Friday, September 14, 2012

Scene Freaked by The Man;
Bum Trips Ensue

Two men found each shot in their respective arms in a car right next to Homeland, at Bellona and E. Northern Parkway. But relax, Homelanders, police say they were shot elsewhere and drove there. Wonder how they were discovered?

Police tweeted regarding a "Questionable death" in the 900 block of Saint Dunstan's Road. "Homicide detectives are investigating." (But relax, Homelanders, that's on the bad side of St. Dunstan's Road).

McIntosh as snapped
by Frank Hamilton
at CP's 2005 BOB party, via CP
In a nod to the quaint reporting techniques of a bygone era, CP's Van Smith is physically in the Greenbelt courthouse for the trial of Daniel Gerard Joaquin McIn­tosh Sr., 36. McIntosh, co-owner of the now-closed Sonar and Talking Head bars and McCabe's in Hampden is accused of being involved in a conspiracy with 15 others to sell a literal ton of pot in a prodigious operation that involved planes, trucks and local stash houses. If convicted he faces life in prison based on his four prior felony convictions. (The jury won't know about his priors or the potential sentence. Still, what would you do on that jury? Selling pot after four convictions is criminally stupid, no doubt, and he seems like kind of a wiener, but $38k a year from taxpayers to support this guy for the rest of his life just for the selling of the pot? Smart move, taking that to a federal jury. I can't think of six denizens I know who wouldn't nullify the pants off that case.) The CP's referring to it the 'Nicka Conspiracy,' as one Matt Nicka was supposedly the guy in charge, the other accused conspirators are Kee­gan Leahy (pleaded guilty), Anthony Marcantoni, David D’Amico, Gretchen Peterson, Jeffrey Putney, Daniel Fountain, Andrew Sharpeta, Jeremey Landsman, Sean Costello, Ian Travis Minshall, Michael Phillips, Adam Constantinides, and Joseph Spain.

If you ❤ charts you'll be all aflutter at the latest missive from the Bernstein bureau, showing how his circuit court conviction rate is housing Jessamy's-- a charteriffic rejoinder to critics who have groused about the office's gloomy murder clearance numbers.

A guilty plea in federal court from 34-year-old Evan Foreman, who robbed check-cashing joints, a liquor store and the PNC bank inside the Owings Mills Giant (where one of his brothers worked).

Harriet Taylor, 56, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a mortgage-title scheme that netted her $1.5 million. Mortgage lenders sent her the money for properties, Taylor kept the money, and somehow managed to get away with that for an entire year.

QTD: "You can't equate your sin with my skin!" In this month's Mother Jones, some behind-the-scenes on the fight for marriage in MD, including the beaucoup d'$$ funneled to a PGC "bishop" by the National Organization for Marriage. But the bigots aren't the only ones getting out-of-state money, last night Annie Linskey brushed shoulders with swells in Soho,* including Dubya's daughter Barbara (aka "the hot one").

Pay yer taxes people, because The Man does not ef around and will throw yer azz in jail -- like Lauryn Hill, or this guy Makushamari Gozo from Zimbabwe, arrested for fraudulently collecting more than $180k in refunds that he claimed he was owed for buying 39 million gallons of "alternative fuel."

The Man also closed down the Loads of Fun art space in station north after somebody squealed to the housing authority that artists were subverting the dominant paradigm by using it as a flophouse.

And some sad media blabber: after a decade, the Urbanite* es muerto. It will cease publication at the end of the month.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

A travelling stick-up man.


Joshua Ellsworth,
Amy Davis/Sun
Fenton's got your backstory* on the arrest on Quenton "Ty" Bass for the murder of Alex Ulrich and shooting of Larry Peterson in Mt. Vernon: Bass was a drifter/Washington-Monument-Park lounger from NC who'd also robbed a third person that night and committed another robbery nine days later. (So, not a "gay thing.") The case was solved by detective Joshua Ellsworth plus a couple of rookie cops, Jason Dipaola and Steven Vinias, who were sent in for the customary post-homicidal facetime placation of the nervous neighbors, and administered a patdown to Bass and found the murder weapon after his wanton public boozing caught their eye.

Police have released sketches, left, of guys they're ISO regarding a Sept 4 shooting on W Hoffman St.

Defense attorney: Perry Hall HS shooter Bobby Gladden wanted to commit suicide by cop

Elicott City "mom" Joaquinia LaJeuness pleaded guilty to injuring her murdered son

What the?! A HarfCo officer suffered a fatal heart attack while attending another officer's funeral, and his was the fourth law-enforcement death in a week up there.

In tort world, the Maryland Small Arms Range in Upper Marlboro is being sued by one Derrick Hunter, who's cheesed by the discrimination of the range's "ladies' day." Hunter and his lawyer have also sued a nail salon that charged him $4 more for a manicure and pedicure. (Hullo, there's no such thing as 'reverse sexism' -- it's just sexism.) Here's hoping they'll also go after hairstylists like the Chop Shop that charge $16 for a guy's haircut and $50 for a woman's, and local dry cleaners that charge more than twice as much to clean a woman's shirt than a man's.

Ps. I see we have a new advertiser, "Concealed Carry Magazine." I guess it's nice that niche publications are still finding a way in our digital world?

Arrest in Mt. Vernon Murder!

BREAKING: Tweet: arrest and charge Quinton Bass for murder of Mt. Vernon's Alex Ulrich -suspect photo here

Amazingly, there is no Quinton Bass on the JIS

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Kids -> van


Northeast Baltimore -Police investigate a possible abduction. 5500 block Bowley's Lane. Two juveniles ages 9 & 12 last seen in a blue van. ... hoping it's a non-custodial parent thing, and not a gang-retaliation thing like those Blackwell brothers...

UPDATE!!
Update, Northeast Baltimore abduction. 5500 block of Bowley's Lane. No abduction, the children have been located at a relatives home. 


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Man shot @ Morgan State

Sandwiches and Sin at the CJCC

Dropped by the CJCC meeting this afternoon, as I was in the neighborhood and had a notion to scope out new commissioner Batts. Batts apparently won't be on the grind until the end of September (Deputy Commissioner Skinner was there instead), but there were sandwiches, and here's some other interesting stuff I done learnded:

According to Tammy Brown, (formerly Chief of Staff of the Department of Juvenile Services, and now executive director of O'Malley's office of Crime Control and Prevention) the state now has no DNA backlog. Fairly amazeballs given that six months ago the backlog was 654. Brown said clearing the backlog has led to 487 DNA-related arrests.

According to Sam Abed of the Department of Juvenile Services, the "VPI" is why the juvenile homicide rate is down so much-- 58% since 2008. Statewide 994 youths are in the VPI program and 276 in the city. The program apparently involves cherry-picking the exceptionally naughty children and GPSing their little ankles and/or making them report to someone three times a week.

Reporting for the Attorney General's office was one Brian Kleinbord, chief of the criminal appeals division, who recapped four Fourth-Circuit cases to watch in the near future, all of which might find their way to SCOTUS:

Maryland v  King, aka "the cheek swab case." He said MD filed its "cert" in August and will find out in late October or early November if SCOTUS will grant it.

Woollard, et al., v Gallagher et al, aka the "concealed carry case." The appeal will be argued October 24.

Merzbacher v. Shearin, which he called "as notorious and salacious as any case we've seen." This involves a Catholic-school child rapist (Merzbacher), convicted by a city jury and sentenced to four life terms. After Merzbacher was convicted, he appealed, claiming that he hadn't been informed of a plea deal. Said plea was heard by dear departed Judge Prevas, who found that Merzbacher's lawyer was lying, considering he found it unlikely they'd never talked plea bargaining and furthermore, as it turned out, said lawyer was also a convicted criminal who lied on her bar application. Merzbacher appealed Prevas' decision, District Court Judge Andre Davis agreed with Merzbacher, and so now the 4th C will deal with that mess October 23 in Richmond.

And some other fascinating facts:
Crime is down in almost every category over this time last year, though homicides are up (by less than one percent) over this time last year, and "larceny from auto" is up 6 percent.

So far in 2012, 55,717 people have been arrested in Maryland's "Central Region" (which appears to mean Baltimore City, since other stats in the same handout refer to city courthouses). 88% of these detainees were black, 90% were male. The average daily population of detainees is 3,320, and the most common "dominant offense" = drug-related. So far this year there have been two suicide deaths and two deaths from natural causes.





Society did it

Boone St. murder victim ID'd as Damon Vaughn, 21. The Patch notes that Vaughn had a sizable criminal record, including a conviction for armed robbery.

The Ink recaps the past week's seven murders

Remember that guy, Christopher Sharp, who took pictures of police beating up his female friend at Preakness? Police seized his camera and deleted the pictures, along with other personal photos and videos of his. So Sharp, with some help from the ACLU, sued the department, considering that taking pictures of the police in public is thoroughly legal, so long as you aren't all up in their business and whatnot. Then the DOJ chimed in as well, with a 10-page letter to the BPD telling them to quit being hosers. Buuut rather than settling the case and quietly moving on, as most flagrantly-in-the-wrong plaintiffs usually do, the department is now using your tax dollars to dig up dirt on Sharp, including talking to his ex-wife, his ex-wife's boyfriend and his former employers,* and subpoenaing his medical records, including the results of a court-ordered hair follicle test in 2007.

....But the city can afford it, because guess how much it made from speed cameras last year? Here's a hint: Xerox's windfall was $18.4 million, it averages out to about $57 per Baltimorean, and it also happens to be about the same amount the city paid out in police lawsuits last year. Note to self, buy Xerox stock.

Criminal-of-all-trades Jose Morales has been charged with soliciting the murder of one Robert Long, an accomplice who'd recently agreed to testify against him in a case involving stolen scaffolding.

The May Flower Chinese buffet at 33rd and Greenmount was robbed at knifepoint

"Parkville Man Allegedly Burglarizes Mother, Blames Society"

In Towson, a guy who wants to start his own railroad has been charged with stealing dirt.

The missing grandson of the octogenarian couple murdered in Pikesville was named as 31-year-old Michael Long*.

A shooting near Catonsville High

"Glen Burnie man shot while tattooing girlfriend"

In Dundalk, a guy stabbed a guy over a woman

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Lamdin out!

More guns @ school

An incident at Stemmers Run Middle School in Essex: WJZ says a student "road to school" with a hunting knife and a gun, pointed the gun at another student and then at himself before being restrained by his teacher.

The couple murdered in Pikesville were ID'd as Vaughn and Marjorie Pepper. And the missing home resident was ID'd as their grandson.

An attempted scooterjacking and the usual stolen accoutrements in the Northern

... I hope to drop by the CJCC meeting tomorrow, anything you readers want me to ask these people or their designated attenders?

Live your life, hug your kids and go shopping

The Sun's Johnathan Amos covers the funeral of LaRelle Amos* (and finally, the correct spelling of her name)

Fenton identifies some recent homicide victims, and notes that victim Rudolph Horton (#148) was charged with killing a 3-year-old* in 1992. Doesn't sound like there are suspects or motives for any of these murders.

In Pikesville, an elderly couple was found murdered in their home in the 800 block of Olmstead Road with no signs of forced entry.  Tweeter @chrisinbmore says "Neighbors say a younger man had been living with them; he's nowhere to be found"

A man was mugged of $200 on Calvert St. (I assume this was last Friday-- why doesn't Patch date their articles?)

Jeremy Landsman,
via the CP via his web page.
Though this pic is way awesomer.
Remember that big poker robbery Greektown in 2006, that netted $23,875 and included among its victims the brother of dear departed Judge Prevas? In true Smalltimore fashion, another victim of the robbery, it seems, was a young up-n-coming real-estate tycoon, Jeremy Landsman, who would go on to own a bunch of local properties, including Sonar and the buildings that house McCabes and Johnny Rad's. Also included in his holdings a bunch of stash houses for his doobage collection as part of his alleged involvement in a $30 mil nationwide weed business. Now Landsman is embroiled in yet more drama, battling with his former business partner Remy Esquemet over some D.C. properties at risk of being forfeited to the gubmint.

Web find: the City courts has a "highlighted trials" page, where you can read certain selected tidbits from the state's cases against Gahiji Tshamba, Mark Castillo, Lipscomb, Dixon, and Holton, and Policarpio Espinoza Perez and Adan Espinoza Canela. Why just these?

Oh, way to give the vote-suppressers more ammo, Wendy Rosen! The prospective Democrat challenger to Andy Harris has dropped out of the race following reports that in 2006 and 2008 she voted in both MD and FL. Obviously now all citizens should now have implanted, bar-coded microchips in order to be able to vote.

Perry Hall High shooting victim Daniel Borowy is out of the hospital and craving football and tacos.

New law: MD schools must have EpiPens on hand to save the peanut-allergic children.

Media blabber: the Abell Foundation still wants to buy the Sun.  Also Justin Fenton has a web page now, which can only mean he's trying to escape like Bykowicz and Hermann. Those selfish bastards, wanting fripperies like "sane hours" and "decent working conditions." And the Police Copter is Tweeting (location: ALL UP IN YOUR SHIT).

WTF is wrong with prospective Attorney General Jon Cardin? Mr. Boat Proposal is holding a fundraiser for his campaign today. Who holds a fundraiser on a Tuesday?

And oh yeah, it's 9/11, let's all remember to "never forget." As in, never forget that the hijackers were Saudi Arabian, Egyptian and Lebanese, not Iraqi or Afghan. Or the CIA desperately, repeatedly warned G. W. Bush that al Qaeda was about to attack in the U.S., specifically telling him they were planning to hijack airplanes, and how he ignored the warnings and went fishing, and during the attack kept reading "My Pet Goat" with that dumb-monkey look on his face. Never forget how a mix of fear and hubris rallied the press to unquestioningly support pre-emptive war in Iraq, barely batting an eyelash as the Patriot Act was (and still is) used to round up dissenters. Two thousand, seven hundred and fifty-two people died as a result of the 9/11 attacks. But 4,486 Americans have died in Iraq and 2,114 so far in Afghanistan (not to mention thousands of Afghans and Iraqis, including an estimated 132,000 civilians). Terrorists are dangerous. But an unchecked, unquestioned government power is more dangerous. Never forget that

Monday, September 10, 2012

Trust no one and grow a beard

Phillip Johnson, 23, was convicted of shooting his cousin.

Because storing all of your emails and texts isn't 1984-ish enough for the gubmint, the FBI is also now reportedly spending a billion bucks on face-recognition technology. Considering the technology has an 8 percent failure rate, quips a wag at the Business Insider, "now's probably not the best time to start growing that Bin Laden beard." (or maybe it's exactly the best time, eh? That can't waterboard everybody, right?)

Ps., local news reported that Roland Park Elementary/Middle went on lockdown at around 8 a.m. today as police pursued a car thief on foot, but a student there tells me that's not true, though there were a lot of helicopters overhead. (Said thief was reportedly eventually apprehended Ã  pied on Elmwood Ave)

Four people were robbed by six people of $4 in Lake Walker.

Jackasses and Cockmonsters

The victim shot to death Saturday on Gold St was named as Maurice McCoy, 28.* Four other people were shot over the weekend. 

Baltimorean Haywood Trice, 25, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the stabbing death of Tee Bee's bouncer Tavares Jones during a brawl.

In the SW, a homeowner detained alleged burglar Javier Zegarra (right) until police could fetch him.

The Remington 7-11 was robbed, and some 10-year-old cars were stolen in the Northern

Want to hear Judge Bruce Lamdin being a sadistic, sneery jackass to a "young lady" whose husband allegedly stomped on her ribs and tried to burn their his house down two weeks before Christmas? Probably not, but the WaPo's got your audio (fast-forward to about 6:30) and it's a whole lot worse than reports made it sound, jeezum crow. Here, Women's Law Center, have some money. According to the WaPo, the only way for a judge to be removed is for the Senate to not confirm his reappointment.

Dickerson,
via CP via FB
But hey, every once in a while sexism works in your favor, amirite, ladies? Lutherville mom/convicted drug distributor Jennifer Debois Dickerson, left, got sentenced to time served for selling an "AK-style machine gun" to an ATF agent. (Though on the other hand, if she was a dude the story probably wouldn't have made the papers.) (note she's also in the JIS as DuBois, DeBois is correct.)

Twenty-eight cars were vandalized in Catonsville

In the Ralston area of Pikesville a theft stole a Ford that was unlocked with a spare key in the glove box

A bunch of fast food joints and a vet's office were robbed during an Owings Mills spree

A victory for MD residents against crooked debt-collection agency Worldwide Asset Purchasing.

Quote of the day: "Upon reflection, he has his First Amendment rights." - Del. Emmet C. Burns Jr., in response to Chris Kluwe's epic "lustful cockmonster" rant in defense of Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo.