July 30

Look... down there beneath the article about the water main break in AAC and the bacteria at the beach and the poor man who was killed when the excavator he was operating flipped over. Do you see it? Hidden way down at the bottom? Numbers 157 and 158, Teon White and Santana Stansfield, were murdered on Friday and Saturday (respectively).

July 29

More death on Loyola Southway: a man was found shot on a bicycle (#156).

Another woman in PG County was doused with gasoline and set on fire by a man! WTF?! And by eerie coincidence, on the very same day, Richard Palumbo announced he would retire, not-so-coincidentally prior to his discipline hearing. You'll remember him as the [insert cuss word] who dismissed Yvette Cade's protective order and threatened to have a police officer fired for trying to give him a traffic ticket. Good riddance!

An inmate at Central Booking was found dead in bed.

As expected, Greg Doda of Crownsville pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide for killing a skiier while snowboarding in Jackson Hole, WY. He faces a maximum one year in jail and $2,000 fine.

In AAC, Ranardo Morton has been charged for beating to death Joseph Cortina Jr.

RJR: A buttlegger got six months in jail, and a 48-year-old woman pled guilty to buying a gun for some guy who wasn't supposed to have one.

Frederick deviant Emil Moldovan was indicted for distributing child pornography.

Police in Arlington arrested Paul C. Cofer, 20, the "genius" who crafted handmade hash gumballs for kids.

A man in HarfCo went apeshit at the dentist's office.

Rambling diatribe dept: Plagarism isn't a crime in nonfiction, but ... one day after the NYT published a story about drug makers buying lunch for doctors, lazy Sun reporters dished up the reheated leftovers. It's a good story and all, but isn't there enough going on in our own town without having to take "inspiration" from other (better) papers? And does it really take three reporters to do it? And a day after the Post reported the details of the stabbing of guard David McGuinn, the Sun again rehashes, and adds nothing. And then there's the gumball story. Three warmed-over half-assed stories in one day, not counting stuff lifted right off the wire. With 350 reporters (supposedly), why are only three of them doing any actual work? That tears it, I'm making a new poll!

Poll results: In spite of the prospect of a body-cavity search, most Baltimoreans polled would welcome a night in Central Booking given the alternatives. Six months in Bangladesh was, surprisingly, the second-most-appealing fate. Worst of all was the home invasion: twice as many readers would rather be violated by a large Savannah quarterback than be duct-taped in the basement. Fascinating!

July 28

The theft trial of Che Jackson, originally scheduled to begin today, has been continued by the court until August 4. The case will remain before Judge Alfred Nance.

Douglas Pulley, 27, was fatally shot (#154) during a robbery on Warwick Avenue in West Baltimore. Also, the man shot during the incident that killed Bernadette Reed has died (#155).

The talent agent shot to death in Hanover, AAC has been identified as Richard Preston Shaw, 56.

Kathleen Cullinan: Murder victim Warren Porter of Waverly was shot near his ex-girlfriend's house a day after he pled guilty to riddling said girlfriend's door with bullets. However, police don't believe the two are related. Since the door-shooting and related death threats, Porter and the girlfriend had gotten back together and the dumb bitch recanted her story.

The Post has harrowing details from a witness about the stabbing death of Jessup guard David McGuinn. Both of McGuinn's killers were serving life sentences for murder. Prosecutors say the pair may now face the death penalty.

A man is in critical condition after being shot multiple times in the Eastern.

Police are seeking a 1990 Nissan Maxima after a carjacking last night in Edgewood. (Releasing a tag number might help)

Police say prosecutors are "thrilled" by video cameras' grainy footage.

Dept of scam artistry: MHIC investigator Jennifer Grimes helped the FBI convict grifter Craig Oliver. Oliver has fled and is now a fugitive. And Roy L. Roscoe, 65, pled guilty yesterday to collecting $87k worth of social security checks on behalf of a guy who'd been dead 15 years.

Dems: Steele = forked-tongue liar who signed off on quotes.

Annapolis: murder rate doubled, mayor's nerves frustrated.

PG County: "Goodness, Maddie, this is a funny flip!"

Frederick: A man is suspected of running an illegal liquor store from his home.

Quote of the day: "Maryland is not a Democrat state. Maryland is a far-left kook fringe state."

July 27

The Grand Jury indicted Lavar Omar Shedrick, 20, for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Court documents allege that on January 24 James Ronald Wright, 32, was found suffering from a gunshot wound at the rear of GreenMount Elementary School. He died a short time later. Eyewitnesses later identified Shedrick as a suspect and police arrested him June 30.

Former officer Walter Jackson-Hill pled guilty to bribery today for taking money from a suspect in exchange for not appearing at his trial."They don't pay police officers enough," noted his lawyer. Judge Handy must have agreed, (or someone paid her brain not to appear) as Jackson-Hill got nary a minute in jail. Outrageous. The maximum penalty for the one charge the crooked cop copped to was 12 years. According to recent statistics compiled by the State's Attorney's Office, in the month of June 2006 in District Court cases, Baltimore Police officers failed to appear 249 times, resulting in the dismissal of over 180 district court cases and 50 postponements. Jackson-Hill failed to appear nine times since between September 2005 and March 2006.

The theft trial of Baltimore City police officer Che "Rim Job" Jackson, 35, is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. tomorrow before Judge Alfred Nance. The Grand Jury indicted Jackson April 26 for one count of felony theft. The indictment alleges that between January 4 and January 6, 2006 Jackson removed four 20-inch Rox Fossill rims and four Wanli tires from a 2000 Cadillac Deville belonging to one Lisa Smith. Smith's vehicle had been seized as a result of an investigation into a shooting that occurred in the 3600 block of Brehms Lane and rims and tires were removed while the vehicle was being stored at the Northeastern police district. The tires and rims were subsequently located on a 1999 Cadillac Deville belonging to Jackson.

Quote of the day: "With all of the cameras that pepper poor black neighborhoods all over the city ... city officials need to raise a few more ... inside Baltimore City police stationhouses."

Warren Porter of Govans, shot yesterday in Halehorpe, has died of his injuries.

Mark A.C. Brooks has been arrested for stabbing Russell Duckworth to death, and Sean Ramseur has been arrested for the murder of Gary Shipman.

Down in Virginia, Michael Lenz, who murdered as part of his Asatruic religion, will be executed tonight.

Methodists at the Sharp Street Memorial Church and Payne Memorial are praying for the eternal soul of thief David McCray.

So happy police have arrested a smash-n-grabber. Hope he gets life!

Joaquin Leycock, who evaded police by jumping in a pond even though he can't swim, has been recaptured.

Itchy's conviction stands.

Dept. of Tragic Figures:

• Antonio Davis, who played with a gun and shot his older brother in the head.
• Maricela Knight, who got six months for killing her own husband in a drunk-driving accident. Tough luck honey, you should've been a lacrosse coach.

From Comments:
Not all of my readers are a annoying as Simon! This "advice if you are stopped by a cop in Baltimore" is worth printing out and keeping in your wallet:

1) Shut up. You are not in a persnickety high-school debate session. Don't attempt to explain the law to an officer, even if he is "wrong."

2) Keep your distance from a crime scene. Don't dare ask questions until everything is under control.

3) If you are stopped and being questioned, don't start gesticulating and shouting. This will get you handcuffed and seated on the curb. If you continue after that, they will lie you face down in the street and step on you for an arbitrary amount of time.

4) Answer all questions carefully and clearly. Don't lie and don't embellish. Don't get emotional or irrational.

and Galt has another good one: don't mess with small female cops. (Actually, don't mess with small females in general. We often carry pepper spray.) With a size and strength disadvantage, it's easy to see how someone could percieve a threat when you may not intend one.

- thanks readers!

July 26

Sounds like two men (#s 152, 153?) were shot to death last night in the city ... but the only report of the event is on a Salisbury channel. Quite a sad comment on the state of local coverage, assuming the news is true. (Wait, I take it back, a Sun story has now been put up. Better late than never!)

Sorry state of reportage part II: Anna Ditkoff reports four murders from last week; The Sun reported two of the four.

Three men were shot in a rowhouse on Park Heights Avenue. (If they were shot in the morning and taken to the hospital "last night," then they were shot on the 25th and taken to the hospital more than 12 hours later?)

Life imitates poll: In Glen Burnie, a family of four was duct-taped and robbed in their apartment in the middle of the day.

A teenage girl was stabbed in the chest in the Western, and an arrest was made for the shooting of one Leory Sanders.

For the second time this year, an officer has been killed in the line of duty at Jessup.

Did Park School fail to report the statuatory rape of a student by a teacher? And how is it there are 11 registered sex offenders who are also still "certifide" teachers? (That explains why WBAL's copyeditor can't spell... but he gives a hell of a hummer!)

From the Dully Wrecked: three leaders of the Old York and Cator Boys drug gang, Eric "E. Man" Bennett, Solomon "Monkey Bird" Jones and Tavon Bradley, will get a new trial after Judge Andre Davis tainted proceedings by encouraging them to take a plea deal. (ps. now there's also a Sun story.)

For a guy who welcomed a fund-raising visit form the smirking chimp himself, Michael Steele sure is talking a lot of smack. So running for senate we've got an alleged rapist, Josh Rales, whose PR firm bussed drug addicts to his rally, a guy who calls himself "The Wig Man", Queasy Fumes, with multiple babymommas and at least one son who's a criminal ... oy effing vay!

July 25

In Annapolis, Gerald Parker, 25, got 10 years for beating his girlfriend's 18-month-old daugher to death.

At a hearing today, Payton Brown, 22, pled guilty to second-degree murder before Judge John M. Glynn. Judge Glynn will sentence Brown on September 25, 2006 at which he faces a maximum of 25 years in prison (a pretty sweet deal considering murder in the commission of a crime gets the death penalty in other jurisdictions). On October 12, 2005, Brown and an unidentified suspect known only as "G" attempted to rob the victim, Brandon Cherry, 21. During the robbery, Cherry resisted and was shot and killed. The murder occurred in the Northwood Shopping Center near the Morgan State University campus.

Back in America for the next five days! Let us all take a moment to kiss the ground of this wonderful country where we have the right to information, assembly, a speedy trial, a free education to age 18, drinkable tap water, the opportunity to pick one's own career and to gossip about the love lives of government officials. May we never take it for granted! If you're reading this, you're one of the luckiest people on the planet, even if you live in Oakenshawe. I love you Baltimore!

A drop of blood may link murdered children to Espinoza and Canela.

I was amazed to see the headline "Senate candidate accused of raping wife", because when I was studying things legal there was no such thing as spousal rape. The good news is that as of nine years ago in Maryland it did indeed become a crime. Old men marrying Latvian teenagers = still legal.

Demetri Greer, 18, was charged with killing 15-year-old Dion Williams (#145).

Rapist of 91-year-old woman: "I don't know what kind of drug-induced coma I was in."

The person shot on Loyola Southway (#148) was a woman, not a man: 47-year-old Bernadette Reed. Sunday's other victim (#149) was named as Norman Tyrone Handy, 33. And, up in the Jewniverse, a couple was kidnapped but foiled a would-be robber.

A former Park School teacher, Stanley Ashman, who worked at the school for 35 years, was accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in the '70s, and also assaulting a girl recently in Michigan.

NAACP president Doc Cheatham: "I'd like to be buried in a blue suit."

Alan Syvlester of New York got a life sentence for using taxi drivers to haul crack to Frederick.

It's so totally time for a new web poll. (If you can't see the poll, scroll down to the bottom.) Results of the previous can be seen here. O'Malley's in the lead, though no one seems terribly jazzed about it.

Dept. of Baltimoriana:
Atomic Teevee has a priceless reel of old Natty Boh TV ads.
Experiencing difficulty with your street credibility? Stopsnitching.com.

July 24

Two men (#148 and #149) were murdered in separate shootings on Sunday morning.

A Frederick man was shot after trying to run over two Howard County cops, and a North Carolina man was shot after trying to shoot two Cecil County cops.

Christopher Parr, the alleged rapist of the 62-year-old woman in Brooklyn, was identified from security footage and found at Sinai, where he'd been admitted for a psychiatric evaluation.

Another article about the struggle against crime for some Edgewood residents.

The FBI is investigating a pesticide-filled hate letter that was sent to the president of the Baltimore NAACP.

Two shootings in the Southeastern, and a thief in the Northwestern who apparently still needs training wheels.

A woman in a wig has stolen over $200K in Montgomery and DC.

A hypoglycemic Pomeranian was returned to the pet store in Columbia where it was stolen three weeks ago.

Thank God! O'Malley still cares!

July 23

A 62-year-old woman was strangled and raped in a Brooklyn laundromat.

An 18-year-old St. Michaels man is accused of raping an 11-year-old girl.

Itchy Man's lawyers are trying to overturn his recent conviction.

Howard County police arrested 25 people on drug and/or prostitution charges in Laurel, Jessup, and Elkridge.

Dan Rodricks on his guarded optimism for Baltimore.

July 22

Unfuckinbelieveable. Or entirely believeable. After mounds of resources and thousands of hours of effort, Tyrone Beane is not guilty. At least he's still in jail. (& I'm still in China, just dropping in to express general disgust. BTW reading Blogger is forbidden here, but blogging is not. Go figure.)

July 20

Are there other cities in the U.S. where someone could get shot at the mall in the middle of the afternoon and it only gets a few dozen words in the Police Blotter?

Also in the Blotter (linked above), Gary Shipman (#139) has been ID'd as the man who was stabbed to death on Sheridan Ave last Wednesday.

In the wake of Kevin Harold Rowlette's murder, some people in Edgewood are trying to come together and strengthen the community's bonds. Accused killer Kyvelle Jamaas Martin is still on the loose.

In the first use of a new law that allows tape recorded statements to be played without the witness present, Tyrone Beane's sister testified against him.

The Lamar Owens rape trial is being deliberated after the prosecutor grossly misquoted testimony in his closing comments.

Victims of sexual assault in military academies claim they are punished for reporting the attacks.

A woman who lives on a sailboat at Shipwright Harbour Marina in Anne Arundel was sexually attacked by a stranger while she was sleeping early yesterday morning.

A 21-year-old woman claims that she was sexually assaulted by an off-duty uniformed officer whom she knows.

Issac Smith was sentenced to over 12 years in the slammer for his role in bombing Edna McAbier's Baltimore house.

A Severn man bought a house with a stolen Social Security number.

July 19

I missed this one on Monday, and it ties in with the editorial linked at the end of today's post. It's an examination of five arrests in the city. Although it reeks of sensationalist journalism, the questions it asks are very relevant.

Ten more people in this week's "Murder Ink." All 10 received at least passing mention in the Sun.

A 16-year-old girl accused a detective in the Southeastern of sexual misconduct during an interview at the station house.

Closing arguments are happening this afternoon in the Lamar Owens rape trial.

A suicidal, knife-wielding man was shot after advancing on officers in the Southwestern.

James Kraft, councilman for the city's First District, told the State's Attorney's Office that there is no excuse for dropping over half of their criminal cases in 2005.

Eugene Perry, accused of fatally shooting two police officers (his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend), has been deemed incompetent to stand trial.

Nine people were arrested in a major Howard County cocaine bust.

Police are cracking down on aggressive driving. The article doesn't mention if there are plans for a crackdown on aggressive shooting, stabbing, or beating.

Yesterday we had axes, today we get hammers.

A couple was arrested for stealing tools from garages and lawns in Baltimore County.

And I thought it was common knowledge that there is some serious price gouging happening in the region's poorest areas.

An Examiner editorial on policing (thanks, Galt) that is already inspiring some conversation in the comments.

July 18

Yesterday, the Sun reported three killings over the weekend, but there were actually six. Gurnie Edwards III (#142) was shot to death on the front steps of his mother's Biddle St. rowhouse at 4:15 on Friday morning. A woman's body whose name has not been released was found in an apartment on W. Franklin Street (#143). Jamie Mills (#144) was shot in killed inside of Maceo's Bar on the corner of North Ave. and N. Monroe St. just after midnight on Saturday. Dion Williams (#145), the 15-year-old boy who was "being too loud," was killed on Monument St. about 30 minutes later. The man who was found on the sidewalk of the 900 block of N. Collington around noon on Sunday is still unidentified (#146). And Richard Smith (#147) was found lying under a red Ford just north of Druid Hill Park Sunday night at 10:48.

Brian Edward Dotson of Bel-Air thought it would be appropriate to videotape himself having sex with a 5-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison (along with a concurrent 35 year sentence on an unrelated rape charge), after which he must be on supervised release.

17-year-old Deontary Neal was charged with arson, attempted murder, and assault after setting fire to his family's Anne Arundel County house last night then trying to kill his aunt with an axe.

Apparently, July 18 is also known as "Attack Your Loved Ones with an Axe Day." Two women were kidnapped from their suburban Harrisburg, PA home and taken to the Eastern Shore. One of the woman had head and facial injuries from being hit with an axe. Elijah Tanui was arrested and charged with a bunch of bad stuff, including attempted homicide.

Taavon Johnson was arrested for the 2002 murder of Dawnta Daney.

After many, many delays, the murder trial of Tyrone Beane has finally started.

A local group is trying to reopen the case of Robert Clay Sr. several months after his death was ruled as a suicide.

The credibility of Lamar Owens' accuser is being called into question in court. In what is surely a complete coincidence, several of the defense witnesses used the same exact language as Owens' defense attorneys in describing the woman.

Darius Spence was convicted to more than 11 years for being the "heroin tester" for a major drug organization. The leader of that organization only got 6 years.

Prosecutors dropped the charges in over half of the criminal cases filed in the city last year, including those with "serious constitutional problems," petty arrests, and police officers who didn't show up.

A 49-year-old Harford County man was arrested and charged with stabbing a 41-year-old neighbor.

A batch of deadly heroin just hit the Eastern Shore.

July 17

A 15-year-old football player with a solid "B" average at Lake Clifton High School was killed by local gang members for "being too loud." (#145)

The above link also mentions Jamie Mills (#144), a 33-year-old from Pennsylvania who was shot to death at North Ave. and Monroe St., and an unidentified man (#146) who was killed Sunday morning on the 900 block of N. Collington Ave. The man found in the abandoned house in West Baltimore on Thursday was identified as 20-year-old Jeremy Jennings (#141).

Julius Pratt was the inmate at the maximum-security facility in Jessup who was fatally stabbed on Tuesday.

"This is family killing family. They are not going to tell you why their children suffered and died."

Feds are pursuing the death penalty against Eric Hall in four murders, but not against the two brothers who ran the drug organization that hired him.

Other than the rape, the shooting, and the four robberies (including that of a 69-year-old man), today's Blotter is pretty uneventful.

Officers Keosha Buie of the Northern District and Joseph A. Decandeloro of the Northwestern have been charged with unrelated crimes and suspended from the BPD.

Clifford Edwards got eight years for possessing an illegal shotgun.

On Friday morning, a Provident bank on Lexington St. downtown was robbed.

A look at criminals in hospitals, focusing on two recent incidents at Howard County General.

Mock drunk-driving at a Carroll County summer camp. Apparently, this guy didn't attend that summer camp: he was arrested and handcuffed in Carroll County on Friday night, escaped from the back of the police car, and was arrested again (sans-handcuffs) at a friends house.

Laura Vozzella writes about the outcome of the eBay auction for happy hour with Leonard Hamm and Patricia Jessamy.

July 14

Charles Harris survived being shot in both arms during a robbery last week; he wasn't so lucky on Wednesday evening. (#140)

A young man's body (#141) was found in an abandoned West Baltimore rowhouse, apparently the victim of a shooting.

A. Robert Kaufman, everyone's favorite Socialist Senate candidate, helped catch the suspected killer of Justice T. Georgie. Georgie was murdered in front of his wife and son during a May robbery at his wife's hair salon.

Kyvelle Jamaas Martin, 22, is being sought by Harford County police for fatally shooting Kevin Harold Rowlette in the face.

The man shot and killed by Southern District police has been ID'd as Antonio Shields.

The "blue granular substance" is looking more like a red herring. Also, a second juror was dismissed from the trial.

Sixteen people, mostly low-level dealers, were arrested during a federal drug investigation in Anne Arundel.

The judge in Lamar Owens' court martial case accused the prosectution of having "weak facts" and "anemic witnesses."

Memphis news anchor Ron Meroney surrendered to Maryland authorities on Wednesday on a 1974 charge of statuatory rape.

Loans for security cameras are being made to five Baltimore County shopping centers to help them be compliant with laws passed in the wake of William A. Bassett's murder at Towson Town Center.

Shucks. No more college nights at the Iguana Cantina. Now where can we go to watch drunk 18-year-olds make complete asses of themselves?

And in today's Blotter, we have two people arrested for two separate shootings, a 20-year-old woman shot in Brooklyn, a 19-year-old beaten with brass knuckles, a 43-year-old robbed at gunpoint, and a stolen Dodge.

July 13

The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Phillip Carter, 19, and Latar Bradshaw, 23, both of the 3100 block of North Bruce Street; for attempted murder and robbery. Gregory Kulla, 37, was indicted for accessory after the fact. Court documents allege that on February 25, after witnessing a minor traffic accident westbound in the 200 block of East Fayette Street between the victim, Carl Schoettler, 74, and Gregory Kulla, Phillip Carter and Latar Bradshaw, who were across the street at a bus stop from the accident, walked across the street and punched Schoettler in the head. Kulla allegedly drove Carter and Bradshaw away from the scene.

At a hearing today, Ronald McClary, 60, of West Pratt Street, pled guilty to second-degree murder. Judge Allen L. Schwait sentenced McClary to 12 years(!!) in prison. On September 20, 2005 McClary shot and killed his wife, Eartha McClary, 44, in their home.

At a bail review hearing today for David Piccione, charged with kidnapping, second-degree assault, false imprisonment and reckless endangerment, Judge Barbara Waxman ordered Piccione held without bail. He was initially held on $500,000. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for August 11 in North Avenue District Court.

A 20-year-old man was fatally shot in the face outside an Edgewood home yesterday.

A 28-year-old died after being stabbed (#139) on Sheridan Ave. in North Baltimore, and a victim is in critical condition after being shot in the head in West Baltimore.

An officer in South Baltimore fatally shot a suspected gunman during a foot chase in Pigtown.

40-year-old Mark Anthony "Cat" Brooks is being sought for the murder of Russell Eugene Duckworth Jr. on June 24 in Cherry Hill.

21-year-old Chase Maran Williams was arrested for stabbing Ravens linebacker Roderick Green.

A shooting at a Glen Burnie Sunoco station resulted in one victim being admitted to Shock Trauma.

Testimony about a "blue granular substance" found on clothes at the crime scene where three children were murdered in 2004.

Kevin Siler was sentenced for raping a 17-year-old girl on April 25, 1981.

Gary Roger Chamberlain got four years for molesting a 10-year-old girl. The girl and her family recanted their story and said the attack never happened.

Questions in the Lamar Owens rape case as to whether the accuser invited him back to her hotel room while she was drunk.

Three men were arrested and charged with robbing a Jessup hotel, and have been linked to other robberies in the area.

A Parkville gun dealer lost his license but still gets to sell his 700-piece inventory.

Three people were charged with trying to smuggle heroin into the Western Correctional Institution.

Things have gone to hell in a hurry in DC, with tourists robbed at the mall, a British citizen's throat slit in Georgetown (and a police officer urging residents to report any suspicious activity, like, say, the presence of black people) and the police chief declaring a city-wide "crime emergency."

July 12, afternoon

The Canela/Espinoza case lost another juror, arrested over the weekend for domestic assault. Of the 12 juorors and four alternates that remain, there are nine women, five men, two white people, three morbidly obese people, 12 blacks, no hispanics. This afternoon a forensics expert was on the stand, and while most of the questioning was dull and tedious, did mention the poignant detail that two of the three childrens' underpants had urine stains. Yesterday a neighbor placed Policarpio (the children's uncle) and Adan Canela (their cousin) sneaking around the bushes at the crime scene (or as JZ would say, the "murder seen") the day before the killings.

Meanwhile, CJCC was uneventful. Though yesterday's Duly Wretched article promised a three-way catfight, the most newsworthy item was that Mary Anne Saar, resplendent in fushia and a black scrunchie, announced that a new juvenile facility will be built in the next three years around the intersection of Madison and Monument streets. Sheila Dixon, thin as a whip, ate a chicken sandwich the size of her head and a devilled egg. Rod J. Rosenstein (who dislikes raw broccoli) and Jason Weinstein, fresh from locking up Bam and Itchy, were both wearing amazing pinstripe suits. Marcus Brown said that violent crime is down by two percect, murder's down, and overall crime this year is even with last year. In the kitchen, a guy who works at Fox said they were going to improve their site soon so you can link to their stories. Rumor had it that yesterday, when two guys were asked to leave the courthouse but didn't, police beat the crap out of them near the fourth-floor elevators, sending both to the hospital.

Not satisfied with being a dog walker, passionate lover and beer taster, Stephan Fogleman is running against Patricia Jessamy for State's Attorney.

Oscar Cervantes-Alvarez got 16 months for immigration document fraud, and Corey Howard Richardson got 46 years for guns n crack.

Police are looking for Chase M. Williams, accused of stabbing football player Roderick Green.

O'Malley haters have embraced the blogopshere.

July 12

Darrell Robinson (#138) was the man shot to death yesterday morning in West Baltimore. His father was the the first person to find him.

An inmate at the Maryland House of Corrections in Jessup was fatally stabbed with a homemade knife yesterday.

I missed linking to Murder Ink last week, so here's a summary of last week and this week: Said Sawab's March 22 death has been removed from the murder count pending an FBI decision on the case. 80-year-old Clyde Lewis killed 66-year-old Thomas Batty (#133) in the lobby of the apartment home where both men lived. Sheldon Anderson (#137) was shot in the face on Edmondson Ave. Kareem Foster (#134) was shot repeatedly in Cherry Hill on July 2. Irvin Conley (#135) was stabbed while trying to break up a fight in the Northeast. Elroy Long (#136) was shot to death in his car on Long Island Ave.; witnesses said before he was shot, he appeared to be reaching for a loaded gun that was found in his car.

Kidnapper David Piccione was arrested in Harford County last night, and his 25-year-old victim was unharmed.

New questions about a drop in violent crime arrests.

More info on the three men who were shot (but not killed) in the Southwest on Monday.

The FBI has decided that Rey Rivera's last note was a stream-of-consciousness poem and not a suicide note. His family maintains that he was a victim of foul play.

Dontae Nichols got 30 years for shooting Montrell Williams with a shotgun at a party.

Marquis Moore got five years for kidnapping and attempting to choke to death his ex-girlfriend.

Stealing scooters at gunpoint and watching his brother shoot a girl in the face during a game of Russian Roulette are just part of the fun of being Mike Foster.

He may be a bad swimmer, but he's a mighty fine escape artist.

Baltimore County is getting $110,000 to help monitor sex offenders.

No more detox in the box.

Vegetarianism in Carroll County has never looked so good.

One hundred cats and the body of an 84-year-old woman were found in a condemned home in Dover. The woman's two daughters have been arrested.

July 11

Police are seeking 28-year-old kidnapper David Piccione, driving a silver Honda with the tag MAZ-586.

The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Devren Deshazo, 20, for first-degree murder and a handgun count. Court documents allege that on June 19 police responded to the 300 block of Dennison Street after hearing gunshots. Police observed the victim, Ryan Mills, 23, attempting to gain entry to the house and the suspect, Deshazo, firing at Mills. Deshazo fled the scene and police caught him a short time later without incident.

On July 7 the Baltimore City Grand Jury harshed the mellow of one John Arbuckle, 33, of the 1900 block of East Pratt Street, indicting him for "manufacturing" (aka growing) Righteous Bushes and possession with the intent to distribute in excess of 50 pounds, plus other giggle-weed-related counts. Court documents allege that on June 9 someone snitched to the Man that a white male, later identified as John Arbuckle, was selling boucoup de wacky terbacky from a premise in the 1900 block of East Pratt Street and was using the premises to store said chiba. On June 13 5-0 was at the do' and police recovered suspected Mary Jane and other drug paraphernalia. If convicted, maximum penalties are as follows: growing the chronic: 5 years/$15,000; possession with intent to distribute: 5 years/$15,000; possession of the 420: 1 year/$1,000; possession with intent to distribute in excess of 50 pounds: 5 years without parole; paraphernalia: $500 fine; paraphernalia: $500 fine; paraphernalia: $500 and carrying a concealed jammy: 3 years/$1,000.

On July 16, 2002 Donald Smothers and Anthony Wallace murdered Phillip Kent, 22, during a home invasion at 2218 Round Road. A Baltimore City jury convicted Smothers and Wallace of first-degree murder in January 2003, but the Court of Special Appeals vacated the guilty verdicts 21 months later due to the improper admission of both defendants' prior criminal convictions at trial. At a hearing today, Smothers, 29, pled guilty to second-degree murder and Wallace, 26, pled guilty to manslaughter. Judge Allen L. Schwait, sentenced Wallace to six years in prison. Smothers faces a maximum of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced September 12.

A triple shooting last night in the Southwestern.

Timothy Meadows, 17, got four years, and Kenneth George, 26, got three for involvement in the attempted murder of 21-year-old Paige Boyd in Remington.

Methadone mom Gina Camponeschi of Dundalk got eight years for the the OD death of her two-year-old daughter Adriana.

Evil son Zachary Neiman had been charged with assaulting his parents prior to shooting his mother, Rae Bajus.

Lt. Clarence W. Bell Jr., state police commander and candidate for County Executive, was struck by remote control, punched in eye by wife, neglected to pay mortgage. There were 1,735 assault incidents against Baltimore officers last year.

They're shroomin' at Hopkins!

Enjoy documentaries about violent Salvadorean gangs?
Then you'll ♥ "18 With a Bullet" tonight on PBS.

Keith Ray, the North Baltimore carjacker/robber, was released from a 14-year prison stint on April 7. Proof positive that our prison system truly works! Charges against him have increased to 10, with more to come.

Five people were chosen -- four of them Naval Academy grads -- to participate in the court martial process for Navy quarterback Lamar Owens.

Looks like there's an aspriring Sheila Dixon staffer working at the Maryland School for the Deaf.

Bmore living tip: Don't forget to go to 7-11 for your free Slurpee®!

July 10

Warning: this is awful. At a hearing today, Andre Broadway, 47, of 2316 Winder Street 21230, pled guilty to sexual child abuse and recieved no jail time for forcing his 14-year-old daughter to perform oral sex on him last August 2nd. Judge Allen L. Schwait sentenced Broadway to a suspended 15 year prison term, five years of probation, ordered him to register as a convicted child sexual offender, have no unsupervised contact with children under 18 and to undergo alcohol and drug screening and evaluation and treatment as needed for sexual offenders.

The murder trial of Tyrone Beane, originally scheduled to begin today, was postponed AGAIN. No courts were available. A pre-trial motions hearing was specially set before Judge Wanda K. Heard, 540 Courthouse East, for 9:30 a.m. Thursday, July 13. A trial date was specially set before Judge Heard for 9:30 a.m. Monday, July 17.

Keith Ray, the suspected home invader / carjacker / abductor / armed robber, was arrested and charged with three robberies in Central Baltimore. (Funny how WJZ refers to the crimes as "burglaries.")

Elroy Long (#136) was the man who was fatally shot in the back while driving in Southwestern Baltimore.

Ravens linebacker Roderick Green was stabbed in a Reisterstown bowling alley after he bumped into someone. After stabbing him, the attacker unsuccessfully tried to chase Green down as he ran through the parking lot.

Today's Blotter tells of two men who tried 13 times to shoot each other, but only succeeded in shooting two innocent bystanders.

25-year-old Zachary T. Neiman was arrested in Pasadena for fatally shooting his 53-year-old mother on Saturday night.

The trial of Lamar Owens, the Navy quarterback who was charged with rape in 2005, is scheduled to begin jury selection today.

The Fast and the Furious: Westminster, Maryland.

Trouble in the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

July 9

Hidden down at the bottom of the Sun's Regional Digest is Baltimore City murder #136, an unidentified 20-year-old man who was shot while driving in Southwest Baltimore.

One woman is dead after a double shooting in Pasadena that Anne Arundel police describe as a domestic incident.

Another dubious record: Maryland is one of the leading states for bank robberies, and we're doing pretty well with ATM thefts, also.