Monday, November 21, 2011

Tonight's the night

... Occupy Baltimore gets evacuated, camper-protestors believe.

In other news, Adam Meister claims doddering Clerk of the Court Frank Conaway, Senior, took a swing at him today, after Meister ran into him and asked him why he wasn't at work at 10:30 a.m on a Monday and other harsh words were exchanged. LMFAO! One (rather far-fetched) version of the story has Meister pounding on the door and delivering a karate chop. In the police version Conaway brandished a firearm, but Meister claims he didn't.

And the case of the fetal-alocohol-syndrome-lookin brothers accused of burning Phoenix the pit bull was postponed for the 4th time.

And octogenarian Margaret Hepburn has gone missing, please call 911 if you see her.

Broken Legal Education

One thing law school fails at teaching is how to be a lawyer.

Rear and Present Danger

A triple stabbing in the parking lot of the Sunset Beach Bar and Grill at Pulaski Highway and Allender Road in White Marsh

Whups! PG County accidentally released an alleged murderer, one Frederick Scott (left).

Bad PR move, SRB: a group of students from eight local colleges who'd planned to sleep in front of Baltimore City Hall to commemorate National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week on Saturday night were told to disperse by Baltimore City Police and threatened with arrest.

Oh noes! Kimberly Smedley, accused of using a room at the
Renaissance hotel to give a stripper from the Block
illegal, ass-plumping silicone injections, was arrested in D.C. The dancer wound up in the hospital with silicone in her lungs, victims in other states were left with deformed buttocks ( NY Post headline: "Rear and Present Danger").

Baltimorean Terry L. Wilson goes to Indiana, robs convenience store, gets shot, dies. Assuming it's the same 20-year-old Terry L. Wilson in the Judiciary Case search, in 2007 he was charged with attempted murder and the case was remanded to juvenile court. In November of 2009 Wilson was again charged with attempted murder, in 2010 he was convicted and sent to jail.

A Baltimorean who brought cocaine to vend in Altoona, PA, Rodney "Rocco" Williams, is in custody after a year-and-a-half investigation.

Some good news: national reports show a huge decline in child sex abuse.

And here's one I missed back in August, but better late than never: five years after suing the City of Baltimore for sexual harassment, the 4th circuit found in favor Katrina Okoli, reversing the district court's decision. Wonder how much she'll get?

Really? Bloomberg News reports that "The U.S. prison population has more than doubled over the past 15 years, and one in nine black children has a parent in jail."

Friday, November 18, 2011

Things unfair

A "life" sentence for Michael Wiggins, accused of stabbing Marine Corps Private Darius Ray to death at a party last year.

Remember Veronica Williams, killed by her husband in front of the Eastside Court on North Avenue after taking out a restraining order? Her mother is now suing the BPD and seeking punitive damages for due process violations, conspiracy and wrongful death, claiming that Cleaven Williams' police buddies shielded him from arrest, even texting him to let him know they were on the way to arrest him.

So the government largely dropped its spying case against whistle-blowers Thomas Drake and John K. Wiebe, NSA employees who exposed waste, fraud, and the fact that, ps., government contractors are monitoring all of your email. Now the defendants want their computers back, the FBI refuses to return them, and Drake is working at an Apple store. Sigh.

Well that sucks: a homeowner says police raided the wrong house (his)

Check out this dick, Christopher Scott. His girlfriend dumped him, so he allegedly got back at her by posting their sex tape on the Internet. Then when police went to his house to investigate they also found kiddie porn. Allegedly. Charming. Now he's free on bail, so don't date his stank ass.

The second trial for accused dog-burning twins Travers and Tremayne Johnson is set to begin today.

Oh, Doug Gansler, have you nothing better to do than dilute Four Loko?

Good for the Daily Record, editorializing against the lack of accountability and transparency when it comes to the sketchball tax credits for city developers.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

$10.4 million?!

So the city is going to tax your every bottle of pop, yet "The city's budget office revealed at an investigative hearing Tuesday that it has spent $10.4 million over the past three years — an average of about $3.5 million annually — defending the Baltimore Police Department against lawsuits."
"... payments to outside counsel defending city officers from suits have increased. The city spent about $700,000 last budget cycle on private attorneys, an increase from the approximately $350,000 it spent on such costs in 2010 and the $485,000 it spent in 2009." "Police officials testified Tuesday that they have instituted better training for officers, which has reduced brutality complaints"... which much be a recent thing, as the Sun and an independent review board have found that the police have been ignoring their own protocols on training for several years now.
Pants on fire!

Life x 4

Murderous crack dealer Antonio "Mack" Hall, 31, has been sentenced to four life sentences for shooting to death federal witness Kareem Guest in September of 2009, as well as shooting a police informant and killing another crack dealer, Martie Williams, in March of 2009.

The life sentences are adding up for Baltimore drug dealers. 36-year-old Johnny Butler has been sentenced to two life sentences for murdering Sintia Mesa back in 2007. Butler had already been sentenced to life in federal prison back in 2010 for leading a violent drug organization.

Two city rapes from last week are believed to be related. Accordig to police, both incidents involved similar circumstances.

Yet again the Goodwill store on Joppa Rd. in Towson has been robbed. This is the third robbery of a Baltimore County Goodwill in the last week.

Prominent Baltimore Hispanic group Casa de Maryland are trying to get Mayor Rawlings-Blake to stay true to her word and end racial profiling.

County police have released sketches of two of the four men who kidnapped and raped a 15-year-old in Woodlawn.


Police are on the lookout for the man responsible for the robbery of a Towson Wells Fargo. (Suspect Pictured Right)

A statewide manhunt is on for a man responsible for a series of bank robberies ranging from Baltimore County to Cecil County and just about everywhere in-between.

Finally, two more Baltimore police officers haveplead guilty for taking part in the "Majestic Towing" extortion scheme. 31-year-old Leonel Rodriguez and 32-year-old Rodney Cintron face up to 25 years when sentenced next year.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Bmore staycation for city officials

The high flying, resort loving Baltimore city pension board may have taken their last ethically challenged trip to a beach front resort - a nice win f0r beleaguered city taxpayers.

Putting the Firearms in Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

The sounds of gunfire and crunching metal filled Patapsco and Magnolia avenues after an ATF agent fired shots during a raid Monday. One ATF agent was injured and is currently recovering. Details are still minimal at the moment.

Police have made an arrest in the killing of Marquis Jones. 19-year-old Antwon Lee has been arrested and charged with first degree murder.

Another arrest of a police impersonator has been made. An unidentied young male was arrested by Baltimore county police after pulling over people in the White Marsh Mall parking lot.

The trial in the infamous "robocall" case has been postponed after Judge Charles J. Peters was forced to rescue himself from the case.

Two defendants in a "rent-to-own" scheme have been convicted in federal court. 42-year-old Lamondes Dorian Williams faces 600 years in prison when sentenced while co-defendant Erica Brown, 29, faces up to 180 years.

Finally, this weeks Murder Ink has this weeks murders, including one that I was not aware of, Kevin Lofland Jr., 18, who was shot along with a surviving victim at the 2200 block of Aiken St.

Monday, November 14, 2011

180

A man shot to death this morning in the 1700 block of Moreland Avenue near Presbury Street, and #178 was actually a woman, found in a house in the 2600 block of Kentucky Avenue with a gunshot wound to her head.

Bealefeld talks to "60 Minutes" about Tazers. Apparently he's against them. What I didn't know was they have darts that actually shoot out and embed in someone's flesh... eeew. Says one of the weapon's designers, "The idea of using electricity to incapacitate at its core is, frankly, a beautiful and simplistic idea." Said FHBIII, "I'm not a huge fan."

Well, that ain't kosher: the police officers in charge of enforcing gambling laws are on the payroll of the Cordish Company, according to documents found by das Capital.

In other business news, the WaPo reports that MS-13 is diversifying its holdings to include pimping now.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Werdesheim case delayed

Jill Carter Tweets: "Werdesheim "Shomrim" assault trial continued in advance from 2moro 11/14 to 2/1/2012"
... more on that case

178

A man shot to death on Pennsylvania Ave. UPDATE: He was ID'd as Darren Robertson, 20. Justin Fenton Tweeted that he was shot in the face.


... Bmore fun fact: until the 60s, sources say, Pennsylvania Ave was Baltimore's "center for black life and culture"

Saturday, November 12, 2011

More Molotov Cocktails

The police report three incidents of Moltov cocktail-tossing in the NW last night between 1 and 4 a.m., in the 4100 Blk of Belvieu Avenue, the 3900 block of Groveland Avenue and the 3300 block of Liberty Heights Avenue, at least one incident using a Rémy Martin bottle (classy!) Gugliemi held an unusual Saturday press conference, video here (unfortunately interrupted by a Walmart ad). Moltov cocktails are a well-known calling card from drug dealers to 'snitches' (see Edna McAbier, the Dawson family), but of course we don't know what these tossers' motive was. Police are also investigating nine other incidents.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Horror in Guilford

"an intruder raped and beat a woman while her children were just steps away"

Two shot in Harwood

...at East Lorraine Avenue and Barclay Street. (Not Charles Village)

Mary Pat Clarke wants to padlock the Yau Brothers Chinese carryout after the second murder there. Which seems rather unfair to the Yau brothers, unless they were somehow in on it.

Kids these days...

Horrible: 12-year-old girl reportedly raped at box-cutter-point by 13-year-old at an unnamed west Baltimore school; the victim asked a fellow student for help but her classmate did nothing.

Despicable teenager steals cookie money from the Girl Scouts

"Freedom fighter" Matthew VanDyke talked to WJZ. He's writing a book, of course.

Another defamation suit for the City Paper and reporter Van Smith(?!): the Courthouse News Service reports that strip club owner Rosalie Jackson, Rosalie's son Kenneth Jackson and former longshoremen's local union president Riker "Rocky" McKenzie claim the Baltimore City Paper falsely linked them to a violent drug organization and called them drug dealers and leaders of organized crime. Oh, my.

Ben Cardin says Obama is planning to nominate Circuit Court Judge George L. Russell III to the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt after Republicans blocked his first pick, Judge Charles B. Day, for more than a year and a half citing unnamed "insurmountable concerns."

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Illegal weapons for sale

Looks like you can buy illegal switchblade knives all over the city, police say they don't have time to deal with it.

177

Santos Villanueva, 25, was shot to death in the 4300 block of Loch Raven Blvd. at around 9 p.m. last night

A guy on a bike wearing a hoodie shot up a parked car near the Edmonson village shopping center; the occupant wasn't injured in spite of at least seven bullet holes.

Police are ISO this man who broke into Charlie Brown's bar to steal cash, booze and lottery tickets

Police are also ISO this man who stole a gold necklace from Marley Station Mall

North Baltimore Patch reported on their FB feed that yesterday "Baltimore PD told us the JFX was closed for an unfounded bomb threat. And that it had nothing to do with the missing prisoner."

Joseph Gasque, 39, got 119 months for crack dealing.

Five years for a 54-year-old(!) man who conspired to rob banks and pharmacies

Forty-one months for funny-money-passin' Robert Johnson, 33.

Peter Angelos and Occupy Baltimore agree on something! The Brew reports that the shady quasi-nonprofit sorta-government Baltimore Development Corp. appears to benefit developers over the good of the city, should be more transparent and needs to follow 'best practices' used in other cities. The saved developers $14.5 million in taxes last year. The Brew also reports that the B.O.E. approved $5.6 million in consulting contracts at a four-minute meeting yesterday.

Should you pay for the Sun?

If you're still on the fence, reading this may change your mind.
Ps. James O'Shea, author of "Deal from Hell," will be speaking tomorrow at Hopkins.
.. could a news cooperative work in Baltimore (or anywhere)?

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Switch blades removed

The mayor has banned switch blades from Hollins Market, meanwhile the SA's office says they're illegal.

Running and walking

Two life sentences for a man convicted for the murder of Brian Meise in a Catonsville convenience store.

The JFX was closed down today as police tried to capture a short and tubby escaped fugitive, one Maury Figueroa, arrested for drug violations and driving without a license.

Profiling nightmares! One of Chef Gordon Ramsey's crew was out scouting b-roll locations and got pulled over in what he alleges was a case of racial profiling.

Way to go, neighborhood walker! A JHU student on crime patrol helped nab a suspicious man on the rooftop of a building on Guilford Ave, who turned out to be wanted for burglary.

A man was shot in Milford Mill

Mom of murder victim Tyra Trent begs for leads. Sigh.