Phylicia Barnes update

The lawyer for the boyfriend of Felicia Barnes' sister has some interesting things to say about the investigation.

Murder Arrests, Disbarments, and so Much More...

Police have arrested a man in the stabbing death of Baltimore DPW worker David McClaughlin Jr. Terrence Fitzhugh faces charges of first and second degree murder.

Veteran attorney Stanley Needleman has plead guilty to tax evasion.Needleman, whose office was raided back in April, has agreed to disbarment and will pay over $1 million in fines.

Police investigate a double shooting in the 3300 block of Belle Ave.

Guilty plea in December 2010 stabbing death of a Severn pizza delivery man. Darrius Lynne Bullock, 19 faces 10-21 years for the for the fatal stabbing of Ghulam Farooq.

A guilty plea from Maximilian Hopkins Bode, 21, the driver of a snow plow that struck and killed a renowned former JHU fencing coach.

County police are investigating the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Tyran Smoot (Picture Right)

Police make a quick arrest in the first killing in Annapolis this year. Clifton William Tutt, 55, has been charged with the shooting death of 19-year-old Teon Wallace. Wallace, who in June beat charges of attempted murder, was wanted by police for Armed robbery charges at the time of his death. Of course his killer was no saint either having a criminal record dating back to at least 1990 including a 3 year prison term for a conviction related to an arrest for Attempted Murder.

Bonrick Lee Barksdale, the suspect in a North Carolina kidnapping and attempted rape was captured recently after escaping from an Annapolis courtroom.

20 years in prison for multi-time sex offender and newly convicted rapist James Mason III, age 30.

Arrest in a non-fatal stabbing in Howard County. 23-year-old Christopher Thomas Hecker has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing Brian Black Jr., 29.

The parents of a 14-year-old girl struck by a car, are pleading for the driver to turn themselves in.

Pennsylvania police have arrested Vincent Lloyd Minto, 41, wanted in Montgomery County for the 2009 murder of Clarence Rankine.

31-year-old Carroll County resident Zachary Scott Shanaberger has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. As part of his plea deal, Shanaberger admitted his role in bank robberies in Delaware, Georgia, and North Carolina.

The husband of a Wicomico County teacher was found dead in his home Wednesday. Jesse Davis, 58, was the main suspect in the disappearance of his wife, a 28 year veteran teacher at Parkside High School.

A Chevy Chase scientist has been convicted of espionage. Stewart D. Nozette, 54, who was caught on tape selling goverment secrets to what he thought was an Israeli intelligence officer will be sentenced to 13 years in prison.

10 years in Federal prison for Latin Kings #2 man Remy "King Remy" Heath. The 26-year-old gang leader plead guilty to racketeering charges back in November of 2010.

Also being sentenced to Federal prison time is 24-year-old Christopher Jackson. Jackson, exiled for being a felon in possession of a gun, was sentenced to 10 years in prison as well.

Finally, 5 very well deserved years at Club Fed for child pornography advertiser Michael Moskal, age 45.

In Non-Maryland news:

Former New Mexico Governer Bill Richardson made a surprise visit to Cuba in the hopes of securing the release of Marylander Alan Gross, who was serving a 15 year prison sentence in Cuba.

An appeal to be released from jail to Aruban authorities by Gary Giordano has been denied.

Virginia police obtain a warrent for Johnny D. Guillen Pimentel, 40, AKA the serial butt-slasher. Pimentel, who is still at large, is believed to be responsible for a series of attacks against Virginia area women earlier this year.

Many, many apologies for my extended absence from updating. A major change in schedule, a series of internet disabling events, and my own crippling lazyness have contributed to my time away. Again, my apologies, and i look forward to continuing to bring you the crime news of Baltimore, and beyond. -TAB

Here we go again

A date has been set for the third trial of Policarpio Espinoza Perez and Adan Espinoza Canela. Their previous conviction for murdering three children back in 2004 was thrown out on appeal this summer.

Don't miss

an enlightening interview with Shorty Davis on the Marc Steiner podcast.
Pull quote: "Why did I get arrested for the toilets? Because of the names on the toilets."

OMFGDFS!!

A ONE-YEAR-OLD boy was stabbed to death in SW Baltimore. His parents reported him as abducted, then his body was found in the basement, a la JonBenét. As if that wasn't horrifying enough, the boy on Riggs Avenue isn't the only one-year-old on the list, the death of Davon Booth Jr., who died a month ago of head trauma, has also been ruled a homicide.

And James and Kareem Clea were found not guilty in the death of Lemuel Wallace, the disabled man stabbed to death in a Leakin Park bathroom. Gregg Bernstein released a (very rare) statement expressing disappointment in the verdict*. And in today's edition of the Sun, the unappetizing deet that James Clea had a "sexual relationship" with former Arc employee Kevin Pushia; James' brother Kareem was accused of being the triggerman.

AND the man shot to death Sunday, Tony Laws, was the grandson of late local "point of light" Bea Gaddy.

*I'd publish Bernstein statements more, but they're rare, and in spite of my entreaties they come over as pdfs, and I just don't have the time or will to retype them with my other jobs and whatnot. This is how democracy fails, via a thousand little inconveniences that effectively bar access.

Barnes' sister filed restraining order

A city judge denied request filed by the sister of Phylicia Barnes seeking to keep her ex-boyfriend from contacting her.

Also, the tow scammers are back in business, so watch where you park near the Manufacturers and Traders "Emmittea Banks" Trust Company Raven® stadium.

Old-man enemy

Can you call someone a "boyfriend" if they're 51 years old and commit the unfriendliest of acts? In any case, Gary Allmond, 51, has been arrested for the murder of official victim #140, an unidentified woman.
Update: Woman Id'd as Janice Drayton, 51

Four people were shot this weekend and one victim, 31-year-old Antonio Laws, has died.

Cult mom Ria Ramkisson, now living in a "faith-based treatment center," gave an interview to the AP's Ben Nuckols.

And two pervs du jour, a balloon artist nabbed after trying to have sex with an age-regressed picture of a police officer, and a Christian-camp operator. (So 6c means 6" long and circumcised? Blogging is so educational!)

Speaking of 14-year-old boys, one in Lutherville was charged with attempted burglary after trying to break into a couple of houses.

And a Baltimorean with a chin-strap beard was arrested after allegedly driving all the way to Ohio to flash and attack Asian women.

but what about the clown cannons*?

Hot trend in conservative criminal justice circles: rehabilitation (!!)
It's not just for California and Newt Gingrich anymore!
Crazy stat: "If our nation were to return to the rates of incarceration we had in the 1970s, we would have to release 4 out of 5 people behind bars."


*a reference to one of my favorite blog comments of all time: "if you all vote for me as mayor, I'll transform some buidling to a local Gitmo where multiple felons will be locked up without trial until I['m] stripped of power or I find a clown cannon from which to launch them into the Inner Harbor."

You might be interested...

... fascinating article in this week's New Yorker about the judicial philosophy of Clarence Thomas.

Lunchtime Crime

Should a convicted sex offender be allowed to keep his real estate license?

Ah Baltimore, where parents think it's acceptable to let their elementary school age kids wander around alone at 1 AM.

Cops are looking for the driver from a fatal AA County hit and run.

ACLU sues Baltimore Police over right to videotape.

Phylicia Barnes's family isn't happy with the progress of the investigation into her death.

Dramiara Johnson died as a result of "massive head trauma," and now her mother has been charged in her death.

14 years after she went missing the remains of Toni Dee Vogel were identified. Her skeleton was found in Westminster in 2009.

Attorney Stanley Needleman has been charged with tax evasion.

William Hillar gets 21 months in prison for fraudulently pretending to be a former Special Forces officer.

Assault by live power line in Silver Spring.

Cops to Bernstein: Quit Drag-assing

The homicide closure rate is apparently way down (43%), homicide detectives are blaming prosecutors, and the police spokesman is blaming police (?!). Not. A. Good. Sign.

It's Saturday Night Crime... Live... Sort Of

The assistant to historian Barry Landau pleads not guilty. Jason Savedoff, 24, plead not guilty to his role in the theft of several historic documents.

The body of university professor Yulia Pogrebenko, 54, has been found in the Chesapeake Bay. No cause of death has been given yet.

New information comes to light in the Lemuel Wallace murder trial. Including the fact that Kevin Pushia, the pastor turned murder suspect had planned to murder his then boyfriend and his family.

An Ellicott City 17-year-old was secretly arrested by the FBI for allegedly being a co-conspirator of "Jihad Jane." The then 15-year-old identified only as Mohammed K was suspected of soliciting funds to help commit Jihad, and at one point had threatened to commit a school shooting.

He pissed off the wrong people... 37-year-old Braderick Green was sentenced to 11 life terms plus 185 years for shooting at city police officers. Of course life never really is life, so Mr.Green is actually eligible for parole in just 65 years, at the ripe age of 102.

It just keeps getting worse for Travis Vaughn, 19, who was not only shot in the shoulder by an off-duty security guard, but was also charged with attempted murder to boot.

When I see the words "Ravens Player, Inner Harbor" I tend to expect the worst. But this time I was pleasantly surprised to find that Ravens WR Tandon Doss was in the role of peacemaker.

An 18-year-old wanted by police for the May robbery of a local grocery store was shot at by police Wednesday. Lamont Thomas escaped injury but now faces a variety of serious charges.

I severely apologize for my long absence from posting, my computer broke recently and I have finally been able to replace it. Please note this is not a complete posting as i wanted to get something out before i possibly lose my power due to the storm.

Baltimorean sprung!

from Tripoli pen! Not only is Quaquacky really out & hiding in some tunnel like a tacky Hitler, but Matthew VanDyke's 31- or 2-year-old rump could (possibly) be ensconced on AirBama manana for surf & turf with Dutch!
What a happy twist, eh?

ps. he 'described his ordeal' to the BBC today (8/25), but the story doesn't say where he was when doing the describing. Pull quote: "I have OCD and I have it pretty bad and being in a filthy Libyan prison was not good for it at all. It was torture."

Baltimorean missing

... In Libya, in case you hadn't heard. Matthew VanDyke, 31, has been missing since March and has still not been found.

Art -> Life

Snoop's lawyer: she's innocent but pled guilty to get on with her life. Hmm, where have I heard that before? (.. & I love how if you google "republican bathroom" he pops up immediately)

Shootings & stabbings over the weekend, and a man died at Central Booking (coincidentally, it sounds like)

and don't miss the poetic stylings of Sen. Catherine Pugh. ("Some think politicians . . . / Are much like magicians . . . " Frank Conaway's rap is not all that bad, by comparison-- full of piquant disses! ("Frank Conaway, how you going to get a fair chance in the race when all you gonna worry about is where his daughter stay .... don't take advice from the gift-card bandit, dammit .... Catherine Pugh, that ain't the only thing I smell in the room ...")

Crazy, man!

Stats say MD's crime rate hit a 35-year-low, and no one knows why. ... but it would seem to disprove once & for all a causal connection between crime and the economy, non? ... and already the DPP is using the stats to retroactively defend parole officers' massive caseloads.

John Wagner Convicted Of Killing Stephen Pitcairn

More on that from WBAL. .... and, apparently well aware that this is the case that got him elected, Gregg Bernstein held a rare Q&A session at about 9:30 tonight to take questions from the press.

Lunchtime Crime

Football players behaving badly: former Ravens player Jermaine Lewis (not to be confused with coke dealing former Raven Jamal Lewis or justice obstructing Raven Ray Lewis) was released on bail after getting tased and arrested. Cops came to Lewis's home after he was seen driving erratically.

Crime in Maryland is at its lowest level since 1975.

A guilty plea to first-degree from Michael Brooks. Prosecutors say they intend to ask for a 30-year sentence.

Alleged pervert and a burglar on the loose in Anne Arundel County.

Ralph Edward Thomas is in big trouble with the feds. He allegedly stole $800,000 from clients who included a child with birth injuries and a woman with dementia.

The commish defends the Baltimore PD on the Marc Steiner Show.

Cherice Ragins's family is still looking for her.

Drunk driving and illegal street racing are a deadly combination.

I'm not certain how I feel about this. City police will start taking crime reports by phone.

11 Days

Baltimore went a full 11 days without a homicide before two separate killings Sunday.

First a man who is officially unidentified at the moment was shot to death on the 2900 block of Edgecombe Circle North. WBAL is currently identifying him as 23-year-old Durrell Burrow, But there is no record of a man with that name anywhere I looked, and no other news sources are identifying him.

Shot on the 3400 block of Clifton Ave. was Catonsville resident Demetrius Lareese Sowers, 33.

An alleged police impersonator has been arrested. 24-year-old Lamel Pierce (Right) is suspected of having committed the first in a string of apparently un-related series of faux police operation robberies.

Two men were shot Friday night in two separate northeast Baltimore incidents.

Good 'ol Judge William D. Quarles has reversed the decision to release city police officer Daniel Redd, 41 on bail, citing "overwhelming" evidence.

Another arrest for weapons at BWI. This time it's Christopher Glen College, 44 who was charged with keeping a loaded .45-caliber gun in his carry on luggage.

A Brooklyn Park man is charged with stabbing his step-father and choking his mother in a late-night attack. Jesse Edward Chapman III was charged with a variety of serious crimes.

Apparent teenage "flash mob" hits a Montgomery County 7-11. Kids these days...

From play fighting with a buddy to stabbing him in the stomach... It apparently doesn't take much to set off 46-year-old John Murray, who is in custody facing attempted murder charges.

Ferndale resident Phyllis Marie Amonica, 38, has been charged with murdering her "boyfriend" 47-year-old James Gray Pfaff.

A case that is slowly unfolding into a very interesting series of seemingly very professional crimes get's new details. Craig Steven Brooks, 49, has been charged with robbery after impersonating a utility worker and robbing a woman who's gas pipe he was claiming to check. Mr. Brooks, mind you, had also been charged back in July alongside 46-year-old John F. Haston with impersonating Pepco workers during robbery turned homicide of a Bowie coin-operated laundry owner.
Craig Steven Brooks (Left)
John F. Hastons (Right)



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In International news:

Charges are expected to be laid against Gary Giordano in Aruba. Giordano, age 50, is currently the main suspect in the disappearance of Frederick resident Robyn Gardner. I'm very curious how a man with fairly recent arrests for shoplifting electronics can afford a 1.1 million dollar house.

In more sad news, Rockville resident Warren Weinstein has been abducted in Pakistan. Mr. Weinstein was in Pakistan to help develop their economy and fight poverty.

I'm Gonna Git You, Schaefer!

The FBI released files detailing death threats made to Willy Don in the 70's