Statement from Mayor Sheila Dixon about Attack on City Bus

“As we get more information from the Baltimore City Public School System and the Maryland Transit Authority (MTA) about Tuesday’s incident on the Number 27 bus, I am extremely concerned. This incident was deplorable. I will not tolerate intimidation or violence anywhere in our city.

I am committed to working with our neighboring jurisdictions and the State Department of Juvenile Services to decrease the incidents of juvenile crime and violence. Reducing juvenile crime is essential to improved public safety in Baltimore City.

I have offered the MTA whatever assistance they need to investigate this incident, and to do our part to ensure the public transportation system is safe for everyone.”

- Mayor Sheila Dixon

# # #

December 6

Three men were stabbed on the Morgan State campus this morning.

"Baltimore will no longer ask certain potential employees whether they have been convicted of a crime, under a policy change approved yesterday intended to prevent discrimination against former convicts."

Bus beating update:
The perps were released yesterday and are now back on the street. Super.
The mother of one of the suspects says the victim, shown left, provoked the attack by spitting in the face of one of the girls.
Reports are still conflicting as to where the attack took place, with the Sun reporting E 33rd in Waverly and the Examiner and other sources reporting W 33rd in Hampden.
The E also reports the race of the suspects.
And, for what it's worth, as "Marc" points out, the victim is "no stranger to the legal system," with a rap sheet that includes arrests for forging prescriptions, domestic violence and assault.

Mayor Dixon says the NAACP's Doc Cheatham is "heroic" for privately apologizing to 14 firefighters about the whole fake-noose business.
(So far no comment on the bus driver who intervened and possibly saved the life of the victim above.)

The BK robbery suspect shot by police has died.

Blotter: burglary, robbery, theft, burglary, robbery, theft.

The Bloods and Crips are hot in the 'burbs.

Teenagers Attack Woman on Bus

WtFingF? Nine evil 14 and 15-year-olds from Robert Poole Middle School "attacked and seriously injured [26-year-old Sarah Kreager] after they tried to prevent her from finding a seat on the bus." After beating her on the bus, they dragged her off the bus at 33rd street* and beat her some more.
The perps were all arrested and charged as juveniles, and "It was not immediately clear today if the suspects remained in custody at the juvenile detention center or if they had been released to their parents."
*Fox reports they dragged her off at W. 33rd and Chestnut Streets in Hampden

An 18-year-old and a 15-year-old boy were each stabbed about 9:30 p.m. Monday during "an incident" in the 1300 block of Myrtle Ave.

The Ink reports on murder victims from November 26 to December 2: Michael Crowder, Quentin Reddick-Flowers, Tywonde Jones, Eugenio Harrison, and Lonnie Foote, a man beaten by a tree branch October 27.

An officer shot a man suspected of robbing the Burger King on Eastern Avenue.

The Sun details how Baltimore city, with the help of AAC and the county, managed to lose crazed Metro-stop rapist Eugene Waller.

Counties
In Carroll Co, one Mary Gates was arrested for trying to hire a state trooper to kill her husband

In HarfCo officers are looking for a suspect who fired a shot in a gas station.

In MoCo, Ruth Sendejas, 18, was arrested for killing her two-year-old son Giovanni. She told police they'd been the victims of a home invasion.

The county driving instructor featured in 'Borat' is suing Twentieth Century Fox and Sacha Baron Cohen.

December 4

Johnathan R. Cornish, 16, will stand trial in the county as an adult, accused of being the triggerman in the killing of witness Carl Stanley Lackl Jr.. Defense attorney Warren Brown says the case is going federal.

Donald Maynard, the firefighter who "discovered" a "noose," was dismissed for not completing his EMT training. He will not face criminal charges.

Charles Carroll was acquitted but he's still in jail on charges of violating his probation, and his family is furious.
Update: The violation of probation hearing of Charles Carroll, scheduled for today, was postponed at the request of the State until January 16, 2008.

A seventh suspect in the "Edgewood melee" has turned himself in.

Walter Jones of Essex, a former assistant manager at Bank of America, has been arrested and charged with money laundering in a tax scam that may have cheated the government out of more than $44 million.

What the?! Art Bracke, 61, allegedly tried to burn down his New Jersey home with his son inside, got drunk, drove to Harford County with two unregistered handguns, was involved in a head-on collision and was arrested. In Nj he's being charged with arson and first-degree attempted murder.

Alleged PDJ: David Millea Shanklin, right, of the 6500-block of Golden Ring Road in White Marsh, has been charged with the sexual abuse of two foster children in his care between January 1995 and August 2007. County police are asking any other victims to contact the Baltimore County Police Department’s Family Crimes Unit at 410-853-3650.

December 3

Saturday night, two people were arrested after Baltimore police said they tried to run over officers.

Three shootings last Saturday: a 17-year-old boy walking in an alley in the Eastern, a 30-year-old man "walking in the 200 block of Dallas Court abut 2 p.m.," and a 20-year-old woman sitting in her living room.

Looking on the sunny side: "North Branch Correctional Institution inmates spend up to 23 hours a day in their cells, but activities such as basketball are available."

Weekend

A man was reportedly shot to death tonight at Windsor Mill Road and Forest Park Avenue near Kernan Hospital.

Quentin Reddicks-Flowers was beaten with a tree branch Tuesday and later died, police have arrested 17-year-old Jermaine Cornish.

Gor called it! Turns out that the "noose" "found" at the fire station was put there by the firefighter who "found" it, one Donald Maynard, who's black. But the NAACP's "Doc" Cheatham doesn't blame Maynard for his actions, because the poor guy is a victim! "... evidently things have reached a stage that even an African-American does an injustice to himself and his own people as a result of a negative culture in that department."

More on the killing of Ty'wonde M. Jones, 13. Wonder why his seemingly able-bodied and available parents couldn't care for him?

Probation violations can lead to jail time even after acquittal-- and these three prosecutors look positively gleeful about it

A 17-year-old boy was stabbed outside Landsdowne Shopping Center Friday in the county.

Dixon on the state investigation of city contracts: "I don't know what it is [or] why they're doing this witch hunt."

Dixon on the other fire department scandal: there's "strong evidence" that firefighters cheated on a promotional exam-- by looking at the test questions from 2001. (Isn't looking at past exam questions how you're supposed to study?)

On Friday the Court of Appeals began hearing the disciplinary case against tart-tongued County Circuit Judge Bruce Lamdin.

"A year and a half after Baltimore-based A&B Check Cashing collapsed, $17 million is still missing, one owner is dead and the other one isn't talking."

A a woman was assaulted and robbed on Taplow Rd. in Homeland; an 83-year-old woman bringing in her trash can was robbed in Essex; two robberies at gunpoint near the Hopkins Homewood campus, also a locksmith on Charles Street and woman on Woodbourne Ave robbed at gunpoint.

Did you know? The Johns Hopkins News-letter reports that "Councilwoman fraternities say neighborhood relations tense," but an ordinance that went into effect last month that "will allow police to 'padlock' or effectively shut down houses for a year that have received more than two complaints over six month period."

Thirteen-Year-Old Killed

13-year-old Tywonde Jones was stabbed to death last night in the 5000 block of Cordelia Avenue, and about two hours later a man was shot in the chest on a street nearby.

"City police statistics for this year in Baltimore indicate a 16 percent increase in forcible rape, and a 25 percent increase in other sex offenses."

... so Bealefeld says that overall crime in the city is down 7 percent. But homicides, shootings and sex offenses are up. So what's down?

"Youths tried as adults and housed in adult prisons commit more crimes, often more violent ones, than minors who remain in the juvenile justice system, a panel of experts appointed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new report."

Marco Smoot Indicted for Murder

The Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Marco Smoot, 28, of the 300 block of S. Pulaski Street for first-degree murder and other charges. Court documents allege on August 28, 2007, Marco Smoot was identified as the person responsible for a shooting incident in the 400 block of S. Payson Street. Lacy Edward Hazel, 28, was found in the rear yard of a vacant building in the unit block suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He died later the same day from his injuries. An arraignment is scheduled for December 26, 2007 before Judge Albert J. Matricciani, Room 230, Courthouse East.

November 29

A shooting at the Clifton Avenue Rent-A-Center was caught on tape, above.

An unidentified 26-year-old man was shot twice in the back and once in the left shoulder last night while riding a bicycle across Orleans Street in East Baltimore.

Another robbery that used gasoline as a threat.

Homicides are down by 50 percent in Cherry Hill.

In HarfCo, police have arrested the 31-year-old mother of a 16-year-old girl who is charged with attempted murder as part of the 50-person brawl in Edgewood that paralyzed a man. Said the mom, "she's in jail for something she didn't do ... There was a million people there ... How could they pinpoint four little girls? The police needed somebody, so they grabbed them." Sob! Fox reports that the "four little girls" (who are being charged as adults) were in a gang called "WMD"-- "World's Most Dangerous."
WJZ has video of the mom being hauled off to jail, and grandma working her potty mouth.
... on Fox last night a "guy on the street" commented that Edgewood has had problems since people were relocated there from the Murphy Homes (the West Side public housing project imploded in 1999).

In the county, jurors heard a jailhouse tape of Michael B. Martin, the alleged perv who allegedly wanted to kill a prosecutor, a developer and an old lady.

The UTech scandal isn't over yet! The state has raided the offices of Doracon Contracting, the company that subcontracted Dixon's sister's company to do city work.

Five Years for Assault Caught on Tape

At a hearing today, Bernard Ramseur, 17, of the 1300 block of N. Gilmore St. pleaded guilty to armed robbery and third degree sex offense. Judge Althea Handy sentenced Ramseur to 20 years suspend all but five years for the robbery and a concurrent prison term of 10 years suspend all but five years for the sex offense. Judge Handy also ordered that Ramseur have no contact with the victim, attend sex-offense counseling, register as a sex offender, and continue his education. Details from the SA's office:

The State presented the following facts as part of the plea agreement in open court. On June 14, 2007 at approximately 12:45 a.m. police responded to an armed robbery in progress in the 600 block of N. Paca St. A camera operator at the CitiWatch Crime center observed a suspect, later identified as Bernard Ramseur, had backed a victim against a corner wall. The operator immediately directed police officers to the scene, leading to his apprehension and arrest. Assistant State’s Attorney John Park of the Sex Offense Division prosecuted this case.

November 28

Police don't know why one guy stabbed another guy at about 2 o'clock this morning at Roland and 36th streets in Hampden.

The death of 2-year-old Bryanna Harris of the 1700 block of E. 25th St on June 5 is being investigated as a homicide, the Ink reports that her death was caused by combination of methadone intoxication and blunt-force trauma.

Also ruled a homicide was the death of Martay Powell, 22, shot in the head following a struggle with his girlfriend. The Ink also adds Robert Gray, "a 36-year-old African-American man from Jacksonville, Fla., was found lying in the street in the 1000 block of Boyd Street near Hollins Market. He had been shot repeatedly in the head, back, legs, and butt. He died at Maryland Shock Trauma Center less than an hour later."

Loony homicidal pervert alert! [Michael "Martin, 46, of Lutherville, is charged with trying to hire an inmate in the Baltimore County jail to kill the prosecutor who handled a 2005 sex-abuse case against him, injure another prosecutor, break the knees of a police detective and set fire to the home of an elderly woman who had told people at Martin's church about the abuse case."

Robbery, burglary and screwy formatting in the Blotter.

WTF?! "Bats, knives used in Harford melee involving up to 50 people"

WTF?! in in MoCo: "A former firefighter accused of fatally beating his girlfriend's ex-husband in 1993 and then setting the man's Montgomery County house on fire to cover up the crime pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter yesterday and was sentenced to no jail time beyond the seven months he served while awaiting trial." Defense attorneys called the prosecutors' plea offer "extraordinarily generous." No kidding!

About 160 tombstones were overturned at the B'nai Israel Cemetery on Southern Avenue.

Headline of the Day: "Residents Oppose Condemning Sagging Pants"

Web diversions: the site "Death by Booze" can help you determine how much hooch it'll take to souse yourself to death. (Thanks Vic)

Evening

From Zach Sowers' wife Anna:

"... as much as I've tried to raise awareness, meet with city officials and other advocacy groups - NOTHING has changed. I've called the mayor's community liaison to ask what exactly the Mayor's crime plan is in my district and was told the mayor wouldn't know that information and that I'd have to contact my police district - unacceptable answer. I've tried contacting the NAACP to how we can work together and after several months, still no meeting. I spoke to Pat Jessamy, Baltimore City States Attorney, asking what she plans to do differently since status quo isn't working; she gave me a runaround response. Thank goodness the prosecutors assigned to this case are diligently working to make sure that everything is done correctly. But pretty much everybody just wants to point fingers at everyone else."

Anna Sowers also reports that there's a new crime blog just for Southeast Baltimore, "South East Baltimore Crime Watch."

The Baltimore City Grand Jury has indicted Tyres Taylor, 23, of the 4700 block of Creekside Circle for first-degree murder, robbery deadly weapon and carjacking. Court documents allege on August 6, 2006, Tyres Taylor was identified as the person responsible for a shooting incident in the 4100 block of Rollins Avenue. Gregory Moore was found lying in the alley in the unit block suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Taylor was allegedly seen leaving the scene in a vehicle. An arraignment is scheduled for December 21, 2007 before Judge Albert J. Matricciani, Room 230, Courthouse East.

A reader from Medfield reports on some "considerate" car thieves:

Last night, some thieves stole a car parked right in front of my rowhouse, apparently leaving behind another car they'd stolen previously. They took my neighbor Joe's Dodge mini van. Joe is an elderly WWII vet and he has some difficulty walking. The thieves left the walker Joe had in the back seat of the van, on the grass next to where the van had been parked.

Headline of the Day: "Dead Cat Surrounded By Forks Found In Shoebox"

November 27

Shezis! "Police were seeking a man who robbed a Texaco station in the 2600 block of Gwynns Falls Parkway shortly before midnight Saturday after pouring gasoline on the attendant and threatening to ignite it."
As 'non points out, this is the same Texaco where 18-year-old Himank Karki was shot to death three months ago.

"Two people, one a teenage boy, were shot last night by a man who entered the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Recreation Center in the 2500 block of Seabury Road in Cherry Hill and opened fire as several youths played basketball, police said." Both victims are expected to survive.

The family of Gerard Mungo Jr., the seven-year-old arrested for sitting on a dirtbike, is suing the city for $40 million.

More on the horrid Pumphrey family quadruple-murder/suicide-- apparently the parents were engaged in an acrimonious custody dispute and, unshockingly, dad sounds like a real a-hole.

W. David Stoffregen, the construction executive who paid then-Maryland state Sen. Thomas L. Bromwell more than $190,000 for his influence, and later agreed to testify against him in a public corruption case, was sentenced in federal court yesterday to 6 1/2 years in prison.

Luke Broadwater has a chat with future judge Rod J. Rosenstein.
QTD: "Mysterious suicides are often very strange."

ps. to Shayne-- the mom who egged on Megan Meier's suicide was id'd by the Smoking Gun as one Lori Drew. And look, the police report has her address, so you can mail her a dog turd!

November 26

Back to town...

A 33-year-old man was shot in the head this morning in the 2400 block of Presbury St. in West Baltimore.

Scary robberies in the Blotter, including a woman abducted with her four-year-old son, robberies of a teenager and some older people and one 27-year-old Daniel Sullivan arrested Saturday, nine months after he was accused of attempting to shoot his girlfriend during an argument.

Police arrested two men for firing shots at an officer in Lutherville.

Three people, a woman, an elderly man and a teenager, were wounded in unrelated shootings on Friday.

The sad tale of a girl who was allegedly assaulted in a middle-school math class by seven students while the teacher allegedly did nothing.

Yuck, a quadruple-murder/suicide in MoCo on Thanksgiving. And more coverage from the Sun's Tyeesha Dixon and James Drew.
"I thought he was very good to the children."

Elsewhere, Quiet Riot's Kevin DuBrow was found dead in a Vegas hotel room.
And Trent Lott is resigning, possibly due to a forthcoming rent-boy scandal.

November 21

Maryland correctional authorities are investigating the death Monday night of Baltimore City Detention Center inmate Xavier A. Tilghman, 21, as a homicide.

The Ink reports four murders from November 10 - 18 and names names: Carlos Smithson, John Morris, Kendrick Bowman and Herbert Lemon. Plus updates.

Police have arrested Makel Sheheed, 18, for shooting a woman November 14.

"Baltimore police are spreading 'misinformation' in an attempt to trick people out of filing false-arrest lawsuits, the Maryland ACLU said Tuesday."

Blotter: a man was shot during a robbery in the Southern, a guy was jumped by four people for his wallet on Eastern Avenue, and the 25th Street Subway was robbed by three guys, one with a semiautomatic handgun.

"The Baltimore fire and police departments are investigating an incident with apparent racial overtones that occurred early today at a fire station in which two paramedics said they found a threatening note and a piece of rope." The rope wasn't in a noose, but a knot, if you believe Gus instead of the local TV stations. Said the note, "we can't hang the cheaters but we can hang the failures." (Not without a noose you can't!)

No noose is good noose Whom do you believe-- was there a noose or knot? Gus at the Sun -- it was just a knotted rope Local TV stations-- it was a noose Current Results

November 20

Melvin Gilbert and Darron Goods were indicted for shooting witness John Dowery last Thanksgiving.
Here's the original story. Gilbert & Goods are allegedly members of the "Special" drug gang. (Was it hard to find spinning rims that fit the wheels on the short bus?)

Scandal! Last night Dixon suspended Anthony W. McCarthy, her communications director, "pending an investigation by the Baltimore County Police" regarding "inappropriate behavior." Please God, let it be gay bathroom sex!
UPDATE: JZ reports that County police spokesman Bill Toohey "said standard procedure in 'such cases' is to 'talk to the victim first and then, if necessary, to interview the subject.'" So someone was victimized by inappropriateness! Juicy!

The Post on the now-unraveling forensic trail that led to the conviction of county police sergeant James A. Kulbicki.

Nationwide, hate is haute, but Baltimore city isn't following the trend. Said NAACP president Jenkins Odoms, "Baltimore City is outrageous. It shows you how bad and how unprofessional that police department is.”
Here's a quality hate crime article from New York, and more on the increase in hate crimes from TDR.

Blotter: a woman stabbed her brother in the stomach, someone poured a bottle of gefilte fish in a Jewish family's mailbox, Charm City Cupcakes was burgled, an old guy was mugged by teenagers in Hampden, and more!

A federal jury rejected a former legal secretary’s claim that she was wrongfully fired from the Baltimore office of McGuireWoods LLP for taking time to care for her ailing mother.

Jail time for convicted poodle-slayer Celeste Rainone.

The Liz Taylor of Fraud!

James Adjei Kyem pleaded guilty in federal court today to marriage fraud, perjury and passport fraud related to his nine sham marriages.

Meet the Alleged Child Molester of the Day

David Christopher Cross, 30, shown right, charged with two counts of child abuse and two counts of a third-degree sex offense. Cross, who lives in the 100-block of Daycoach Circle in the County is accused of victimizing two children that he knew. One was a girl who was six years old when she was first victimized in 1998. The abuse continued for four years. The other victim, a nine-year-old girl, reported being abused once this summer. Police are looking for other victims.

November 19

At a hearing today David Robinson, 35, of the 4000 block of 34th St., pled guilty to attempted armed robbery and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence. Judge M. Brooke Murdock sentenced Robinson to 15 years in prison, the first five of which must be served without parole. Details:

On April 5, 2007 at 1:45AM at Fantasies Nightclub Robinson’s co-conspirators Alexander Reiff and Gregory Eaton allegedly entered the club armed with a 9 mm Ruger handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun, announced a robbery, and ordered approximately 20 patrons and employees to the ground. Eaton then discharged the shotgun into the ceiling. Two off-duty police officers removed their service weapons and shot Reiff and Eaton. Eaton succumbed to his injuries shortly after being transported to Shock Trauma. Reiff also was shot but survived his injuries as he was wearing a bullet proof vest. His trial is scheduled for January 28, 2008.

Robinson was outside the club in a getaway Ford pick-up truck that they had stolen in Hyattsville earlier that night. Robinson fled the club and the abandoned truck was found near a relative’s house in Glen Burnie.

At a hearing today, Judge John M. Prevas sentenced Mark Lee Johnson, 26, of the 2600 block of Quantico Avenue, to 50 years in prison following a guilty verdict of second-degree murder and handgun counts. Details:

A Baltimore City jury convicted Johnson September 28, 2007 of second degree murder, attempted second degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence. Judge Prevas sentenced Johnson to 30 years for the second degree murder count, 20 years, consecutive, for the handgun count and a concurrent 20 year prison term for the attempted murder count.

On January 22, 2006 at approximately 3:30 PM in the 3300 block of West Belvedere Avenue, Johnson approached Antwoine Armstead, 21, and Andre Gibbs, 22 as they were getting into a parked car. Johnson walked to the passenger side of the car and shot Armstead multiple times. Gibbs ran from the car and Johnson shot at him as he ran across West Belvedere Avenue. Armstead suffered seven gunshot wounds and was taken to Sinai hospital where he died a short time later.

Assistant State’s Attorney Joshua Felsen of the Homicide Division prosecuted this case.

"Baltimore Ranks 12[th] On Dangerous Cities List"
Only 12th?!

Police have arrested Lewis K. Lucas for the murder of Lawrence D. Jones, 17.
"In 2003, Lucas pleaded guilty to attempted murder and illegal use of a handgun. His 20-year sentence was suspended, and he was placed on probation."

Thwap! Zap! "An hours-long standoff with a man in Southeast Baltimore ended this morning when police subdued him using a bean-bag gun and a Taser, city police said."

Blotter: A man was shot about 8:35 p.m. yesterday in the 1400 block of Pennsylvania Ave. and was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Police said the victim was not cooperating and that details were not available.
Also a Paca St. robbery, and two 17-year-old girls robbed and stabbed a classmate with a steak knife at the Owings Mills light rail station.

A Bealefeld interview:
"We can't [attack the drug problem] and give burglars and car thieves and robbers a pass."
"this really is ground zero for stop snitching."
"The state's attorney's office, this is where we want to devote our energy."

Olesker's holding a pity party for the Bromwells, and everyone's invited!

The City Council will soon vote on legalizing feral cat colonies.

Weekend

A man was shot to death Friday afternoon in the 3000 block of Rosiland Avenue.

The T.U. community is tense after someone phoned in to threaten "harmful action" on campus tomorrow. School officials note that "The nature of the threat calls into question its credibility."

NYT: Does the death penalty save lives? and if so, does it save more lives than hiring more cops would?

A man was stabbed at the Edge Sports Bar and Grill in Edgewood.

PDJ: William Henry Ransley III, age 60, of Finksburg, sentenced to five federal years for child porn. Ransley also had sex with the 14-year-old girl in the pictures; he met her on the Internet and had relations with her on an elementary-school playground. The related sex-offense charges were dropped to let the feds pursue their case.

TMI Alert! Pat Jessamy tells the Sun that red peep-toe pumps make her feel "sexy."
Fun fact: the Stuart Weitzman peep-toe was also worn by Nicollette Sheridan's character Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives, in an episode titled "Nice She Ain't."

Effed up in Fredneck:
A four-year-old boy was poisoned by his attention-seeking mom
and
a 20-year-old man, Jarrell Grey, died after being TASERed by cops. (FYI TASER is a brand name and an acronym)