Friday, December 9, 2005

December 9

A West Baltimore grandmother was tied up, her son stabbed and her Christmas tree set on fire by three home invaders.

James Dinkins, 33, was arrested for the murder of Michael Bryant, 22, on Tudor Arms Avenue. Also two attempted murder arrests and lots of the usual thievery in the blotter.

Baltimore City, County and Feredal Courts were closed to today on account of two inches of wet snow.

The MD Court of Appeals yesterday threw out the conviction of Erik Stoddard, convicted in the 2002 killing of three-year-old Calen Dirubbo.

A Florida consultant submitted a report on the problems at central booking, but when prison official submitted the report to Judge Glynn and the Sun, five of its 10 pages were censored, making it impossible to see what the recommendations were.

A 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death in bucolic Crisfield. And a double shooting in Carroll County made Donnie Bowman the county's first homicide victim in more than two years.

In PG County, Wei Shu of Clinton was arrested for fatally stabbing his wife Jin Shi Chen, 28, on December 1st.

Federal prosecutors rested their case yesterday in the McAbier firebombing trial.

Two Baltimore men were arrested for stealing almost $1 million worth of jewelry when the wife of police officer David A. Williamson tried to sell the booty to a pawn shop. What was she doing with it? Good question...

In the County, a third police dog has died under mysterious circumstances.

Black & Decker is being sued by a shareholder for giving company funds to a Mormon temple.

Thursday, December 8, 2005

December 8

A 15-year-old boy was stabbed a block from Southwestern high school.

The Justice Department has returned to the city jail three years after their "scathing" report to see if improvements have been made in jail conditions.

Burglary, robbery, and six bundles of wacky tabacky in the blotter.

Robert C. Griffin, 71, is scheduled for a Circuit Court bail review and a preliminary motions hearing 9:30 tomorrow morning, before Circuit Judge Gale E. Rasin (231 Clarence Mitchell Courthouse). Griffin was found guilty in 1986 of stabbing and strangling 20-year-old Annie Cruse and leaving her body in Druid Hill Park. Last Month, Judge Raisin granted a motion for new trial due to the results from a recent DNA test.

The trial of Matthew Craighead, 22, of the 1900 block Walbrook Avenue, scheduled for yesterday, was postponed due to a witness' failure to appear. It is rescheduled for January 18, 2006.

The trial of Myron Merrill Gladney, 19, is scheduled to begin 9 tomorrow morning before Judge John Glynn. The BC Grand jury indicted Gladney on June 1 on charges of attempted first-degree murder, assault and intimidating a witness. Court documents allege that on April 6 Gladney approached the victim, who was scheduled to testify in the homicide trial of his brother, at E. 25th Street and Harford Road and shot him in the stomach.

In the arraignment hearing held Monday, December 5, 2005 Amanda Johnson, 23, failed to appear and a re-arraignment date of January 4, 2006 was chosen. Clyde Meadows was arraigned on Monday. His trial date is January 20, 2006 in Pt. 6 (Judge Hargadon). Kenneth A. George, also charged with intimidating the same witness is currently in BCDC's infirmary and was not transported. He too has a re-arraignment date of 1/4/06.

The theft trial of Samuel Terrell Mercer, 29, is scheduled to begin 9:30 tomorrow morning before Judge John M. Glynn. A Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Mercer on May 24, 2004 for continuing theft. Court documents allege Mercer stole $323,836.10 from the Baltimore Museum of Industry. If convicted, Mercer faces a maximum possible prison term of 15 years.

Sign O the Times: Some members of the AA County police narcotics unit are training at Quantico to learn how to dismantle meth labs.

Wednesday, December 7, 2005

December 7

The man fatally shot in Endor Gardens was identified as Thaddeus Riley. Also in the ink: Charles Massey, shot in 1987, who died of his injuries; Eric Smith, 39; Torrey Garland, 36; Troy Marine, 30; Antonie Grandy, 18. All of the murders this week were black men killed by gunfire.

CSA: to white people, black people really do all look alike.

An Eastern shore lawyer, J. Christopher Llinas, who served as an assistant state's attorney and an assistant public defender, was indicted in federal court in a cocaine and heroin distribution conspiracy case. He may face life in prison and a $4 million fine.

augreisch1Oprah is offering a $100,000 reward for helping to caputre Edward Claire Reisch, left, an 11-year-veteran of the Baltimore police force wanted for raping and sodomizing a young female relative.

A teacher who served three years for molesting a 12-year-old student in MoCo is in court fighting for custody of her own children.

Curran: we've got ourselves 2900 totally unsupervised sex offenders in Maryland.

Continuing the Baltimore holiday tradition of robbing the less fortunate, someone stole $4,000 worth of tools from volunteers building apartments to house children traveling to Hopkins with their families for bone marrow treatment.

In Annapolis, two women fought off a would-be purse snatcher (warning: don't try this at home).

State police to Carroll County: get your own force!

Gregory Kane: City Council has plenty to say about Iraq, but not so much about the war at home. (Thanks Galt)

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

December 6

Four murders over the weekend brough the city's toll to 254. Rashard Thomas, 19, Troy Marine, 30, Raphael Grady, 18, and an unnamed 43-year-old man are the latest victims.

Edna McAbier came out of hiding yesterday to testify in federal court about the firebombing of her home.

Twenty-two-year-old Aaron M. Brown got 15 years for killing his 20-year-old cousin Kevin Moulden last year after an argument about a ten-dollar debt.

The manslaughter conviction of Anthony Skidmore was upheld by the CSA. Baldwin's car struck and killed the driver of an oncoming car, Kelley Guckert, 20, of Jarrettsville, and Skidmore admitted to police he'd been nodding off at the wheel.

Anthony A. Garbutt, 22, got ten years for the June 17 robbery of five teenagers behind the York Road Plaza shopping center.

The trial of Matthew Craighead, 22, is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. tomorrow before Judge Shirley Watts. Court documents allege that on June 21, 2004 Craighead attempted to threaten a witness in a homicide investigation. The victim reported that Craighead assaulted and threatened her with a shotgun.

Motorcycles, a laptop, purses, cameras= stuff stolen in the Northern of late.

Ehrlich: deciding to play God and put a man down like a dog wasn't easy.

The death of a newborn found in a Dumpster in AA County has been deemed "suspicious."

The MoCo mom who filed a false kidnapping report on Nov. 27 has been charged with making a false statement to police.

In a case that could impact the Hoey defense, the Supreme Court has agreed to consider a case from Arizona involving the insanity plea.

Monday, December 5, 2005

December 5

We the people executed Wesley Baker. He was pronounced dead at 9:18 p.m.

A couple shot and burned in West Baltimore November 18 are believed to be Michael E. Wright and Thomasine Evans.

Juanita Long, 46, was charged with stabbing Dumont Jones to death in White Marsh.

The murder trial of David Ellerby, 32, is scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning before Judge John Glynn. The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Ellerby August 24, 2004 for first-degree murder and handgun violations. Court documents allege that on September 10, 2002, Ellerby shot and killed Reginald Tyler, 27, in the 300 block of E. Lafayette Avenue.

Jury selection is supposed to start today in the case of the firebombing of Miss Edna's house.

Down in St. Michael's, six kids were charged with holding an underage drinking party that ended with a 15-year-old being sent to the hospital.

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein will reorganize the Maryland office to clarify the chain of command and group prosecutors by focus.

Who's who on death row? A rundown of Maryland's Dead Men Sitting.

The Sun ran a correction re. their John Booth-El story from last week.

"As If" Dept: TV news reporter wants Ben Cardin's job. If he gets elected I am like so totally moving.

Sunday, December 4, 2005

December 4

Wesley E. Baker's death warrant goes into effect at midnight.

There was a quadruple shooting in Cherry Hill last night. The most seriously injured victim was a 14-year-old girl.

DNA testing has been ordered in a 20-year-old rape and murder case. Robert Griffin, now 71, was convicted for the 1985 murder of Annie Cruse.

There will be a public hearing January 4 re. alledged Baltimore police "Gestapo" tactics. (How is it that the city's stats and the FBI stats disagree so significantly? Also odd: finding out about the meeting from a DC paper.)

Baltimore's stop n' frisk method did help catch a(n alledged) murderer wanted in Hendersonville, NC.

An article on the difficulty felons face in finding jobs.