Two Acquittals and a Mistrial but Maybe Three Life Terms

So Policarpio Perez was acquitted of the murders-- but convicted of conspiracy to murder-- Ricardo Espinoza and Alexia Quezada, but a mistrial was declared for the murder count* for the death of Lucero (though he was also convicted of conspiracy in that case.  Just, what? Could there possibly in any way be a fourth trial for this guy? Says Cheshire, "I would like to note that Espinoza Perez was convicted of three counts of conspiring to commit first-degree murder. As a result, he faces a maximum sentence of three life terms in prison." ... which I take to mean no fourth trial because he'll already be as jailed as he's going to get.

Paige Croyder is back! and blogging about the "Stupid Trial" of the officer who recorded Judge Joan Gordon.

Here's the full transcript of Hollingsworth v. Perry at SCOTUS today, and some backstory from NYMag on the case they'll be hearing tomorrow.

Titillating Tuesday

Will Prop 8 /DOMA get struck down ... between now and June?
Will the jury find Policarpio Epsinoza Perez guilty a third time for killing three children?
So much suspense!

Some Enchanting Elevator

Royal Carribean's Enchantment of the Seas in the news again-- a 62-year-old woman was apparently murdered aboard a cruise ship that embarked from our fair port en route to Nassau. The ship has been crime blogg'd before-- a 14-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 25-year-old pool boy, two years ago a crew member was busted with cocaine and heroin.

But wait, isn't that already the law? Senators passed a bill to end the speed camera bounty system, and the bill "does not tighten requirements for allowing offenders to verify a violation."

WYPR's doing a show on our blue-light cameras on Friday.

Pro-gun-control moms are rallying in A-town today.

Progressive MD uncovered $60 million a year MD in lost revenue spent on "corporate welfare"-- loopholes, allowable shifty accounting and superfluous tax breaks that the legislature refuses to fix.

Speaking of A-town, ef the medical marijuana bill, which would lend not a whit of help to pot-smoking grannies like Cher Neufer and Brenda Brown.* Can't we just leave hippie grandma and AIDS grandma alone and give pot to everybody (and tax it) like HBill 1453 aims to do?

The day Andrew Zimmern's "Maryland" episode of Bizarre Foods aired, the House passed a ban on shark fin soup-- TIL MD fisherpeople catch sharks for Chinese consumption. Incidentally Zimmern also went to the eastern shore, where he skinned and ate BBQ'd muskrat and grilled eel that's caught here and also shipped to Asia. The gallivanting gourmand also enjoyed chitlins prepared by Koreans, Korean food prepared in Silver Spring, and Spike Gjerde's whales (or maybe they were hotels).

Saved for later dept:
- A compendium on "The Rise and Fall of Prohibition in Baltimore, 1918-1933."

Fascinating look at world of trap-making, i.e. secret compartments in vehicles often used to hide drugs, money wired.com/threatlevel/20…
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) March 25, 2013

Self-reliant and suicidal

Gun deaths as well as gun control attitudes both appear to have racial bias: according to government data, white people five times more likely to commit suicide with a gun than black people. Mansplained the NRA's Wayne LaPierre on the disproportionately high rate of gun suicides by gun owners:
"Gun owners are notably self-reliant and exhibit a willingness to take definitive action when they believe it to be in their own self-interest. Such action may include ending their own life when the time is deemed appropriate." And an ABC News/WaPo poll has found 79% of (presumably self-defined) black people were supportive of stricter gun control laws vs. 48% of white people. And, not for nothing, urbanites favoring stricter gun laws by a 2:1 margin over country folk.

When it comes to HeLa cancer cells, Hopkins' patient privacy liberties are the gift that keeps on giving.

In case you missed it: map of doomed-to-close liquor stores by Cham Green

Mary Washington

about an hour ago

HB 829, Correctional Services - Pregnant Detainees and Inmates - Restraint Restrictions has just passed the House of Delegates (131 Yeas, 4 Nays). Now on to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

Two women, two dogs

Are homicide stats are what Baltimoreans "care about most" when it comes to crime? Does having a flood of cadets walk the beat* in a violence-plagued neighborhood make a difference? I'll take no and no for $200, Alex.

Jermaul (sic) Dean was charged with posing as a city police officer before frisking and rob a man in the SW.

A man robbed a sex shop in Havre de Grace,* but only for cash.

Great reading: the Maryland Law Review.

In Queen Anne's county, the body of missing Robin Pope was found in the water on Kent Island and ID'd; three weeks ago her dog's body was also found. Curiously, in AAC the day before another woman was found dead with her dog.

4th Circuit Upholds MD's "May Issue" Gun License Laws

... AmmoLand weeps.

Michael Wesley, wanted for the murder of Rachel Curtis, was picked up at a Winson-Salem bus stop*

Benny Davis, 24, was arrested for the murder of D'Andre Thomas in Remington.

A man pushed a woman from a moving car on Clipper Mill Road (March 10).

Why so many domestic-violence killings in the city lately?* *shrug* -- oh, but definitely put this on your calendar:  "THE BALTIMORE LAWYERS’ CHAPTER OF THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY Proudly Presents KATE OBENSHAIN Fox News Channel Contributor, former Vice President of the Young American’s Foundation and author of Divider in Chief, talking about 'The Left’s War on Women.' Thursday, April 18th – 12:00 noon, Semmes, Bowen & Semmes. The event is free of charge. RSVP Brian Fish at asabrianfish@earthlink.net to ensure that our lunch order is sufficient."

County and federal agents nabbed a woman running a brothel in the residential area of Joppa Rd.* in Towson, whose customers have apparently been annoying her neighbors for years.

Balling w Espantoons

Police are securing the West side with espantoons and basketball.*

The 2013 version State of MD vs. Policarpio Espinzoa Perez is to the jury.* Adan Espinoza Canela's trial is to start April 1. Notably, father of two of the children, Ricardo Espinoza, does not believe Policarpio is guilty and thinks the real killers are still at large.

No you did not, Baltimore City Zoning Commission! A jackassed bill has passed that will close down existing liquor stores in residentially zoned areas, which would include many long-running non-nuisance stores that are small and/or family-owned businesses (eg. Roland Park Wines & Liquors.) Burning question: why can't the city just enforce our existing loitering, littering or noise curfew laws? Why can't they just stop granting liquor licenses for stores in residential areas? and how is it legal to re-zone a business out of existence?

I'll be on the Dan Rodricks show on WYPR at noon talking hot topics; news of the day, if you will.
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) March 22, 2013

Guns, crack, PCP and another Phylicia Barnes trial

A second trial for the convicted killer of Phylicia Barnes, Michael Johnson, because the defense didn't disclose the criminal history of the sole eyewitness, one James McCray. Understandable on some level, but on another, fckn whut? The ruling came from thrice- investigated Judge Alfred Nance is perhaps best known for jailing a woman who said "I love you" to her brother, being generally explosive and misogynistic, and for striking down the city's gun registry (which was just now upheld).

.. you probably heard that the Assault Weapons ban was effectively killed by the U.S. senate-- but perhaps that will give state and local courts more drive to pass local restrictions.

One Demond Taylor was found guilty of strangling his grandmother to death, which he did while high on PCP, which seems to be making a comeback-- every week or so some dusted-up driver gets busted on 295 and it's the drug of choice for xoJane/Vice writer Cat Marnell.

The president of the Har Sinai congregation was charged with laundering a crack dealer's money.

MD ranked 40/50 for state government transparency and accessibility to records in a Center for Public Integrity study.

Indecent exposure car

A triple murder over by the Mondawmin mall* in the 2200 block of N. Fulton Avenue.

Whoa, man! The state Senate passed (30-16) Curt Anderson's bill (SB 297) that decriminalizes possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana (pot, weed, ganj, green, trees, &tc.). The bill goes to the house on March 28. Gawd that would be such a help in Baltimore city-- in spite of whatever FHBIII said in NYMag's "Truce on Drugs" article, the city still puts thousands of people in jail for minor amounts of weed every year. Promising sign: last year the House passed a bill that lowered the penalty for less than 10 grams from a year in jail and a $1000 fine to 90 days and a $500 fine. Should it pass, HB 1453 lowers the fine down to $100 and gets rid of the criminal penalties completely.

At the same time, the city is cracking down on booze, barring liquor stores from operating in areas zoned 'residential.'

So there have been three home-invasion-ish robberies in the Villages of Homeland development (where Woodburne Ave turns into Homeland Ave). Not to mention about three motorists robbed/carjacked on that stretch of York Rd.

The city is paying $150,000 to a guy who was arrested by mistake-- and held for eight months.

Wait, what? Law enforcement doesn't need a warrant to read your emails -- so long as someone has opened them and/or they're more than six months old? What the heck is that?

State police are swamped with gun license applications.

Victim ID updates: Gerald Commodore, 22, killed on Windsor Ave yesterday; D'Andre Thomas, 25, killed on Fox St
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) March 19, 2013

Oh noo, a fourth lawsuit for Kevin "Elmo" Clash from his first accuser, Sheldon Stephens,* and the words "crystal meth sex parties" are involved. Stephens has filed in PA, a state with a more lenient statute of limitations than NY (or for that matter, MD).

& if you're into 30-something Hispanic guys with spiky hair WBAL advises you to "Watch for car linked to indecent exposures cases." Oh dang, sorry ladies, they got him.

Yuck of the Irish

Busy all day, so what the hell happened?
Well...

Cham Green

Baltimore City homicide victim #41(march 18) an Unidentified Male had a disagreement at a home's doorway entrance in the 2700 block of Fox Street, which is in Remington between 26th and 2th street near Howard Street.

The third trial for one of the two guys accused of beheading three children moved ahead with a recording never before played in court*, which places Adan Canela on the scene at the time of the crime.  Fer fart's sake, does every reporter covering this case call these two by different names? So this is the trial now of Policarpio Espinoza Perez, who Justin George is calling Espinoza Perez. And he's calling Adan Canela Espinoza Canela. Anyway so who is Adan Canela to Guadaloupe? Fortunately there's a chart.* Sooo. Canela is the son of Chacha and Victor, who is father of Policarpio. Espinoza Perez or Espinoza-Perez or just Perez. Adan's mom ChaCha was Victor Perez's prior babymom, and Victor and Guadaloupe were the parents of Policarpio Espinoza Perez. So now Policarpio can testify against Adan since they're being tried separately for the first time, and even though three trials for illegal immigrants paid for by us is kind of a bitch, at least we are finally getting a clue to what happened and some justice for those poor children, Lucero and Ricardo Espinoza and Alexis Quezada.

Michael Wesley

Police have ID'd Rachel Curtis' killer as freckly Michael Wesley, left, who is out and about, so if you see him call police.

Gary Burton

Surly-looking Gary Burton was arrested* for the homeless shelter stabbing, and two more people were killed yesterday. Cham says ID on 1800 Ruxton Avenue victim is Terrence Rheubottom, 27, of Moreland Avenue. A guy on Manchester Avenue was found bullet-ridden in a car.

Just got off the phone w the father of one of the weekend homicide victims: Worked at Coast Guard yard,* may be mistaken identity situation
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) March 18, 2013

Safe Streets opened a location on Park Heights and they have their own hashtag, #stopshooting

The luck of the Irish was not with the County's Franklin Precinct Capt. Matthew McElwee, nabbed at a St. Patrick's day sobriety checkpoint,* and oo, the Deuce has a photo. Not a sloppy drunk photo, but it'll do.

In Parkville a drug-related stabbing*

Some rough-looking girls got into it at Anne Arundel High over some Instagram photos

Have a smart phone or tablet stolen on an MTA bus or rail car recently? Willing to talk about it for a story? Hit me back
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) March 18, 2013

Can't get out to that most recent shooting scene. If @baltospectator were here, I'd never hear the end of it
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) March 18, 2013

Michael, Mikal and Laquesha

Well, maybe this is why those homeless people who lived under 83 refused to go to a shelter. At the top o the morning a man was stabbed to death at the Harry & Jeanette Weinburg homeless shelter* on Fallsway, and the brown-eyed lad who stabbed him is still a-roaming the streets.

Two shot on E. North Avenue

A conviction for Derrick Toomer, who arranged for the murder of bail bondsman Ralph Hall at the hands of one George Foster Johnson at the KIPP Ujima Village Academy on Greenspring Avenue,* with cameras all over.

A man in Carroll County is dead after his douchburger neighbor squeezed the trigger of his hand-cannon* from an upper floor and shot him while he was on the couch.

Remember that guy, Robert Holiday, who was shot to death at the bus stop on Eastern Avenue? Well, his babymom Laquesha Lewis was behind it, with her new boyfriend Michael Martin and his brother* Mikal Martin. Wax that upper lip, Laquesha.

30 years for Terron White, who kidnapped a woman and her toddler son in Baltimore and tried to force them to drive to Bethesda-- but at some point the victim jumped out of the moving car with her son.

The nonprofit Center for Public Integrity gives MD a D- and ranks it 40/50 states for its level of access to public records and documents.

'We got to think outside the box to get this done'

Another woman murdered, another "domestic-related" situation. Today's victim is Rachel Curtis, age 31 and the mother of five children,* dead from "undisclosed trauma" in the 2600 block of Wegworth Lane.


From City Paper contributing photographer J.M. Giordano:
All this year, I'll be teaming up with the Nether Bmore on a year-long project. The Cost is a series of portraits of those affected by the city's homicide rate. I'll be taking formal portraits of families of the victims while Nether will bring his amazing style of street art to portraits of the victims. Memorials that, space allowing, will be pasted at or near the scene of the crime. If ANYONE knows a family who in 2013 has been affected by the city's murder rate, PLEASE put them in touch with me. I can be reached at jmgiordano2006@gmail.com.


Well, here's some shit: officer Kendell Richburg pleaded to charges on Monday related to planting drugs and guns on people, setting victims up and claiming in court that he witnessed transactions he didn't* while he was part of the VCIS (Violent Crimes Impact Section, now renamed the "Zone Enforcement Section") Perhaps the strangest part, Richburg apparently did it not for monetary gain but to impress higher-ups in the BPD. Claimed Richburg's lawyer Warren Brown,* "the majority of Richburg's contacts with the informant were about making low-level drug arrests, and that such arrests are a big part of the Police Department's enforcement strategy. 'The department will deny that they have quotas, but they do,' Brown said. 'They grab these guys with one bag of weed, and the quality of the arrest is never scrutinized.'"

It's been almost nine years* since the triple child murder at the Fallstaff apartments, and after all these years the motive has remained a mystery. Finally at the third trial, the mother of two of the decapitated children, Noemi Quezada, has testified to a possible motive: the fury of Guadalupe Hernandez over her husband Victor's romantic interests in her niece, Espejo Quezada, who lived with Noemi and her children with her son, Alexis,* who was also killed. Hernandez is in a Mexican prison for trying to have Victor killed in 2009.

Meet the K-Mart disturber, Clifton Duncan Jr. No word on what he did that was so disturbing.

Ian Baron: Honduran by birth, Jewish by adoption, anti-Semetic hate crime convict because alcohol?

Khakis were sullied

One Clifton Rodney Duncan Jr. caused a "disturbance" at the Rosedale K-Mart, then broke into a house, then barricaded himself at Winner Distributing and was taken into custody at about 7 p.m.

Rodney Pridget,
photo Tweeted by Fenton

More than two years after Rodney Pridget was murdered outside of Towson Town Center in what evidence indicates was a Black Guerrilla Family-ordered hit, the accused triggerman and final, youngest defendant, Tyrone Brown, was found guilty.

A water bottle was hurled, khakis were sullied, major defense lawyer Ivan Bates was retained and now Bernstein's Major Investigations Unit is now poring through the nuances of the case of two financial analysts and a venture capitalist who got into a Harbor East slugfest.*

@justin_fenton have you heard anything about the ridiculous amount of car break ins that have been happening by Riverside Park in S. Bmore?
— Steve Beck (@stevembeck) March 12, 2013

Sweet, sweet romance: John Leopold's girlfriend Jane Miller-- not to be confused with the girlfriend who subjected him to oral sodomy in the bowling alley parking lot, or the gimlet-eyed reporter-- testified at his sentencing down in AAC yesterday that Leopold is "remorseful and contrite" and that he referred to his taxpayer-funded pee-bag-dumping employee as "Dr. Patti."

Erin Thorne

More dirty from AAC: a 28-year-old teacher Erin Nicole Thorne is facing serious trouble following allegations from an 18-year-old student that she sent him sexts, texts and "obscene matter" and "engaged in sexual activity" with him after he turned 18 but while he was still a student at Broadneck High.

Nicholas Vargas, 24, of the Windsor Mill area drove up to Pottsville, PA, punched a man in the face at the Coney Island restaurant.

Ten years is a long time to go away for "criminal threats," no?

Damn, Dundalk, $1.5 million worth of counterfeit goods at the flea market*? (But is that the goods' actual value, or what it would have been if the goods were really the brand they were supposed to be?)

So the nefarious Koch brothers reportedly aspire to buy the Tribune-- the newspaper group or the whole sorry mess. But only if baby-eating dingo Rupert Murdoch or cracker-faced capitalist Lee Mitchell lose their bids.

Finally, have a sobering .gif in which you can watch Baltimore's middle-class neighborhoods disappear. 

Gunning

The death of Henry Mills in 2011 was to avenge the death of fellow Black Guerilla Family member Naim King in 2007, reports Justin George,* which led to an unusual conviction under the state's gang statute.

Brandon Mitchell

How did 18-year-old Brandon Kyle Mitchell get bail for a first-degree murder charge*? TWICE*? Shrug. He's now been convicted of the murder of 16-year-old Omar Johnson, a bystander who was watching a fight (presumably between Mitchell and someone else). Oh well, no harm no foul and all's well that ends well, right?

Baltimore police are investigating apparent homicide of unknown man at 600 S Fulton Ave. this morning. No details yet.
— Justin George (@justingeorge) March 8, 2013

Body found this morning in 600 S Fulton was behind train car twitter.com/justin_fenton/…
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) March 8, 2013

4:20 is coming 2 1/3 hours early today: HB 302, aka the Maryland Medical Marijuana Act, is set to be read today, along with two other medical marijuana bills. The bill would let the state's "Academic Medical Centers" distribute the pot in town. Curt Anderson's full frontal decriminalization bill is to be read March 19, And Bobby Zirkin's got a pot law too, making less than 10 grams a civil offense and fine of $100.

MD's gun clubs claim that they've sent a (literal) million emails to MD's legislators re. SB 281/HB 294 opposing the bill's new gun licensing and sales restrictions.

Three people shot Tuesday night.

What did the Hopkins Men's Lacrosse team do to deserve a benching?

That Baltimore white

Big sads! Anna Ditkoff, creator of the Murder Ink column, has been laid off from the City Paper. Posted she to Facebook:
Due to budget cuts, this week's Murder Ink column is the last I will write for City Paper (a staff member will cover homicides going forward). 
When I created Murder Ink in 2004, nearly 300 people were being murdered in Baltimore City every year, losing their lives to violence so commonplace that their deaths weren't consistently covered in the media. Over the last eight and a half years, Murder Ink chronicled 2,106 homicides and proved that Baltimoreans really do care about the people murdered on the streets of their city. I saw this concern in the researchers, community activists, journalists, victims' families, and readers who contacted me. I saw it in the music and art projects inspired by the column and in the people who sat for hours listening to Single Carrot Theatre's annual Murder Ink reading.
Writing Murder Ink has often been heartbreaking. There are victims I will never forget—some because of the horror of their deaths and some because of the tragically mundane events that sparked them. Still, I am saddened to leave it behind. Making sure every homicide in Baltimore is marked is a mission that I continue to believe in. It's been an honor to report on this difficult issue for City Paper's readers.

Big happy-- happy investiture to my former classmate who's now a real Baltimore city circuit court judge: Judge Julie R. Rubin.

...

Cham lists last weekend's six murder victims

Police are trying to identify the woman at right, found in the Inner Harbor.

Jermaine Miller, 29, got 134 months in federal prison for slinging that Baltimore white.

Baltimore Shake n Bake

WMAR says five, the Sun says six murders this past weekend,* which has got to be close to some kind of record.

So even though the vast majority of Marylanders support the basic provisions of the bill, last Friday protestors against the Firearm Safety bill way outnumbered people who showed up to support the bill, now passed by the senate and moving on to the house as HB 294. The bill doesn't take anyone's guns away, specifies the right to carry between a residences and places of business and gives gun buyers until October 2013 to buy all of the assault weapons they can. New provisions include fingerprinting for licenses, keeping the previously forcibly committed from buying, letting police officers examine gun-shop sales records-- I guess before only the ATF could do that. Anyway, if you have an opinion on this bill, especially if you are from Baltimore city, a demographic markedly missing from Friday's protests, it would behoove you to contact your elected officials to offer your opinion.

Friends, hundreds of bystanders and cameras everywhere, yet no one who was on the Ravens' parade route will step forward to ID 15-year-old De'ontae Smith's killer.*

Life + 35 for Anthony Cole, who shot at this wife but killed a bystander instead.

WTF? In the county one Charles V. Palmer is charged with stabbing his 14-year-old son in the neck.*

Family of LaRelle Amos are still ISO answers about who shot her.

A Dateline-worthy mystery in Kent County: what happened to Robin Pope?

Police won't stop talking about "shake and bake" on scanner. What the hell does that mean? @justin_fenton
— Scott Dance (@ssdance) March 3, 2013

Perhaps this?

Wild times at Kitty's

A sheriff's deputy was injured this morning after a gun "went off" inside the Juvenile Justice Center.

Police identify pair fatally shot on Sunday night in 1700 block Montpelier; Maurice Barfield; 33; and Shantese Evans, 26
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) February 28, 2013

That gun control amendment passed the Senate, mega-rallies are planned for A-town. Fingerprinting gun owners! Barring the mentally ill! Letting cops check gun-store records! The very nerve and gall!

Speaking of crazy people, Joshua Caesar, blinded in a barbed-wire-wrapped baseball-bat attack by cannibal coed Alexander Kinuya, is suing Morgan State U. for not doing enough* to protect the public.

How crappy were Robbert Gladden's parents? Aside from having unsecured weapons around, the teen told a detective he's had suicidal thoughts since the 4th grade, but apparently no one in his family noticed and/or did anything to try to get him help.


Aiieee creepy Dundalk child porn guy!! A million dollar bail for one child-porn charge?

Softest kitties, sharpest claws-- bar patrons at Kitty's Lounge successfully disarmed a knife-wielding man.

A source says that the mayoral candidate murdered in Mississippi, Marco McMillian, was president of the board of Pigtown Main Street (NYT link). Twenty-two year old Lawrence Reed has been charged with his murder.

Lies, sit-ups and refreshments

A cop in a federal drug case was caught lying, and Jayne Miller is wondering why lying cops are still working cases.

Today in Dr. Levy news, lawyers are demanding to know why his pen-camera wasn't discovered earlier,* and say previous patients stopped seeing him because of a lack of a "chaperone" in the room. FHBIII has now been called back from retirement to help on the case. (non-Sun link) ... if you're looking for a good ladydoctor, I can't say enough nice things about this practice.

A total of 12 officers have now been charged by the feds in the case of the beating of Kenneth Davis at Roxbury.

That gun-control bill is going up for a vote in the Senate today.

City officials are working out a deal to hold Brekford, the vendor of the new speed cameras, accountable for mistakes, but won't tell anyone just how they'll be doing that.

Whistleleaker Bradley Manning is set to give a statement today on why he passed info along to Wikileaks.

So the officer candidate who was shot in the head has been named, and he's 43. They take 40-somethings? Really? I guess they do. Searching around the only requirements appear to be that you're at least 20 and meet some rather underwhelming physical requirements (29 sit-ups in a minute? Sheeit, I hope so!)

Speaking of the BPD, couple of events:
Baltimore Police Community Ride-Along and Open House:
Friday, March 1st from 2:00-10:00pm @ Northern District Station
2201 West Coldspring Lane

Ever wanted to ride along with a police officer, observe first hand the work officers do on a daily basis? Then this is your chance. On Friday March 1st the Northern District will be hosting a community ride-along and open house. Participants will be paired with an officer and will patrol with them for several hours of their shift. Afterward refreshments will be served and participants will have the option to attend several presentations and a station house tour.

Those wishing to participate in the ride along are requested to be at the Northern District Station between 2:00pm and 2:20pm . The ride –along will continue until 6:00pm when refreshments will be served. The open house will continue until 10:pm. Participants need not participate in both segments of the event.

Reservations are requested to participate in the ride-along portion RSVP by calling 410-367-8491 ( If you leave a message with your name and Phone Number a slot will be reserved. You may also RSVP via E-mail at Ronaldo.Moralesjr@Baltimorepolice.org

Coffee with a Cop: Saturday, March 2nd at McDonald’s at 29th and Greenmount  9 a.m. to Noon Coffee Provided by McDonald’s

Join Northern District Police Officers for a Coffee Break: Meet and Great them, tell them what you think, find out about the challenges they face every day on the job, or just get to know them over a cup of coffee.

16 slices of pie

The Ink details last week's seven murders, plus case updates.

Student-on-teacher assaults are on the rise.

Have you seen this suspect wanted for the robbery of two staff members inside Mercy Hospital*? I have, he tried to break into my office while I was in it this summer. I remember that exaggerated "poor me" expression very well. But like a dumbass, instead of calling the cops I asked him "can I help you?" and he made some lame excuse about looking for a bicycle part and then hoofed it out of there. Therefore this robbery is entirely my fault.

"Alleged fast-food burglar caught napping on the job after 16 slices of pie"

Today in Dr. Nikita Levy news: the clinic where he worked had limited oversight,* and he was busted because an employee raised her suspicions about his pen camera. And this OpEd is pissing me off: "Predatory physician case shows by patients must be vigilant.*" Oh, STFU -- it's now the patients' fault for not being vigilant enough? There was someone else in the room for his exams. She was the one who busted him. There was nothing in his background for a background check to turn up. What would an audit have done? "Predatory physician case shows that physicians should not be predators," TFTFY.

Tragic: woman in Reisterstown killed by suicidal driver.*

Oh, Todd Huff. The phone calls he made to the County chief of police are now on the internets.

Berger's cookies is back in the baking business,* but peeling paint? Cigarette smoking in the bakery? Those cookies now sounding not-so-tasty.

I'm thinking someone found out my Spectator sympathy has waned.

Dine dine dash, fap fap knife

Life sentence for James Sweeny,* a former Locust Point resident turned head of Dead Man Inc, who admitted he ordered hits to help raise money for the gang.

Maryland's top court "has eliminated the $1 billion award of punitive damages to Baltimore County residents stemming from a massive 2006 gasoline leak in Jacksonville, and wiped out or ordered new trials on much of the $650 million in compensatory damages as well." WTF? (TDR subscriber link)

The Supreme Court is taking up MD's warrantless-DNA-collection law today

The General Assembly will be taking up a bill that prohibits the shackling of inmates in labor.

A man was stabbed in the shoulder in lower Charles Village as he tried to flee a robbery.

Levy case: police say they've been contacted by more than 2,000 former patients.

Police have released new COMSAT data.

If you want to listen to the General Assembly argue about guns, have at it.

Dine-and-dash artist Andrew Palmer, 46, got 29 days and a year for his seizure-faking routine. He has been arrested more than 80 times.*

Southern district: pot growers busted, plants photographed

WBAL has released photos of Robert Gladden pulling out a rifle in the Perry Hall cafeteria. Gladden got 35 years yesterday.

Out in Towson a couple having sex in a parking garage caught a guy watching them and masturbating, he then chased them with a knife.

"A trip that started out for bird watching in Laurel ended with the discovery of a human skull." Other human remains were also found in Overlea.

In HarfCo a teacher's aide at Bel Air High school was charged with having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student.

This is not a repost

Not a repost: For the second time in 3 days, a man and a woman were found fatally shot inside a car. This time in the 1700 block Montpelier
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) February 25, 2013

The couple shot inside a car that was set on fire in Mondawmin were identified as Taewan Tuck, 34, and Alysia Strickland, 33. We have had 29 homicides so far this year. Cham notes that Strickland is the second white female to be murdered in the city this year.

Pre-trial evidence hearings for accused child-killers Policarpio Espinoza and Adan Canela are underway, and now both DNA evidence and the testimony of a key witness have been thrown out.* Here's the Sun's coverage of the Byzantine case, shorthanded as the "Fallson murders".

Both of the 13-year-old reported missing this weekend, Kaitlyn Benny and Kymira Martin, were found. Or Martin at least contacted her mother and updated her Facebook page. And 15-year-old Taleia Terry was also missing and found.

Meanwhile at JHU/Homewood campus, a girl got hit at a party, her guy friend jumped to defend her and lost three teeth.

Need a city lobbyist? Call Harris Jones & Malone,* who have reportedly repped 41 percent of companies fighting city hall.

Twelve years in jail for Rodney Hailey of Perry Hall, who sold renewable fuel credits he didn't own for bio-diesel he didn't make. Hailey was also ordered to pay $42,196,089.78 in restitution.

Three teenage boys were robbed near Towson Town Center, and the speed camera near Loch Raven and Cromwell Bridge Road was vandalized again (what it really needs is a bikini top, don't you think?).

So councilman Todd "don't you know who I am?!" Huff huffed a BAC of .20. More than twice the legal limit, sure, but to look on the bright side, only half of what killed Amy Winehouse. He's also given up his county car.