First-degree awesomeness

Awwwyeaah. Some lucky jurors today are enjoying the deets of Carl Snowden's latest case*-- you know, the one where he was smoking a blunt in a car parked in Druid Hill Park with the windows down in the company of a sex offender? (As opposed to the case where he was driving drunk, or the other case where he was driving drunk, or the case before that when he was driving drunk.) Apparently fearing the infinitesimal possibility that a city jury could be found that would give half a sweet goddamn, Snowden hired as his lawyer Stuart Simms, who was the State's Attorney pre-Jessamy and who, as it happens, the judge once worked for. So basically they'll work out a plea deal to sentence Snowden to a round of Jager shots at the Sidebar and probation supervised by topless models.

Brian Maye, 22, was arrested and charged with abducting and raping a 13-year-old who was walking along Edmonson Avenue on November 9. Also, a 13-year-old girl was snatched off the street and raped and her attacker was still running around free for five days, but the police didn't think anyone would want to know about that or are already operating on the assumption that there's probably at least one 20-something man driving around and raping young women in the city at any given time.

The ATF is driving around arresting 24 sundry members of a gun-n-drug operation (wouldn't you want to save that announcement until after you've arrested them?)

One Tarslia Jackson was found guilty of assaulting a 71-year-old woman in her care at the Northwest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and was sentenced to probation and a $35 contribution

Smokin Snowden's boss, Doug Gansler (and some other lawyers) squeezed a $90 million settlement out of lyin-ass drug dealers GlaxoSmithKline

A hand on Hedgepocket Way*

Life for Killer Dad

Hari Close III

Ugh, in a burg of awful cases, this one is ... no words. Life in prison for Hari Close III, an aspiring male model who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, admitting he stabbed his son Dalyire Damion McFadden* in the neck on the boy's first birthday. Still no clue as to what Close's motive might have been. Skitzy? Mad at his son's mom? We'll never know, I guess. The murder happened during the trial of those fetal-alcohol kids who set Phoenix the pit bill on fire, and the contrast between the interest and outrage surrounding that case vs. this one begs you to question what dogs are doing right that human children apparently are not.

... but it is nice that there are people do pay attention and care about stuff, like Charles Village's Steve Gewirtz, who's back on his grind, noting forthcoming cases plus a postponement for the drunkard who ran over some JHU students, left the scene, was sentenced to an interlock device (ooo) and has since been charged for driving with a suspended license three times, to no effect.

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The person shot at 28th and Fenwick in CHUM last night has died,* he was/is 18-year-old Christopher Briggs of Montpelier Street. Fenton notes that Briggs was charged with murder in 2009 at the age of 15, but prosecutors dropped charges due to lack of evidence.*

Accused child-killers Policarpio Espinoza and Adnan Canela's third trial began today; WBAL reports they've been offered a plea deal. Here's Julie Bycowicz's guide* to what's likely the most opaque and byzantine case in Baltimore history, a telenovela from hell. The alleged killers, also cousin and uncle of the victims, were/are all illegal immigrants from Veracruz, Mexico, and even after eight years and two trials, still no one's established a motive for the murders.

Van Smith has a rundown of the statuses of the various Nicka Conspirators.

Automatic license-plate readers that scan tags, check the criminal history of vehicle owners and track movements are already in some police cars, it appears, and Adam May and somebody named Captain Long took a look at the "police tool in action." Is this the news or Honcho? Someone pass me my salts, I'm getting the vapors!

A woman unlocking her car on S. Curley Street was stabbed in the stomach and robbed of her purse, another woman had her own hat pulled over her face and was punched in the face by a robber, a woman walking through Patterson Park and was choked and robbed while the perp's buddies laughed at her ... why does it seem like the SE is home to especially gratuitously sadistic robbers? (also see Sowers, Zach.) Lead in the pipes? Bayview human test subjects? Seriously, if you live there you really need to move the hell out. Way to kill my vapors, Baltimore Guide SE Blotter.

Another city officer is in hot water, though details are vague*-- Officer Roberto Santigo-Pagan is being investigated by the HarfCo Child Advocacy Center, which deals with cases of serious cases of child physical and sexual abuse.

Sasha Samlal

For shit's sake, this 15-year-old girl, Sasha Samlal, right, has been missing from Reisterstown since September 21 and police are just now releasing her photo.

The blech files: a 19-year-old with fetal-alcohol-y eyes who was arrested for robbing old people has also been linked to assgrabbing activities along East Joppa Road.

What the?! A professor of engineering at Morgan, Manoj Kumar Jah, has been indicted in a grant fraud scheme, wherein he allegedly solicited grants from the National Science Foundation to do research, but then used the $$ to pay his credit card bills, mortgage and give a $11k check to his wife.

The medical marijuana lobby is gearing up for its annual fight against the prison lobby. (Speaking of, according to The Sentencing Project, in 2010 MD had 70 prisoners housed in private, for-profit prison(s). Wonder what prison(s) and what companies run them?)

And finally, apropos of nothing, this painting of the Oriole bird, Mr. Boh and Poe doing the heroin lean deserves its own $24.5 million wing at the BMA.

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Two brothers were shot to death during a home-invasion robbery in the 2500 block of West Lafayette Street, their mother was also shot in the face but survived. (FWIW, The Spectator reported in graphic detail of how the brothers were shot at point-blank range in the head but police,* WBAL and WJZ report they were shot in the torso.)

A man was shot near E 28th and Fenwick and is in serious condition

Police have released a picture of some suspects in the brutal middle-of-town, middle-of-the day robbery/ beating of 32-year-old John Mason.

Apple, meet tree--involved dad Rodney Parker was arrested for taking a gun to a disciplinary meeting at his son's school, The Academy for College and Career Exploration in Hampden. Never heard of it, though it occupies the same address as Robert Poole Middle School, alma mater of the kids that perpetrated that horrendous beating of Sarah Kreager on the #27 bus in 2007. ... in case you were also wondering, Nikita McDaniels, that bus gang's 15-year-old alleged ringleader (and Robert Poole student body vice president) is still in an out-of-state juvenile facility until she turns 21, which will be sometime next year.

And finally, the Smoking Gun has uncovered Kevin Clash's Snuffleuphagus accuser, one Sheldon Stephens, an aspiring male model from Harrisburg, PA with a criminal history that includes phony checks and an "domestic" robbery from another rich older guy. TSG also pokes a major hole in TMZ's "six-figure settlement" claim. ...sounds like this fancy Nancy tried to shake down Clash and Sesame Street, failed, sold his story to TMZ, then stepped off when he realized The Street was not going to back down from defending their bazillion-dollar monster. Aww, I just want to give Elmo a hug! Elmo should really be more careful next time!

No taint on Elmo

.. but you knew that already. The accusations were brought to you by the letters B and S, and by the number "unknown six figures" (if "close sources" are to be believed). Winning comment from Gawker: "Good lord. Will we ever get a look at this guy? He's like the Snuffleupagus of sex accusers. Not since the blue dot accused a Kennedy of rape has someone remained so mysterious." (But why pay him off if nothing is true? But if they are true, why go to Sesame Workshop before the police?)

Also from the TMZ, a local bus driver delivering a beatdown to a student playing loud music.

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Justin Fenton ‏@justin_fenton

Unidentified man died yesterday after being stabbed in the 1800 blk of N Rutland Ave, near Broadway and North Ave, at around 3:30 pm (story here*)

A man and a woman were shot in the 2600 block of McKean Ave in Mondawmin.*

The East Coat Rapist, 41-year-old Aaron Thomas, has declined a plea deal

In Essex last week John Falkenstein Jr. was arrested for stabbing to death his "girlfriend" Janet Palasik, 48.*

Eww, a 39-year-old officer was accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old girl while on duty. Still, is it cool to announce his name publicly before he's even been indicted, given that (like Elmo's) the accusations are of the career-ending variety?

Fifty years for Marcus Lynch, convicted of rape, assault and kidnapping a 13-year-old girl in Frank C. Boeck Park.

Three flaming a-holes who scammed and also violently robbed elderly people, Sierra McCoy, 26, James Pasko, 29, and Vaneka Powers, 32, were indicted by a grand jury on related charges. James Pasko and his brother Christopher and their friend Michael Fields were also indicted on charges related to their robbery of a 90-year-old man.

Ten years for Eric Coley, 55, for his gun-toting, heroin dealing ways (and his co-conspirator was 60)

SCOTUS has agreed to review MD's ruling that bars DNA collection from people who have been arrested

Elmo's Got Male?

Three shootings this weekend,* which by Baltimore standards is not bad (unless you happened to be one of the three who was shot, of course)

Luke Broadwater: Baltimore's ethics board hasn't met in six years.* (un-Sun link)

The parents of Annie McCann have increased the award for information leading to her death

Easy-on-the-eyes document thief Jason Savedoff will spend a year and a day in prison for his part in a scheme to ferret away 60+ rare documents in secret pockets in his clothes. His considerably schlubbier "mentor" Barry Landau is currently serving seven years in the federal hoosegow.

What?! Master of puppets Kevin Clash has been accused of having inappropriate relations with a 16-year-old-boy(!). Clash denies the allegations, and they frankly sound a little bit sketchy, but who knows. Clash is, of course, the creator/voice/puppeteer of Sesame Street's beloved Elmo; he grew up here in Baltimore in Turner's Station and got his start at WMAR. He was also once married (to a woman) and has a daughter, he's 52 and his accuser is now 23. Clash acknowledges the relationship but says it only got physical after the guy reached the age of consent.

Accused flea-market brawler Shane Quinet

A guy was hit in the head with a rubber mallet during a motorcycle-gang fight at a flea market in Dundalk; the gangs have been named as the Demon Souls and the Titan Motorcycle Club. Scott Huffines illustrates this on his blog with a dancing MC hammer (oh wait, I get it!). According to a random Web page, the Demon's Souls were founded in Philadelphia and in 2010 merged with the 1%ers.

The toddler found wandering alone on Belair Road has been reunited with his shitty parent

Really? In spite of the fact that the majority of Americans favor decriminalization or legalization of marijuana, Rodericks reports that pot arrests accounted for 43 percent of all drug arrests* in 2011. And lest you think that here in Baltimore police have bigger fish to fry, in 2010 the city averaged 18 marijuana possession arrests a day; marijuana arrests accounted for 1/4 of all of the arrests in the state. Wonder if it'll make a difference to have Anthony "Oaksterdam" Batts is in charge?

Speaking of all of those bigger fish, a friend of mine got her purse stolen from Frazier's on 36th street at about 1 a.m. Saturday before last. She doesn't drink, for what it's worth. The purse was next to her chair and someone picked it up and walked out with it. The perp(s)  then went on to rack up $1200 worth of purchases in the following hour, at the Royal Farms and the Falls Road Carroll Fuel and Exxon stations -- rather an impressive feat in itself. How much gas and pork rinds can a person buy? But here's the puzzler: Frazier's, the RoFo and the gas stations all have cameras, and of course the credit card companies know the exact moment when the purchases were made. The perps also went back to the stores repeatedly, returning to the Keswick Ave RoFo five times. Accessing their images shouldn't be at all hard to do. But my friend was told by the Northern district that because her purse was a larceny and not a robbery, the police will not look at the tapes. You'd think credit card companies would have something to say about that, I wonder why they don't? Anyone else have a similar experience?