vance White.

Six arrests have been made in the shooting death of Christopher Weaver, a Baltimorean pot peddler and business student at Hampton University in Virginia.

The bail review of Donta Allen is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. today at the Wabash Ave. District Court building. The Alpha Phis are breathing a sigh of relief. (Bizarre quote of the day: "The fact that she knew him is kind of disturbing," said junior Vijay Sudan. "I think I would have felt a little more comfortable if it was a more disconnected, random act.") Meanwhile, Hopkins hopes to have security cameras on its Homewood campus, in the Moument Street area and on Charles Street by June.

A disgruntled pizza shop employee in White Marsh has been charged with murder after stabbing store owner Amir Shahmaee in the neck.

According to a new policy, Baltimore County Police will no longer be allowed to sell guns.

The mother of murdered 15-year-old Lauren Zinsavage (left) is furious that her murderer will be eligible for parole in 7 1/2 years. (Note to WBAL, he got 15 years, not 10).

BTW, I spoke with the very helpful and friendly Mark Vernorelli of the Department of Corrections yesterday, who explained to me that in Maryland, prisoners convincted of a violent crime are eligible for parole after serving half of their time. Perps of non-violent crimes only have to serve one-fourth (!).

And speaking of non-violent crimes... two married Pikesville lawyers, Christie and Jonas Needleman, are accused of conspiracy to distribute OxyContin.

March 24

Theral Isadore Harris, 25, pled guilty to second-degree murder today before Judge Thomas J.S. Waxter, Jr. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with all but 15 years suspended. n the early morning hours of August 18, 2004 Harris and the victim, Lauren Zinsavage, 15, and other individuals were walking in the 3100 block of Gough Street in Highlandtown. Zinsavage followed Harris into an alley where witnesses heard one gunshot. She was found with one shot in the chest. The City Paper reported last August that they were fighting over a cell phone.

Milton K. Engle, 70, pled guilty to attempted first-degree murder today. He now faces a maximum prison term of 20 years and will be sentenced on May 23. On September 28, 2004 Engle hit his live-in girlfriend, Darlene Burke, 31, in the head repeatedly with a sledgehammer at their home in the 600 block of Savage Street. Ms. Burke suffered permanent brain damage and is now partially paralyzed and requires 24/7 medical care.

Donta Allen's bail review is scheduled for tomorrow at Wabash district court. Police say that he confessed to attempted robbery and assaulting Trinh soon after he was arrested but denies killing her.

Robbery, burglary, robbery in the blotter.

There's a certain criminal element that hangs out downtown... and the call themselves the Orioles. Anger management classes are apparently not having much effect on pitcher Sidney Ponson, who, after an 11-day stay in an Aruba jail for hitting a judge, showed up to practice with an injured hand from hitting somebody else. Meanwhile, another Oriole picher, Eric DuBose, was arrested for drunken driving in Florida.

Trial has been delayed until June for the three teenagers (Antonio Williamson, Percy Johnson and Sean Howard) charged with shooting students as they exited Thurgood Marshall High School in East Baltimore.

Plenty of robberies, shoplifting, drugs et al. in Laurel and PG County, and lots of crack in Annapolis.

A Frederick high school chemistry teacher, Donald Glen Wiggins Jr., 35, who taught Gov. Thomas Johnson High School, pleaded guilty Monday to molesting a 17-year-old student.

March 23

Found an article that might explain why two people have been shot in the head on Chinquapin Parkway this year... apparently it's the territory of the local Bloods. If you're not familiar, the Bloods were founded in 1972 in Compton as a counterpoint to the Crips. Both are black gangs, but have been known to be affiliated with other groups, such as MS-13 (usually affiliated with the Crips and currently the most violent gang in DC, if not the country).

Bloods= the color red and bright colors, and red team jerseys, the right side, Biggie and L'il Kim, graffiti with the letter "C' crossed out, also "OTM" (out tha mob or on tha move) and "MOB" (member of bloods).

Crips= color blue and dark colors, left side, Suge, Snoop and Dre, symbol of the pitchfork, GD (Gangster Disciples), graffiti with Star of David, 8 ball, letter B crossed out, LA sports team gear, affiliated with the Latin Kings (last I heard).
In both gang$, u$e of the dollar $ign as an 's' means they're $elling narcotic$.

A 27-year-old Cheesecake Factory employee, Donta Allen, has been arrested for the murder of Hopkins student Linda Trinh. Police held a press conference at 4 p.m. today. The Washington Post reports that police took a DNA sample from Allen a month ago, and were waiting for test results to come back before arresting him.

Arrests, muggings, blah blah in the blotter.

Murder Ink tally: Four this week, 55 this year. And here's last week's.

And the Keith Jennings sexual assault trial has been postponed to May 31.

Cumbersome bloomers and petticoats will be things of the past if Annapolis passes a bill fighting "upskirting" and "downblousing".

In Montgomery county, 19-year-old high schooler Jose Carrillo is accused of pistol-whipping two classmates with a BB gun (mmm... pistol whip...).

Also in MoCo, 27-year-old Ofni Gonzalez is accused of arson.

Kithric Pearly, wanted for murder in Orlando, Florida, was arrested in Baltimore by our intrepid police.

Kenyatta Costes, 19, was paid $1,630 by Baltimore City yesterday after being jailed for 163 days after she failed to show up to testify at a murder trial.

Leonard D. Hamm was quietly sworn in as Baltimore's police commissioner on Monday.

The "cameras-in-shopping-mall-parking-lots" bill was passed.

Rachel L. Riffee was found guilty of misdemeanor electronic harrassment after sending obscenity-laced missives to the brother of a murder victim.

BoCo police are investigating the shooting of Steven McGilton, who was shot by an officer in White Marsh after brandishing a lead pipe.

March 20-23

Back from yet another vacation, with another load from the State's Attorney. Justice never sleeps! I'll report this Baltimore Sun-style, aka copied almost verbatim from the press release...

Duane Garrett is scheduled for bail review this morning. On January 18, Garrett shot and killed Pierre Forrester, 23, as he was exiting his car. Forrester was shot several times in front of his residence on N. Central Avenue. Family members heard the gunshots, came outside and attempted to render aid to the victim. Two bullets were recovered from the front door of the next door neighbors' house.

The attempted first-degree murder trial of Antonio Williamson, 16, of the 700 block of Mello Court, Percy Johnson, 17, of the 10 block of Southeast Avenue, and Sean Howard, 17, of the 1500 block of East Fayette Street, was scheduled to begin this morning. The Baltimore City Grand jury indicted Williamson November 12, 2004, Johnson November 22, 2004 and Howard December 1, 2004 with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and handgun violations. Court documents allege that Williamson shot two teenagers on October 21, 2004 in front of Thurgood Marshall High School at 5700 Moravia Drive. Williamson is currently being held on a no bail status at the Baltimore City Jail.

Antoine Adams and Richard Damon Jr. pled not guilty yesterday. This was the pair accused of robbing and murdering Penelope Sharpe-Medina, Theresa Moore, Michael Mick and Justin Gaglione.

The sex offense trial of Baltimore Police Officer Keith Alexander Jennings, 37, of the 1000 block of Billie Holliday Court, was scheduled to begin this morning before Judge Joseph P. McCurdy at the Calvert Street courthouse. The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Jennings more than a year ago for first-degree sex offense, kidnapping, false imprisonment and misconduct in office. Court documents allege that in the early evening of January 15, 2004, Officer Jennings, while on duty, kidnapped and sexually assaulted an 18-year old woman. On February 26 of last year, Jennings was released on $250,000 bail.

On Monday, Michelle McKnight, 36, of the 5800 block of The Alameda, pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter. McKnight faces a maximum penalty of ten years in the can when Judge Joseph McCurdy sentences her on May 16. On May 30 of last year McKnight stabbed her husband, Thomas McKnight, while inside their home. McKnight remains held at the Baltimore City Detention Center on a no-bail status.

On Tuesday the Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Ryan Jason Conaway Lamana, 27, of Lutherville for automobile manslaughter in connection with the death of Chardan Lorenzo Johnson, 18. The indictment also charges Lamana with driving under the influence of alcohol. On October 26 of 2003, in the 4200 block of Frederick Avenue, Lamana's automobile struck a vehicle driven by Johnson.

At a hearing last Thursday the 17th, Judge Wanda K. Heard sentenced Mark A. Batts, 36, to life in prison plus 20 years, with the sentences to run consecutively (in Maryland, "life" is defined as 15 years, which in some parts of the city is about accurate.) A Baltimore City jury convicted Batts December 23, 2004 of first-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence for the murder of Stephen Francois, 41. On March 29 of 2002, Batts laid in wait for Francois in the 3800 block of Fords Lane and shot him to death. Batts and Francois had argued that week over a woman.

Also on the 17th, Kendall Jones, 29, of West Lafayette Avenue, got 50 years in prison after being convicted last month of first-degree assault, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence and reckless endangerment. Jones got 25 years for the assault count, 20 years for the handgun count and five years for the reckless endangerment count with the sentences to run consecutively. On July 14, 2003, Jones chased a group of women and children inside of a house in the 500 block of Half Mile Court, shooting at them. Fortunately, no one was injured but the house.

March 19th

Lots of crime! Not enough time!

A White Marsh woman left for a concert on March 6th and never arrived. She was last seen southbound near the harbor tunnel.


Edgar West, Jr. has been charged with molesting his 2 foster children and his own daughter for years. He denies the charges. The Sun reports that "Attorney Mitchell Y. Mirviss, who is monitoring the state's compliance with a 16-year-old federal consent decree from a lawsuit on behalf of the city's foster children, said children being sent to abusive foster homes has been a longstanding problem."

Disgruntled ex-employee goes homicidal in an Owings Mills pizza shop.

A man is found fatally shot on Chinquapin Parkway in Northeast Baltimore.

Elsewhere:

In Rockville, an HIV-positive man was sentenced to 66 years in prison for raping a 16 year old and a 14 year old. Nice guy--not only is he a pedophile and a rapist, but he knew he had HIV when he did it! 66 years wasn't enough.

March 16

Yesterday Norman Hock III pled guilty to leaving the scene of a fatal automobile accident. He faces a maximum of 5 years in prison when sentenced May 10. Makes you wonder how much he would have gotten for the DUI...

Glad to see arrests have been made in the shooting of 18-year-old Reginald Gray and his 16-year-old friend.

But there's still more dead black teenagers in the Ink.

Melissa Harton, a 25-year-old Loyola doctoral student (studying clincal psych, no less) is charged with strangling her drinking buddy Natasha Bacchus of Burtonsville and dumping her body in front of the Dorsey pool building. I like the expert quote: "Wow ... strangling someone takes a level of emotion that shooting a gun doesn't."

Fleeing North Carolinian murder suspect DeWayne Mackell was arrested in our lovely 'burg yesterday.

The sex offense trial of Donald Tymous, 48, of the 30 block of S. Calverton Road, is scheduled to begin today before Judge Joseph P. McCurdy at the Courthouse East on Calvert. A Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Tymous August 4 for second, third and fourth-degree sex offense, perverted practice and second-degree assault. Court documents allege Tymous had sexual contact with "an adult male who has the mental ability of a child" between January 2003 and May 2003. Ew.

In other a-hole boyfriend news,

Juan Pablo Navarro Juarez got 33 years followed by deportation to Mexico for beating his (then) 17-year-old girlfriend Shannon Pierre-Jerome into a coma with a piece of a bed frame. He punctured her brain, then bitched about getting hit with a flashlight when he was arrested. Here's hoping he gets a thorough ass-reaming every remaining day of his miserable life, and then a few in hell.

And police found the body of dancer Emily Cagal (right) buried in the woods in Upper Marlboro. Her ex-boyfriend and his roommate are under arrest for the murder. Don't you love how JZ uses photographs of a television set on their page? Too cheap for a scanner?

What's with Annapolis? Is William Kennedy Smith's boat docked down there? Reported rapes have increased an incredible 31.5 percent this year! Also this week a guy got stabbed at a birthday party, the KFC got robbed and a woman got hit in the neck with a paintball.

March 14-15

Returning from vacation, I see I haven't missed much... let's open the inbox and see what the State's Attorney has been up to..

Well, the Grand Jury indicted Teon Hall, 28, of 243 Admiral Drive, Annapolis, Maryland for first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Craig Morris, 32. Hall was also indicted for attempted first-degree murder of Steven Kendall, 21, who survived his injuries. This was the case of mistaken identity in front of the Ritz Cabaret, as I recall. Teon will be arraigned April 5.

The trial of Norman Hock III will start tomorrow. He's an 18-year old indicted for automobile manslaughter and leaving the scene of the accident that killed 15-year-old Joshua Naparstek. This'll be before Judge Joseph McCurdy at the courthouse east on Calvert Street.

Bryant Thompson, 20, is being arraigned today. He was indicted last month for first-degree murder for shooting Damon Lamont Brooks in his apartment.

And Antoine Adams, 32, was indicted in connection with the shooting death and armed robbery of Penelope Sharpe-Medina, 43. Last month the Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Adams and a co-defendant, Richard Damon, for the double homicide of Theresa Moore, 51, and Michael Mick, 40, on January 20, 2005. Adams and Damon were also indicted for first-degree murder, armed robbery, and conspiracy for the shooting death of Justin Michael Gaglione, 29, on January 14 in the 300 block of E. 20th street. Adams is being held on a no bail status. An arraignment for all four murders is scheduled for Tuesday, March 22 in the courtroom of Honorable Lynn K. Stewart, 215 Clarence Mitchell Courthouse.

And the first and second-degree assault trial of Baltimore City police officer Hadyn D. Gross, 24, was scheduled to begin yesterday. Says the state, "The indictment stems from a verbal confrontation between Gross and the victim, Peter Bell, that occurred on October 10, 2004 in front of the Speak-Easy bar located in the 1000 block of Linwood Avenue."

Also scheduled to start yesterday was the murder trial of Asmar Rashad Holland, 17. A Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Holland last month for two counts of first-degree murder. Court documents allege that on May 18, 2002 Holland shot and killed Joseph Harris, 16. Court documents further allege that on December 1, 2003 Holland shot and killed
Earl Ross, 39, at his home in the 600 block of Bartlett Street.

I guess everyone's heard by now that Brian Nichols of the Atlanta courthouse freakout is from Baltimore.

Depressing stat of the day: one in five Black men in Baltimore are in jail right now, and those three hots and a cot are costing the city $22k a prisoner a year.

New Dept. of Homeland Security immigration laws are bring used to arrest Baltimore members of a South American street gang.

Arrest, theft, robbery in the blotter.

Attention carjackers and stick-up artists... Towson Town Center won't have security cameras in the parking garage until at least December. Easy pickin's.

A deputy from the sewage treatment plant shot up the place.

A Bel Air man, Paul Neumyer, has pled guilty to assaulting a 15-year-old he met on the Internet. Okay, even at 15, wouldn't you have been a little suspicious of a Secret Service agent demanding a blowjob?

March 10-14

In a most excellent investigative piece, City Paper's Stephen Janis asks this week: Could it be that Baltimore's crime problem is related to the lead-paint epidemic? Could it be that lead in the drinking fountains at Baltimore City schools created a generation of brain-damaged, aggressive children? And if, so, what do we do about it now?

We're up to 48 murders in the city, including a man who was strangled next to the Ravens' stadium last month whose death was only recently reclassified by the cororner.

March 8-9

The much-needed witness-intimidation bill is being held up by PG county legislator Josheph Vallario (left). When asked about his vote, Vallario explained, "YALL THINK YALL GOT SUGE AND MELO BUT WE GOING KILL EVRYLAST BITCHASS POP SNITCHIN NIGGANOWHATIMSAYN."*

Is 38 years enough for throwing acid in someone's face?

Is loving someone of the same sex a crime? The legislature is tring to figure it out.

* my mother insists that I label this clearly as satire

March 6-7

The sex abuse trial of Darryl Purefoy, 34, of the 9100 block of Liberty Road in Randallstown, is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.tomorrow before Allen L. Schwait at the Mitchell Courthouse on Calvert Street. A Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Purefoy December 6, 2004 on more than 100 counts of sexual child abuse and other counts. Why this story hasn't been picked up by local news I don't know, it seems right up JZ's lurid little alley...

Three officers have been dismissed and two more have been punished as a reault of the prison bus strangling of Philip Parker. And the state is seeking the death penalty for strangler Kevin Johns, who was in jail for choking his uncle with a belt, trying to saw his head off and leaving him in a closet.

There'll be one more criminal in town when wife-beater Samari Rolle joins the Ravens. And there's currently one less as Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson is being detained in Aruba for hitting a judge in the face.

A $2,000 reward is being offered for leads in the shooting of two teenagers in Landsdowne Feb. 22.

In Frederick County cops nabbed some Brooklyn buttleggers.

March 5

The Sun has more details about Dundalk Murder Mom Denise Sims.

Crooked currency trader and former Mt. Washington resident John Rusnack (who lost $691 million of AIB/Allfirst's money) says that being in jail makes him feel "20 years younger."

"Only" one murder last week in the city-- 18-year-old Reginald Gray. But there was still an accidental shooting, a justifiable homicide, and a guy stabbed by someone named "Peaches."

Bmore's organized crime division is not impressed that 50 Cent's penned a song that, they say, touts Baltimore as a great place to deal heroin.

Interesting article from Toledo about the Catholic church's secrecy policies... it portrays the Baltimore archdiocese as the most open and proactive in reaching out to victims of sex abuse. Go Keeler. Baltimore's Catholic church has paid out $4.1 million to victims, which sounds shocking until you note that the Church has now paid $840 million to victims and $139.6 million to attorneys. According to the church, 4,392 priests have been accused of molesting minors in 10,667 cases between 1950 and 2002.

March 4

Way to go, Kima and McNulty ... Easy, Boobie, Hawkeye and a whole lot of other guys and girls (30 in total) were indicted for participating in a heroin distribution ring in Park Heights. The indictments were sealed until law enforcement officers executed arrest warrants on the defendants this week. Search warrants were executed in Baltimore City and Baltimore County that netted raw heroin, 32 guns, approximately 1400 gel capsules of heroin packaged for street-level sale and more than $200,000 in cash. The indictments are the result of an eight-month joint investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement partners, including the DEA, Baltimore Police Department Organized Crime Division, Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office and the Baltimore County Police Department. Notes the State's Attorney's Office, "Many of the defendants are facing significant, mandatory, state sentencing penalties." PoPos 30, Garrett Bailey, Shawn Barnes, Tim Bates, Marlon G. Bell, Boobie, Danbrell T. Brown, Randolph H. Carter, Harry Cokley, Paul Cooper, Marc Crandell aka Hawkeye, Easy, Kenneth Farrington, Lenny Hess, Lamont Johnson, Taavaon C. Johnson, Delandies Lilly, Jr., Louie Livingston, Austin Mabbott, William M. Manns, Antoine K. Rich, Sean A. Smith, Anett J. Snyder, Bill St. John, Kevin K. Thompson, Hassan R. Tucker, Germaine V. Wallace, Bryant A. Warren, Sharma Williams, and Terry L. Williams, zero.

Traquan Johnson, 25, got 10 years for robbing banks in Owings Mills and PA.

Anthony A. Brown got life without parole yesterday for killing city police detective Thomas Newman. His accomplices also got life. The motive for the killing, says prosectuers, was revenge for testifying against Saunders' half-brother, Andre Travers, who was convicted of attempted second-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

A 26-year-old man was shot at 3:30 a.m. on the 1st in PG County, and police apparently have no leads whatsoever.

Stolen baby food, a rammed cop car and a 14-year-old JC Penney's shoplifter in the blotter.

China's Human Rights Report on the U.S., Baltimore's rising murder rate deprives its citizens of basic life, liberty and security of person.

March 3

The cameraman of the infamous "Stop Snitching" video is doing his part for the cause ... his work on the DVD was apparently so compelling, witnesses woud be a waste of time. Not only did he list his name in the credits, he appeared on screen threatening people who might consider interfering with his drug business and then mocked people who don't sell drugs for a living. And then there's his house full of white stuff and the gel-cap-making machine. Ah, sweet irony, the snitch es tu.

Ehrlich BFF Al Redmer revealed during a subcommittee meeting that pro-rumermonger Joe Steffan's computer is currently under lock and key at the mayor's father-in-law's office on St. Paul Street.

Tie down your lawn chairs, kids... meth is spreading east.

Meanwhile, in the suburbs...
Dundalk murder mom Denise M. Lechner's parenting skills were well known to social services, a spokeswoman said yesterday.

Hours after Jessup's month-long lockdown was lifted, an inmate got shanked by a piece of a light fixture.

White Marsh gets this month's Wes Craven award for the most seemingly bucolic suburb where horrible things happen (sorry, Anne Arundel County): A Nigerian immigrant was found shot to death in a suburban subdivision close to the mall.

March 1-2

The conditions at Central Booking are being investigated by the state, and snow delayed Jessamy's scheduled appearance ata hearing on witness intimidation.

The drug kingpin trial of William Nicholson, 27, of the 100 block of Boxthorn Road, is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Thursday before Judge Albert Matricciani, 330 Courthouse East, 111 North Calvert St. The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Nicholson on July 31, 2003 on kingpin and conspiracy narcotic counts. A "kingpin" is defined as a person who allegedly was part of a drug conspiracy in which he/she was the manager, organizer, supervisor, or financier of narcotics distribution. Court documents allege Nicholson supplied at least three high-volume dealers in the Baltimore City metro area with large quantities of cocaine. He faces a maximum prison term of 40 years if convicted.

It's been a year since the murder of Hopkins student and SC native Chris Elser, and police have filed the case under "cold."

The trial of Desmond Dickey is also scheduled to begin tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. at the Mitchell Courthouse on Calvert. Dickey is charged with two seprate murders committed while he was on parole. A Baltimore City Grand jury indicted Dickey December 2001 for the August 12, 2001 murder of Anthony Carlest in the 400 block of North Pulaski Street, and he was indicted on June 7, 2002 for separate first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery with a deadly weapon and conspiracy charges in connection with the murder of Alexander Samuel Logan, 26, whose body was found on November 27, 2001, in the 2200 block of Roslyn Avenue.

And speaking of 2001 murders, 34-year-old Timothy Hawkins just got 30 years for one after DNA linked him to a cold case.

Good lord, it's another 3-year-old murdered by his mom, a beaten 12-year-old, a dead body in White Marsh, and a nieghbor who knew about the imprisoned Easton wife all on lurid-ass WJZ.

A Baltimore radio talk show host was surprised to get a letter of apology from a former aide to Jim Jones (Jones was the cult leader who, with his wife Marcie, compelled 908 cultists in Guyana in 1978 to drink cyanide-laced Kool Aid).

How are things in Annapolis? Well, one lucky murderer got his drug charges dropped, and a teenager is being charged with assault for chucking a snowball.

This councilman seems well-intentioned, but do we really need cameras at every mall?

February 26-28

Lots of nastiness in southern Maryland: a man stabbed in the torso at the Cancun Cantina, a man shot during a mugging that started with the bumming of a cigarette, drug busts and a lady mugged in the parking lot of the Dollar store.

Assault and robbery with a side order of mysterious shootings in the blotter.

"Couldn't they have shot his leg or something?" asks a mom whose 20-year-old son was killed by police last December.

How is Toon Towne Center planning to improve security? Plans are "under review" and things are "being considered." Says the mall VP of security, "the point is that people see enhancements being made and feel comfortable with what we're doing." You have to respect the honesty, I suppose.

What do baby formula, a snowplow and a church safe have in common? Items sniped in Carroll County this weekend, of course.

Horrifyingly depressing story of the week: A transgendered inmate, Dee Harmer, whose rape behind bars led to a new liability standard for prison officials is now blind and bedridden and has been sent home to die of AIDS.

Wait, I spoke too soon, a man is charged with imprisoning his wife for six years and starving her to death in Elkton.

A Maryland snowboarding teenager has been charged with reckless endangerment in Jackson Hole, WY after colliding with a skiier and killing her.

Another story of a hit-and-run driver... what are they thinking?

A woman in Silver Spring got 17 years for enslaving and abusing the help.

The trial of a Rockville (alledged) killer nurse, charged in the deaths of five patients at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, was delayed due to weather.

February 25

In White Marsh, a 15-year-old did $900,000 worth of damage when he set an apartment building on fire.

Also in White Marsh, a man got 21 3/4 years for party powder.

A death warrant has been signed for a guy who murdered a Pikesville couple in a motel 23 years ago.

Sixteen-year-old William Alson, shot in Landsdowne, has been released from the hospital. His 14-year-old friend is still there.

Muggings and cafeteria fights in Annapolis.

February 24

From the State's Attorney's Office: Just before jury selection was to begin in the murder trial of Darren Johnson, 22, of the 2800 block of Plainfield Road, Johnson pled guilty to second-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence. On April 4, 2004 Johnson and Calvin McCrea, 20, shot Robert Jenkins, Jr., 29, to death in the 1800 block of Dover Street. McCrea was involved in an altercation with a female on Dover Street and Jenkins attempted to intervene. Judge Kaye Allison sentenced Johnson to a total of 50 years in prison: 30 years for the murder count and 20 years for the handgun count with the terms to run consecutively. McCrea pled guilty Tuesday, February 22 to two counts of first-degree assault. Judge John M. Glynn sentenced McCrea to 15 years in prison,with all but six years in prison.

Yesterday afternoon Fatrina Malika Holloway, 16, of Park Heights Avenue, pled guilty to manslaughter. Judge John M. Glynn sentenced Holloway to ten years in prison will all but four years suspended. On October 15, 2003 Holloway and the victim, Natalie Trent, 24, were involved in a fight in which Trent was hitting Holloway with a stick. Holloway stabbed Trent to death following that altercation in the 3000 block of Thorndale Avenue.

Criminal profiling is apprently not the forte of the Towson cops: a second rape in a week has Towson coeds on the alert for a medium-sized white man, or maybe a black man, or pssibly a Hispanic man, who may be college-aged or not.

Camille Bivins got six years for beating her toddler to death. Her boyfriend, Timothy Horne, saw his charges dismissed on a technicality.

In better news, yesterday's Amber Alert that had drivers looking for one Joseph Warren with a nine-month-old baby in his pickup truck turned out to be the result of a false statement by the babymomma (who's now under arrest).

Bullet-catching boy bugger Maurice Blackwell wants a new trial. And by the way Michael Jackson now has a jury, mostly women.

Drunken diver Micahel Phelps will ahve to talk to students in Wicomico County about the error of his beer-swilling, Escalade-driving ways.

State of the News

I wonder if crime reporting in this town has changed, or if I'm just starting to pay more attention. Probably a little bit of both. The bext source of in-depth reporting is anything in-depth by the City Paper, particularly by Anna Ditkoff. The problem is that the CP only does those types of stories about once a month (understandably). If you want to know crime dirt while it's fresh, WJZ definately dishes it out the best. Mary Bubala did a great report last night about the pant-stealing mall murderers, and in the most fabulous orange coat. The local papers like the Messenger and Towson Times can be good for the robberies and burglaries, but finding out that stuff a week after it happened is not particularly useful. The Sun earns about a C-, not doing much more but making a few calls after getting a press release from the State's Attorney. They can't even seem someone at the courthouse regularly. Worst source of news: channel 11, (WBAL), which will actually, literally, during the news, report on television shows. Fox is in its own little world, namely Timonium, and hustles through local news to get to the national "theme" stories like feeding tubes, taxes and the president talking somewhere to somebody. Then the second half of the show is sports and editorials by that preening Ralph-Reedish Mark Hyman guy, who seems scarred for life from being teased about his last name on the playground.

Turns out that the brother of one of the gunmen, as well as the second gunman, in the Towson Mall shooting had been involved in a robbery the previous day in Overlea.

So, let's get this straight: Lavar Clark and two of his best buds go to Overlea, and at gunpoint, steal 97 bucks and a CD player from some guy.... and then demand his PANTS. The next day, Javon Clark and John Kennedy (!!) decide "Hey, that went pretty well! Now let's go shoot some old guy at the mall!"

Boy, I'd love to meet their parents.

In legal news, a judge rejected gunshot residue evidence from the city's only gunshot analyst. This ruling, if it stands, will open up hundreds of trials for appeal. A quick Google search for cases where Harant's testimony figured importantly include the 2002 murder of Det. Thomas Newman by Jovan House, a capital case, and the conviction and life imprisonment of Jermaine Blackwell for the shooting of James Randolph in 2003.

February 23

Two murders last week bring this year's death toll to 44.