White supremacist Calvin E. Lockner received a 31-year prison sentence today for assaulting an elderly black fisherman at Fort Armistead.

Lots of shootings this weekend. The current tally is five wounded and one dead.

The family of Sarah Foxwell have asked that outgoing Wicomico County State's Attorney Davis Ruark stay on as lead prosecutor in Thomas Leggs's capital murder trial.

AAAAAAAiiieee!

"Piece of tongue key evidence against killer" at the Perkins hospital

Aieee!

Fill in the blank: the "Preppy burglar" looks a lot more ______ up close!

... and the weekends' shootings spawns more of the same-old discussion.

Slashing

Weird tire slashing spree in Frederick targets only "light colored" vehicles.

A guilty verdict for Karl Marshall Walker Jr., a teacher who wrote a 8-year-old sexually explicit "love" letters is MD's first conviction for sex abuse without evidence of physical contact & sets precedent for pervs of the future

Dead witness in Harris case

Witness in Harris case who was killed last year made a contrary ID in ATM video

Gentlemen on the verge of a nervous breakdown

A guilty plea for assault, a hate crime and an attack on a corrections officer from Calvin Lockner, accused of a racially motivated attack on a septuagenarian fisherman last year. Enjoy what may be one of your last quotes from Jessamy's Deputy Division Chief of Communications & Governmental Affairs, Joe Sviatko (who is not an attorney, WBAL fact checkers): "It's safe to say that this is a plea agreement that we feel really good about because were going to get this person off the streets for 31 years."
We'll miss you Joe!

A new commander for the sex offense unit, one who "doesn't have experience with sex offense investigations," but "officials believe that may be a plus given the past problems in the unit." heh heh, sex unit.

HoCo police will buy 7 pairs of Blucher mocs for whomever finds the "Preppy Burglar".
UPDATE! He was nabbed and named as Jeremy Matthew Hall, 30, and Fenton & Hermann are "doing some background checking to see who this man is what he does for a living." Yes, do tell!

Sweeping away drug dealers

After they clean up the damn playground, they're going right back home to their fancy clothes and fancy cars. They’re just trying to look good for the cameras.

Oh, Jesus, there's some new bail bondsmen in town (thanks CP, and thanks readers for voting us Baltimore's 3rd-most-beloved blog!)

more on the raid

Hopkins shooter discussed killing himself a week before shooting.

Sounds like somebody has a case of the Mondays

Five people got shot on Monday night. It sounds like none of them were fatal.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner got a fancy new building.

A new start for police after Jessamy?

Wicomico County needs to figure out who will try the death penalty case against sex offender/alleged kidnapper and murderer Thomas Leggs after Davis Ruark lost his re-election bid.

Hopkins shooter

Police are searching the home of the Hopkins shooter in VA. Looking for suicide notes. etc.

Media Blabber

The Johns Hopkins News-Letter steps in it big time, garnering national press for two lovely pieces: one by Managing Editor Greg Sgammato on how much he hates to see "fat chicks at a Hopkins party," another by one Javier Avitia on the advantages of "Banging Under the Influence," topped it off with half-assed non-apology. Grooming some real charmers over there!

Yes, I know, not a crime, stick to crime reports, etc etc.

Sunday morning death

Two fatal shootings early Sunday morning.

Rage against the machine

Maybe Berstein's win will put a dent in the city's political machine?

Saturday crime news

State Senator Ulysses Currie pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges.

Triple stabbing on an MTA bus in West Baltimore.

Gregg Bernstein will be holding a press conference in the 300 Block of 26th Street (between Calvert and Guilford) at 4pm.

A Concession to Dignity

Short and sweet, good for her. Golf claps. She's put in a long career as a public servant and ought to jet off to St. Bart's and go put her toes in the sand.
More from the Sun.

How wonderful to imagine this blog played a small part in such a golden moment!

ps., what an interesting coincidence, our first Jewish State's Attorney, immediately before Yom Kippur.

Lonely?

chat live with Justin Fenton at 12:30, then then bitch to Dan Rodericks at 1

Congratulations, taxpayers, you paid Margaret Burns $52 an hour to stand on the courthouse steps and talk smack about the ballot count.

More from Hermann

Friends like these...

WTF?! County police say a Reisterstown couple locked a woman in a bathroom for a year (a "friend"? Are you sure that's the word you're looking for, Jeff Hager?)

Murder/suicide at Hopkins Hospital

The son of patient killed his mother than shot himself after he shot a Hopkins doctor in the stomach.

Doctor shot at Johns Hopkins

A physician at Johns Hopkins is in critical condition after being shot by a man who was unhappy with his mother's medical treatment.

Doctor shot at Hopkins

Shooter still inside the hospital.

Give it up, lady!

Thousands of missing votes, sheesh! Lawsuit, I am like so shur. File it right next to that ethics complaint about Bealefeld's sign!

UPDATE: after a day of counting ballots, Bernstein's lead widened .

"It's unclear if [Jessamy]'s now satisfied with the integrity of the election, but [head of the elections board] reiterated that all votes were in except for the remaining absentee ballots left to count and the provisional votes."

The mask

Witnesses didn't know the color of the mask worn by the gunman who killed Councilman Harris.

The Tweet Trail

[at around 10 a.m.] "So I was told late late last night that the missing disks aren't scanfalous like it sounds. The results of those places were tallied.... And publicly posted in the window of each place. The only issue would be that they didn't make it into the tally... So bottom line as its been explained to me, is its not like the totals are unknown and could be manipulated. While Bernstein's lead isn't huge, based on the outstanding votes it seems insurmountable at this point"

... how nice of that Fenton to stay up all night and then go back in the next morning. Ah, youth.
Pat is right, they should count all the votes!
..also there was some kind of robbery/shooting situation near Mercy High.

.. here we go

Tweets Fenton: UPDATE: Tricia Bishop reports that Jessamy camp claiming that 6 to 10,000 votes are unaccounted for.. more to come

... Tricia Bishop says Jessamy claims cards are missing for six districts

Julie Bykowicz and some other smart people talking about the primaries on WYPR

Insert "Fat Lady Sings" joke here

"We are not conceding" says Jessamy's campaign spokeswoman.

City Primary Results 2010

Here's the official results of all city races

It's morning in Baltimore

Way to call it, readers, accurately predicting the teeny tiny margin in the State's Attorney's race. (Two points! What is up with that? And the turnout-- 13 percent! Tsk!
But all's well that ends well, right? (Or all's well that's statistically extremely unlikely)
So stuff it, racists and cynics!



"Good morning Baltimore .... The rats on the street all dance around my feet... There's the flasher who lives next door, there's the bum on his barroom stool, they wish me good luck on my way to school..."

Looking Like Bernstein by a Hair

Tweeted Fenton after midnight from board of elections HQ on scenic Baltimore Street:
"Latest update w 71.38 percent: bernstein 17304, Jessamy 16665, lansey 1351"

Club owner testfies

Recounts Councilman Harris' last words.

Historic "apathy" for city election

Election turn-out "low" and getting lower.

Bernstein vs. Jessamy Poll

What Do You Think? Who's going to win this thing? Bernstein by 70%+ Bernstein by 60%+ Bernstein by 59% or less Bernstein by less than 5% Jessamy by 60%+ Jessamy by 59% or less Jessamy by less than 5% Jessamy by 70%+ Current Results

more on the Harris trial...

So much for the crime decrease

Reported rapes are up 20% in Baltimore since the under-reporting scandal broke.

Northwood gothic

Ken Harris trial today: the mystery woman, Monica Foreman-Robinson, revealed she met the victim in a bank line whilst married to a city officer, a student testified to pools of blood and a mystery man with a match.

Harris trial begins

A jury has been seated and opening statements are today, says WBAL.

Fenton is Tweeting about it:

Def atty Jerome Bivens says 'somebody had to be arrested, guilty or not.' 'When govt wants to charge you, they can charge you'
Prosecutors: 'rent-a-cop' provided tip that led to identification of suspects, whose dna was found in discarded items near crime scene
Robbery in New Haven Lounge captured on video and will be played for jury; shooting not captured.

And at noon today on Rodericks, FHB III

From Farm to Tabled

Tricia Bishop writes an obituary for the Jessamy administration

and reveals that Bernsteins's son has had addiction problems in a glowing profile.

Also prolific this week: is CP's best PIO of 2006, "Wizard777"?
"Mr. Bernstein should consider spending less time in court and more time at home"-- if so, low blow, Joe!

Some non-Jessamy/Bernstein news

A 15-year old was shot near Pigtown this morning.

Two dead shooting victims in Ellicott City. Sounds like it might be a murder-suicide.

Motorcyclist is killed in a hit and run on Saturday night.

Gang member and murderer Dajuan Marshall had his recent conviction overturned because of juror misconduct. It sounds like at least one juror looked him up on MD Judiciary Case Search.

Billy Murphy will blow your mind

.. with his big brass ones! The celebutorney, who appeared on The Wire as himself and whose great-grandpa founded the Afro, told Justin Fenton "he gave incumbent State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy 'a 15-year pass just because she was a black woman'" says his past support was a "failure of leadership" on his part .. and it gets more intense from there. Wowz.
Ok, maybe it doesn't really take brass ones to jump off a sinking ship, but still, those are some sentiments you don't hear every day, no?

Bald stabber on the loose

Keep an eye out for this freaky-looking stabbing suspect who weaseled out of flex cuffs to escape from police

.. and more State's Attorneyiana:
Fenton's story about the "set us back 60 years" remark has generated a giant, steaming pile of comments, about 99% overtly hostile to Jessamy. Except for one Jessamy hired flak true believer in the talk forums. Some nuggets:

"FOR THEM TO HARP ON THE REAL AFFLICTIONS OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PAST TO JUSTIFY THE NONSENSE THAT HAPPENS TODAY IS SHAMEFUL"

"Let social workers work out the issues in people's lives. That's not the job of the State's Attorney. I'm a computer programmer. If I went around telling my coworkers that I think computers should be abolished and used that as an excuse for not writing any programs, I'd get fired."

"She should at least have the courage to stand up and say what she wants people to infer from her statement: "There'll be german shepherds and fire hoses and white policemen beating poor innocent black folk with billy clubs! And black people will be forced to eat in separate restaurants, use separate bathrooms, ride in the back of the bus!!" You know, instead of being a word coward."

and Dan Rodericks is piling it on, quoting an Innocence Project co-director who says Baltimore's State's Attorney's office is currently "the extreme end of obstruction" when it comes to introducing DNA evidence that exonerates a convict (you'd think the wrongfully convicted would be the "not everybody" of "not everybody needs to be in jail" fame... but apparently, everybody, they are not).

.. and, finally, if you really, really can't get enough of this race, the Daily Record subjects the candidates for State's Attorney to a written exam, with predictably dull results.

Inmate found dead in his cell at CB.

Nooooooooo!

Dick Irwin officially retired

Sun endorses Bernstein

FYI.

while Cummings & Mfume lead a Jessamy rally

And the Afro-American endorses Jessamy: "In the race for Baltimore City state's attorney, Gregg Bernstein has distinguished himself as the main opponent of incumbent Patricia Jessamy. In part, he has done this by saying the state's attorney's job is 'to prosecute and convict people who commit a criminal offense.' We believe this is too narrow a definition. Another would be the ways the state's attorney's office impacts at-risk communities before a court appearance in [sic] needed."

Page Croyder: ... Jessamy, Jessamy, Jessamy!

Intervene and treat!

Justin Fenton covers Jessamy's "set us back 60 years" remark.
Hello, the 50s were not exactly a kind time for Jews, either. But the big WTF?! = Jessamy saying Bernstein "doesn't think a prosecutor's office should have anything to do with prevention, intervention and treatment." No sugar, Sherlock, it's the prosecutor's office! The job description is to prosecute people! And sending someone to treatment instead of jail is a judge's call anyway, not a prosecutor's! Ay yi yi, oy vey and lawdy lawdy, no wonder this town is in such a mess.

Speaking of, a report from the board of elections says early voting is a big snooze, fewer than 2 percent of Maryland voters showed during the first 5 days. Shameful!target="_blank">official site to watch on Tuesday night

One way to get back at the boss

is remote accessing his computer and causing porn to appear during a company power point presentation. The only problem is, you may get indicted.

probably

Adam Meister asks, "Are these Frank Conaway Sr. comments anti-Semitic?"

This is how it works

Pawnshop owner pleads guilty to stealing a whole lot of stuff...maybe from your car.

Man from WVA killed in Edmondson Village in what police call a drug deal gone bad

So, what's new at City Hall?

How about drug busts in the park out front? Hint: look at the bottom right.
(Taken Wednesday at around 3pm.)

Pigtown fuming

Pigtown residents not happy after assault charges are dropped in a case that drove a former neighbor all the way to Oregon.

Bad Doctors

Dr. George Shepard has had his medical license suspended after a woman was critically injured during a botched abortion at his clinic. One of the other doctors in this case was not licensed to practice medicine in Maryland.

Baltimore to revert to 1950?

Jessamy: Bernstein will "set us back 60 years".

The 1950s had the lowest crime rates of any decade in the 20th century and the city had a population of 950,000 vs 630,000 today. Gwynn Oak and Ashburton were known not for crime but massive amusement parks. Of course all of this was built on the backs of a violently subjugated underclass and most people didn't have air conditioning, but still.. it's amazing to imagine what it must have looked like!

UGH -- another murdered baby

Spotcrime reports that a 10-month-old murder victim arrived DOA at Shock Trauma at 2:42 this afternoon from 1921 W. North Avenue.

Grabassing

An undergrad groped in Homewood

One thing about early voting-- candidates in hot races sure have to keep up a relentless marathon of gab. Gregg Bernstein's on WYPR right now (but no Jessamy-- she must have worn out her vocal chords at UB last night).
..it's nice to listen to smart people talk!

Drug dealers, take a hike

The East Oliver community plans to walk drug dealers away...

¡diablos minúsculos!

The Deuce has pix of the very young looking teens accused of trying to rob then stabbing a guy in the back in front of the UB library

A month in jail for 18-year-old Demonte Jones, who assaulted a deputy after being told to quit texting in court

... if you see a man in a blue Division of Corrections shirt and pants .. run the other way and be grateful he's wearing pants.

In el mundo de politics, Baltimore Slumlord Watch gets a loony toon e-mail purportedly from candidate for sheriff Mike Schaefer. Apparently his son knows Pauly Shore, and munchkins are involved. Living ones. (Hey, isn't Adam Meister a supporter of his?)
Also, the CP tracks down Sarah Matthews, and has info on other more obscure names on the ballot. And there's endorsements: Gregg Bernstein for SA and Deborah Claridy for sheriff.

No lapses here

An ethics complaint against commish Bealefeld apparently over police politicking has been withdrawn

Unethical Credibility Stealing!

cries The Sun, over a Bernstein ad:

a recent attack ad by Gregg Bernstein, a Democratic candidate for Baltimore state's attorney, unethically stole the credibility of this newspaper to back up his claim that the incumbent, Patricia C. Jessamy, was putting violent offenders back on the street. The actual source of that supposed "fact" was an unscientific sampling of callers to Ron Smith's radio show, which Mr. Smith alluded to in an opinion column on the op-ed page. It was not the judgment of The Sun's editorial page, nor was it a fact uncovered by The Sun's reporters.

State investigates rape at nursing home

State investigating the rape of a 90 year old woman at a nursing home.

Fun times

Can't get enough Bernstein/Jessamy drama? You can check out the live show tomorrow at 5 at the UB school of law.

Daylight robbery/stabbing

Three juveniles have been arrested in connection with the stabbing of a man on St. Paul Street around 3:30 this afternoon. The victim is expected to survive.

Never a dull moment in Baltimore Politics!

... just got a press release and "table of contents" (in .pdf format.. who does that?) from "the Committee to Elect Sarah L. Matthews"-- allegations Frank Conaway's nickname = Poppa Bear

Feds and the squeeze

A delightful letter from Rod Rosenstein.

A NJ gang member films inside the belly of the beast

And "Benjamin L. “Bennie” King Jr,""The former chief financial officer of the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau formally confessed Thursday to stealing more than $1 million from the organization over the course of a decade — money he admitted spending on high-stakes poker and at strip clubs."

And another thing

... all of this political-establishment "support" voters think they're seeing for Jessamy-- the "Unity Ticket," the Cummings ad and O'Malley's "endorsement"-- has zero to do with fellow politicians sincerely believing Jessamy is the best person to manage the State's Attorney's office, and everything to do with politicians not wanting to be the first chicken to stick their neck out of the henhouse and risk incurring the imaginary wrath of the racist stereotype of the Older Black Woman Voter. To paraphrase what one legislator told me, "I don't like Jessamy, she throws tantrums in meetings instead of coming prepared. But my constituents would never vote for a Jewish person, and what's Bernstein going to do for me to make it worth me taking the heat?"
.. and that's just really depressing.

SA's race not about race?

Bernstein visited Perkins Homes over the weekend, perhaps poking some holes in the conventional wisdom that race will be the deciding factor in how people vote.

Jessamy Bashing?!

A comment from "Wendy" the other day:

I really enjoy reading your articles. However you are really irritating me w/ all this pro-Bernstein & Jessamy bashing. The State's Attorney cannot get convictions 100% of the time and with the lying, sneaky underhanded police who screws up the cases before the State's Attorney ever touches them, they're lucky for the convictions they do get. If Bernstein should win, I really hope that he will be the savior that you and his fellow endorsers believe he is. But when he is NOT, be sure not to forget that either!!!!!!!

Dear "Wendy",
For the past five years, no media outlet on the planet has been more supportive of the State's Attorney's office than this one. We have dutifully reprinted almost every single press release they've put out. During the Zach Sowers epic drama, we didn't take sides. Gleefully mocking her many costume changes is not really bashing in my book. But you're right in noticing that my opinions have changed, and since you brought it up, here's some reasons why:

• The State's Attorney's office employs at least three people full-time in communications, but only two people to coordinate witness protection for the entire city.
• Excuses and blame whenever things go wrong. Dropped cases, a bad relationship with police.. it's always somebody else's fault. Have you ever heard the State's Attorney's office say something like, "the prosecutor came to court unprepared, and that person's been fired," or "we're sorry Carl Lackl didn't get the form letter offering witness protection. In the future we'll try to do better." Or even, "we're sorry things didn't turn out as we'd hoped." Never! Doesn't some buck have to stop somewhere? Why would you want someone with nothing but excuses and blame as your employee?
• Where's the numbers? The SAO "doesn't do conviction rates"? First of all, the SAO does track the outcome of cases, (homicides, at least, I've seen the files), they just don't release those numbers to the public, apparently. But anyway, is she really saying it's okay to not attempt to define or measure success? What a cop-out, especially considering prosecutors already can-- and do-- drop cases all the time for lack of evidence and are able to opt to prosecute only the cases where there's a chance of winning.
• And what about those "rules"? The "do not call" list, which not only makes the office judge, jury and executioner for an officer's career, but imagine how much that must bone to be the victim who happens to be responded to by a "bad" officer.
• And the "one witness" rule. Isn't it a cornerstone of the American judicial system to try a case based on its individual merits? Blanket rules and policies subvert the judicial process.
• John Alexander Wagner. The man accused of stabbing Hopkins researcher Steven Pitcairn was arrested numerous times for violent crimes and probation violations without ever serving significant time. It could be (and was) argued by the SAO that police brought weak cases numerous times. But there's no excuse for prosecutors dropping charges when Wagner was caught on videotape beating and robbing a guy, and if they hadn't, Pitcairn would likely be alive today. ... And that is completely excusable as a lot of peoples' fault. BUT

... we could go on. The "sleeping baby." Using taxpayer's time to grandstand about Bealefeld's stupid sign. ... I don't think anyone expects one person to be the "savior" of the clusterfudge that is Baltimore crime. But at the very least, after 15 years of fussing, blame and excuses, isn't it time to give someone else a chance?

ps. Early voting locations are not open today but they will be open tomorrow from 10-8. You can go to any of the locations in the city. You don't need your voter registration card, though you do need ID. And you don't have to vote for all races, like if you have no idea who's running for the Orphan's Court. I went to the one at Reisterstown Rd. & Northern Parkway yesterday & it was safe with plenty of parking.

Kicking & screaming

A study of child abductions shows the best defense is a fast-thinking kid who makes a ruckus

Neck in neck

A man was fatally shot in the 2000 block of Baker St. in West Baltimore, bringing the murder total to 147. Last year's homicide total as of September 4 was 151.

Deputy commsioner feels it

Barksdale talks about his "feel" for the streets.

40 Years for 1st-Degree Murder & Handgun Charges

For a guy who shot his girlfriend's daughter's boyfriend. Says a SAO press release:

At a hearing yesterday Judge John N. Prevas sentenced Demetry AKA Frank Jenkins, 37, of the 1700 block of N. Washington Avenue to life suspend all but 40 years in prison and five years probation for murder and a concurrent five years without parole sentence for handgun use.

Jenkins pled guilty July 20, 2010 to first-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence after a jury had been seated and the state had presented its opening statement.

The victim’s grandmother delivered a victim impact statement to the court in which she described her grandson as a good son, grandson, brother and father noting he was not a troublemaker and that he would be dearly missed.

On February 4, 2009 at approximately 3:00AM police responded to 1724 N. Washington Avenue for a reported shooting and upon arrival found Demetrius Saulsbury, 22, lying on the sidewalk in front of the address shot once in the head. Investigation revealed that Mr. Saulsbury had been visiting his girlfriend at the home helping to take care of her because she was sick with the flu.

Jenkins was upstairs with his girlfriend, the mother of the girl, and became upset that Mr. Saulsbury was there so late and told his girlfriend to tell Mr. Saulsbury to leave, which she did. While Mr. Saulsbury was waiting for a cab a few minutes later Jenkins came downstairs and became upset seeing Mr. Saulsbury still in the house. Enraged, Jenkins ranted about how he's the man of the house and that no one respects him. Jenkins and his girlfriend's daughter argued, the sound drawing a few family members out of their bedrooms.

Meanwhile, the cab arrived and as Mr. Saulsbury was heading out the front door Jenkins said to his girlfriend's daughter, “You're gonna’ respect me now!” Jenkins walked up behind Mr. Saulsbury and shot him once in the head. Family members who saw the incident asked Jenkins why he did that and Jenkins responded, “That’s what I do,” then fled the location.

Jenkins was eventually arrested in Kinston, NC on February 17, 2009 and waived extradition. Assistant State’s Attorney Robin Wherley of the Homicide Division prosecuted this case.

Early voting

.. so this is the first time ever for early voting in Baltimore City.
I'll head to Pimlico as soon as I figure out for whom to vote for sheriff. Thoughts?

Meanwhile, here's Jessamy's ad, "Right Track."
"I'm Elijah Cummings, I'm cuddly and bald and people like me. State's Attorney Pat Jessamy wears blue suits and talks to groups of people in front of the courthouse. She also wears green suits and makes hand gestures, wears red suits and talks to white people in the park, looks at guns and drinks Starbucks, and changes into a gold suit to look in a file folder with me."
Will the Cummings endorsement be Bernstein's kiss of death?
Stay tuned ...!

Drug dealers make bad neighbors, kids bring 38 to school

Last night 3 people shot at least one killed after a neighbor unwittingly drives off with drugs stored in their wheel well.

Meanwhile, 10 and 11 year old arrested after bringing gun to school.

County bank robber arrested by city police.

The Slow, Creaky Wheels of Justice

Jury selection in the Ken Harris murder trial could take a week.

Ersatz Cop stuck in CP's Craw

Why the CP's Brian Morton won't endorse a candidate in the State's Attorney's race. Valid point, or lame wuss-out?

& your Page du Jour, the smoke and mirrors of conviction rates. Hey, math is hard!

Citizens, PETA complain to city health commissioner about conditions at the BARCS animal shelter

@GusSent Just saw pat jessamy waving at cars at corner of loch raven and alameda.

Small town!

Sen. Ulysses Currie was indicted on bribery charges, and the Sun's Laura Vozzella reports that candidate for State's Attorney Gregg Bernstein is also representing Currie against charges that he used campaign funds to pay for his defense.

Happy Thursday

Life w/o parole for Baltimore County home invasion & murder. Two accomplices in this case were also charged, but couldn't be prosecuted due to lack of evidence.

Two separate city shootings. The story makes it sound like they were both non-fatal.

Two Cecil County Detention Center inmates have been charged with starting fires in their cells.

Patricia Jessamy is launching her own TV campaign ads. Apparently her fund-raising isn't going well, because she's helping to pay for the ads herself.

An arrest has been made in the August 28th robbery of a 1st Mariner Bank branch on York Road in Cockeysville.

Shotgun intimidation

Police arrest a man who tried to kill a witness.

Harris trial could take a month

Prosecutors say, meanwhile judge rules against the defense again in pre-trial motions.

CP: Troubled Record vs. Limited Experience

The CP's Ed Ericson: "The Jury is Out: In state’s attorney race, Jessamy stands on a troubled record while Bernstein runs on reform and limited experience"
.. should this be taken to mean the CP won't be endorsing a candidate?

State Senators Behaving Badly

The Federales have indicted State Senator Ulysses Currie (D-PG County).

FOP endorses Bernstein

Police union (surprise) gives the official nod to the challenger for top prosecutor's job.

Tonight!

.. is the BCrime Happy Hour with special guest Gregg Bernstein, starting at 6 at the Falls in Mt. Washington.
... note if you can't find a parking place on Kelly Ave, there is also parking at the Light Rail Station at the end of Newbury St.
Hope to see you there!

Slew-foot Gary and the Roosting Chickens

View Larger Map
A man fatally shot at 4108 Harris Avenue, the Sun reports the victim, Nathaniel Augusto Santiago, beat murder charges twice

WTF? A Curtis Bay skateboarder arrested for fatally pushing a guy into the harbor in 2008.

Harris trial: So much for the mystery woman being called first.. but testimony from a security guard ID's two of the killers and explains the meaning of "slew footed" (... so if you are "slew-footed" you have a "slugh foot"?)

The gov wants to seize $10 million from Steven Blackwell

A Dawson relative makes a good point: "Even if the parents didn't want to budge, they should have snatched those kids up." Wonder if any threatened witnesses' kids have ever been taken by social services?

The mystery woman in Harris case to be called first

The woman in the car with councilman Ken Harris when he was shot will be the first witness to be called, prosecutors said today.

Now that Dixon's no longer mayor, should the city un-install her home security system?
How much could taxpayers possibly get for a used, three-year-old system? Might it cost more than it's worth to take it down? .. on the other hand, couldn't she come up with some semi-plausible reason for keeping it, instead of hanging up on Jayne Miller?

If you really, really care

you can vote as early as Friday in the city, if you're willing to go to one of these ghetto-azz locations

Some real 'conviction rate' numbers

See question #8-- the Sun says of the current State's Attorney's conviction rate:

478 murder cases were adjudicated in Baltimore in 2006-2008. Of those, nearly 40 percent resulted in not guilty verdicts, dropped charges or pleas or convictions on lesser charges. Among cases that went to trial, prosecutors' record of getting murder convictions was about 50-50.

... pity the intern had to pore over death's three-ring binder to crunch those numbers!

Pitcairn Memorial Removed

says Charles Villagers for Peaceful Living.
Wonder if the DPW has a policy for how long they keep up memorials, and when/if they take them down?

Angelo Dangerfield

Gregg Bernstein's new ad features Doris Dangerfield, mom of murder victim Angelo Dangerfield.
.. according to the CP, there's more to this story than Dangerfield just walking the dog; a BPD forfeiture complaint says he was also a BPD informant, though whether or not that's really true or if it played a role in his murder we may never know. Said his mom, "he wasn't a snitch."
Here's the ad:

Another Hispanic man slain?

Last night's murder victim identified as Hispanic, although court records list him otherwise.

Monday crime summary

Knucklehead steals car, leads police on a chase, crashes into MTA Mobility vehicle.

Hookers and illegal immigrants in Howard County.

When the cops tell you to drop your assault rifle it's generally a good idea to do as they tell you. I've never heard of a "22-caliber assault rifle" though, sounds like the description of the weapon is a little questionable.

Dead body in Dundalk. Supposedly there are no signs of foul play, but OCME will be doing an autopsy.

A 29-year old man was shot dead near Westside Elementary School.

A new Gregg Bernstein ad is out. This one features the mother of murder victim Angelo Dangerfield. Dangerfield's alleged killers weren't prosecuted because there was only a single witness.