On December 17, 2005, Howard got into an argument with his girlfriend, the victim, at her Pennsylvania Avenue apartment and started choking her. She escaped Howard's grasp and ran into the kitchen to call 911. Howard came after her with a handgun tucked into his waistband. As Howard approached the victim, he started to reach for the gun. Instead of reaching for the telephone, she grabbed a knife and stabbed Howard in the arm. She then called 911 but Howard grabbed the phone from her and hung it up. The victim left the apartment, taking her seven year old daughter with her and when the police arrived, no one was home. Six days later, detectives executed a search and seizure warrant at Howard's grandmother's house and recovered a handgun. The victim had filed six prior complaints against Howard during the year of their relationship. Howard is currently serving two consecutive three year sentences for violating his probation from 2003 convictions of two counts of possessing regulated firearms. Today's 15-year prison term will run concurrently to this previous sentence.Four murders this week: Sintia Mesa, Stephanie Stevens, an unidentified man (who the Sun reported was Ryan Holliman), and Desmond Tucker.
Jurors began deliberating the case against Acurtiss Grimes, 26, accused of shaking his two-month-old daughter Kaitlyn to death.
James E. Darnell was sentenced to 10 years for attempted robbery, or maybe attempted rape.
County police are looking for two men who robbed the owners of Wilkens Liquors in the parking lot of the Wilkens Avenue Provident Bank Jan. 23.
A hit-and-run suspect died after crashing into a tree while fleeing police in Howard County.
Two suspects in a Frederick home invasion were arrested in North Dakota while crossing the U.S./Canada border.
Karen Ann Malinowsky was charged with embezzling $250,000 from her dead employer's estate.
A suspect spent an hour browsing the Reisterstown Road Payless Shoe Source before robbing it.
Kevin Adams, 20, Jonathan Mathews, 20, and a 17-year-old boy, all from Arnold, face 55 counts of destruction of property after (allegedly) going on a roving BB-shooting-spree.
Sounds like the family of the 22-year-old furniture deliveryman shot by a PCG Homeland Security official will be a-suing.
A stolen cell phone, drunken shopping-cart driving and a fake ID in the Greyhound Blotter.
David Simon's speech last night at Loyola was incredibly interesting. One recurring theme was that we can't change the institutional malaise that has taken over the city (and the country). As for the people who suffer the worst due to the system and their lack of response: "they're not rioting anymore; they're high." I'm cynical, but I felt like an optimist in comparison to Simon.
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I heard something interesting from a coworker about the Sintia Mesa case: She seems to think (for reasons I can't go into) that the DEA/Feds are somehow in on the murder, as well as the break-in at the Laurel storage facility. She tells me that Mesa and the boyfriend had rented two seperate storage units (one in Mesa's name and the other in someone else's), Mesa's contained money, the other contained drugs. As of right now, the drug locker hasn't been touched.
She also tells me that the Feds still had the GPS tracker on Mesa's car when she went missing...
Regarding David Simon's talk at Loyola last night, the mention that drug prohibition and its associated policies have moved policing away from an institutional mentality of "protect and serve" to one of "up the stats" is a huge question facing us today. How do people here feel about the idea of a "Hampsterdam" or an all out legalization of drugs?
I'm all for the legalization of pot. I think that alcohol has far more potential to cause harm than marijuana, and we all know how well prohibition worked.
For other drugs it's a little more complicated. I think the best approach for addiction to narcotics (heroin, oxycontin, morphine) would be to do what they've been trying in Switzerland, where people who're already addicted can inject drugs that they receive from the government in a medical facility. This may sound like lunacy, but it puts drug dealers out of business, reduces the number of people pressuring new addicts to get hooked, and also allows people who are addicted to drugs to still be functional, productive members of society. Obviously if someone wants to get clean they should be encouraged to do so in every way possible, but there are a lot of people who can't or won't quit using drugs at this point.
I think the biggest challenges to deal with are crystal meth and crack cocaine, and I can't really picture a good way to legalize or decriminalize them. It's possible to hold down a job while receiving a daily dose of narcotics, but I can't imagine a meth addict being capable of doing much.
... speaking of concurrent sentences, maybe someone 'in the know' can answer-- with the Hasan Howard thing, is there a difference somehow to sentencing him to 15 years to be served concurrent with the six he's already serving, and sentencing him to nine years, consecutive?
The whole concurrent-sentence thing is lost on me.
As for drugs, addiction is a psychiatric issue-- people can get addicted to shopping, food, gambling, etc. People addicted to crack and meth should be in a locked-down supervised ward like anyone with a mental illness-- not in jail, not in "Hamsterdam" where they can victimize others-- and those drugs should be treated like any other big-deal medication.
If Pfizer could make a $150 hit of crack, they'd be all lobbying congress every day for inpatient drug wards!
BTW got the estimae back on my car-- Crazy Car Wash lady did $923 worth of damage!
There's somebody who needs to be in an effing lockdown ward!
D's you're all set for stoop storytelling. just come out thursday to the creative alliance and pick up your ticket!
The main difference between concurrent whole sentences vs. the increment to be served consecutive would be in terms of parole eligibility, credit for time served with good behavior, etc.
What gets to me is that crap about "...with all but 5 years suspended.... ". Bring on minimum sentencing, baby. The percentage of the maximum which gets calculated as a minimum sentence should be an increasing function of the time previously suspended on other unrelated charges.
That way, when they cut you a break as a first-time, second-time, etc. offender, it comes back to haunt you on later offenses.
As for concurrent sentences - while it really doesn't mean much, the 15 years concurrent is still better than 9 years consecutive on the slim chance that original 6 year sentence is reversed on appeal.
Oh, i see, thanks emprty.
The Creative Alliance is the 15th, right? Not tomorrow...
Concurrent = running at the same time; Consecutive = running from the completion of the previous sentence.
Accordingly, 10 runs to completion or parole then 5 without possibility of parole starts. This is a minimum of say 8 to 10 assuming Howard gets good behavior credit. This 15 years runs at the same time as the 6 year probation sentence which, if Howard gets in more trouble in prison or escapes or something, could end up being added to the 15.
Yup the 1th not today... so I'll see you there, well maybe , at least you'll see me!
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