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.