Saturday, August 26, 2006

Shooting on Belair Road

Three men conducted an armed robbery at a check-cashing establishment on Belair Road today. They apparently shot at least one employee and then the three fled on foot.



Do you think maybe the police will actually write up the B&E when it is the
Mayor's office which was broken into?

City of Victims

The good news*: 15 percent of Baltimore Crime readers haven't been the victim of a crime in Baltimore City (or never lived here). The bad news: the remaining 85 percent have been victim of a veritable myriad plethora of offenses, most prominently, a car break-in (note to self: call Safelite® re. advertising). A shocking number of readers have also been physically assaulted by a stranger, shot, stabbed, scammed, jacked and swiped from. At least eight readers have had a relative murdered in the city.

Don't forget to take the new poll (you may have to scrool to the bottom of the page if you're using Explorer), and to vote in the CP's BOBs (in case you're trying to remember for the "best scandal" category the PSC member who solicited 'ho Valerie Fletcher and released a letter blaming his acts on "ED" was named Charles R. Boutin).

*Other than that I'm back in America

... Other News

Darien Lawson, age 7, is back home after being >stabbed by another 7-year-old on a playground in Essex.

Some asshole in a dark SUV with Denali rims and a red-eyed skull sticker ran over teenager Lia Longhofer and her dog.

Billy Wells: high school student, basketball player, wholesale coke dealer.

Ex-from-hell Stephen Kokinakos of BaltoCo has defied a court order and kidnapped his three sons.

Why does Loyola College keep letting nutjobs into its grad programs? Former student Garrett Alder is charged with three counts of attempted murder, arson and stalking after harassing a professor, setting his house on fire and lurking in the woods. (The 25-year-old Connecticutian was quickly located by a Belgian Malawa. WTF that is.)

Marc Munford of Randallstown got 33 Federal months for harboring wanted bank robber Kendall Alexander Sr.

As if the Senate race wasn't weird enough, Russell Simmons went all the way from NY to Laurel to endorse Michael Steele.

..Int'l

Maryland teacher Ali Asad Chandia got 15 years for helping to ship 50,000 paintball pellets to Kashmir.

No matter how bad things get, sloppy cops may still be better than the well-organized ones of Bobo Freedom City, Beijing.

Airports and airlines everywhere went insane yesterday ... there was also a "mystery package" scare at De Gaulle, which closed the closed the airport and prevented trains or shuttles from coming in or going out for more than an hour.

August 26

Methodology problem

An Edgewood man was sentenced to 25 years for abducting an 18 year-old from 20th & Boone in Northern Baltimore in 2001, transporting him to Harford County, and shooting him dead in the head.

The question here is, who should record the murder? The deed was done in Harford, but the hazard is clearly to people on the Greenmount corridor, Baltimore City. Interestingly, we had another similar case a couple of years ago at 25th & Greenmount who was abducted and removed to a location in the Eastern District before being killed. That incident was recorded as an Eastern homicide, even though the hazard was to patrons of a location in Northern.

In Greg Kane's opinion article, catch his take on the fatal shooting of a boy by an assaulted police officer on a domestic dispute.

In police coverage, a good sized retail drug bust in Reservioir Hill nabs several dealers, including the 13 year-old son of one of the dealers.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Friday August 25

Do you smell something? Nah, that's just another body.

A decaying body found at St. Mary's in Seton Hill had apparently been in the bushes for about a month. Another day in paradise, I mean Baltimore.

Misconduct? What misconduct?

A highly racist email was sent from DPW to someone in the BCPD and then forwarded within BCPD many times. When questioned about it, Police Department spokesweasel Jablow had this to say:

"The Baltimore Police Department has no tolerance for employees who make racially insensitive remarks or distribute racially insensitive material,"

But Matt, your department does have tolerance. For racism, false arrests, lying under oath, covering up crime stats, declining to write up incidents, raping hookers, taking bribes to not appear at trial, etc. More tolerance than I've ever seen in a city police department. Thank goodness Councilman Harris is willing to call you on the carpet for this incident. Clearly, Mr. O'Malley will never do it. He's pretty darn tolerant. Kinda recommends against NAACP endorsing him, dontchya think? As for Mr. Hamm, if the Commissioner is supposed to be intolerant of misconduct, then Lenny cannot be the Commissioner, cuz' he looks the other way at a lotta nonsense. He's publicly stated that the BCPD will not tolerate .... a whole buncha stuff that's still going on to this day.

A useful City Council would demand that the BCPD comply within 60 days with the purported intolerance of all these things. Our just looks for more contracts to hand off to Sheila Dixon's associates. (OK, so the last two paragraphs were less than journalistically neutral. Sorry.)



Oh, this is rich. A former Psychology graduate student from Loyola tried to torch his Prof's home in York Co, PA. What was his thesis on, Career Dissatisfaction and Pyromania?


So, we have a new Acting Head of Corrections for the State of Maryland. Howzabout locking the bastards up in their cells? Just a naive concept of my own making.

In the Police Blotter, a shooting and a robbery. In yesterday's Blotter, a shooting a robbery, an assault on an officer, and an arrest on a murder warrant.

Also, a shooting, a robbery, and a whole bunch of burglaries in Charles Village and North Baltimore generally as detailed in the Messenger's Crime Log.

Two brothers operating a wholesale drug distribution ring to Hagerstown have plead guilty in Baltimore City to federal conspiracy charges. They were under surveilance near Union Memorial Hospital in Charles Village and face a maximum of forty years with a mandatory minimum of five upon sentencing in November.

The couple from Chantilly, VA who were falsely arrested in Baltimore had their day in court with the arresting officer. They were falsely arrested. The case was dismissed.

The Sun raises questions about how much O'Malley's administration has reduced crime and created jobs in Baltimore. The numbers appear not to bear out the Mayor's claims.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Wednesday August 23

Circuit Court judge Althea Handy has accepted a plea from convicted murderer Robert C. Griffin in the 1985 murder of Annie Cruse, who was found in Druid Hill Park. His counsel presented a DNA challenge which doesn't refute the prosecutor's case, but rather could muddy the waters. The State's Attorney indicates the conviction is solid and that it has credible witness(es). In any event, a so-called Alford plea was granted, acknowledging that the findings would likely be sufficient to sustain a guilty finding and commuting the sentence at time served. The Cruse family is not so pleased as Griffin.

Continuing coverage of the investigation of City Council President Sheila Dixon's affiliates in connection with improper diversion of City Council contracts appears in today's Sun article. Maybe the Council should consider passing an ordinance against stealing from the taxpayers. It's already illegal? Who'da thunk it? O'Malley's campaign promise of greater minority setasides raises concerns about corruption in his government in the Sun 's coverage.


Activist Bill Cosby to area excuse-makers: "You can't keep pointing the finger and saying, 'They're building more jails.' So what? Let 'em build 'em. Nobody says you have to go."
I heard that.

BCPD Det. William Welch was indicted by a Baltimore grand jury on rape and misconduct charges in connection with a 16 year-old prostitute he allegedly raped at the Southeast District station.

A robbery, a shooting, arrests on a murder warrant and an attempted murder with handgun warrant, and an arrest on an armed robbery in the police blotter today.

Homicides (5 this week per Murder Ink, 6 in fact) Total to date: 177

Mon. Aug 14 23 year-old Ryan Teel was murdered (176) and two other boys shot on the 400 block, Ilchester Ave. in tiny, 8 square block Harwood, part of Charles Village and host to six murders already this year. Note: another of the boys, Rodtinae Jones, has passed away as of this writing (177). The third victim is in critical condition with a collapsed lung.

Tues. Aug 15 27 year-old Harold Williams was shot on Clifton Ave. (175), as were two other young males.

Sat. Aug. 19 63 year-old Mary Page was stabbed at her home (174) on the 200 block N. Culver St.

Sun. Aug 20 26 year-old Pepe Bennett was multiply shot (173) on the 1800 block, N. Montford.
Sun. Aug 20 21 year-old William Tillman was found in the alley behing Spaulding Ave. shot several times. (172)

FYI: we are less than two-thirds through the calendar year and have already recorded more murders in shrinking Baltimore City than the entire State of Massachusetts does over the course of a year. That ain't right. T'aint right.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

August 22

The 63 year-old found stabbed to death in her home at the 200 block, N. Culver, in Edmondson Village over the weekend has been identified as Mary Page. The case is being investigated as a homicide.

23 year-old Darryl Cook, jr. is being sought pursuant to a warrant for the Aug. 9 beating death of 28 year-old Cecil Saunders at the Executive Motor Inn on Pulaski Highway. Cook, who also went by the alias Donnell Williams, frequented the 2200 block of Wilkens Ave.

Also, Dennis James Wallace, 54, has been indicted in the 1983 killing of William Gibson, then 57, at the 2200 block of east Pratt Street. The cause has up until this time been listed as undetermined.

The editorial page of the Examiner calls upon Police Commissioner Lenny Hamm and spokesweasel Jablow to publicly apologize for the department's false arrest and charging of a Baltimore man for the theft of his own car, of which the police disposed prematurely. Don't hold your breath; the department's real good at making mistakes, not good at admitting it.

Around 1:30 this afternoon a motorbiker was hit and run on Frederick Ave. He was taken to shock trauma.

I usually don't include white-collar crime, but given the City's tacit assent to part I crime in Baltimore, it just seems that a link to the Examiner article on the ongoing State investigation of key staffers of City Council President Sheila Dixon is appropriate. The lucrative contract to manage the information systems of City Council has bounced from one Dixon affiliate to another. Her campaign chairman's home has been raided in connection with the investigation. link to article Now, since Dixon would succeed O'Malley as Mayor of Baltimore if he wins the gubernatorial race, a vote for O'Malley is a vote for.... this ?? Grreeaatt.

Monday, August 21, 2006

August 21 in the City That Bleeds

I knew it was too good to be true.

Well, the media coverage made it at least seem as if it was an uneventful weekend, in terms of local crime. However,...


... we got three more homicides, which apparently were not as newsworthy as increased voter registration tallies statewide.

A 63 year-old woman was found dead in her home on the 200 block of North Culver St.

Saturday night Pepe Bennett,26, of the 2900 block of Montford Ave. was found shot dead on the 1600 block of Montford, in the Eastern District.

Around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday William Tillman, age 21, was found in the alley at the rear of the 3000 block, Spaulding Ave near Pimlico. He had died of gunshot wound(s).

In broad daylight

A 25 year-old man walking the 300 block of East North Ave. was accosted by a gunman and shot in the hip around 4:00 p.m.

A few blocks north along the 2900 block of Greenmount Ave., about three hours later, two female pedestrians heard gunshots and ran, finding that they had each been hit in the leg.


Now, mind you, we get better tv news coverage of people falling in Rock State Park and of robberies in Columbia than incidents dead smack in the middle of town. Where I was brought up, a shooting was considered kinda important. Welcome to O'Malleyville.

So, get yourself some stylish kevlar clothing, perambulate the neighborhood, and Get In On it. Or maybe Get Shot In It.

But stay out of cars, even your own. City resident Keith Spence was arrested in February for stealing a car, a used Eldorado. Who's car was stolen? Keith Spence's. Yes, he was arrested and tried for being in posession of his own car, according to the story in the Examiner.

BTW, German shepherd Rolf, the MTA k-9 officer, was found at Cold Spring Lane and Reisterstown Rd. He's good to go and back on the job.

August 20 A slow weekend

When the police blotter is sumarized tomorrow, we'll see if the truth was as serene as the media portrayed it this weekend.

Around 11:00 p.m. last (Sat.) night a 14 year-old pedestrian was clipped by a black SUV while walking her dog, now dead, at Guilford & Fayette, according to wjz news. Yes, right by City Hall. Eyewitnesses are encouraged to contact the police.

Also, a German shepherd canine officer described as having a distinct black coat with silver and brown markings and a tattoo that says "J-328" in his right ear has gone AWOL around Hilton Pkwy. Please contact the police if you see Rolf.

I just saw Pres. Sheila Dixon on WMAR's local political talk show To The Point. She was asked about the increase in violence toward children of late. Her answer was that that 'society' needs to mend the faulty domestic environment through the schools. She observes that "we don't just need a nurse in the school, we need a psychologist, a social worker..." She refers constantly to 'providing resources to the families' because as she notes, minors are making more money on the street than their mother, they're paying the bills. And all that without an identifiable employer. She also spoke of the churches taking ownership of their neighborhoods.

Translation: she has no idea what to do as the President. Lotsa ideas what someone else oughta do. So nice to have a municipal government with real leadership, huh?