Say what now?

Bananas! Toddler taken from home, abandoned in unlocked car in course of "family dispute." "No charges have been filed " and "Baltimore City Police are no longer treating this as an abduction."
Wha? Why not? Unless said family member had custody, wasn't it still an abduction? Endangerment, at the least, considering it got down to 40 degrees that night? (And was the guy who found the boy Ken Watts, or Ken Waztts?)

Last week's three murders in the Ink

City officer disciplined after violating dept's shut-yer-piehole-to-the-press policy

Pure class at Hopkins: student uses samurai incident on student government posters (from Twitter).

Towson lawyer disbarred for mi$appropriation

an arrest & indictment in the murder of convicted child molester Scott Greenburg

From farther afield:
... NASA scientist gets 5 years' probation for downloading child porn on gvt computer
... former Reagan White House lawyer sues to stop Navy Chaplain from praying for his death (from TDR's law blog).

Speed Cameras

From the Roland Park newsletter. The Sun also has a map, in case you're a visual learner:

Throughout October, warnings will be issued to those caught speeding on film. After that, $40 tickets will be issued.

1 — 33rd Street, EB @ The Alameda
2 — The Alameda SB @ 33rd Street
3 — Caton Avenue NB @ Benson Avenue
4 — Caton Avenue SB @ Benson Avenue
5 — Liberty Heights Avenue EB @ Hillsdale Road
6 — Liberty Heights Avenue WB @ Hillsdale Road
7 — Harford Road NB @ The Alameda
8 — Edmondson Avenue EB @ Cooks Lane
9 — Edmondson Avenue EB @ Woodridge Road
10 — Edmondson Avenue WB @ Woodridge Road
11 — Frederick Avenue EB @ Catherine Street
12 — Harford Road NB @ Christopher Avenue
13 — MLK Jr. Boulevard SB @ Pratt Street
14 — Franklin Street WB @ Pulaski
15 — Harford Road NB @ Rosalie Avenue
16 — Walther Avenue NB @ Glenmore Avenue
17 — Wilkens Avenue EB @ Desoto Road
18 — Cold Spring Lane WB @ Hillen Road
19 — Cold Spring Lane WB @ Loch Raven Boulevard
20 — Sinclair Lane WB @ Moravia Road
21 — Sinclair Lane EB @ Shannon Drive
22 — Sinclair Lane WB @ Shannon Drive
23 — Orleans Street EB @ Linwood Street
24 — Eastern Avenue EB @ Kane Street
25 — Hillen Road SB @ Argonne Drive
26 — Liberty Heights Avenue NB @ Dukeland Street
27 — North Avenue WB @ Howard Street
28 — Northern Parkway WB @ Springlake Way
29 — Northern Parkway WB @ Waverly Way
30 — Northern Parkway EB @ Greenspring Avenue
31 — Northern Parkway WB @ Greenspring Avenue
32 — Charles Street SB @ Lake Avenue
33 — Reisterstown Road SB @ Fallstaff Road
34 — Cold Spring Lane EB @ Tamarind Road
35 — Wilkens Avenue EB @ Pine Heights Avenue
36 — Erdman Avenue EB @ Macon Street
37 — Erdman Avenue WB @ Macon Street
38 — Madison Street WB @ Caroline Street
39 — Franklin Street WB @ Cathedral Street
40 — Orleans Street EB @ Gay Street
41 — Park Heights Avenue NB @ Violet Avenue
42 — Patapsco Avenue WB @ 4th Street
43 — Perring Parkway SB @ Belvedere Avenue
44 — Pulaski Highway EB @ Monument Street
45 — Northern Parkway WB @ Park Heights
46 — Park Heights Avenue NB @ Hayward Avenue
47 — Park Heights Avenue SB @ Hayward Avenue
48 — Cold Spring Lane EB @ Roland Avenue
49 — MLK Jr. Boulevard NB @ Washington
50 — Lombard Street WB @ Gay Street
51 — Harford Road SB @ Walther Avenue

?

Tony Fein, the former Raven arrested at the Harbor last August, was found dead in Seattle

Arrest me

The number of arrests city prosecutors are declining to charge or prosecute is on the rise, including the case of a 71-year old man whose ribs were broken when he was thrown to the ground by police

Cases TK

Fishy! Toddler abducted from home in middle of the night, found in car by neighbor.

Woman who says police "threw out" her rape report talks to WMAR.
IV has a sketch of the suspect, who is presumably still out there somewhere.

Prison cell-phone jamming bill moves ahead in the Senate

At SCOTUS, Doug Gansler on the right to counsel, free speech v. dog fights, religious education as a tax deduction, and soon, a whole lot of businessy stuff.
... and per the FTC, starting Dec. 1, bloggers must disclose payola.

Fascinating! Vaccine reduces cocaine dependence

Suspect found dead

Update: "Police said the man who confessed to killing his girlfriend and stuffing her body inside a North Baltimore manhole is dead."
WBAL reports that the victim, Elda Vazquez, was a mother of two who worked seven days a week at two jobs.

Also, serious wounding in the 500 block of East 27th Street.

Confessed killer who dumped his girlfriend's body down a storm drain was found unconscious and not breathing in his cell Monday evening.

Dark and lonely on a summer's night.Kill my landlord.Kill my landlord.

From the SAO's office:

A Baltimore City jury convicted Edward Palmer, 59, of the 600 block of N. Clinton St. of second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon on September 30, 2009. His wife, Catherine Palmer, 47, of the 600 block of N. Clinton Street, pled guilty October 2, 2009 to accessory after the fact.

Edward Palmer will be sentenced by Judge John N. Prevas November 18, 2009. Judge Prevas sentenced Catherine Palmer to three years in prison, suspended, and 18 months probation.

Edward Palmer and Catherine Palmer were tenants of James Thomas Daniels residing at Mr. Daniels’ home in the 600 block of Clinton Street. On or about April 11, 2008, Edward Palmer and Mr. Daniels became involved in an argument which escalated to a fatal fight. The next day, Edward and Catherine Palmer wrapped Mr. Daniels in linens, carpeting and bags, placed him into the back of a relative’s car, and drove toward Essex where they dumped the body, doused it in gasoline, set it on fire then drove away. Police discovered Daniel’s body burned beyond recognition in a vacant construction lot near the intersection of Davidson Road and Langley. The medical examiner ruled Mr. Daniels died of stab wounds and blunt-force trauma.

Denied!

Judge rejects Dixon's motion to dismiss perjury charges

Tragic: Sun business editor Tim Wheatley killed in car accident in Monkton

your daily skeeve

Allegation: busy-fingered rabbi groped congregants for 30+ years "because no one spoke up."

... meanwhile, one of SCOTUS' first rulings allows the release of documents related to charges against CT priests accused of abuse. They've also decided not to tackle LA's Death Penalty.

Page Croyder: yay for "the first significant criticism I have seen of Baltimore State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy by the Sun in a long, long time"

Six Shootings This Weekend

From BPD Twitter

SHOOTING, RAMSAY & FURROW, ADULT MALE SHOT IN LEG.9:02 AM Oct 4th from UberTwitter

Shooting-Old York/Cator Av-Adult male walked into Good Samaritan hospital. Detectives responding 10:12 PM Oct 3rd from UberTwitter

SHOOTING, 200 LOUDON, ADULT MALE SHOT. REPORTED @ 3AM.9:16 AM Oct 3rd from UberTwitter

SHOOTING, 1600 E MONUMENT, 17 Y/O SHOT IN LEG.1:25 AM Oct 3rd from UberTwitter

SHOOTING, 4900 LINDSAY, ADULT MALE SHOT IN BUTTOCKS, 2 SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY.1:24 AM Oct 3rd from UberTwitter

SHOOTING- W LAFAYETTE AVE/N PAYSON ST. 17 YEAR OLD MALE SHOT IN HEAD 7:36 PM Oct 2nd from txt

Man Confesses to Killing Woman Found in Storm Drain

TGI Friday's worker has confessed to dumping woman's body down a drain in North Baltimore.

A month before she went missing, the victim had sought help from the Howard County Domestic Violence Center and gotten a restraining order against the perp, who, she said, threatened to kill her.

The manhole cover was right in front of the perp's house. Still myserious: how did he get the manhole cover off, esp. without anyone noticing, in a residential area?

Violent, shady & gnarly

Thursday, a police officer was dragged by one Rickey Hughes, right, a suspect attempting to flee who is still at large. Forty-five minutes later, an officer fired on a drug suspect.

Hermann on the shady world of govt informants

and more of the gnarly corpse recovery in Govans

I shot an arrow into the air...

A Baltimore teen arrested for attempted murder for shooting a BB Gun at an MTA bus.

An arrest has been made in two city shootings.

More city shootings, as a man is found dead on Massachusetts Ave.
Update: Victim Identified as Antoine Rawlings age 28.

Finally, two members of the "Special" drug gang are given surprisingly short sentences in federal court for the shooting of James Wise.

6:34 p.m. Baltimore PoliceDept tweet SHOOTING- W LAFAYETTE AVE/N PAYSON ST. 17 YEAR OLD MALE SHOT IN HEAD

Update: Victim Identified as 17 yr. old Darius Anderson.

Ew the humanity

A "suspicious" body found head-down in a sewer in Govans
UPDATE: BPD says "Body found in manhole is a white female. OCME will provide additional info on COD following autopsy due to serious decomp."

A youth worker at a Baltimore County detention facility helped a 17-year-old sex offender escape, then had offensive sex with him before they were arrested.

"Boyfriend" Tyronne Webb charged in 2008 murder of Mia Nichols


Trial postponed for mulleted (accused) murderer Dennis Testo

In Catonsville, man survives after bringing a golf club to a hatchet fight

Media Blabber

At around 11 a.m., WBAL "Tweeted," from the AP, "Michael Vick Re-Signs With Nike: Michael Vick is back with Nike."
One of the savviest marketers in the world committing commercial hari-kari? Really?
Pretty fishy-- wouldn't you check that kind of thing out?
But nobody did-- the Sun, the Post and even our beloved Daily Record followed suit, dutifully reposting the story without a single phone call.
The Record's Liz Farmer even blamed Nike, "So what the heck took Nike so long to correct this error?"
We all know reporters are overworked and underpaid, but does the Record really believe that it's a corporation's job to spit the facts, and a paper's job to print them?

Way to go Michael McCarthy of USA Today, first to pick up the phone and call BS!

Whole bunch of crime in today's Blotter

Including an arrest in the homicide of Jamal White, as well as 8 laptops stolen in Towson alone.

So Much Dirty

"Southeast's top police officer is suspended," and nobody's saying why

Fancy watches, a money-counting machine, and Clomid?! Wacky stuff found in dirty cop Mark Lunsford's stash

The final brutality suit against officer Jerome K. Hill ended with a $1500 settlement, and Hill with a job in the records division. (how can you sodomize someone with a ripped-up $20 bill?)

Two trials for the mayor

More on the drug-overdose doctor

Names and details in this week's Ink

Ooh la la, c'est beaucoup de francs! New transaction terms save Constellation energy $1.2 billion in taxes.
(If you haven't fired BGE yet, here's a handy way to get bids from suppliers from TDR.)

A U of MD post-doc fellow is charged with drug possession after his girlfriend dies of a bupe overdose. Irony alerts: the two were researching addiction... and a bonus: BPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi reportedly once worked for drug dealers at Pfizer!

The BPD reports that Tyron Markit Mason (B/M/1979) was arrested for burning his grandmother after she refused to give him money.