Saturday, April 12, 2008

April 12

As reported by Bmore in the comments, three men were shot last night in Franklin Square.

An employee at a McDonald's in Catonsville was stabbed by a co-worker yesterday morning. Another co-worker was arrested for offering to hide the stabber.

Bealefeld's statement that the murder rate is dropping holds a bit more water than then-acting Police Commissioner Hamm's statement to the Baltimore Criminal Justice Coordinating Council on (or about) March 9, 2005 that Baltimore had "finally turned the corner on violent crime." Turning Hamm's corner was kinda like turning from N. Carey St. onto W. Mosher St.

Eugene Waller may have a history of violent sex crimes, and he may have gotten away with some things due to technicalities and bureaucracies, and he may not be doing life for his latest attack, but it certainly wasn't a random rape.

Marcus Crandell could get up to life in prison after pleading guilty to a bit of fiery street revenge.

"My parents are gone, and he's still here."

Hmmm... if female Navy officers can pay off debt by working as hookers, how about middle-aged civilians with receding hairlines, man-boobs, and pedophile beards? Uh, because, you know, I've got a friend who might be interested.

I can totally see how this'll go down. First, someone on the City Council will read Jill Rosen's article about kids who videotape school fights. Then they'll propose a law that banishes the Interwebs and the World Wide Net and MyTube from within Baltimore's city limits. Then a Web Offenders' Registry will go into place. Six months later, MJB will get arrested for illegally making a blog post to Baltimore Crime (because we're, like, totally revolutionaries that way), and the City Council will pat themselves on the back for making the city a safer place.

Goddamn, I'm getting cynical. I saw the headline "Baltimore Community Celebrates Milestone" and my first thought was, 'What? Nobody picked up a hooker for three entire hours in Pigtown?'

Friday, April 11, 2008

April 11

Blotters like this one are what make me pissed at the Sun. I will grudgingly accept that three shootings and an armed robbery get stuck in the Blotter, but when a woman gets attacked and raped at her home in Parkville and the story is stuck between a stolen GPS and some stolen power tools, well... somebody at the Sun needs to pull their head out of their ass, post haste.

Well, at least one shooting was deserving of its very own story in the Sun.

A man was stabbed at the Whores You Came in On bar in Fell's Point.
... and WBAL now has a Web cast! The future is now! (Thanks Winston--MJB)

Apparently, it's Jolita's fault that she got attacked, because she lacked the skills to defuse the situation. Maybe next, we can blame it on what she was wearing. The good news is that our fearless leaders "will be working to provide students with anger management resources they need..."

Of course, the school system will never admit that maybe there's a serious problem going on. Maybe they should talk to Yvette Brebnor, who was repeatedly attacked by a fourth-grader. The good news is that our recent cases of school violence are getting some national coverage, so maybe someone will be humiliated into making some meaningful changes. (Start holding your breath... now.)

The guy who got shot by police on Wednesday night ain't doing so hot. Meanwhile, the men and women of the BPD are pretty effective with their firearms.

One of the boys who was "accidentally" shot by a HoCo cop in Jessup claims the cop accidentally shot them twice.

There's a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of Bryan Adams' killer.

Shaggy Taylor got life + 20 for killing Joseph Miller over some gang graffiti. Like a good little doo-bee, Taylor wore his gang colors to trial.

Octavius Savage was found guilty of killing his 64-year-old roommate and chopping the body in half.

Yesterday, Christopher Harryman got 17.5 years for being part of the Remington Mob.

The NY livery cab driver who dropped baby Daniella at a fire station is free if he can behave for six months. Daniella is the daughter of a teenage runaway from Baltimore, and the cab driver conspired with the teenage girl's aunt on how to get rid of the baby.

Why do we put up with this kind of poo from our leaders? Stop behaving like a petulant child, Conaway, and do your freaking job.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

April 10

We recently lost Kevin Bacon to a murder, and Billy Crudup is up on murder charges. Now, Bryan Adams just got killed in Columbia.

Oh, goodie. The guy who killed Mister George, a grandfather / Korean War vet / generally well-regarded citizen, got 30 years. It's too bad he wasn't busy doing time for his other murder conviction instead of being out on the street killing old men.

Someone on Gertrude St. in the Rosemont section of the Southwestern learned that it's probably not smart to shoot at cops.

53-year-old Russell Lockett III was attacked in Annapolis on March 15 and died two days later. His death has been ruled a homicide.

Violence in our schools? That's unpossible!

An (allegedly) drunk-ass Baltimore City employee (allegedly) stole a cab in Annapolis.

Is it defamation if I call someone a douchebag?

El Cynic notes that the story of the attack of art teacher Jolita Berry was on the "Today" show this morning. She'll also be on "Nancy Grace" tonight at 8 and 10 p.m.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Kerri King indicted!!!

It's not often that info from the State's Attorney's office makes me happy, but this does:
Baltimore, MD – April 9, 2008 – State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy announced today that the Baltimore City Grand Jury returned indictments against Kerri J. King, 35, of the 100 block of Danford Drive, Elkton, Maryland on charges of auto manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Court documents allege that on December 31, 2007, Kerri King struck and killed Officer Courtney Brooks of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department as he directed holiday traffic at the intersection of Exit 53 on northbound Interstate 95. Ms. King is also charged with driving while impaired and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The maximum penalty for auto manslaughter is 10 years in prison. The maximum penalty for leaving the scene of an accident is also 10 years. An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but an allegation of criminal wrongdoing.

In case you moved here yesterday...

Don't leave a GPS system or an iPod in your car. Or your phone. or change. Or your school books, CDs, pens, candy wrappers, Kleenex boxes, soda cans or week-old newspapers. However, even if your car is empty and your doors are unlocked, you may well get your winder broken anyway. The system considers that vandalism, so even if by some wacky coincidence the perp is caught in the act, he'll be out of CBIF within hours. That's why smash-n-grab is such a popular low-risk, high-profit venture.
Yet, if you staked out your car and shot said vandal in the knees, you'll be the one to get sued and go to jail.
"That's why they call it the criminal justice system, it serves to benefit the criminal." -- Some cop

April 9

The City Paper covers the murder of Gerrald Megginson, whose body was found by the railroad tracks near the B&O Railroad Museum during the search for the Blackwell brothers. Unless I missed it, I didn't see any other news source follow up on the identity or killing of Megginson.

The body of Yolanda Brown was dumped in Gwynns Falls Park on March 20, after she was strangled.

Two eighth-graders at a West Baltimore middle school got the shit beat out of them by at least 10 other kids because one of them was wearing sneakers with red trim.

Two 13-year-old boys from Bethlehem Christian Day School are obviously not understanding the whole "Jesus" thing.

An art teacher was beaten after she told a female student to sit down, and the attack was recorded on a cell phone camera. The school apparently did nothing after the beating Friday, but now school police they'll "begin an investigation."

A bullet grazed the head of a man who was standing in front of the Save-A-Lot grocery store on Erdman Ave.

Michael Thompson, the teenage victim of a hit-and-run in Parkville, has already had six surgeries and won't be able to join the Navy as he was planning to do.

There are a lot of women out there named Violet Marie Gaston, and at least two of them really need to lay off the rock.

The Mungo family are a bunch of misunderstood angels.

For the first time since its inception, criminal charges were made using the new gun offender registry.

Damon M. Jackson of Haverdeegrayce was arrested and charged with robbing and killing Alan Zurita on the side of I-95 last week. Jackson also got shot during the robbery, but he was driven to the hospital by alleged accomplice Demetrius Lovelace instead of being left to die by the side of the road.

There's a disposition hearing (whatever that is, pardon my ignorance) for Thomas Taylor scheduled for Thursday morning in front of Judge Prevas.
At 2:59PM on March 1, 2006 in the 3300 block of Oakfield Avenue Taylor, a self described blood, shot and killed Joseph Miller, 26. Miller, Taylor and others were arguing over Bloods graffiti located on the wall of a corner store in the neighborhood. Taylor, who was wearing red, left the scene. He returned with a gun, having changed his clothing to black. Miller remained at the scene in an attempt to break up the argument over the graffiti. Taylor hid behind some bushes, stood up, and fatally shot Miller and seriously wounded another.

james hensleyEwwww. There's an unregistered child molester out there (pictured at right) whose nickname is Pooh Bear. That's disgusting on so many levels, I don't know where to start. (His beard is kinda disgusting, too, but I've been known to sport the Unabomber / Iron & Wine beard, so I'm not one to talk.)

PDJ: There's now a federal case against Ronald Glenn Draper Jr., who not only stored kiddie porn on his work computer at his state government job, but also allegedly molested two male relatives.

You know it's hard out here for an innocent young black man.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Media Blabber

Sam Zell to Tribune reporters: "all of you are overhead."

April 8

A body that might've been a man but maybe was a woman was found in the charred remains of a house in the 2000 block of Guilford Ave. An autopsy will be performed.

A man was shot in the thigh on The Alameda early this morning. The Sun's description of the location reminds me of an 8th grade story problem. "If a man is two blocks north of East Northern Parkway, walks west on Walker to Northwood, then walks south toward East Lake, what direction will he be facing when he gets shot?"

Two teens were accidentally shot by police during a drug investigation in HoCo's "well-kept Pleasant Chase neighborhood." (Are there poorly kept neighborhoods in HoCo? Shit, even the trailer parks on Rt. 1 are classier than my city neighborhood.)

The Blackwells don't Talkwell.

PDJ: Michael S. Pollard's roommate at the Naval Academy described the horrors of opening a file named "Boy Party" while borrowing Pollard's computer. The roommate made a point of telling the court that "It looked like 13-, 14-year-olds engaging in sexual acts ... but I'm no expert in child pornography."

Hey, finally some good people of Park Heights got recognized in the news!

Wow. Did Marty Bass really compare dropping viewership for TV news stations to bombing Hiroshima? It's been a while since I busted out with my favorite word, but I've been provoked: Marty, you're a douchebag.

Monday, April 7, 2008


The man who was shot on McElderry St. last night died. It's still unclear whether he was shot by police or by a disappearing gunfighter.

A 17-year-old may be paralyzed after he became a hit-and-run victim while crossing McClean Blvd. in a crosswalk last Tuesday night. Police are looking for information about a U-Haul whose occupants stopped to eat at the McDonald's on McClean Rd. and Perring Pkwy. in Parkville around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday April 1. The U-Haul says "Illinois" and has a picture of a really freaky looking creature called a Tully Monster on the side.

Let's see if I understand this. Guy #1 got murdered, and alleged murderer #1 went to jail. But then witness #1 got murdered along with guy #2 by alleged murderers #2 and #3. Without witness #1, alleged murderer #1 got released because there wasn't enough evidence against him. Meanwhile, alleged murderer #2 went to jail, while alleged murderer #3 couldn't be found. But there's not enough evidence against alleged murderer #2 to indict him, so today he was set free. So, guy #1, witness #1, and guy #2 are all dead, and nobody's in jail. Sweet.

Sarah Kreager pleaded guilty to one count of attempted drug distribution.

April 7

The body of missing Pikesville man Ryan Spencer was found at TownMall in Westminster, but police aren't saying whether or not it was a suicide.

A man was shot in the 3100 block of McElderry St. after he and his gunfighter pal refused to drop their weapons when the cops told them to play nice.

In the Blotter, a boyfriend got shot in the face by an ex-boyfriend, a 15-year-old boy ran away when shots were fired on N. Ellwood St. before realizing he'd been shot, and a man in White Marsh got his stab on with a steak knife.

A man was stabbed on a Pikesville playground on Sunday morning. (The same article covers some more Bel Air arson.)

The woman who locked herself in her trunk and claimed she was abducted was trying to cover the fact that she's the victim of domestic abuse. Police aren't charging her for the false report, and the domestic assault is being investigated.

More trouble on the 27, this time from assholes outside the bus.

The powers-that-be say that homicides are dropping because "police and prosecutors work together to identify possible violent offenders -- such as probationers or registered gun offenders -- and attempt to arrest them for whatever they can." The powerless-that-be say it's the same shit, different day.

Crack good. Heroin better.

Thanks to the increasing size of my man-boobs, I'm totally going to try this when I have jury duty in a few weeks. (I'm kidding about trying to get out of jury duty. Not about the man-boobs, though.)

Sunday, April 6, 2008

April 6

Five women were indicted as part of the big Tree Top Piru crackdown, so Julie B. takes a look at "Michelle Hell," one scary "Pirette."

No charges yet in the Blackwell abductions.

The female remains found in a shallow grave near Emmitsburg were positively ID'd as Deysi Benitez, who looks like she was yet another victim of her husband Pedro's violence. (I'm really late posting about this one.)

Post: Demented dad Mark Castillo bought poison, duct tape at Home Depot, tried to sell caged Furby by the side of the road. Amy Castillo "didn't think divorce was an option because of her religious beliefs," though she apparently changed her mind at some point.

With the death of Tom Lewis, the Catonsville Nine are now the Catonsville Five. Lewis did more than three years for his civil disobedience in protest of the Vietnam War.