But... gangs!

Craig Ray Jr.

The family of the MTA bus driver Craig Ray Jr. says he was shot to death in the back because he asked his neighbor to turn down loud music.

And for two recent homicides there is a person in custody,* victims Terry Davis, the 48-year-old nurse on the Alameda, and Ina Jenkins. Police are terming both of these as "domestic," whatever that exactly means (I think it now just means "not about drugs."). The person arrested for Davis' death, Donathan Booth, claimed to have been in a long-term relationship with him before killing him for his BMW. But Jenkins lived in Curtis Bay, quite far from where she was found, and police aren't saying what the connection is between her and her suspected killer Robert Lee Copes Jr., who has a criminal record that includes burglary and assault.

A 27-year-old man was shot to death last night* in the 700 block of N. Augusta Avenue.

June Stansbury was convicted of two counts of attempted murder, three counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, five counts of use of a handgun in the commission of a felony or crime of violence, burglary, and related conspiracy charges. He shot two people during the course of an armed robbery, one victim was 19 and one stabbed June in the neck while it was all going down. The case was covered by Charles Village courtwatcher Steve Gewirtz.

oo boy, Anne Arundel Chief of Police Mike Pristoop will never live down repeating information* from satyrical web site the Daily Current ("Ann Coulter Refuses to Board Plane With Black Pilot," "Obamacare Death Panel Orders First Execution") as part of his anti-pot-legalization testimony in Annapolis. The story has gone from 45 to 100+ reports in a few hours and has been picked up by sites such as BuzzFeed, Forbes and the Huffington Post.

SRB doesn't want to be like Schmoke, but just like Schmoke her administration's been busted playing it fast and loose with HUD money and will have to pay back $3.7 million.*

Facts to store for future reference: GBMC is the only hospital in Baltimore County certified to administer rape kits, and Mercy hospital is the only hospital in the city.

"You have no rights." A county officer was put on administrative leave after getting lippy and using double negatives with a student who was legally recording an arrest in Towson outside of the Greene Turtle.

Chronicle of Rogues

An MTA bus driver, Craig Ray Jr., was shot to death* in South Baltimore, killed on the block where he lived.

A homeless man with a pellet gun is in critical condition after being shot by police* outside of the city homeless shelter on Fallsway.

Two parents were arrested for child abuse after their teenage boys were rescued from their filthy, unheated boat.

On the heels of the state being given a D- for integrity, Jill Carter and friends have sponsored a bill that would create a state Public Information Act Compliance Board. There's already an Open Meetings Compliance Board,* FWIW, though the most they can apparently do is fine $100-$1000.

Bernstein has filed for re-election and his campaign manager is Chad Kinney, former CitiStat director. And he shares a PR/media relations specialist with the Rusty Scupper and the Prime Rib.

Sabein C. Burgess was cleared on murder charges, 19 years after he went to jail.*

Have you seen an unknown black man in a black hoodie with an unknown handgun in black shorts? You could be eligible for $$!

So they're all grandstanding about pot legalization and taxation in Annapolis. Two-thirds of gubernatorial candidates and 53 percent of MDers support it, but if you think it has a prayer of passing you haven't hung around long enough. Maryland arrests 23,000 pot users a year at the cost of more than $100 million to taxpayers, not to mention fines, fees and lost wages for the arrested. That's a lot of fingers in the .. pot. Still, it's Mizeur's time to shine!
And oh lawd, the AAC police chief's testimony against the pot has spread like wildfire and made national news! If you didn't hear, Chief Michael Pristoop cited a story from the Daily Currant, a satyrical web site (another headline: "Obama Appoints Oprah As Ambassador to Russia"). "Everyone in the room dropped their laptops," Sen. Raskin told the WaPo (wait, literally?) Later Tuesday afternoon Pristoop apologized* for repeating an "urban legend."

A Glen Burnie man arrested for a parking-lot stabbing has a really weird beard.*

Our favorite Criminal Justice Lawyer Page Croyder is running against Judge Alfred Nance, on account of his well-known inappropriateness. But does she have a full platform, or is she just a protest candidate? Meanwhile the gov has appointed 23 judges.*

Short, Rich and Gone

El Chapo

Didja read this one? Didja hear about it? Sinaloa Cartel capo "El Chapo" (which translates to "corn pudding" or "shorty") aka Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, was arrested at a Mexican beach resort. At some point the cartel had/has tendrils that stretched to Baltimore, with eight locals (one of whom had a tie to city comptroller Joan Pratt ) arrested on assorted drug charges during "Operation Xcellerator" from 2006-2008. In addition to his shortness, Chapo is famous for escaping prison in the laundry like Little Orphan Annie, being named Chicago's Most Wanted in spite of never setting foot in Chicago, looking kind of like a cross-eyed John Ritter at a young age and for his decades-younger mistress boldly birthing their little twin chapos at an L.A. hospital.

Speaking of cash crops, marijuana bills are on the Senate's agenda this week.

Overnight Shooting: 2400 Block of Wilgrey Ct. Adult male shot in the back. Homicide Detectives investigating. Dispatched time: 12:06 AM
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) February 24, 2014

Shooting: 5100 Block of Cordelia Ave. A male is reported to be shot in the head. Homicide Detectives responding. Dispatched time: 8:11 PM
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) February 24, 2014

Shooting: 2100 block of Koko Lane. Adult male reported to be shot in the leg.  District Detectives investigating. Dispatched time: 5:51 PM
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) February 23, 2014

In what may be the last Van Smith story for the City Paper, coverage about the beating death of inmate Kenneth Davis in state custody.

May be second-to-last: how drug dealer Richard Anthony "Richie Rich" Wolford played himself by pissing off his own lawyer. .
.. Q for anyone: Is there any way to download the City Paper archives before the Sun assumes ownership? Also, how is the Tribune Co. able to buy anything just a year after getting out of bankruptcy?

And another dumb Raven, this time Deonte Thompson, got his dumb self arrested for poking smot in a car on public roads. Meanwhile police say they have video of Ray Rice knocking his fiancee out in a NJ elevator. And O'Malley himself was on TMZ, expressing his "tremendous amount of disappointment." Disappointment, really? I guess after having drug dealers burn a family to death it takes a lot to achieve "horrifying."