Man shot at 29th & Calvert

A man was shot in the head at Calvert and 29th streets in Charles Village at 11 p.m. last night. UPDATE: he was ID'd as Brandon Hudson, 22*, shot while sitting on a couch in the first floor of an apartment.

and Police Tweet, "Triple Shooting, 1800 Blk Maryland Ave (Central District), 12:58am, adult males shot."

Fenton Tweets that 1992 shooting victim Ronald Watkins had been hanging out at Odell's nightclub. (Remember Odell's? That place was awesome). Apparently this story was written just two weeks before Watkins' shooting-- the armed guards must have not done much good. The club was owned by Milton Tillman, Jr., of bail bonds fame, and defended by his lawyer, Elijah Cummings. Heh heh, Doo Doo Brown.

Ten years for an Edgewood cocaine dealer, whose slang term for crack was "the Jolly Rancher."

A 12th officer, Rafael Feliciano Jr., has pleaded guilty in the towing scandal

More speed cameras have gone up around town for a total of 142 (!!) -- noticed a new one on North Charles St. southbound at Blythewood (by Loyola) when some Speedy McJerkwad in front of me got the flash, a location that notably not on this list. Not a bad idea to check the list-- then drive like a grandma anyway.

A new e-book about Ed Norris is out, focusing on his investigation of the shooting death of Jew­ish Defense League founder Rabbi Mier Kahan while with the NYPD. If you're interested, you can download it for Kindlefor less than a buck.

A Federal court judge ruled bloggers aren't entitled to journalists' legal protections that allow them to shield sources. In other words, bloggers, if you allege something expect to have to prove it's true. &@%#!!

Plain clothes cops speak plainly

BPD caught on tape being less than polite during a traffic stop.

186, 187

Why so stabby, Baltimore? Another fatal stabbing, this time a 45-year-old man in the NW*; in the 3500 block of Woodland Ave. Update: Fenton ID's the man as Christopher Gilliam, and says a female "of interest" is in custody but not charged.

Ronald Watkins, shot 19 years ago at the corner of North Ave and Charles Street, has died from his injuries and been added to this year's homicide toll.

A suspiciously dead body that is either male or female-- or is it two bodies? was found in Remington. WMAR clears up the mystery-- it's a body that police first reported was a woman, then decided was male. Ok then.

A woman was robbed of her cell phone by a guy driving a Cadillac and wielding a baseball bat; in Abell a would-be robber was disarmed by employees; a 7-Eleven robbed in Remington in the North Baltimore Patch blotter.

The Country Club of Maryland was burglarized and thieves made off with $2,000 of stuff-- aka one-third of one member's initiation dues.

Today in bad sex news, two officers are are on leave following an alleged public threesome; a Glen Burnie teacher is in trouble for having sex with three students.

Here's a theory to ponder: trust in government leading to a lower crime rate, with the decline in crime the past few years a result of "the Obama effect."

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A man stabbed to death on Eastern Avenue Northeast N. East Avenue

A man shot multiple times at 12:39 p.m. in the 700 block of Willow Avenue, mere blocks (but worlds away) from Guilford

A second week with only one murder (that we know of). The unfortunate victim was Kenneth Davis, 29.

Attorneys need to stop releasing information about who's snitching cooperating with law enforcement, said RJR* following the indictments of Tavon Dameon Davis, 24, and Bruce Eric Byrd, 26, for conspiring and committing murder for hire, murdering a witness and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Tyrone Jackson, 52, pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing $488,572.50 in forged checks and 327 videos and 779 photos of pornographic images of children (why do the pedo guys always have so many damn images?).

Assault victim Christy Lee Polis was charged with disorderly conduct after reporting a robbery in the county.

Eastern District commander is owner of a run-down vacant that he's too broke* to fix up, reports the Sun's Scott Calvert

Deposed fraudster Belinda Conaway attended her last City Council meeting on Monday night, as did Nick D'Adamo, who serenaded the venerable council with a parody tune.

Schurick Guilty on all Four Counts

Tweeted Luke Broadwater

Update, here's the Sun story*, the WBAL story (featuring an old clip that includes character witness John Heath: "the Paul Schurick that I know was a person who went in the hood ... and he hung out in Old York Road with the brothers.")

.. and down in PGC, seven years in the slammer for Jack "put it in your panties" Johnson.

Deputy shot in the line of duty may be fired

He took a bullet while serving a murder warrant, now he may take a fall for speaking to the media.

Meanwhile, no end in sight to the city worker turned criminal turned tax payer funded pensioner (aka The Dixon rule)

'never thought he'd do something like that to a friend'

Hampden went on lockdown yesterday due to the report of a roving armed loonybird

Three people reported shot this weekend, Tweeted the BPD: two adult males at Vancouver & Markham, and a woman shot in the 900 block of Jack Street.

Paul Schurick's robocall case is expected to go to the jury today; he faces a maximum of 12-16 years in jail if convicted on three conspiracy charges and failure to supply an authority line. (WJZ says 12 years, the WaPo says 5 years for 3 counts plus one year for the authority line thing... who's right?). Henson's trial is scheduled for February.

Trial postponed for Dante Parrish, a convicted murderer accused of killing teenager Jason Mattison, right. "The family told 11 News at the time of the slaying that Parrish was a friend and that they knew he was a convicted murderer but never thought he'd do something like that to a friend."

Stolen copper gutters, yes, latest trend, no. In spite of feeble legal attempts to crack down on the sale of stolen metal, homeowners are still getting (literally) ripped off... exacerbating the suck, homeowner's associations are forcing some residents to re-purchase the luxury gutters.

National: D.E.A. launders millions of dollars in drug money to find out who's laundering money. Ps., happy 78th Repeal Day! Have some fun facts about prohibition. ("In Los Angeles, a jury that had heard a bootlegging case was itself put on trial after it drank the evidence"). There are still more than 100 dry communities in the U.S., but none in Maryland, where no municipality is allowed to have an ordinance more strict than state law. Though you'd think MD's annoying prohibition against buying booze on Sunday dates back to the Volstead act, it actually doesn't-- it apparently dates all the way back to pre-colonial times.

Hordiculous

There really needs to be a word that combines ridiculous and horrible. Ridorrible? Horriculous? Whatever you call it, it was bountiful Friday at the robocall trial, with the defense calling somewhere between nine and 18"character" witnesses* to testify to the general awesomeness of Ehrlich's campaign manager, Paul Shurick. How their platitudes could be material to the facts I can't imagine, but anyway, the beacons of virtue hand-picked to testify included executive director of the Maryland Coal Association, a firefighter, and Michael Steele, now best known for presiding over the Republican party as it wooed donors with bottle service at a bondage club. Oh, and also former governor Marvin Mandel, now 92 years old and best known as MD's first (and only) convicted-felon governor, who spent 19 months in jail on various fraud charges. And Schurick testified for his own defense, blaming it all on his underling. "I recall saying to Julius, 'I’m paying you $16,000 a month, give us a plan." Adding to the ridiculorribleness, beloved dykon Jayne Miller broke her ankle on a city shitty sidewalk while covering the case. And BTW and p.s., after testifying that he had never heard the robocall, on Friday a special agent basically proved that he had. Then he admitted it. D'oh!

#BlackMan'sRights??

Good Jeebuz! Three men were arrested last night after a four-hour, two-county crime spree that involved 12 victims, including a man stripped naked, another man shot in the eye and the leg, and a wrecked Lincoln Continental.

A third murder at Perkins Hospital? Really?

The prosecution rested yesterday in the robo-call case, after Julius Henson's employee Rhonda Russell, who recorded the "relax, everything's fine" message, offered the lamest excuses ev. er., testifying that the calls were "reverse psychology ... I was told this call would stimulate whoever wanted to vote for Mr. Ehrlich." Never mind that the calls went only to Democrats or that Russell's notes included the phrase "suppress turnout in black communities." Not every member of the black community is horrified by this, though. Wrote Mr. Hassan MrPolitics Giordano on the Facebooks, "First their aim was at Julius (Henson), and still is quite frankly; now they're looking 2 hang Frank Conaway?! I guess an outspoken black man who doesn't have 2 rely on them 2 gain fortune & fame better learn their place huh?! SMDH...#BlackMan'sRights??"

Speaking of, the Sun has posted the police report from the Conaway/Meister kerfuffle... oh my, not very flattering to either one of them! The report says Adam Scott attempted a karate kick, and Frank Melvin was indeed on the sidewalk with his gun. Oh, my.

Stephanie Lynn Schwab, the "Blonde Bandit," the Thanksgiving carjacker, the potato-chinned MS-13 mom, was nabbed on the D.C. beltway after robbing a bank in McLean, VA.

More good news: Fenton tweets that November ended with "only" 10 homicides: the lowest level in 40 years. A man who allegedly home-invaded the elderly in Pikesville has been arrested. So relax. Everything is fine. The only thing left is to watch it on TV tonight. Congratulations, and thank you.

Sixth time's a charm?

Drug dealer, convicted double-murderer and amateur lawyer Anthony Grandison is headed to the Court of Appeals* for the sixth time. Grandison is currently on death row for hiring Vernon Evans to kill David Piechowicz and Susan Kennedy in April of 1983.

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Fatal shooting of a 29-year-old man on the 500 block of South Bentalou Street; a carjacking at Dru Hill and Whitelock.

The Ink details last week's single homicide, and the fifth fatal police-involved shooting of the year.

The defense and prosecution agreed yesterday that Ehrlich's campaign manager, Paul Schurick, personally approved the "relax" robocalls, and prosecutors described a desperate and panicked election eve for the Republican campaign. Fun fact: the Sun's Justin Fenton was the sleuth who traced the calls to the Ehrlich campaign.

Fenton and Hermann follow up on TAB's tip that Darnell Kinlaw, charged with car theft in the Annie McCann case as a teenager, has now been arrested for killing Lakeisha Player and stealing her car*. Kinlaw was apparently out of jail due to the magic of concurrent sentences and credit for time served.

And another murder arrest, Jerome Burgess Jr.*, 19, has been charged in the murder of 25-year-old Tavon Toney, who was robbed and killed walking on Franklin St. Incredibly, reports Fenton, this is Burgess' fifth arrest this year.

The special prosecutor for the Meister vs. Conaway kerfuffle has been appointed*, one Steven I. Kroll, head of the Maryland State Attorney's Association. Don't know if he shares Meister and Bernstein's "commonality of their religion*" (Kroll is a German name, with a family crest of two crossed bird feet), but surely Conaway's lawyer will squawk regardless.

Occupy Baltimore permit = denied! Didn't that happen already, you say? Indeed it did, in October the group applied for a permit and was denied then, too, but nothing came of it. Parks & Rec. also adds that "assemblies of more than 150 are prohibited." Isn't that kind of, like, a violation of the 1st Amendment?

Greenmount Avenue merchants worry about crime. Remember when you could go there after dark, get a Pupu platter at Uncle Lee's and browse for books at the bookstore across the street? Old person sigh ...

Sonja Sohn on violence

Wire actress talked about the impact of growing up in a violent home at a summit in Baltimore.

Policing the police

The city's Civilian Review Board investigated but didn't want to talk about a whole bunch of complaints against city officers.

Murder Arrests, Identifications...

32-year-old Steven Pennington has been Id'd as the man shot to death at the intersection of Moreland Ave. and Presbury St. on Nov. 14.

This week's Murder Ink gives more details of the robbery-murder of 25-year-old Tavon Toney, allegedly committed by Jerome Burgess Jr, 19.

The Sun has updates on another murder arrest alongside that of Jerome Burgess Jr. Arrested for the murder of Lakeisha Player was Darnell Kinlaw Jr., 21. *

If the name Darnell Kinlaw sounds familiar, it might be because of his peculiar involvement in the Annie McCann case. McCann, if you don't remember, was a 16-year-old girl who ran away from her Virgina home, only to end up dead in a trash can in Southeast Baltimore. Kinlaw's involvement in the case only revolved around his having been charged with stealing her car. Those charges were later dropped, much to the chagrin of McCann's parents.

One has to wonder if a man already accused of a murder of one woman might have had a larger-than-thought-of role in the death of Annie McCann. That is, of course, all speculation. What isn't speculation is the fact that Darnell Kinlaw was in no way supposed to be free at the time of the alleged murder of Player. He had been sentenced to 3 years and 4 years, respectively, in two different cases in January of 2011. Even with prior time served and parole after having served half of his sentence, there is still no reason why he would be released any earlier than early-to-mid 2012. A shame all around.

Finally, a gas leak turned up a lot more than the broken gas valve: instead a grow-op was found in this McElderry St. row-home.

Three escapes, a scapegoat and a zebra

Good grief, $107k to settle two more police-misconduct lawsuits, reports the Brew. Has Bealefeld decided that lawsuits are cheaper than training?

Fenton writes about the changes to the crack-sentencing law that will eventually allow for the release of about 50 Maryland inmates*

Police say a lady carjacker (and MS-13 member) may be in the area; keep your eyes peeled for one Stephanie Lynn Schwab. She's a mom of two, and has a neck tattoo and a potato chin.

Also keep an eye out for Cornelius Moore, who police say escaped home detention. Also Nathan Cockrel, who was accidentally released from Central Booking. Oopsies!

A Poly student is in caliente agua after allegedly bringing a gun to school*

One duplicate conspiracy charge was thrown out today against Paul Schurick in the robocall case, but by the end of the day both the defense and prosecution agree that he approved the calls.

Oh, look, the lawyer repping Frank Conaway Sr., J. Wyndal Gordon, is also defending Tiffany Alston (D- PGC) against allegations of campaign-finance violations (specifically, using campaign $$ to finance her wedding) ... and guess which group Gordon is scapegoating for her charges?

... and who knew that while the circus was in town in 2008, two zebras escaped?

* Sun link

"things happen differently"

... so what did I miss, Baltimore?
It looks like police arrested one Alvin Ray Wright Sr.*, 48, for the rape of a 13-year-old girl in an abandoned rowhouse on N. Caroline Street in October. He doesn't have a record of prior sex offenses, just drug and car-theft charges, but DNA evidence implicated his evil ass after his sample was given high priority in the testing queue.

A woman robbed with a toy gun in Roland Park and a shootout in the 5400 block of York Road in the North Baltimore Patch Blotter

The Conaway/Meister drama continues, and here's a nugget that will make you crap a book on how to puke: Conaway's lawyer J. Wyndal Gordon says Conaway is being investigated because both Meister and Bernstein are Jewish*: "When you have a situation where you have a Jewish victim and an African-American male, you have things happen differently than if it happened to be a regular case ... perhaps because of their commonality in their religion."

Ehrlich aides' robocall trial kicks off today. Hilariously, the wife of the judge in the case got one of the calls, but Judge Lawrence Fletcher Hill says that won't affect his judgment.

Bernstein has hired a young hotshot to do some prosecutin' up in the state's attorney's office*, heading up a division that is "new" and "major." His notable achievements so far include attending basketball games, making a baby, and encouraging prosecutors to paint their offices (with coveralls over their suits, one hopes).

WTF?! County man committed suicide by setting himself on fire in front of cops

ps. this is weird, the Sun reported yesterday* that James L. Owens is suing the city of Baltimore for $15 million ... but the suit was filed (and widely reported) on October 12. A worthwhile story to be sure, but why write about it now?

* Sun link ... I'll try to warn you from here on out so you can save your monthly clicks!

Scrappy city workers

Brazen DPW workers discuss ripping of the city with the cameras rolling

The Turkey's Not the Only One Getting Stabbed

A thanksgiving stabbing in Milford Mill. A 51-year-old man spotted a very intoxicated man, identified as Gilberto Mendez, 24, in the middle of the street. While trying to get him him out of the street Mendez took it upon himself to break a bottle and stab the 51-year-old. What a wonderful time of year.

Police have id'd the knife wielding man shot to death by police as 52-year-old Anthony Stoakley.

Dundalk resident Mason Smith, 19, is in a whole lot of trouble after striking a cop with his car while fleeing arrest.

Baltimore County Police have come to the conclusion that the person who killed Russian woman Yulia Pogrebenko was her federal-prisoner son

A missing person in Hunt Valley may be the same woman pulled from a burning car.

Finally, over in Aruba, a judge has decreed that 50-year-old Gary Giordano is to be released from custody.

27 Shotings = 20 Years

The case against notorious drug kingpin Stephen Blackwell has come to a somewhat anti-climactic ending when Blackwell (Pictured right in the first picture I've ever seen of him) pled guilty to heroin conspiracy charges as well as a variety of other non-violent crimes.

While Blackwell was never charged with any of the violence that threw him into the spotlight, he was believed to have been at the head of an organization that engaged in a violent war, resulting in the shootings of 27 people. All of the violence started with the April 2008 abduction of brothers Stephon and Sterling Blackwell. Interestingly enough, young Stephon is already following in his older brothers footsteps, with an early 2012 trial for drug dealing and a conviction for prescription drug fraud already on his record.

This abduction set off a war between the Stephen Blackwell organization and the Terrell Allen group. Allen, 38, is also serving a federal prison sentence for possession of ammunition. No end-all prison fight between the two drug leaders will likely occur due to Terrell Allen likely being released in January.

Throughout this long ordeal there were many shootings and several notable homicides including: Omar Spriggs; one of the men responsible for the abduction of the Blackwell brothers, Tony Allen; who was Terrell Allen's dad and was shot alongside his son and Spriggs, as well as Quinton Hogan and Donell Rogers. Also killed were Troy Wilson and Demarco Brown Jr; the two men believed to be responsible for the Hogan & Rogers murder, Anthony Izzard, and kidnapping/murder victim Eric Pendergrass Jr.
Thanks to Justin Fenton and the Baltimore Sun as well as City Paper for all the information found here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The news keeps coming in the Adam Meister-Frank Conaway yard scuffle case. Now an outside prosecutor is going to be handling the case. This is a pretty good move, since an unbiased prosecution is nearly impossible to get with this case.

A city police officer fatally shot an man armed with two knives at the 3300 block of Edmonson Ave.

50 Years in prison for Michael Hunter, 20, for shooting 72-year-old security guard Charles Bowman in the often-dangerous Yau Brothers Chinese take-out restaurant.

A Windsor Mill teen is in serious condition after being shot by two unknown males while walking to a 7-11.

Occupy Baltimore protestors are giving it another shot to obtain a park permit.

54-year-old Russia teacher Yulia Pogrebenko, who was found dead in the Chesapeake Bay after having gone missing during a trip to Maryland has been officially deemed a homicide victim. No charges have been filed as of yet.

Baltimore County police are citing pedestrian error for the death of 74-year-old William Norton, Jr.

Finally, a Dundalk couple are in the hospital after both somehow getting doused in flammable liquid before catching on fire.

183

As-of-yet-unidentified man shot in the head at the 900 block of Franklin St.

This weeks' murder ink notes several homicide arrests as well as two cases closed by exception; the death of Earl Brown, who was shot in 1999, and the murder of 1-year-old Davon Booth Jr.

Still no info on the body found in the World Trade Center Monday morning.

The story of how a traffic stop in Louisiana led to a drug arrest in Baltimore.

An apparent arrest in a triple stabbing in White Marsh, though the suspect wasn't id'd.

Flash mobs strike again in Montgomery County.

Glen Burnie murder suspect Cornelius Keith Johnson, 24, inadvertently turns himself in.

Finally, 12 years in federal prison for now thrice-convicted Baltimore drug dealer Stephen Johnson, 31.

So... apparently they didn't kick out the wall street protestors?

Clerk, clerk thyself

Oh, too funny. The MD state police report that the handgun Frank Conaway, Sr. may or may not have "brandished" while he was or wasn't chasing Adam Meister has an expired permit. If it's true that Conaway left his property with the gun, he could be facing a month in jail. Oh, my. Conaway is the Clerk of the Court, so his job is to file and maintain the court's records and legal documents. Yet he groused to Justin Fenton, "I was never notified. I think there's an obligation on the part of the state police to notify." ... uh, really? If anyone knows that kind of information shouldn't it be the Clerk of the Court?!
... here's a WBAL interviews with "strong young guy" Adam and "I could have taken care of him otherwise" Frank.

.. and why is no one asking (or telling) exactly what Adam said to Frank?

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."

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.

$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.

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.

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.

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"

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.

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."

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)?

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.

Cellphones tracked, crackheads freed

In case you haven't heard, SRB is in, Belinda Conaway is out, voter turnout was a mind-bogglingly dismal 13 percent, and there are complaints about write-in voting being hampered and other improprieties in the 13th district, where Shannon Sneed was defeated by incumbent Warren Branch.

Demond Tyler, 36, has been arrested and charged with smothering his own grandmother to death. Shirley Tyler was 67.

Murder Ink covers last week's three homicides, including Richard Ford, shot in 1998 after reportedly driving off without paying for some crack.

Two men were shot during the course of a robbery in the Heritage Crossing Community

Changes to the penal code mean 1,900- 12,000 inmates serving time for crack-possession charges across the country, and scores here in MD, are now getting let out of jail.

Blotteratta: a man tried to rob the Hampden Rite Aid with scissors, a teenage girl punched unconscious at Patterson Park High School.

SCOTUS heard that warrantless GPS-tracking case yesterday, but apparently GPS tracking of vehicles is small beans compared to the more common (also warrantless) tracking of location by cell phone. (And, of course, the N.S.A. is already monitoring all of your email.)

What the?! Some nerve!! The state of MD is now charging $190 for timely access to public information!

Adam Meister sums up that "Another BDC is Possible" meetup/protest yesterday. Sounds like it got off track into unrelated issues (racism, unions) and M.J. Brodie showed up and came off well.

Knives for kids

282 knives were confiscated from city school kids in the past two years. Plus it's pretty easy to buy a switchblade in the city.

Scary times

WTF?! Fox files a FOIA request to try to uncover the shady development deals behind the $1.5 billion-dollar State Center project involving hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, but developers refuse the request saying they can't afford to make copies of documents. And now, says Fox, the state itself is suing plaintiffs who are suing for violations of procurement law-- a SLAPP suit, in other words. Nutrageous! A judge is going to stop the insanity and demand transparency any minute now, right? More on the State Center project here.

A man was stabbed at 100 E. Redwood Street early this morning

A city police officer is in Shock Trauma after being dragged two blocks by a pickup truck

Here's a shocking factoid: at present the government-- FBI, DEA, and presumably state and local police as well-- can attach a GPS device on your car and track your movements without a warrant. Particularly disturbing considering the very recent history of state police spying on anti-Iraq-war demonstrators.

In media news, Sam Zell, the Sun's gnomish overlord, was potentially awarded large shovels-full of money by a bankruptcy judge. And the Daily Record has laid off three people, citing costs.

Ps. don't forget to vote today, if you haven't already...!

News From Around the Region

A mostly non-city post today.

After three years their has still been no arrest in the 2008 murder of former Marine Leroy Taylor.

Orioles pitcher Alfred Simon has been acquitted of any charges related to the New Years Eve shooting death of a man in the Dominican Republic.

Armed Robberies Galore:

Police in Elkridge are offering up a reward information leading to the capture of a liquor store robber.(Pictured Right)

College Park bank robber and twice convicted drug dealer Antonio Michael McClurkin, 26, has been sentenced to 15 years in the federal pen.

Another career offender will serve a lengthy federal prison sentence. 41-year-old Mark Ellicott Lomax was sentenced to 20 years for committing 17 robberies in about a month.

County Police are ISO the men who robbed a Middle River bank Monday afternoon.

A city police officer is recovering after being dragged by a car during a pursuit. The officer fired two shots, but the suspects are still unknown at the moment.

Eight well earned years in a federal penitentiary for child pornography trafficker David Twitty, 64.

Police officers in Howard County shoot an armed man. 19-year-old Jeffrey Dustin Nichols was shot after he reportedly failed to drop the gun he was holding when confronted by the officers.


Finally, Towson U. was on lock-down for the second time in a week after a bomb scare in one of the on-campus parking garages.

It's Never to Soon to Ruin Your Life...

14-year-old Nefatea Hector is facing two counts of attempted murder for shooting Joseph Esdelle, 20, in the face, and hitting Anthony Samuel Johnson, 24, with a stray bullet.

For the second time in a week, a 2009 Baltimore County murder has led to federal indictments. Several members of the massive Marijuana trafficking operation were indicted in federal court for their roles in the drug ring and kidnapping-murder 50-year-old Michael Paul Knight.

City police have made an arrest in a quadruple shooting at a city club. Karon Darren Shaw, 19, was arrested for shooting the four men, including two who were club employees.

Police have already arrested 17-year-old Markell Jones for the murder of Freddie Jones Jr. at the turbulent Yau Brothers Carryout on Greenmount, but they are still searching for the other two robbers involved in the killing.

Just two months in jail for Maximilian Bode, 21, the man who killed former Johns Hopkins fencing coach Richard Oles with a snowplow.

An apparent jumper at the Tapco Tower in Towson. The death of the elderly man found in a dumpster near the building is not believed to have involved foul play.

Bail has been denied for accused human trafficker Alarcon Wiggins. Besides being the ringleader of a prostitution ring, Alarcon Wiggins is also apparently a god-awful rapper and deadbeat dad. And as authentic as his talent profile seems, I probably wouldn't call the number he listed.

The jury in the Ulysses Currie trial is still in deliberations on day three. After weeks of testimony the jury has yet to make a decision on the fate of the State Senator and two co-defendants.

A missing Silver Springs man winds up dead in Anne Arundel County. Manuel Enrique Diaz Gomez, 37, was reported missing by his family on Halloween.

The oxycodone overdose death of a quadriplegic Ellicott City man has been ruled a homicide after a lengthy investigation.

Bullets ripped through a Hagerstown home, leaving only one of the homes dozen residents injured.

An Odenton man was caught trying to hang himself in his jail cell Saturday.

Finally, a three alarm blaze occurred at DiDi's pizza in Dundalk, supposedly from two cardboard boxes catching fire.

15 years for Pitcairn killer's accomplice

Lavelva Merritt got a deal for testifying against her crack buddy John Wagner; Wagner got life +20. She also has a hearing in December for violating her probation on a previous drug charges. Tricia Bishop reports that Merritt could be out in as few as six years, plus Merritt's courtroom comments: "making myself depressed ain't going to make it no better ... I'm not going to sit here and let it take over my life."

An unidentified man shot to death in the 4100 block of Parkwood Avenue over the weekend, plus four nonfatal shootings.

Another female Frostburg student stabbed by a female classmate?! Kortneigh McCoy, 19, a sophomore at Frostburg State University and a Poly grad, died following a stabbing early Sunday. Student Shanee Liggins, 23, of Waldorf, is in custody. WTF?

Back again...

The conviction of Erik Stoddard was affirmed by the Court of Appeals last week. Stoddard was convicted and then retried no fewer than three times before his final conviction for child abuse resulting in the death of a child in 2008. The victim, three-year-old Calen Faith DiRubbo, died of multiple blunt-force injuries in 2002.

And Matthew VanDyke is back, still skinny, still sporting a schmattle and planning to write a book.

He just snapped

The teen who stabbed another student at Civitas High School in NW Baltimore was being bullied.

We can only dream of a murder rate like yours

A former Baltimore homicide detective travels to Glasgow Scotland to compare both city's penchant for violence.

Afternoon Round-up: Friday Edition

Three arrests have been made in two police impersonation robberies. Demon Harris, 36, Wayne Kasey, 26, and Donte Driggs, 23 are all facing serious charges for their roles in the robberies.

Two fatal fires in last 12 hours. 20-year-old Conner McKeown was killed in a Harford County fire, while an unidentified man died in northwest Baltimore garage fire.

A 10th grader at Civitas Middle/High School was stabbed by a 14-year-old fellow student yesterday.

A detective in a Carroll County murder case has been charged with perjury.

Two non-fatal shootings in the city yesterday including a 20 year old who was shot in the head.

Jury deliberations in the Ulysses Currie trial continue today.

33-year-old Chad Frobouck got 5 years for growing pot at a strip mall. The moral of the story here, is if you're going to grow weed in your business, make sure to pay your rent on time.


Creepy barber 54-year-old Jung Gon Kim(Pictured Right) was busted for sexually abusing a 13-year-old patron in his shop.

16 years exiled to Federal prison for career criminal Barry Murel, 49, for his 12th and (hopefully) final felony conviction.

A whopping 21 years in the Federal pen for heroin dealer Taurus "Ock" Wiggins, age 43.

Arrest in Yau Bros. Murder

Police say 17-year-old Markell Jones has reportedly confessed to Killing Freddie Jones Jr. at the Yau Brothers Carryout Monday night, after his parents turned him in. Two more suspects remain at large.

Twenty years for Arteesha Holt, the 14-year-old who killed Jose Rodolfo Gonzalez-Coreas after he laughed at her attempt to rob him

What is it going to take?!

to get a standing independent review board in this town?!
In case you haven't heard, the report is out on the criminally negligent "tragic perfect storm" that lead to the shooting deaths of Officer William H. Torbit Jr. and Select Lounge reveler Sean Gamble, and the stupidity within is mind-boggling. Highlights include:

- Torbit left his police identification in his trunk, went into the crowd alone, tried to get some drunk girls to quit hitting a car with their shoes and told Sean Gamble to "mind your own fucking business" when he tried to intervene, escalating the situation.

- many officers didn't let dispatchers know they were on the scene, so the chain of command couldn't be established. As the melee was going on, an officer radioed "That's an officer, he is one of us, stop shooting" and was ignored.

- officers shot into a crowd of people, exhibiting "poor marksmanship and undisciplined shooting."

- investigators didn't log photos of the crime scene.

- officers involved in the incident refused to testify, including Deputy Maj. Marc Partee, the commander on duty that night. If a civilian witness refuses to show up to testify, they get thrown in jail, but when it's an officer shooting someone, apparently they are within their rights to not even make an appearance.

- As we already knew, the police has for years gone against its own policies and failed to conduct "after-action" training reviews of police-involved shootings to prevent future incidents.

and, finally, two years ago Bealefeld justified not releasing the names of officers to the public because their own internal investigations are so thorough. "But the report found that in practice, the internal affairs unit defers to homicide detectives and waits until the criminal case is resolved — which can take months and in some cases more than a year, 'delay[ing] the Department's ability to determine what policies were violated or how it might improve its practices.'"

So what is it going to take to get an independent review board in this town?
So far this year we've had $1.2 million worth of extra tax dollars going to compensate victims of police malfeasance, how many citizens shot by police? 1, 2, 3.. a bunch. Also an officer dealing heroin out of the NW District Police Station, the towing scandal, 30 percent of rape cases being deemed "unfounded" ... what is it going to take?

Without demonstrable integrity, the police department loses its legitimacy. With no legitimate police force, people take the law into their own hands and refuse to cooperate, making community-based policing impossible. Citizens take the law into their own hands. If the mayor, Bealefeld and Robert Cherry are genuinely committed to a fair and responsive police force that holds protecting citizens as its top priority, they would welcome a standing independent review board, one with subpoena power and the ability to make recommendations. Seventeen out of 50 largest cities have this, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami, San Diego and Pittsburgh. The fact that the mayor, chief of police and head of the police union support the BPD conducting its affairs in secrecy and answerable to no one is a spitwad on the cheek of every tax-paying citizen in this sorry burg.

Sleazy, sad and evil

Police have released video of the suspects wanted in the murder of Freddie Jones Jr. near the Yau Brothers on Monday. Lowell Melser reports that the robbery netted $13-- the exact same amount Charles Bowman was murdered for, which sounds a little too coincidental to be true.

Two shootings yesterday near Franklintown Blvd & Edmonson Ave

The Dept of Labor is suing Baltimore Behavioral Health for withholding financial records. A Sun investigation uncovered veritable assloads of shadiness at the supposed treatment clinic, including stolen retirement funds, Medicaid fraudsters on the payroll, and family members of the director pocketing six-figure salaries.

Judge Ben C. Clyburn has issued a “stay” on 3,878 debt col­lec­tion cases brought by two com­pa­nies whose busi­ness licenses have been sus­pended

After liberating Libya, Matthew VanDyke is now headed home to work on his memoirs

No bail for a woman arrested here and charged with running a prostitution ring in El Paso

A prisoner named Derontay walked away from a work detail in Glen Burnie yesterday, but was soon recaptured

Down in Bethesda, Brittany Norwood was found guilty of murdering co-worker Jayna Murray

A thoroughly depressing suspected grandson/grandma murder/suicide in Parkville

The City Paper has their election endorsements. Wouldn't it be nice if Pistol Pete got rousted?

Dead Man Inc. Indictments

22 members of the infamous Dead Man Incorporated were indicted in federal court today. Among the bevy of crimes the 18 men and 4 women indicted were charged with are the 2009 murders of James Flanary, Tony Geiger, Eugene Chambers, & Walter Milewski.

Indicted Members Are:

Perry “Saho the Ghost” Roark, age 42
James Sweeney, age 34
Nicky Cash, age 46
George "Fat Boy" Treas IV, age 28
Dane Shives, age 22
Michael Anthony Quinn, age 28
Michael “Skinny Pimp” Forame Jr., age 40
Brian Mitchell, age 40
Richard Lee Ingram, age 45
Timothy “Fuhrer” Mixter, age 35
John Henry Adams, age 25
Gregory David Cook Jr., age 36
Jeremy Ridgeway, age 22
John William Zion Jr., age 27
Russell Bernard Hartman, age 29
Bonnie Rice, age 35
Kelly Witter, age 26
Charles Robert Gray Jr., age 31
Edward Adam Mueller, age 31
Melanie Holquist, age 28
Scott William Jarriel, age 28
Gary Charles Horton, age 26

Despite the vast majority of members having long, serious, and violent criminal records, information was quite difficult to find on the indicted members. If you find any more information on the indicted, let us know.

"her buttocks had scratches"

The investigation into the shooting of William Torbit Jr. is reportedly complete, with results expected to be released to the public tomorrow (my money's on Friday afternoon, though...)

Walter Bishop Jr. got life without parole, which of course means he's eligible for parole in 25 years. Sentencing for handgun and conspiracy charges are still TK, though.

The accusation of sexual assault at Occupy Baltimore was unfounded, say police. Apparently a woman woke up to find that "her buttocks had scratches" and there was "$1,800 missing from an envelope in her purse." Who could sleep through a buttock-scratching? Who keeps $1,800 in their purse? And what's the next step for these occupiers, anyway?
.. in other protest-y news, a petition is circulation calling for greater transparency and more community participation from the Greater Baltimore Development Corporation, and protestors are gathering at 36 South Charles at 5 p.m. on the 7th, "where some sunlight can hopefully be cast upon these matters"

OH and here's some shady-sounding shiz: The Brew reports that the Board of Estimates has just approved a new no-bid contracting process that will have contractors selected by a five-member board instead of via competitive bidding. I don't see how such a system could possibly invite corruption, do you?

County police are ISO this lumberjack-looking guy for robbing an Essex CVS. He's also guilty of gross and willful fashion violations-- black jeans and white sneakers, yech.

THIS is a good idea: the city got a grant to build a child-custody handoff center. (... how bananas is it that a husband could try to strangle his wife, but still have unsupervised visits with kids?!)

Two drug-toting individuals are in custody after causing a flaming crash a few blocks from City College yesterday

Puke sandwiches: politicians line up to praise the honesty, integrity and overall super-fabulousness of Ulysses S. Currie. Closing statements in that case are apparently going on right now.

Former city solicitor Ralph Tyler, defender of many a police misconduct lawsuit, is joining the local mega-firm of Venable LLP.

Curtis Lopez, accused killer of Jane and William McQuain, is OTW back to MD from NC. .. apparently in these extradition cases the perp actually rides on a commercial airline handcuffed to a Marshall. If that's true, is the perp allowed to get little pretzels and half a Coke?