Going Rogue

DR: "The Baltimore Board of Estimates will be asked to approve a $225,000 payment to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit brought against the city police department by 17 people who accused the East Side Special Enforcement Team of “rogue” police work."

"Wikipedia search voids murder conviction"

"Maryland State Police say new reporting requirements for pawnbrokers and precious metal dealers have led to the recovery of more than $50,000 worth of stolen goods in the first month."

Remember the tale of Shirley Worcester, 58, killed by a stray bullet in Middle River? The gunman, 26-year-old Warren Yates got 75 years (in the county, of course). Yates was apparently chasing a guy who gave him a fake bankroll for a trash bag full of doobage.

An animal-control officer was shot while sitting in his van last Monday

WTF? Ravens linebacker's babymom says he knocked her down, spilled bleach on her and his son

Family of murder victim Shantel Brown is hoping witnesses will come forward

The widow of Officer Norman Stamp has filed a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city, Stamp was Tazered and shot in a bar fight last year.

Arrest of Union Square community president

The president of the Union Square Community Association is not pleased with his recent arrest, police say he intefered with an investigation, he says being handcuffed and taked to Central booking has "shattered" his sense of security.

Hi Haters

Sun poll: most Baltimoreans think Dixon should leave office, though nearly a third of those polled would vote for her if she ran again.

and a pair grows on Calvert St!
Rodricks: "I don't think our city can afford a bad-news mayor for any length of time"
Rosen: "people are comparing Baltimore with tainted places such as Detroit"

Shooting, Beating at Downtown Sheraton

Three Two adults were seriously injured early this morning at a birthday party at the Sheraton hotel, 101 West Fayette Street, police Tweet that arrests are "forthcoming" and there will be a press conference today at 2:30 pm.

Update: more details

Havoc in Hampden

SpotCrime reports a man shot in the head in the 3600 block of Elm Avenue... right by the Wine Source. Looks like the guy was fleeing the scene after being shot by an off-duty officer at the Hampden Discount Liquors on Falls Road, one of a pair of suspects who'd already robbed two other places in the past hour!

20 years for crazed, tazed shooter

From the SAO:

At a hearing today, Judge John A. Howard sentenced Christina Rather, 22, of the 1500 block of Mountmor Court to seven concurrent 20 year prison terms. Rather pled guilty August 11, 2009 to seven counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Judge Howard sentenced Rather under terms of the state-recommended plea agreement.

On November 16, 2008, at 9:32 PM Baltimore Police receive a call of an armed person discharging a weapon at 327 West Lorraine Avenue. When officers arrive, they observed Rather running out the front door carrying a black handgun in her right hand. The officers withdrew their service weapons and told the defendant to drop her gun and when she refused, taszered her. Police interviewed several occupants of the house and it was reported that Rather was involved in a relationship with one of the occupants, but that the relationship was over. Rather went to this location to talk about this relationship and knocked on the door. When the occupants would not let her in, she then kicked open the door causing damage to the door and frame. Rather eventually became enraged and retrieved a handgun from her car.

The occupants of the house, totaling seven people, hid in the basement. Inside the house were two teenagers and a six-year old. Hatcher fired a bullet breaking a basement window and gained entry to the house. Family members scattered throughout the house while Rather tried shooting at them, only to have the gun malfunction. One of the occupants was able to grab a candlestick holder and struck Rather. The fight ensued out the front door where until police officers arrived.

Police recovered a black Ruger 9mm handgun along with five 9mm cartridges.

Dixon gets mixed holiday greeting

A mixed chorus of "boos and cheers" greeted our recenlty convicted Mayor at the annual Mt. Vernon holiday ligthing fest.

The graft that keeps on grifting

Baltimore Lead Inspector Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Lead Inspection Certificates

Girls gone too wild?

A Girls Gone Wild tour bus, lots of liqour, and some topless girls at Bourbon street last September has lead to liquor board charges against the downtown nightclub.

"Double Life" for Killing of 17-Year-Old

At a hearing Wednesday, Judge David W. Young sentenced Jamar Anderson, 20, of the 3000 block of Glenmore Avenue to two consecutive life in prison terms plus 20 years. A city jury convicted Anderson October 14, 2009 of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence.

Judge Young sentenced Anderson to life in prison for the murder and attempted murder counts and 20 years in prison for the handgun count. Details:

On August 7, 2008 just after midnight Anderson fatally shot John Person, 17, in the 2900 block of Garrison Boulevard. Testimony showed that Anderson fired at least 10 shots at two victims. Police found Person lying across a threshold of an apartment suffering from a gunshot wound to his back. As a result of his injury, Person fell into a coma and succumbed to his injuries nine days later at University of Maryland Shock Trauma Hospital. The intended victim, Alethea Hawkins, was uninjured. According to testimony at trial Anderson was attempting to break into a house on that block earlier the previous day when he was interrupted by Hawkins, who called 911. Anderson told Hawkins he was going to come back to shoot and kill her.

Some nerve!

She'll also be lighting the Washington Monument tonight and riding in the Christmas Parade on Sunday.
If you're going to dig in, might as well go balls-out!

Mayor to Step Down at 3 p.m.?!

WBAL Tweets "Mayor Sheila Dixon says she will make a statement at 3pm about the recent jury verdict in her theft trial. Hear it on AM 1090 WBAL"

... JZ will cover it also and notes "Her office says she will not take media questions after the 3 p.m. news conference."
Some nerve!

.. WBAL TV is also planning to cover what they're calling an "announcement" live on the TV and the Internets.
Is Steala "Conviction" Dixon going to do the right thing?!

Post-Conviction and Living in Limbo

After the conviction, the tide of public opinion has turned against Dixon, but the establishment has assumed a buffalo stance to stand by their woman. City Council members are refusing to comment (or stepping on themselves to backtrack), and future Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told the Sun she is making no preparations to become mayor.

Meanwhile, the Sun editorial pages demand an explanation but, a la Zaiafanice Lipscomb, can't bring themselves to change the locks.

But look on the bright side: They said a Baltimore city jury would never have the cojones to convict, and They were wrong. And as the CP's Nose notes, Baltimore has never been a city of laws, it has a long tradition of graft. Instead of the conviction being a "sad day for Baltimore," maybe it's a jolly sign that the grease isn't overtaking the gears.

More Dixoniana:
Judge Sweeney finds nothing wrong with jurors being Facebook friends

Baltimore Brew has "10 Questions We Wish Sheila Dixon Would Answer"

215

View Larger Map

Police Tweet, "HOMICIDE - 5522 MIDWOOD AVE. ... BPD TAKES SUSPECT INTO CUSTODY. A 17 Y/O FEMALE WAS KILLED, 59 Y/O IN CRITICAL."

JZ reports that the woman was a double-amputee and the 17-year-old took care of her.

The Sun reports that the 32-year-old suspect lived with them and barricaded himself in a nearby house after the murder.
Horrible.

Scofflaws strike back

Those pesky, ever mouting penalties heaped on top of city parking tickets may come to end, if JHU grad student Jason Howard has his way.

214

View Larger Map
Tweets the BPD: "Homicide - 4700 Glenarm Av-Adult male found."

A boy and his dog

WTF?! "A 9-year-old boy was shot in the left hand in West Baltimore Tuesday night after three men kicked in the front door of his house and opened fire on the boy and a dog" ... the boy was trying to protect his grandmother.

The Ink covers last week's five murders

Mondawmin MVA employee pleads guilty to making fake IDs

Former crime lab employee gives Peter Hermann the what-for re. his suggestion dropsy drug bags be fingerprinted

This picture is incredible-- like Dixon aged 20 years overnight!

More on the legal confusion surrounding who, what when and even if the mayor will be removed from office (not to mention who's going to pay for those hot$hot attorneys!)

Sun: "Mayor Dixon owes Baltimore an explanation" ... a little late for that, don't you think?

ps., who do you think dominated TV coverage of the verdict?

Convicted Mayor Won't Leave Office, Speak to Press

The Maryland state constitution is straightforward: "The Mayor shall, on conviction in a Court of Law, of wilful neglect of duty, or misbehavior in office, be removed from office by the Governor of the State."

But what if the Governor won't remove said mayor? And what if all of city government from the solicitor to the city council decided in a secret closed-door meeting that the definition of "conviction" was not really a finding in a court of law but instead a state "effective upon sentencing"?

Are her decisions legally binding? Can she get anything done when she could (theoretically) be sent to jail any day now? And who will be riding in the back of the convertible in the Hampden "Mayor's Christmas Parade" next Sunday?
Arnold Weiner?!

More on the Mayor

and she's not stepping down

Holy S@*T!! Mayor Convicted

of one count of misappropriation!
The count is punishable by a fine of up to 5 years in prison, and the state constitution requires that she be removed from office, but Dixon told reporters she does not plan to step down.
So who's mayor now?!

JZ's got their videos up, including interviews with two chatty jurors.

Is Today the Day?

Bykowicz tweets, "Judge is about to instruct the jury that they can return a partial verdict."

Dixon -v- Rohrbaugh

What the hell did Rohrbaugh and Dixon chat about in court today? Maybe, "is this jury nuts?"

More bad news

Looks like November just got deadlier

Headline of the Day: "Tweets Is Watching — Street Gangs Using Twitter"

Is nothing sacred?

On Hampden's 34th street, scammers work the crowd, claiming to be collecting donations

Deadly November

Fenton Tweets, "Just like last year, November has been the deadliest month in Baltimore this year, with 24 homicides (23, officially)"
Wonder why?
UPDATE: full story

Our dropsy's acting up

In the NW, Jewish "watchers" "gold standard" of community crime-prevention groups

Hermann on Baltimore's many cases of "dropsy"

What a deal! You can get legal advice for $10 at the Hollywood Diner

And the smokin, hair-braidin' no-law-dictionary havin' Dixon jury is back to the grind

SCOTUS: Detainee photos to stay under wraps; Ford still on the hook for liability claims

8 grand in the hole

Former Towson student travels from Texas to ask a city judge to relieve her of an $8000 parking ticket debt. City council hearing to cap the fees scheduled for next week.

210

Glen H. Footman, 52, died after being shot 14 months ago in Mt Vernon. His father told Peter Hermann that police were "were very up front with us in saying that the chance of this ever being solved is practically nil."

Ban lifted

The city has lifted a ban that prevented homeless people with minor convictions from applying for housing vouchers

Dixon, dixon, and less dixon

Hobson's choice, Talmudic scholars, jurors doing sudoku, and a highlights dvd of witness testimony, when will it end?

Bummer...

Local youth leader shot dead while walking his dog this morning. The victim has been identified as 21-year-old Angelo Dangerfield.


In more news that many will find disappointing; Suite Ultralounge will be officially padlocked starting today.


One time Terrell Allen conspirator Andre Kirby was given a 15 year federal sentence on a gun violation.

What is this, 3rd grade?

Jean Marbella claims a Dixon juror gave another juror a new hairstyle in the deliberation room.

Dissing the jury...

Dixon defense: jury confused. Judge: not.

Dixon = Grim

The mayor had a "grim" expression on her face after the jury failed to deliver a verdict Tuesday

Beans and Dread:

A long-planned homeless center’s expansion got underway last week. Then, a Beans and Bread employee stabbed a client. | Baltimore City Paper

Charges were dropped today against city police officer accused of stealing money from a drug dealer

WA coroner reports that former Raven Tony Fein died of "acute opiate intoxication"

Oh, the suspense!

Will today be the day those jurors reach a verdict? Local celebutorney Warren Brown told Fox 45 he "suspects the Mayor will be convicted on at least one count"

Stay of eviction

Will the Mayor save Lakechia Rodriguez, a disabled woman who is facing eviction from her brooklyn homes apartment for drug charges that were later dropped?

204

View Larger Map
Brandon J. Benjamin, 22, shot in the face at 3100 McElderry St.

Plug tunin

Tune in to Slumlord Watch on WYPR's Midday with Dan Rodricks tomorrow from 1-2

No verdict for Dixon...yet

updates from the Dixon trial, says one juror, I need a smoke.

But I'm an ossifer!

Arthur C. Campbell, 39, was arrested after waving a gun outside of the Angel Inn in O'Donnell Heights, claiming to be a police officer; police found three unregistered, loaded handguns in his car.

Dang, bitches!

Police use pepper spray to break up a girl fight at Overlea HS

Two women were stabbed outside of Club International in West Baltimore, and two more claimed to be stabbed on Wellham St.

Three men were stabbed at around 2:30 this morning at the corner of Curley & Monument Streets

Dixon jurors say they're making "great progress"

Ugh, this law.
Disclaimer: This site offers links to local crime-related news stories, occasionally peppered with snarky commentary. It does not contain original-source reporting. This site usually can't tell you why Foxtrot was circling your block or why there were a bunch of cop cars at a given intersection. This site does not contain pictures of puppehs or kittehs or Levi Johnson in the shower. Etc etc etc etc, whatevs, I already bitched about this last week.

Hermann says a cop might lose his job over Del. Jon Cardin's dingbat boat proposal.

Jailed doctors

Two doctors jailed for leading a protest against insurance company talk about doing hard time in CB. Meanwhile, will the city finally cap parking ticket penalites????

Police shoot robbery suspect

City police shoot a suspect after a car chase from the county goes into the city, WMAR reports the suspects are suspected in the murder of 52-year-old Brian Meise, killed in a Catonsville convenience-store robbery.

In Catonsville, a man carjacked and shot

A woman drove her car into the harbor at Fell's Point's Pier 5 and died

Gun-wielding road-rager arrested on 95 inner loop

Who's your daddy?

NYTimes mag on DNA testing and the messy legalities of fatherhood

Dixon trial judge uses roastmaster skills, cookies to keep jury on task

"out of the thousands of drug addicts who either live in or flock to Baltimore (Black and impoverished) and the seemingly endless string of death that such a condition brings about, two white addicts are deserving of compassionate and humanized coverage, while the rest are consigned to irrelevance and anonymity."