June 1

At least seven 18 people were stabbed at the jail on Forrest Street.

Federal prosecutors are furious about www.whosarat.com.

Hamm: "We understand now we need help.” Transportation authority and transit administration police will patrol part of 295, and Hamm hopes state police will patrol the city's four-mile stretch of 83.

Sobering stats: "Baltimore may still be losing population, but one group of people floods the city each year: Ex-offenders. About 8,600 of them ... That’s more than 1 percent of the city’s population."

Duane Tyvon Elkerson, 29, of the 7100 block of Burford Court, pled guilty to second-degree murder and attempted first degree-murder; Judge John C. Themelis sentenced Elkerson to 25 years in prison, the entire first five of which must be served without parole. On July 20, 2006 Elkerson shot Antonio Alford, 22, in the 5500 block of Hadden Avenue. He later died of his injuries at Sinai Hospital. A second victim was also shot but survived his injuries.

Sean Graham of Rockville was convicted of participating in killing a group-home counselor and stuffing his body in a closet in Utah at the tender age of 17.

The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Juanita Robinson, 27, of the 800 block of Bradhurst Road for first-degree murder. Court documents allege Juanita Robinson shot Andre McBride, 21, in the head in the 6600 Knottwood Court [#73] and that she is/was the victim’s girlfriend and the last person seen with him before the shooting incident. McBride died at Sinai hospital on March 31, 2007.

The BCGJ also indicted Damon Simpson, 16, of the 2800 block of W. Lafayette Street for first-degree murder and other charges. Court documents allege Damon Simpson is the suspect responsible for shooting Charles Hargrove [#65] multiple times in the 2600 block of Rayner Avenue, leading to his death on March 20, 2007.

Shocking Taser Deaths-- Law-enforcement sources told the Post that Marcus D. Skinner, who was electrocuted by tasers in PGC six days ago, was handcuffed while cops zapped him.
A Taser was also cited as a contributing factor in the death of Ryan Lee Meyers, who died March 18 after being stunned in the County, plus at least two other deaths in the state this year.

Neil B. Rather, 18, of the 2900 block of Garrison Blvd. was ID'd as the teenager fatally shot Tuesday afternoon in the 3400 block of Clifton Ave., plus, is "cutting" the new "stabbing"? in today's Blotter.

Brandon T. Morris, "accused of killing a correctional officer, kidnapping a hospital visitor and carjacking a taxi driver" caused a ruckus when he jumped out of his chair yesterday.

Animal control officials say there's been an increase in dogfighting, Sun rings words "culture," "sport" with quotemarks

Baltimore County Circuit Judge Lawrence Daniels just may be MD's only judge who lives in the courthouse.

Three Perverts
Case dismissed? Not for teacher: Kirsten Ann Kinley/ Kinely of HoCo was indicted and charged with sexual solicitation of a 15-year-old boy and third-degree sex offense charges. Whoa and hold up.. that's the second boy she's "been inappropriate" with! Guhross!!

Also foul: 76-year-old Kezia Twinkle(?!) McNeal was arrested in North Point for sexually abusing a five-year-old girl.

And, Navy mechanic Steven Diles, 42, of Annapolis now also has kid-porn charges after feds busted him trying to meet a make-believe 14-year-old he solicited on AIM.

Media
"Dow Jones & Co.'s 125-year history as an independent media company could be nearing an end," the Wally Jay's parent will most likely be sold to News Corp.

Media Landscape Redefined By 24-Second News Cycle

Standard & Poor's has upgraded the city's bond rating!

May 31: Political BS

Stop the presses, now Dixon's planning a plan: a "more focused" partnership between local and state law enforcement agencies. Could she be planning to ask O'Malley for some state troopers?

... frienemy Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is asking for 15 state troopers to help out in the city (baby steps!) and wants to spend $2 million of city reserve funds, plus some state cash, to recruit 140 teenagers, Southerners and Puerto Ricans to police positions (yes, that's more than $14k a recruit). (Other Council budget details here.)
The bad news: no mention of raising police pay to be on par with surrounding counties to help retain the recruits.
Fun Fact: City Council President will be ostensibly elected at the Sept. 11 Democratic primary. Rawlings-Blake will be opposed by City Councilman Kenneth N. Harris Sr. and political legacy Michael Sarbanes.
Olesker: "These candidates running today are the children of those who struggled through such tough times, and made it their life’s work to relegate it to the past. Maybe voters won’t care about race as much as character ... maybe the new generation of candidates will lead us to such a day." Yeah, maybe! Wait...race? Who's he talking about? Aren't all of the candidiates lightly browned?

MD State Police "Superintendent Colonel" Thomas Hutchins = out!
Hutchins was installed by Ehrlich in 2003 to replace Ed Norris; Baltimore County Police Chief Terrence Sheridan will replace Hutchins.

A letter from the ever-vivid Frank M. Conaway, Sr: "A river of blood is flowing through the streets of Baltimore. What are Baltimore’s leaders doing to stem the flow? Planting trees."

A stuffed deer head with a gold tooth and a mop on its head that looked like an afro was photo'd at the Station 33 fire house on E. 25th Street, someone then posted the image to a blog, an uproar allegedly thus ensued and someone at the NAACP was alerted, then someone called Mike Schuh, who turned it in to three minutes of your life that you'll never get back!

May 30

The Ink has updates to some cases, details of homicides 100-116.

GGS: "Three men two men were killed in separate incidents last night and early this morning, pushing the pace of homicides in Baltimore to an average of one a day in May."

• 1 a.m. 5/30: unidentified man, 2400 block of W. Lexington St., gunshot wounds to his chest
• 11 p.m. 5/29: unidentified man, 700 block of Denison St., south of Leakin Park ... scratch that


• 3 p.m. 5/29: unidentified man, parking lot at Clifton Avenue and Denison Street, north of Leakin Park

A man was shot in the side in the SW, a carjacking on Orleans on the East side, robbery, burglary, and, for contrast, a vandal driving on lawns in Cockeysville.

Bounty Hunter Blood Shaidon "Don Papa" Blake went on a small road trip after Federal Marshalls picked him up early for his Vegas trial. For whatever reason this put Jessamy's knickers in a megaknot: "she threatened to fly a judge, defense attorney and a prosecutor out to Nevada for a sentencing hearing if the federal agents wouldn't release him to Maryland." Fortunately for the ¢itizens, that won't be ne¢e$$ary. April 13, a

Baltimore jury convicted Shaidon Blake, of California, of second degree murder, Janet Johnson of 2000 block of Cecil Avenue of first degree murder and Jermile Harvey of the 1500 block of Lanvale Street of first degree murder. Each was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Sentencing is scheduled for May 29, 2007. Blake faces a maximum sentence of Life plus 30 years, Johnson faces maximum sentence of Life plus Life and Harvey faces Life plus Life.

At 6PM the evening of April 12, 2006, Baltimore City Police were called to the rear alley of the 1900 block of Division Street for a burning body. The investigation determined that the victim was Terrence “Sky” Randolph. Randolph was a member of the Bloods street gang and was killed for messing up the gang’s drug money. The Medical Examiner determined that the victim was strangled, asphyxiated, severely beaten and stabbed 39 times. The victim’s body was then burned. Homicide detectives determined that the murder took place in the basement of 1921 Division Street.

Defendant Shaidon “Don Poppa” Blake is a high ranking Bloods member sent to Baltimore from California to get local members “in line”. This was confirmed in an unrelated police interview of the nephew of prominent west coast rap producer/gangster Suge Knight. Blake told detectives that Baltimore is the heroin capital of the world and that he made over $180,000 selling it on the streets. Witnesses testified that Blake hit the victim with a sledgehammer. The witnesses further testified that co-defendants, Harvey and Johnson, cut the victim repeatedly with a box cutter. The testimony continued and revealed that Harvey retrieved a Ninja sword and that he and Johnson stabbed the victim in the neck twice.

Assistant State’s Attorney Brian M. Fish, of the Homicide Division, prosecuted this case.

PGC: Crazed suicidal son attacked mom with a "samurai" sword, sending her to Shock Trauma. Which reminds us, our juvenile justice system has gone totally Lord of the Flies. Could someone get on that? Thanks...

What Happened in Vegas?

TDR reports that Dixon's MO in Las Vegas was to met with reps from the sporting-goods store REI, and Target, reportedly already set to open a location in Mondawmin. The message = rich people live here:

The city has conducted its own research that often paints a better economic picture of Baltimore. For example, in late 2005, the Downtown Partnership conducted a study that showed that more than 3,100 households within a one-mile radius of downtown earned more than $75,000 per year. That compares to the $29,792 listed as the city’s median household income in 2004 by the U.S. Census.

(Hey, doesn't the picture of the city's booth logo make it look like a rowhouse on fire?)

Speaking of numbers, today's WSJ article about the Subprime Crisis is most appropriate to Baltimore and those who might attempt to escape it:

... beginning in the mid-1990s, the evolution of subprime lending from a local niche business to a global market drastically rearranged lenders' incentives. Instead of putting their own money at risk, mortgage lenders began reselling loans at a profit to Wall Street banks. The bankers, in turn, transformed a large chunk of the subprime loans into highly rated securities, which attracted investors from all over the world by paying a better return than other securities with the same rating. The investors cared much more about the broader qualities of the securities -- things like the average credit score and overall geographic distribution -- than exactly where and to whom the loans were being made.

In turn, the higher rate of homeownership encouraged businesses:

Suddenly, mortgage lenders saw places like [lower Charles Village, the West side, etc.] as attractive targets for new business, because so many families either owned their homes outright or owed much less on their mortgages than their homes were worth.

May 29

Judge Albert J. Matricciani, Jr. sentenced Tony Williams, 39, of the 800 block of Dartmouth Road, to life in prison plus five years this morning. On April 2, 2007 a Baltimore jury convicted Williams of first degree murder, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence; Judge Matricciani sentenced Williams to life in prison for the murder count and a consecutive five years in prison for the handgun count. Prosecutors proceeded with a new trial after the Court of Appeals vacated Williams’ 1999 conviction. A Baltimore City jury convicted Williams February 10, 1999 of first degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence for the death of Dana Rochelle Drake, 33, and Williams began serving a life plus 20 years prison term. On April 14, 2006 the Maryland Court of Appeals vacated Williams’ conviction, citing evidentiary issues regarding a discovery violation under the Brady law. The Court ruled that encompassing or exculpatory information known to any prosecutor in the State’s Attorney’s Office must be turned over to the defense. At issue in this case was a witness who was in jail with the defendant. The trial prosecutor in 1999 did not know, and therefore did not disclose, this witness was at one point in time a paid police informant.

On February 21, 1998 at approximately 4:30 a.m. Williams went to the apartment of Dana Drake, located at 800 Dartmouth Road and shot her once in the back of the head with a .22 caliber handgun. Evidence produced at trial showed Williams had purchased a .22 caliber handgun several weeks prior to this murder and testimony revealed Williams stood to receive $100,000 from a life insurance policy.

An unidentified 27-year-old man was shot to death 1:30 a.m. this morning in the 1600 block of Moreland Ave., just north of Easterwood Park.
(How can it be the 5th murder of the weekend if it's Tuesday?)

A man was shot in the foot, and "yesterday about 10:30 p.m., police said a gunman chased a 17-year-old male into Jemella's Liquors and Cut Rate store in the 1800 block of W. Mosher St., also in West Baltimore. A police spokesman said that as the teen huddled in a corner of the carryout, the gunman shot him in the back and in the back of the head," the victim is alive and in shock trauma.

Two days and 2 1/2 hours ago 19-year-old Davon Williams was shot to death in a minivan in the 5800 block of Waycross Road in Cedona.
"The violence came days after the Dixon administration announced the city would begin offering overtime to specific police units in coming weeks in an effort to halt the violence."
(Boner dept.- The Sun calls Williams' death "the latest in a spate of killings" ... then goes on to report two more-recent murders.)

Domestic violence killing in Middle River: A man with blood on his arms and his shirt stopped an officer about 9:30 a.m. Monday near a shopping center in the 2100 block of Eastern Boulevard; he'd apparently strangled 21-year-old Shukura Akilah Abdullah Aleem and then slashed his own wrists (poorly).

From CBS via reader "Mary" about how St. Tim's alum and CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier, who was seriously injured one year ago by a car bomb in Iraq that killed a cameraman and a soundman, will do a story on how doctors are trained for combat in Iraq at at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where Dozier was treated.

"I'll be doing a story on how "Maryland Shock Trauma is one of the three centers in the country that trains military surgeons, because Baltimore most resembles combat," Dozier said. "Baltimore, L.A., and Miami are the three places that they have these centers, because they have all sorts of trauma that comes through the door."

Stolen stuff in the Southeastern dominates the Blotter.

Brian Johnson, 31 was fatally shot in the 1600 block of Vincent Court in West Baltimore at around 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Amin Reed, 30, of no fixed address, was pronounced dead at 10:12 p.m. from a shot to the head, and

a homeless man was stabbed to death near city hall on the 200 block of N. Gay St.

In Charles Village, a woman was stabbed in the back repeatedly by a man who was trying to steal her purse at 2600 block of St. Paul St. in front of Margaret Brent Elementary School.

Shootings:
"A 28-year-old man was being treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital for injuries suffered after he was wounded in the lower back by birdshot" and "A 23-year-old man was standing at a bus stop in the 1200 block of W. North Ave. about 2:30 p.m. Friday when an unknown gunman fired several shots"

Politics:

Maybe that Franchot guy could look into Baltimore's mess of a budget, no?

Dixon's campgaign has $1 million.
(See poll below)

Dixon a Millionaire
Which mayorial rival had the best response? Frank Conaway Senior: "She wants to plant flowers, while people are getting their brains blown out." Andre Bundley: “For the last 30 years, big business has been directing the mayor’s agenda exclusively, while the people are being ignore[d]." Jason Williams, mayoral campaign manager for Keiffer Mitchell: "I’d like to know where the money is coming from ... Can someone verify it?"	Frank Conaway Senior Andre Bundley Keiffer Mitchell's guy
	Current Results

Memorial Day

There were Seven Baltimoreans Killed in Iraq since this time last year:
Casey Nash, 22, May 18
Jonathan V. Hamm, 20, West Baltimore, May 17
Jay E. Martin, 29, April 29
Marlon B. Harper, 34
Christopher O. Moudry, 31, October 4, 2006
Dwayne E. Williams, 28, August 26, 2006
Michael J. Potocki, 21, June 26, 2006

So if numbers are what matters... Baltimore really is more tragic. For Baltimoreans.

May 27

Sandtown's St. Gregory the Great collected 15 guns yesterday, several hours after an unidentified man was shot to death around the corner in the 1600 block of Vincent Ct.

14-year-old Keonya Christian-Cannon earns good grades, rarely misses school, has dozens of friends, and spent more than a month in the hospital recovering from a wound caused by a stray bullet.

The body of PG/Bangladeshi real estate agent Samuel D'Costa was found in the basement of his Bowie home, and his burned car was found a few miles away.

MoCo: the CSA recently overturned the conviction of a Rockville defense attorney Patrick J. Smith, found guilty of impersonating a Montgomery County sergeant to intimidate a state witness.