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"

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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.

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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.

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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."