Scott McCabe

CRIME HISTORY - Wild car chase nets odd couple of crime

On this day, Nov. 4, in 1962, police captured the first of a bank-robbing duo that set off bombs in the District of Columbia and killed a guard in New York. Albert Nussbaum was the brains. He was a student of crime, a locksmith and a pilot. Bobby "One Eye" Wilcoxson supplied the brawn. In June 1961, Nussbaum set off two bombs near the U.S. Capitol to distract police while the two robbed a bank. But a third bomb failed to detonate, and the FBI used it to lift Nussbaum's fingerprint. The two men became national fugitives after Wilcoxson blasted a Brooklyn bank guard four times with his submachine gun. Nussbaum and Wilcoxson had a falling out and split. When Nussbaum tried to get help from his...

Continued...

 

FBI agent admits to racking up $41,000 in fraudulent expenses

An FBI agent temporarily assigned to headquarters in downtown Washington faces up to five years in prison for forging bogus housing documents to collect more than $41,000. Jeffrey B. Shim, 40, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single count of making a false statement. His sentencing is set for Feb. 5, when in addition to the time behind bars, he faces three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Shim has agreed to pay back the FBI $41,658. Shim, who was based at the FBI's Newark, N.J., office, resigned last week as part of his plea agreement. He had been with the bureau since 2002. In May 2008, he was sent to work at the FBI headquarters on a temporary assignment. In...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - First Secret Service agent killed at mine shaft

On this day, Nov. 3, in 1907, U.S. Secret Service Agent Joseph A. Walker was shot and killed outside a secret mine shaft in Colorado. Walker was the first Secret Service operative killed in the line of duty. Walker and three other agents were dispatched west of Durango to investigate a land fraud case when they discovered an air shaft in the ground that had been homesteaded to the superintendent of the Porter Fuel Co. Walker stood guard outside the hole, and the other three slid down a rope to the bottom of the shaft. Inside, they found a cavernous and surreptitious coal mine. While the three men delved deeper, they heard gunshots and rushed to the opening. The rope had been tossed into...

Continued...

 

Company billed for $14,000 wheelchairs, handed out walkers

The head of a now-defunct D.C. medical supplies company has been indicted for health care fraud and is accused of falsely billing the government for hundreds of thousands of dollars for deluxe power scooters or high-end wheelchairs while giving Medicaid recipients cheaper wheelchairs or walkers. A federal grand jury indicted Donna Carney-Barry of Northwest Washington on five counts of health care fraud. She faces more than 20 years in prison. Carney-Barry was the head of Doors of Hope Medical Supplies, a short-lived company that sold canes, walkers, hospital beds and wheelchairs. It maintained offices on the first floor of the Greater Southeast Hospital in D.C. She is accused of...

Continued...

 

Feds, Fairfax break up stolen-motorcycle ring

Federal customs officers say they have rolled up a motorcycle theft ring that stole bikes from Maryland and Virginia and smuggled them overseas. Agents at the Port of Baltimore were alerted by Fairfax County police investigating an auto theft ring who said a shipping container bound for Bolivia might contain stolen motorcycles. The agents used a database to find a container still in the seaport that matched the description offered by the police in Virginia. Federal agents pulled the container from the ship, opened it and found four salvage cars or sport utility vehicles. Salvage vehicles are vehicles usually purchased at auction for their parts value. Inside the salvage cars were...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Guns blazing, men go after Truman at Blair House

On this day, Nov. 1, in 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate President Truman at the Blair House in Washington. Collazo and Torresola wanted to take down Truman to bring world attention to the independence cause of Puerto Rico. Truman was an odd target because he supported a greater Puerto Rican autonomy. Around 2 p.m., Torresola approached White House police officer Leslie Coffelt in the guardhouse and shot him three times. While Torresola turned his weapon on another officer, Coffelt staggered out of the shack and killed Torresola with a single shot to the head. Coffelt, a former D.C. police officer, died later that...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Actress Dominique Dunne strangled by ex

On this day, Oct. 30, in 1982, young actress Dominique Dunne, daughter of celebrity crime writer Dominick Dunne, was strangled by her ex-boyfriend. She died five days later. Dominique, 22, was best known for her role as the oldest daughter, Dana, in the 1982 Academy Award-nominated horror film "Poltergeist." After filming wrapped up, Dunne moved in with her boyfriend, Los Angeles chef John Thomas Sweeney. But the relationship became stormy. Sweeney was so abusive that Dunne needed little makeup when she played a battered woman on television's "Hill Street Blues." Dunne moved out. Sweeney showed up at her new home and they argued in the driveway. Sweeney choked her. She fell into a...

Continued...

 

Police search for man in attack on 99-year-old woman

Montgomery County police are looking for a man accused of robbing elderly people, including a 99-year-old woman at her Silver Spring home. Forty-five-year-old Kenneth Earl Tolliver is wanted for robbery, burglary, theft and first-degree assault, police said. On July 31, police said, two men pretending to be conducting a survey accosted the woman. One suspect held her while the other man rummaged through her apartment. Police also said Tolliver has committed two similar burglaries, including against an 84-year-old man and his 78-year-old wife. Tolliver is described as a black male, 6-feet-1 and weighing 160 pounds. -- Scott...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - 'Murph the Surf' steals legendary gem

On this day, Oct. 29, in 1964, three thieves, including surfing champion Jack Murphy, stole the Star of India and other gems from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In what was dubbed the "Jewel Heist of the Century," the thieves unlocked a bathroom window during open hours and climbed in that night. The alarm for the golf-ball-size Star of India sapphire didn't work because the battery was dead. In all, the thieves swiped 22 gems. Within 48 hours, police captured the thieves. Known as Murph the Surf, Murphy was a former violin prodigy, national surfing champion, tennis pro and movie stunt man. The Star of India was found later in a Miami bus station locker. The...

Continued...

 

Reward raised to $50K for arrest in teen's killing

District police have doubled the reward to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest in the shooting of a 17-year-old girl. Police said Kenyetta Nicholson-Stanley was talking to a security guard at the Edgewood Terrace housing complex in Northeast Washington on the night of Oct. 8 when a masked gunman started shooting and the guard returned fire. Kenyetta was shot in the head. She died the next day. - Scott...

Continued...

 

Drug dealer stays one step ahead of authorities

Authorities have been pursuing fugitive Vincent Knight for nearly two years and they're asking the public's assistance in bringing the chase to an end. Thirty-eight-year-old Knight violated his parole on a cocaine distribution conviction. Police said he was charged with assault in 2007. Knight has a criminal history dating back to 1991, authorities said. He has three prior felony warrants for cocaine distribution and one for assault. Knight has a vast network of family and associates in the District and Maryland, and authorities said he has constantly remained one step ahead of investigators. A confidential informant recently placed Knight in Hyattsville, the U.S. Marshals Service...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Engine fire halts Amtrak traffic An Amtrak locomotive caught fire at the New Carrollton station early Wednesday, stopping rail traffic north of Washington for about two hours. At about 6 a.m., a small engine fire and smoke were discovered on a train traveling from D.C. to Boston, a spokesman said. About 40 passengers were evacuated from the train, and no one was injured. Prince George's County fire officials said it took about an hour and a half to put out an electrical fire in the engine area. One killed in Langley Park crash At least one person was killed in a multiple-vehicle crash in the Langley Park area Wednesday morning, Prince George's County police said. The crash happened at...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Congress passes ban on 'intoxicating beverages'

On this day, Oct. 28, in 1919, Congress passes the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, paving the way for Prohibition to begin the following January. The prohibition of alcoholic beverages had unintended consequences. Life in America became more violent, with organized crime and open rebellion against the law. Legitimate businesses were taken over by criminals like Chicago's Al Capone, who grew rich and popular. Crime and lawlessness rose. Enforcing Prohibition proved to be extremely difficult. Citizens were sympathetic to bootleggers, wealthy gangsters could bribe police with their earnings and some authorities, like the state of Maryland, refused to pay to enforce the...

Continued...

 

D.C. sniper Muhammad to get the needle

John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind behind the D.C. sniper killings, will receive a lethal injection at his execution next month. Death row inmates in Virginia can choose to die by the needle or the electric chair. Muhammad declined to pick one, so by default he will be killed by lethal injection, authorities said. Muhammad is scheduled to be executed Nov. 10 for fatally shooting Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas gas station. The three-week killing spree in October 2002 left 10 dead in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Muhammad's lawyers have asked Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine for clemency and plan to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. Muhammad's teenage...

Continued...

 

McLean man indicted in expensive homes scam

The former owner of a now-defunct mortgage company was indicted on fraud charges in a scheme to steal properties in Northwest Washington, court documents said. Federal prosecutors said Steve I. Hetrick used impostor sellers and his vast knowledge of the District of Columbia's real estate market to illegally take possession of two properties without the owners knowing about it. Hetrick was charged with nine counts of fraud, money laundering and interstate transportation of stolen property. One of the properties was a $2 million, seven-bedroom town house at 2158 California St. NW in the Kalorama neighborhood. The other is a $800,000 town house at 1819 10th St. NW in the Shaw area. In...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

D.C. lobbyist who worked for Sudan indicted Robert J. Cabelly has been accused of violating U.S. sanctions against Sudan by signing the terrorism-sponsoring government up as a lobbying client, according to an indictment filed Tuesday. The 61-year-old D.C. resident allegedly helped Sudan broker deals with oil companies as he hid his relationship from U.S. authorities, the indictment said. The State Department has listed Sudan on the State Department's Sponsors of Terrorism list and it is illegal to work with the Sudanese government without prior approval from U.S. officials. Murky Coffee owner charged with tax fraud The former owner of Murky Coffee on Capitol Hill was charged with 82...

Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: John Rosser

Rosser, 51, a sergeant for the D.C. Department of Corrections, is the vice president of the correctional officers union. His corrections career started at the notoriously rough Lorton Corrections Facilities in 1990. I understand that your parents were involved in the civil rights movement and helped desegregate a school. My parents, Dr. John Robert and the late Florence Towles Rosser, were educators. They were very active in Prince George's County school issues during the turbulent '60s, '70s and early '80s. Schools in the county were ordered to integrate in 1973, when I was in the ninth grade. By 1978, due to unbalanced school closures, schools had resegregated. The county...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - William 'Boss' Tweed busted for corruption

On this day, Oct. 27, in 1871, William M. "Boss" Tweed, Democratic leader of Tammany Hall, was arrested after the New York Times exposed his corruption. Boss Tweed, a commissioner of public works who ruled New York City's government, is remembered as a universal symbol of greed and political corruption. His fall came after a series of articles accused Tweed of overcharging contractors and lining his own pockets with kickbacks. As the publicity mounted, Tweed ordered Harper's Weekly to stop publishing cartoons by Thomas Nast, famously complaining, "I don't care so much what the papers say about me. My constituents don't know how to read, but they can't help seeing them damned...

Continued...

 

D.C. seeks man who's robbing taxis

D.C. police are looking for a man who has robbed at least nine taxicab drivers in Northeast Washington in the past two months. The same man also used a knife to rob a gas station on the 2800 block of 12th Street NE. Police say the man hails a cab, either shows a weapon or implies that he has one and demands money. The robber is described as a dark-complected black male, about 40 years old and 5 feet 11 inches tall. He has a thin build and a goatee. The Metropolitan Police Department is offering a reward of up to $10,000for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the robber. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 202-727-9099 or 888-919-CRIM[E]. -...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Parents killed in crash A father and mother were killed in a four-vehicle crash on the Fairfax County Parkway in the Pohick area, police said. Michael K. Merrill, 47, and Jeanne Merrill, 42, of Fairfax Station, were pronounced dead on the scene. Their three children, 13, 3 and 1, survived the crash and were released to family members. The Merrills were traveling north in a Honda Pilot when they were struck by a 2005 Toyota Corolla that lost control. The two cars crossed over the median into oncoming traffic and struck two other vehicles. Speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash, police said. Cop charged with pulling gun on ghoul A Baltimore police officer pulled...

Continued...

 

Traffic cameras earn D.C. $36.4M in '09 from speeders

The District has raked in at least $36.4 million from nearly a half-million drivers in fiscal 2009 because of traffic cameras, almost double the amount two years ago, according to a study released Monday. D.C. police collected $29.9 million from speed camera fines and $6.5 million from red-light cameras tickets in the first 11 months of the last budget year, according to a study by AAA Mid-Atlantic. The report did not include amounts for the final month because the District was still counting the money at the time the study was conducted. "The District is becoming one big Digitopolis, where tickets mailed, tickets paid and revenue collected continue to increase," said John B....

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Killer hunted women as wild game

Robert HansenOn this day, Oct. 23, in 1983, police arrested Robert Hansen, a serial killer who flew his victims to his Alaskan property and hunted them down. Hansen, an Anchorage baker, was a world-class games hunter who owned his own airplane. When became bored targeting wild animals, he turned to young prostitutes. Hansen typically kidnapped the women from city streets and flew them in his plane to his cabin in the wilderness. He'd then would strip them naked, release them into the wild and stalk them like animals. He killed them with hunting knives or a big-game rifle. The deadly game ended when a 17-year-old captive escaped from Hansen, handcuffs still dangling from her wrist....

Continued...

 

Stupid Crimes

Absolut moron A Ohio man pulled over for drinking and driving had to have one final taste before he was hauled off to jail, police said. Springdale police caught James Robinson, 32, driving with an open bottle of vodka after they responded to a call that Robinson was trying to break into his ex-wife's home. By the time police arrived, Robinson had driven away. When police caught up to him and pulled him over, they saw an open bottle of vodka on his car seat. Robinson took a sobriety test but failed, police said. That's when he gulped down the rest of the vodka. That final sip resulted in an additional charge of tampering with evidence. Extreme home makeover An Indiana woman...

Continued...

 

The Blotter:Police seek more clues in shooting

Feds: Springfield cocaine trafficking ring busted Federal authorities have charged nine Virginia and Maryland residents with running a cocaine trafficking ring in Springfield and Prince George's County. Investigators with the FBI, Fairfax and Prince George's counties spent more than a year listening in on phone calls, and using satellite and cell phone technology to track the alleged members of the ring. All nine are in police custody. Md. husband guilty of killing boy in Japan A federal jury on Thursday convicted a Glen Burnie man for the murder of his 8-year-old stepson while the family was stationed in Japan. Roberto E. DeLeon, 27, faces up to life in prison when he's sentenced...

Continued...

 

D.C. Jail cell doors fail to work

Cell doors at the D.C. Jail failed to unlock nearly 700 times over an 18 month period, placing corrections officers and inmates in danger in the event of an emergency. In a single day this spring, cell doors at the main facility failed to lock or unlock 39 times, documents show. A corrections officer who works at the 32-year-old jail said the problem of doors not locking was much worse than doors that get stuck because locked ones often can be manually released. "The real danger is, 'Can you secure it, can you lock it and be sure that it cannot pop open?'" said the officer who asked that his identity not be revealed for fear of retaliation. "That's a danger that...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Corrections guards killed, leading to Supermax facility

On this day, Oct. 22, in 1983, two correctional officers were killed by inmates at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. The incident inspired the "Supermax" model of prisons. Opened in 1963 to replace Alcatraz, Marion became the United States' highest security prison by 1978. In separate incidents, two prison guards, Merle E. Clutts and Robert L. Hoffman, were killed by members of the Aryan Brotherhood. Marian went into "permanent lockdown," keeping inmates in solitary confinement 22 hours a day. The lockdown lasted 23 years and led to the term "Supermax," short for "Super Maximum Security." Marion became home to mobster John Gotti, who was kept in total isolation in...

Continued...

 

Marshals seek fugitive with violent streak

Prince Stewart III U.S. Marshals are looking for a violent fugitive with a history of being armed, and authorities are asking the public for information to help bring him to justice. Prince Stewart III, 31, was on parole for a conviction on a federal weapons charge when he was arrested in Alexandria last year on suspicion of an assault. A warrant was issued for his arrest in October 2008. He has not been heard from since. Matt Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, said Stewart was the type of person that anyone who was familiar with him would readily provide authorities with information about his whereabouts. "Stewart is the definition of...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

D.C. police kill teenager D.C. police officers shot and killed a teenager in Northeast Washington early Wednesday, police said. At about 5:20 a.m., police were responding to a call of an unwanted guest on the 900 block of 21st Street NE when they were confronted by a man with a gun, a spokeswoman said. The two officers were "in imminent fear" for their lives and the lives of others and fired their service weapons, Officer Helen Andrews said. The teen, identified as 19-year-old James Broadus Miller, was taken to a hospital where he died. The officers were placed on administrative leave with pay in accordance with departmental protocol, Andrews said. Local men sentenced for drug run...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY -D.C. mail worker killed by anthrax spores

On this day, Oct. 21, in 2001, Washington postal worker Thomas Morris Jr. died after inhaling anthrax that had been delivered through the mail. Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news outlets and two U.S. senators, killing five and infecting 17 others. Morris, 55, an employee of the Brentwood processing center, said a woman working near him found a letter with powder. A doctor checked out Morris and sent him home. Morris called 911 just hours before his death, complaining of labored breathing and chest pains. "They never let us know whether this thing was anthrax or not," Morris told the dispatcher. A day after Morris died, 47-year-old co-worker Joseph...

Continued...

 

Man posed as girl to get teen sex photos, faked suicide

An Adelphi man is facing up to 20 years in prison after admitting in federal court to posing online as a teenager to obtain nude and sexually explicit photos of a 15-year-old girl. Michael Speelman, 52, pleaded guilty Tuesday to transporting child pornography. Prosecutors said Speelman posed as a 16-year-old girl named "Lisa" and sent images purportedly of Lisa to a girl in Pennsylvania. After the Pennsylvania teen sent sexually explicit photos of herself, Speelman feigned the suicide death of Lisa. He then posed as "Lisa's" mother, Speelman threatened to send the explicit photos to the girl's mother and her boyfriend. Later, Speelman admitted that to the girl that he pretended to...

Continued...

 

The Blotter: Double shooting kills one

Diamond heist at Tysons Corner A jeweler was injured during a diamond heist in Tysons Corner, Fairfax County police said. At about 8:20 p.m. Monday, two men entered the Movado store and smashed a glass case using a crowbar. The men grabbed fistfuls of diamond jewelry, stuffed them in a bag and fled through the Tysons Corner Center mall, police said. One employee was treated on the scene. The robbers were both described as black, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and 230 pounds. They wore blue, hooded jackets and ball caps. One robber wore tan boots, and the other had a mustache. Driver dies after hitting tree A 21-year-old Alexandria man died early Tuesday after driving off the road and...

Continued...

 

Jury convicts man of murdering woman, 83

A Montgomery County jury convicted a Silver Spring man of beating an 83-year-old woman, then killing her in a fire to cover up a check fraud scheme. Thirty-three-year-old Ramon Alvarado is the last of a trio to be convicted in the slaying of Lila Meizell at her home in Wheaton. Alvarado was found guilty of all three charges: murder, conspiracy to commit murder and arson in the first degree. He faces life in prison at his sentencing Nov. 23. Alvarado is the cousin of Meizell's landscaper, Jose Alvarado, 38, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in June. Jose Alvarado's wife, Ana Rodas, 32, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of being an accessory after the fact to murder. Prosecutors...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Sherlock Holmes debuts on radio

On this day, Oct. 20, in 1930, "Sherlock Holmes" premieres on NBC radio, introducing the adventures of "The World's Greatest Detective" into America's living rooms. Few figures loom larger in old time radio mystery than Holmes. He was not radio's first mystery character, that was the evil Dr. Fu Manchu and the detective Nayland Smith in 1929. Holmes may not even be the detective most associated with radio, that would be "The Shadow." But for class and enduring popularity, no creation could top Holmes, which featured some of the era's finest actors. The half-hour drama was the inspiration of Edith Meiser, an actress and mystery lover who was convinced the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...

Continued...

 

Former JROTC teacher guilty of sex with student, 16

A former JROTC teacher in Prince George's County pleaded guilty to traveling across state lines to have sex with his 16-year-old high school student. Forty-three-year old Mark Allen Jackson, of Alexandria, entered the plea in federal court in Alexandria on Monday. He will be sentenced in January and faces up to 30 years in prison. Jackson taught at Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Springdale, where he became acquainted with the female student in 2007 when she was a sophomore. In August 2008, Jackson became the girl's JROTC instructor and the two began spending spare time at school, documents said. By December, Jackson further developed the relationship and the teacher and...

Continued...

 

Grand jury indicts 2 on purse snatching, counterfeiting charges

A federal grand jury in Alexandria has indicted two high-ranking members of a purse-snatching and counterfeiting ring that authorities said has been operating in the capital region for nearly five years, documents said. Arrest warrants were issued last week for 39-year-old Robert Lee Felton Jr., of Fort Washington. He was charged with 13 counts of conspiracy, identity theft and counterfeit security. Antoine Dutch, 25, of Washington, D.C., was charged with five counts. The scam began in 2005, police said. The first step in the conspiracy usually involved the theft of purses or wallets from unsuspecting people, documents said. Felton usually stole the purses from women while they...

Continued...

 

Coach accused of sex abuse disappears

Authorities are searching for a youth baseball coach accused of child sex abuse after the coach failed to show up at court. Detectives are asking for the public's help in finding 38-year-old John E. Hamilton of Centreville. Hamilton coached in the Fort Hunt Youth Athletic Association in the 1990s. The sex abuse took place between March and July of 1997, when the victim was 12 years old, police said. The victim, now 24, came forward after he saw Hamilton with another young boy. Hamilton was charged with aggravated sexual battery and three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a supervisory relationship. Hamilton had agreed to enter guilty pleas Oct. 7, police...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Hippie killer slays family in California

On this day, Oct. 19, in 1970, John Linley Frazier killed five people and declared World War III against "materialism." Called the Killer Prophet, Frazier was a contemporary of Charles Manson in an era when people feared hippie cult murderers. Firefighters in Santa Cruz, Calif., responding to a blaze at a mansion overlooking Monterey Bay discovered five bodies floating in the backyard pool: eye surgeon Victor Ohta; his wife, Virginia; their sons, Derrick, 12, and Taggart, 11; and secretary Dorothy Cadwallader. The victims had been bound with silk scarves. Frazier left a typewritten note on Ohta's Rolls-Royce declaring war against materialism and "persons who misuse the natural...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Pr. George's police fatally shoot man Prince George's police shot and killed a man Sunday while responding to an armed robbery call on the 8600 block of Baltimore Avenue, according to spokesman Cpl. Mike Rodriguez. The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was transported to a hospital following the shooting where he was pronounced dead, Rodriguez said. A police dog suffered non-life-threatening injuries related to the shooting, Rodriguez said. Man gets 3 life sentences for abductions, rape A Woodbridge man was given three life sentences for abducting two women and raping one in Arlington County. Hector Luis Pagan, 51, pleaded guilty to abduction with intent to defile in the...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - 'Junior' Gotti follows Daper Don to prison to prison

On this day, Oct. 18, 1999, John "Junior" Gotti, who led the Gambino crime family while his father was locked away, entered prison himself after pleading guilty to racketeering. Junior's father, John J. Gotti (also known as the "Dapper Don"), was the most powerful crime boss of his era. Prosecutors said Gotti made Junior the head of the family and used a committee of captains to help him. As the one of the few people allowed to visit his father, Junior Gotti could pass on his father's orders to the family organization. In 1997, FBI agents searched Junior's property and found a typed list of the names of "made" members of the Gambino family and other contraband. The New York media...

Continued...

 

Operator accused of selling Federal Reserve cell phones to friends

A former Federal Reserve System switchboard operator was charged with stealing and selling government cell phones to friends who then racked up tens of thousands of dollars in airtime charges, court documents said. Christina M. Allen, who worked at the central bank headquarters in Washington, was charged with theft of government property, trafficking in unauthorized access devices and tampering with witness testimony. She faces a sentence of more than to 20 years if convicted. Prosecutors said the thefts occurred from November 2006 to September 2007 while Allen worked for the Federal Reserve Board's Information Technology Division, answering the switchboard and executive phones,...

Continued...

 

Teachers, principals caught in fraud case

Fairfax educators sue over alleged land scam Two Fairfax County public school principals and dozens of teachers they recruited into a North Carolina land deal have been caught up in what could be the largest mortgage fraud case in state history, according to court documents. A federal grand jury in North Carolina has been probing the massive fraud case. Teachers were left with worthless land and gaping holes in their bank accounts, according to lawsuits growing out of the case. Daniel Meier, principal at Fairfax's Robinson Secondary School, and his brother Thomas Meier, principal at McLean's Langley High School, worked with a former student, Mark Dain, to motivate investors to pay...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - 'Trunk Murderess' kills friends in fight over man

On this day, Oct. 16, in 1931, Phoenix secretary Winnie Ruth Judd shot and killed two women, cut one up and stuffed both inside steamer trunks. The story had everything: adultery, murder, mystery and gore. The media dubbed Judd the "Trunk Murderess." Three days after the killings, a railroad employee discovered blood seeping from luggage outside Central Station in Los Angeles. Inside one trunk was Agnes LeRoi, 32. The dismembered pieces of Hedvig "Sammy" Samuelson, 24, were in other suitcases. A hatbox held surgical tools and a pistol. The victims were best friends of Judd, who had ridden the same train as the trunks. Prosecutors said the women were vying for the same man, a...

Continued...

 

Teens charged in beating death of Gaithersburg man

A teenage girl and boy were arrested on murder charges in the May death of a 57-year-old man whose body was found along a walking path, Montgomery County police said. Emily Drew Geller, 18, and Artie Ellis, 15, both of Potomac, were charged with first-degree murder and robbery in the death of Ali Reza Zare, of Gaithersburg. He was found along a Potomoc path by a Sunday morning jogger. He was killed by a blunt force injury to the back of the head. Zare's blue Subaru was found that afternoon near Seven Locks Elementary School. Evidence inside the car was linked to Geller, police said. Police searched Ellis' bedroom and found property that belonged to Zare. Geller was a juvenile when...

Continued...

 

Appeals court rejects D.C.'s bid for checkpoints

A U.S. appeals court on Thursday rejected the District's request to rehear its case in which the court found the city's police barricades violated citizens' rights. Last year, during a spate of violence in the Trinidad neighborhood, Mayor Adrian Fenty and Police Chief Cathy Lanier threw up military-style checkpoints to stop motorists, check IDs and turn back anyone who police deemed did not have legitimate business in the neighborhood. In July, a three-member panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the checkpoints unconstitutional. The District asked for a review of the entire nine-member appeals court, but eight of the nine judges voted against a rehearing. Fenty could ask the U....

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Teens charged in beating death of Gaithersburg man A teenage girl and boy were arrested on murder charges in the May death of a 57-year-old man whose body was found along a walking path, Montgomery County police said. Emily Drew Geller, 18, and Artie Ellis, 15, both of Potomac, were charged with first-degree murder and robbery in the death of Ali Reza Zare of Gaithersburg. He was found along a Potomac path by a Sunday morning jogger. He was killed by a blunt force injury to the back of the head. Zare's blue Subaru was found that afternoon near Seven Locks Elementary School. Evidence inside the car was linked to Geller, police said. Police searched Ellis' bedroom and found property...

Continued...

 

Stupid Crimes

When his wife finds out, he'll need an epidural A Utah man was arrested after he allegedly fondled a nurse who was helping in the delivery of his child. Police said Adam Jay Manning, 30, brought the mother-to-be to a hospital about 3 a.m. When a nurse prepared the mother, Manning looked the nurse "up and down" and made a comment about how cute she looked, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The nurse ignored Manning and continued helping the woman in labor. Manning attempted to massage the nurse's neck and then reached out and grabbed her breast, police said. The nurse reported the incident to police, who arrested Manning before his child's birth. You can't get telemarketing calls...

Continued...

 

D.C. businessman accused of disrupting flight faces 20 years

A Washington public relations executive flying home from Houston was charged with a felony under the USA Patriot Act for drunkenly disregarding the orders of flight attendants, court filings said. David H. Bass, 44, was charged in federal court under a provision that defines interfering with a flight member as a terrorist act and a felony. Bass was charged with intimidating a flight crew member and attendant. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Bass, who sometimes appears on television as a political commentator, recently began Raptors Strategies public relations firm, which boasts the motto: "New times demand new strategies." He did not return phone call...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Teddy Roosevelt shot during campaign stop

On this day, Oct. 14, in 1912, saloonkeeper John Schrank shot President Theodore Roosevelt during a campaign stop in Milwaukee. With the .32-caliber bullet still in him, Roosevelt delivered his speech anyway. Roosevelt, president from 1901 to 1909, had founded the Bull Moose Party and sought a third term. On his way to the rally, Schrank fired a single shot. The bullet was slowed by Roosevelt's steel eyeglass case and a copy of his speech before lodging in his chest. Schrank was apprehended and declared, "Any man looking for a third term ought to be shot." Police found letters on Schrank saying that the ghost of William McKinley had told him to avenge his death by killing...

Continued...

 

2 teens killed, 3 wounded in D.C. drive-by attack

Two teenagers were killed and three others were wounded during a drive-by shooting Tuesday afternoon in a troubled Northeast Washington neighborhood. The victims, males between the ages of 16 and 18, were standing in the courtyard at the Clay Terrace housing complex at about 4 p.m. when a black sport utility vehicle with tinted windows rolled up and bullets started flying, D.C. police said. One young man died at the scene. The other four were taken to the hospital, where a second victim was pronounced dead, police said. Police combed the area and looked for the black Chevy Tahoe. Patrolmen were hitting other neighborhoods to prevent retaliatory attacks. Police Chief Cathy Lanier...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - 'The Shoemaker' killed with aid of his son, 10

On this day, Oct. 13, 1976, Joseph Kallinger, known as the Shoemaker and accused of using his 10-year-old son to help kill and torture unsuspecting families, was convicted of murder. In 1939 at age 2, Kallinger was adopted by sadistic parents. His mother would hold his open hand over a flame until his skin began to smolder. Kallinger became a Philadelphia shoemaker and had seven children of his own. In 1972, Kallinger was accused of child abuse and arrested, but released after his children recanted their stories. In 1974, Kallinger drowned his 14-year-old son, Joseph Jr., with the help of his other son Michael. The two went on a six-week crime spree through Pennsylvania, Maryland...

Continued...

 

Key figure in drug smuggling ring admits crimes

A man who authorities say was a key member of drug smuggling and money laundering operations has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and ecstasy. Mohammed Alazzam, 34, admitted in federal court in Alexandria to conspiring to distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of drugs. Prosecutors said Alazzam, a naturalized citizen from Jordan, was an important figure in criminal enterprises that resulted in federal indictments in Virginia, Connecticut and West Virginia. Alazzam was the protege of Fares Abulaban, a nightclub owner described by prosecutors in court documents as the "linchpin of a broad sweeping conspiracy." The Virginia case began when Abulaban...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - 'Highway Hooker' Wuornos is executed

On this day, Oct. 9, in 2002, serial killer Aileen Wuornos was executed by lethal injection in Florida. Wuornos is sometimes called the first female serial killer. Robert K. Ressler, the FBI profiler who coined the term "serial killer," said female predatory killers tend to know their victims, use poison and murder as a submissive partnership to a man. Wuornos, he said, was the exception. She worked alone, used a gun and victimized strangers. From 1989 to '90, Wuornos picked up at least six men on the highways of central Florida, killed then robbed them. Fingerprints led police to Wuornos. She was arrested in 1991 and confessed, but at first claimed the killings were in self-defense....

Continued...

 

Stupid Crimes

Wait. In Alabama, that's just a mobile home Police arrested an Alabama woman after she was spotted driving down a highway with her 13-year-old daughter in a cardboard box -- on the roof of her minivan. When asked why her child was riding on top of the van, Jackie Knott told police the box was too big to fit inside the van. Knott, 37, said she thought her daughter was safe because the box was secured to the van with a clothes hanger. Knott was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Pool party Thieves who broke into a Texas home were greeted with a hail of billiards balls. Paula Ollie, a 27-year-old mother, gathered the heavy pool balls and put them in her son's bicycle...

Continued...

 

Gang member gets 50 years for fatal bus shooting

An MS-13 gang member was sentenced to 50 years in prison for a shooting on a Montgomery County bus that killed a 14-year-old boy. Hector S. Hernandez, 21, an illegal immigrant living in Takoma Park, pleaded guilty to killing Tai Lam and wounding two other teenagers. Two groups of young men got into an argument on a Ride On bus in Silver Spring on Nov. 1, 2008, when Hernandez pulled out a handgun and started shooting, police said. - Scott...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Adoptive mother gets nine years for abuse A Silver Spring woman who beat and locked her 12-year-old adoptive daughter in a room was sentenced to nine years in prison. Police said Hyacinth Morgan, 48, tied the girl and beat her before locking her up in a basement room. Police learned of the abuse after the girl escaped and was found wandering the streets after midnight with bruises on her face and no shoes. Doctor owed $16 million in taxes A Potomac cardiologist was convicted of not paying more than $16 million in income taxes. Pradeep Srivastava, 50, who had offices in Greenbelt and Oxon Hill, did not report more than $40 million in profits from stock trading during the late 1990s...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Martha Stewart heads to the big house

On this day, Oct. 8, in 2004, celebrity "homemaker" Martha Stewart began serving a five-month prison sentence for lying about a stock sale. Stewart was convicted of lying to investigators about why she sold ImClone stock in December 2001, just before the stock price plunged. Stewart avoided a $45,673 loss by dumping all her shares the day before the stock value fell 18 percent. After a highly publicized, five-week jury trial that was the most closely watched of a wave of corporate fraud trials, Stewart was found guilty in March 2004 of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding and making false statements to federal investigators. Stewart agreed to begin serving her sentence...

Continued...

 

Piano teacher arrested for web site

A 58-year-old piano teacher once convicted of child pornography was arrested for failing to register a web site for his business with the Virginia sex offender registry, Fairfax County police said. Charles Duwain Dillon set up a web site "Piano Dreams Studio" advertising piano lessons for people ages 4 and up and failed to register it, police said. Virginia law requires a registered sex offender to notify authorities of any change to their internet communication used by the offender. Dillon was convicted in 1998 of possession of child pornography. Federal prosecutors said he used an America Online account in the name of "ALEX4PLAY" to send pornographic pictures of children having sex...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Pr. William drops loitering charges against 4 Latinos The Prince William County commonwealth's attorney has dropped a case against four Latino men who were charged with loitering while standing near their apartment complex in Manassas in May. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the defendants, argued that the county's loitering clause is "unconstitutionally vague." The ordinance makes it unlawful to loiter "under circumstances which justify a reasonable suspicion that such person may be engaged in, or is about to engage in, a crime, or with the purpose of begging." Couple robbed, beaten at home in Herndon Two Herndon-area residents were beaten and cut inside their...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Congressman, stripper saga begins

On this day, Oct. 7, in 1974, U.S. Park Police pulled over Rep. Wilbur Mills and striptease dancer Fanne Foxe, who leapt from the car and jumped into the Tidal Basin. The spectacle would lead to the downfall of Mills, considered one of the most powerful men in Congress. Police stopped Mills' car at 2 a.m. because its headlights were off. Mills had been drinking and his face was cut from a scuffle with Foxe, whose real name was Annabella Battistella. Nevertheless, Mills won re-election. On Nov. 30, 1974, a seemingly drunk Mills held a news conference in Foxe's dressing room at a seedy burlesque house in Boston to dispel rumors he was having an affair with Foxe, also known as the "Argentine...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Ohio man charged in acupuncturist's slaying Fairfax County police have charged an Ohio man in the July slaying of an Annandale acupuncturist. Danny Kim, 47, was charged with murdering of Chung A. Auh, 53, who was discovered bound and dead inside her home-based business. Detectives used video to find the driver of a sport utility vehicle seen outside her home about the time of the killing and that led them to Kim, officer Camille Neville said. Neville said she was not sure whether Auh knew her killer, but the attack did not appear to be random. Trash collectors arrested for embezzling dump fees Three Fairfax County trash collectors were charged with pocketing more than $12,000 paid by...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Murder trial begins for Delaware lawyer

On this day, Oct. 6, in 1998, the murder trial began for Thomas Capano, the former deputy attorney general for Delaware accused of killing the 28-year-old appointments secretary to the governor. Anne Marie Fahey was last seen June 27, 1996. She wanted to end her relationship with the married Capano. Capano killed Fahey and stuffed her body in a cooler. He took a boat 62 miles into the Atlantic Ocean and tossed the cooler overboard. When the cooler failed to sink, he shot holes in it. Still, the ice chest floated. Capano pulled the body out and wrapped it with anchor chains. Fahey disappeared into the deep. Neither her body nor the murder weapon were ever recovered. Prosecutors...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Physical therapist charged with sexual assault A physical therapist in Montgomery County was charged with sexual assault of a woman, police said. Police were contacted by a woman who said she drove a patient to the physical therapist in Rockville. The woman said she mentioned to Arne De Los Reyes that she was having lower back pain and De Los Reyes offered to treat her for free. He then closed the door to the examination room and engaged in inappropriate physical contact with the woman, police said. Man dropped body of girlfriend in manhole A man from Howard County told police that he strangled his girlfriend before dumping her body into a Baltimore manhole. Victor Cruz, 40,...

Continued...

 

Feds make arrest in bizarre robbery spree

Federal agents have charged a man in connection with a series of armed robbery attempts linked by the gunman's bizarre attempts at disguise and striking lack of competency, according to court documents. As agents were looking into eight robbery incidents over a two-week span, a pattern emerged that led them to suspect a single perpetrator. Sometimes the robber wore a wig and business suit. Sometimes he added a fake nose or false goatee. Sometimes he wore a white headdress with a black band. Sometimes he wore a white robe. The robber also seemed singularly inept, according to descriptions of some of the robbery attempts in charging documents. The first attempt occurred at closing time...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Crime fighter Dick Tracy makes newspaper debut

On this day, Oct. 4, 1931, sharp-shooting detective Dick Tracy makes his comic strip debut. The cartoon in the Detroit Mirror, created by artist Chester Gould, was a new comic concept. Tracy was a hard-hitting police detective who fought colorful villains, thugs like B.B. Eyes, Flattop Jones and Pruneface. For 45 years "Dick Tracy" appeared on the front page of the New York Daily News. The strip reflected the real life violence of Al Capone's 1930s Chicago, while staying current with crime fighting techniques, forensic science and advanced gadgetry. In the early 1950s, the strip introduced Crime Stoppers, a handy feature that offered hints for amateur crime fighters. The idea later...

Continued...

 

Fairfax police seek credit card thief

Fairfax County police are investigating the theft of credit cards from vehicles and are asking the public to help identify a suspect. The thefts occurred within a month from vehicles parked at Burke Lake Park and South Run District Park. The stolen cards were used at nearby stores. Patrol officers have obtained pictures of the suspect from store surveillance cameras. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS. More photos of the suspect can be seen at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/news-releases/2009/100109creditcard.htm. -- Scott...

Continued...

 

Another MS-13 member sentenced for racketeering

An MS-13 member who provided the gun used to kill a woman in an Adelphi graveyard was sentenced to more than nine years in prison on racketeering charges. Carlos A. Martinez, 21, is the latest member of La Mara Salvatrucha to be convicted in a sweeping federal case that has charged 51 people under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. Martinez, also known as Lobo, was only a teenager when he became a high-ranking member of the Langley Park Salvatruchos clique of MS-13, one of the murderous Latino gangs that operate throughout Prince George's and Montgomery counties. According to court documents, the Langley Park Salvatruchos believed that Nancy Diaz was...

Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Jim Vandak

Vandak, 52, is the race director for the Army 10-Miler, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year on Sunday in Washington. This road race has both its start and finish lines at the Pentagon. In 1997, the race had 8,900 runners. Now it's up to 30,000. How'd you get to D.C.? I came out here from Michigan, just to go to school. I was taking some philosophy and theology at Catholic University and stayed. I like the area. D.C. has got all the arts, great recreation opportunities, I got married here and, economically, it's a pretty solid. Plus the falls are great. Michigan has four seasons but it's a little colder. Washington gives you the four seasons but it's a little...

Continued...

 

Crime History - First FBI agent busted for spying

On this day, Oct. 2, in 1984, Richard Miller became the first FBI agent in history to be arrested for espionage. Miller was a bumbling agent known mostly for the food stains and crumbs that spilled on his clothes. He often took three-hour lunches at 7-Elevens near his Los Angeles office, gorging on candy bars and immersing himself in comic books. Miller was an easy target for Russian agent Svetlana Ogorodnikov. When the FBI learned of his secret affair, Miller claimed that he was trying to fool the KGB into thinking he was a double agent. Miller and Sveltana were getting ready to travel to Vienna and when the FBI arrested them and her husband, Nikolai Ogorodnikov, for spying. Miller...

Continued...

 

U.S. Capitol cop found sleeping in stranger's bed

A U.S. Capitol Police officer was arrested when an Arlington woman came home to find the stranger passed out in her bed. Police said Thomas McMahon, 34, was still sleeping when officers arrived at 1 a.m. Sunday. Police don't know why McMahon, who lives in Reston, picked the woman's apartment to sleep, but investigators believe he was intoxicated and came through the front door of her North Randolph Street home. McMahon was charged with unlawful entry. He is a member of the U.S. Capitol Police's SWAT team. He was placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of the criminal case. -- Scott...

Continued...

 

Stupid Crimes

Plane stupid Holding up a cell phone and yelling "I am going to press this and blow up the plane" is probably not the best way to convince the ticket agent to switch your flight. But that's what an Oregon man did at the San Francisco airport after an employee of Philippine Airlines explained that he would have to buy a round-trip ticket if he wanted to get on the plane. Mark Field, 46, went ballistic and pointed to his cell phone, "I'm going to press this and blow up the plane." Bomb-stiffing dogs searched Field's bags and the airplane but didn't find any explosives. Field was arrested on making a false bomb threat. Revenge is a dish best served fried A Texas woman angry at her...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

'Construction workers' rob McLean bank Gunmen dressed as construction workers robbed a bank in McLean, according to Fairfax County police. Around 10 a.m. Thursday, the men entered the Wachovia Bank at 6260 Old Dominion Drive, flashed handguns and demanded money. One of the men was wearing a bright orange jacket with reflective stripes, a yellow hard hat, and a black mask covering his face. The other man was wearing dark green hooded coat covered with patches. The gunmen took an undisclosed amount of money and fled. Boy, 16, shot and killed in Pr. George's A 16-year-old was killed and another teenager was wounded in a shooting in Prince George's County. At about 11:30 p.m....

Continued...

 

Police looking for robber in Silver Spring bank heist

Montgomery County police are looking for a man who robbed a Silver Spring bank and are asking the public to help identify and capture him. Around 2 p.m. Sept. 23, the man entered the Chevy Case Bank at 8315 Georgia Ave. and approached the teller. He announced the robbery and demanded cash but did not indicate that he had a gun. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of money, the man fled and got into a small burgundy vehicle parked along Bonifant Street and fled. The robber is described as a black male, in his late 20s to early 30s, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 150 to 170 pounds. The robber was wearing a black T-shirt, bluejeans and a black baseball cap. Anyone with information about...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Polly Klaas kidnapped, murdered in Calif.

On this day, Oct. 1, in 1993, 12-year-old Polly Klaas was kidnapped at knifepoint during a slumber party at her mother's house in Petaluma, Calif. Her case gained national attention and helped lead to California's "three strikes" mandatory life sentence law. Polly had two friends over for a sleepover when a man with a knife snuck into her bedroom and tied up her friends, had them count to 1,000 and kidnapped Polly. Hours later on the night of the kidnapping, police encountered Polly's abductor, Richard Allen Davis, who got his Pinto stuck in the mud. At the time, Davis was wanted for violating his parole on a previous kidnapping conviction, but the officers apparently failed to call...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Bloods leader, daughter recruited high schoolers A Prince William County father and teenage daughter have been charged with recruiting students for a gang. Police said two Fairfax High School students and an informant told them that Theodore Olds, 43, and his 17-year-old daughter recruited young people into the local Bloods street gang. The father directed the members to commit armed robberies and other crimes, police said. Olds was charged with two counts of gang recruitment on school property, three counts of gang participation and one count each of robbery and use of a gun in a robbery. His daughter was charged with four gang counts. Man stabbed at Springfield Mall A 21-year-old...

Continued...

 

Most wanted - Marshals: Escaped fugitive returns to D.C.

U.S. marshals believe that the D.C. inmate who escaped during his father’s funeral has returned to the Washington area and are asking for the public’s assistance in bringing him in. In April 2008, William Brice was awaiting trail on charges that he shot a man in Northeast Washington and for violating his parole on a previous weapons conviction. A D.C. Superior Court judge allowed Brice to be released from jail for three hours in the custody of one of Brice’s two public defense attorneys to attend his father’s funeral service at Pope’s Funeral Home at 2617 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. That’s when Brice made his getaway and he’s not been seen...

Continued...

 

Police seek armed Arlington bank robber

Arlington County police want the public's help in identifying a man who robbed a bank Monday afternoon. Shortly before 2 p.m. Monday, an unknown man entered a bank in the 900 block of S. George Mason Drive. The robber displayed a handgun and jumped over the counter. The man fled the store after receiving an unknown amount of cash. No one was injured. At the time of the robbery, the suspect was wearing a dark colored head covering, a dark jacket or hooded sweat shirt, green camouflage pants and tan work boots. He was also carrying a black book bag and a black handgun. Anyone with information is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department Tip Line at 703-228-4242, or...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Burglars in blue rounded up in Denver

On this day, Sept. 30, in 1961, dozens of disgraced Denver cops were arrested, stripped of their guns and badges and hauled to jail in a paddy wagon for running a massive police burglary ring. Denver's burglars in blue cased their jobs from police cruisers, returned at night to steal while lookouts monitored the police radio for alarm calls. After the property owners discovered the break-ins, the same policemen returned to investigate the crime and destroy the evidence. In one case, an insurance company investigator discovered a policeman's pants near a burglary scene. City detectives confiscated the pants, which disappeared forever. The well-organized ring was only exposed after a...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Graham intern admits to double-shooting A former intern to D.C. Councilman Jim Graham pleaded guilty to assault and weapons charges Tuesday in connection with the shooting of another teenager in the city's summer jobs program. Devin Black, 19, admitted that he shot two other teenagers in the legs near the Columbia Heights Metro station after the pair finished an all-day orientation for the summer jobs program. Before his intern was identified as the shooter, Graham said the shooting was proof that the city needed tough anti-gang laws. The councilman later drove his intern to the police station to surrender. Black will be sentenced Nov. 30. NASA scientist pleads guilty in conflict of...

Continued...

 

D.C. Jail sergeant accused of paying pimp for sex with inmate

A D.C. Jail sergeant has been suspended while corrections officials probe allegations that he had sex with an inmate after paying for it through her pimp, according to officials and court documents. The investigation has also led to the forced leave of two other corrections officers, one of whom was later fired over an unrelated issue, officials said. The three were removed from the D.C. Jail property, "after allegations of inappropriate behavior arose with an inmate," according to Walter Fulton, facility program manager at the Correctional Treatment Center. Authorities said they would not further discuss the allegations because of an ongoing law enforcement investigation, but...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - First victim killed by poisoned Tylenol

On this day, Sept. 29, in 1982, the Chicago Tylenol murders began with the first of seven people killed by cyanide-laced capsules in northwest Chicago. Twelve-year-old Mary Ann Kellerman died after taking the over-the counter pain reliever. Over the next six days, six other people suddenly died of unknown causes in the greater Chicago area. Firefighters Richard Keyworth and Phillip Cappitelli realized that all seven victims had ingested Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules before becoming ill. Investigators confirmed their hunch and found that the bottles had been laced with cyanide. Three other tampered bottles also were discovered. Police believe the killer took the packages from the...

Continued...

 

Terps forward arrested on assault charge

Maryland freshman forward Jordan Williams was charged with assault in his hometown of Torrington, Conn. Williams, 18, is one of five teenagers arrested for an alleged assault on Aug. 8. The 6-foot-10 freshman turned himself in to police Saturday. He was charged with misdemeanor assault and breach of peace. He faces up to 18 months in jail. Jordan Williams averaged 35.7 points last season as a senior at Torrington High School. Rivals.com ranked him the No. 85 basketball recruit in the nation. "We are aware of the situation and are monitoring any changes," Terps coach Gary Williams said in a statement. "We will let the judicial system run its course before making any decisions. Any...

Continued...

 

D.C. police seek sharp-dressed bank robber

D.C. police are asking for the public's help to find the well-dressed man who robbed a downtown bank Monday morning. Around 9:15 a.m., police said, a man in a dark suit and fedora hat walked into the Presidential Bank in the 1600 block of K Street Northwest. Once inside, the man passed a note demanding money. The clerk handed over cash and the robber fled the bank. He was last scene walking west on K Street. The robber is described as a black male, in his 40s, standing between 5-feet-10 and 5-11 in height. He has a black and gray beard, and a thin build. He was reportedly wearing a black suit, white shirt and tie. The Metropolitan Police Department is offering a reward of up to...

Continued...

 

District pays off in second sex suit against police photo lab chief

The District of Columbia has agreed to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars because of a second separate sexual harassment lawsuit against the chief of the police photography lab. Former photographer Mary Gilkey had accused longtime photo chief William Gresham of making unwanted sexual advances. The District last month agreed to pay Gilkey $200,000 to settle her suit, according to her lawyer, Ted E. Williams. In 2001, the city settled a similar complaint against Gresham by former employee Tina Hall-Johnson. Gresham, who supervised both women, remains the chief of the police photo lab, according to the Metropolitan Police Department's Web site. Williams has worked for the city...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Van Brunn in N.C. for competency hearing An 89-year-old white supremacist charged with killing a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has arrived at a federal prison in North Carolina to be evaluated for competency to stand trial. James von Brunn is now at the Butner Federal Medical Center in Butner, N.C. A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons says he arrived Friday from the D.C. Jail. Body found at church playground Prince George's County police are investigating the death of a man whose naked body was found behind a church Monday morning. Police said the body was found near the playground of the Ascension Lutheran Church around 7:30 a.m. The man appeared to...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Wis. game warden found buried, headless

On this day, Sept. 25, in 1971, the headless body of a Wisconsin game warden was found in a shallow grave. Neil LaFave had been missing since the day before, his 32nd birthday, and a hunting party went looking for him in the Sensiba Wildlife area. Searchers found LeFave's truck and a large amount of blood. The trail led to more blood, human body matter, a tooth, and bone fragments. Finally, police found a spot that had been recently dug up. Police retrieved shovels and found his body, without his head. The head was buried nearby with two bullets still embedded in it. The brutality of the attack seemed to indicate rage or revenge. Police questioned all the people who had been...

Continued...

 

Stupid crime - Kitty porn

Kitty porn A Florida man accused of possession of child pornography blamed the crime on his cat. According to a sheriff's report, Keith Griffin told investigators that pornographic images found on his computer were caused by his cat jumping on the keyboard while he was downloading music. Griffin has been charged with 100 counts of possession of child pornography. Sheriff's officials said a family friend was caring for the cat. Lessons in drunken dialing A 17-year-old Washington girl was arrested twice the same night after she dialed 9-1-1 while drunk. Police first busted the girl for public intoxication. After authorities released the girl to her family, she continued to be a...

Continued...

 

Drug dealer with long rap sheet sought by U.S. marshals

Convicted drug dealer and fugitive-from-justice Dominique Hinkley has racked up a long rap sheet, U.S. marshals deputies said, and they would like to put him behind bars before he strikes again. Authorities have been in pursuit of Hinkley for nearly a year and they're asking the public for their assistance in bringing the search to an end. "He's out there and we need to get him back in the court system and prevent any more victims," said Matt Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. Hinkley has been charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service in the District of Columbia for...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - George Washington creates U.S. Marshals Service

On this day, Sept. 24, in 1789, President George Washington signed the Judiciary Act, creating the U.S. Marshals Service, with the entire federal court system. Many of the first U.S. marshals, including John Adams' son-in-law, Rep. William Stephens Smith for the district of New York, had already proven themselves in military service during the American Revolution. Over the past 220 years, the marshals have been called on to carry out unusual missions, such as registering enemy aliens in time of war, sealing the American border against armed expeditions from foreign countries and swapping spies with the Soviet Union. As the young nation expanded westward, marshals were instrumental...

Continued...

 

The Blotter: Prosecutors explain misdemeanor charge in gay man's death

Prosecutors explain misdemeanor charge in gay man's death The District's acting U.S. attorney, Channing Phillips, said in a court filing that a lack of witnesses and the victim's drunken state led prosecutors to pursue misdemeanor charges in the death of Tony Hunter. Hunter was on his way to a gay bar in the District when he was punched in the head by Robert Hannah. The punch caused Hunter's head to hit the ground, which killed him. A medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, but Hannah pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault. Channing said Hunter's drunken state may have contributed to his hard fall, and authorities couldn't find more than three witnesses to the incident. The...

Continued...

 

Knifeman gets 48 years for slashing elderly woman's throat

A Germantown man was sentenced to 48 years in prison -- 10 years more than the sentencing guidelines recommend -- for robbing and slashing the throat of an 80-year-old woman. Elwood Green, 20, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Circuit Court to second-degree attempted murder and faced 22 to 38 years. But Judge Louise G. Scrivener imposed the harsher sentence because of the violence of the attack and the vulnerability of the elderly woman. "This was a heinous crime against a particularly vulnerable victim," said State's Attorney John J. McCarthy. "Elwood Green preyed on those he knew he could overpower easily." On Oct. 16, 2008, prosecutors said, Green followed San Hao Zhen, 80, up...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Boston officer killed by anti-war radicals

On this date, Sept. 23, in 1970, Boston police Officer Walter Schroeder was shot and killed while responding to a silent alarm at a bank being robbed by a gang of anti-Vietnam War activists. While the armed and masked robbers fired into the bank's walls and ordered everyone down on the floor, Schroeder drove up in his patrol car, got out and started walking toward the bank when getaway driver William "Lefty" Gilday shot him in the back several times with an M1 rifle. Schroeder, 42, died and was survived by his wife and nine children. Gilday was captured sentenced to life in prison. One of the co-conspirators, Katherine Ann Power, a 21-year-old student from Brandeis University,...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Radical attempts to kill President Ford

On this day, Sept. 22, in 1975, President Gerald Ford survived the second assassination attempt in 17 days. Sarah Jane Moore -- a native of Charleston, W.Va. and a political radical -- aimed a .38-caliber pistol at Ford as he left the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. But her attempt was thwarted by a bystander, Oliver Supple, who grabbed Moore's arm and pulled her to the ground. Moore was able to fire one shot, but the bullet ricocheted of the hotel. Secret Service agents hustled Ford into a waiting vehicle and sped away to safety. Moore was sentenced to life in prison. In 1979, she escaped from the federal prison in Alderson, W.Va., but was recaptured hours later. The attempt...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Nursing home worker charged with neglect Police in Frederick charged a nursing home worker with locking three blind and deaf adults in a car while he ate at a diner. The three were left in the hot sunlight while Brian Fleming, 47, ate inside the Mountain View Diner on Sunday. Paramedics treated the trio who appeared to be hot and in distress, police said. Fleming, 47, of Fairfield, Pa., with three counts of vulnerable adult neglect. Mail thief gets two years in jail A Hyattsville woman was sentenced to two years in prison for her role in a scheme to steal mail from U.S. Postal Service mailboxes. Neira Maradiaga-Menjivar, 23, pleaded guilty to using a master key to steal mail from USPS...

Continued...

 

Va. teacher with 15-year-old boy arrested

A 27-year-old Fairfax County schoolteacher was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a 15-year-old boy after police said they found the two parked inside her car early Sunday. Valerie Roesler, a teacher at Hayfield Secondary School, was charged with being drunk in public and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. At about 2 a.m. Sunday, Fairfax County police said a patrol officer saw the woman and child inside a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer parked on the 7900 block of Gunston Hill Lane and checked on them. Police said the teen had left his parents' house without their knowledge. He does not attend Hayfield, police said. - Scott...

Continued...

 

Sisters charged in D.C. income tax theft

The owners of a tax preparation businesse in South Carolina have been charged with filing phony income tax returns to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the District of Columbia. The elaborate scam siphoned money via the troubled D.C. tax office even after federal agents uncovered an unrelated scheme in which fake property tax returns were used to rip off $48 million from the government over two decades. Carolyne R. Jones, 50, and Johanna R. Jones, 47, were charged with wire fraud, mail fraud and identity theft. The sisters are accused of filing 173 fraudulent tax returns in the names of their clients to pocket $800,000 for themselves. Like the $48 million property tax...

Continued...

 

Crime history - Car bomb kills resistance leader on streets of D.C

On this day, Sept. 21, in 1976, a car bomb in Washington, D.C., set by agents of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet exploded, killing political figure Orlando Letelier and his assistant. The bombing on Massachusetts Avenue is one of the most infamous acts of international terrorism in the nation’s capital. Letelier had moved to D.C. after spending 12 months in political prison following Pinochet’s coup. He worked for the Institute for Policy Studies, taught at American University and became the leading voice of the Chilean resistance. At about 9:35 a.m. on this day, Letelier, his assistant Ronni Moffitt, 25, and her husband, Michael, were driving to work on Sheridan Circle in...

Continued...

 

Two arrested in BB gun attack against mailman

Fairfax County police arrested two men who they said fired a BB gun at a mailman last week. Police said the mailman was walking on the 6000 block of Bellview Drive at about 1 p.m. Wednesday when he had several shots fired at him. The mailman took cover and called police, who responded with a helicopter and K-9 officer. Police tracked the men to a nearby apartment and recovered a BB gun. Arrested were Horace Jones, 18, and Shawn Jones, 18, of Prince George’s County. Both suspects were charged with attempted malicious wounding....

Continued...

 

Crime History - Major League Baseball embarrassed by cocaine trial

On Sept. 20, in 1985, Curtis Strong is convicted for selling cocaine to pro baseball players that resulted in the harshest Major League Baseball penalties since the Black Sox scandal of 1919. Several Pittsburgh Pirates, including Dale Berra and Dave Parker, and other stars like Vida Blue, Jeff Leonard, Tim Raines and Lonnie Smith -- were hauled before a Pittsburgh grand jury. The players were granted immunity for their testimony. The Pirates testified that drug dealers sold cocaine in the clubhouse, and league Most Valuable Player Keith Hernandez swore that Pittsburgh was the place to get your fix. Even the mascot, Pirate Parrot, was implicated as a drug dealer. The players'...

Continued...

 

D.C. tech office employee pleads in kickback scheme

A D.C. government technology worker has pleaded guilty for her role in a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scam that rocked the city's computer office and once threatened to unseat President Obama's top technology official. Tawanna Sellmon, a project manager in the District's Office of the Chief Technology Officer, is the latest name to surface in the bribery and kickback scandal. Five people, including two other D.C. tech office employees, have been charged so far. Sellmon admitted Thursday in federal court that she accepted thousands of dollars from Sushil Bansal, the owner of Advanced Integrated Technologies, a consulting firm accused of bilking the D.C. taxpayers for millions of...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Patty Heart arrested after SLA shootout

On this day, September 18, in 1975, 19-year-old heiress Patricia Hearst was captured by Los Angeles police after a shootout and arrested for an armed robbery of a bank that she committed as a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army. More than a year earlier, Hearst -- granddaughter of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst -- was kidnapped in Berkeley, Calif., by the militant group and held for ransom. The SLA demanded that millions of dollars worth of foodstuffs be donated to the homeless. After her capture, Hearst claimed that she had been brainwashed. She was convicted of bank robbery in 1976 and sentenced to seven years in prison. She served two years before her sentence was...

Continued...

 

Girl tries hanging herself at D.C. elementary school

An elementary school student was hospitalized after she tried to kill herself at her school in Northwest Washington, officials said. The girl was found Thursday morning hanging by a belt around her neck inside a restroom at the Adams campus of Oyster-Adams Bilingual School just north of Dupont Circle, officials said. School workers removed the girl and administrated CPR before rescue workers took her to Children's National Medical Center in serious condition, D.C. fire department spokesman Pete Piringer said. The student, age 12 or 13, was listed in serious condition, Piringer said. The student's exact age or grade could not be released because of privacy laws, D.C. schools...

Continued...

 

26 arrested in drug takedown

Authorities rounded up 26 suspects and seized tens of thousands of dollars in cash and drugs during a raid in Southeast Washington on Thursday, police said. The arrests took place mostly in the Parkland Park neighborhood. Police said they seized crack cocaine, heroin, PCP and marijuana with a street value of more than $89,000, three guns, and nearly $80,000 in cash. "Where there are drugs there is crime, and this neighborhood has been plagued by both," Chief Cathy L. Lanier said. "Today's takedown clears this neighborhood of the crews who are tied to much of the violence here." - Scott...

Continued...

 

Stupid Crimes

It's called the Axe body spray effect A tender tryst in a trash bin turned sour for a Kansas couple who found themselves being robbed at knife point. Wichita police say lovers had climbed into a Dumpster to be alone when two men interrupted them and demanded their belongings. Officers say the man and woman were engaged in "an intimate moment" when they were robbed of their shoes, jewelry and the man's wallet. The suspects were found a short time later, and the stolen property was returned. That's how Dante J. Krauss rolls A Florida deputy did a double-take when the driver of a motorcycle literally streaked past wearing nothing, not even a helmet. A Marion County sheriff's...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Serial killer cop goes to trial in Fla.

On this day, Sept. 17, in 1973, the trial begins in Florida for former Deputy Sheriff Gerard Schaefer for murders he committed as a patrolman. Witnesses included two teenage hitchhikers who had been abducted by Schaefer. The girls said Schaefer picked him up in his patrol car, handcuffed them and threatened to sell them into slavery. Schaefer left them balanced under a tree with nooses around their necks so that if they fell they would hang themselves. But the girls escaped and Schaefer telephoned his boss to say he had done something foolish, but was only trying to teach the girls a lesson. Schaefer, then 26, was fired and charged with false imprisonment. Four months later, the...

Continued...

 

Animal activists arrested outside Canadian Embassy

Three women in white seal costumes doused in red paint to look make them look bloodied were arrested in front of the Canadian Embassy. The women, animal activists from PETA, crawled onto Pennsylvania Avenue near Constitution Avenue and blocked morning traffic. U.S. Secret Service officers removed them from the street and charged them with disorderly conduct, unlawful assembly and failure to obey. The protesters said they were demonstrating against the slaughter of harp seals and wanted to send a message to Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper as he visits Barack Obama. -- Scott...

Continued...

 

Arlington's 'Plastic Bag Attacker' still at large

A man who became known as the Plastic Bag Attacker when he terrorized women in Arlington two years ago, has never been captured and police are determined to learn his identity. The man stalked women who walked alone at night from Metro stations. He would walk up to them and try to force a plastic bag over their head, and sometimes would grope them. Police believe he was trying to injure the women and hide his identity. At the time, police released a composite sketch and they hope that someone might recognize the man. Police believe the man may still be out there and they want to catch him before he strikes again and escalates his bizarre attacks. At least five women were attacked over...

Continued...

 

Student kills suspected burglar with samurai sword

A John Hopkins University student with a samurai sword killed a suspected burglar at his off-campus home, Baltimore police said. Around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday, a 20-year-old chemistry major student confronted a man hiding inside his garage, asked him what he was doing and threatened to call police. That's when the man lunged at the student who defended himself with his sword, police said. Witnesses said they heard blood-curdling screams. The intruder suffered a nearly severed hand that hung "by a thread" and a serious cut to his upper body, a spokesman said. The suspected burglar died at the scene. The 49-year-old man was described by police as a habitual offender with 29 arrests, mostly...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Puppy tossed during fight, injured Two Annandale residents were charged with animal cruelty after a puppy was thrown out of a window and injured. Fairfax County Police were called to domestic situation in Lincolnia area Friday and discovered that a six-month-old puppy was allegedly tossed from a second story window during the argument. The dog suffered a broken front paw. He was taken into custody by Animal Control officers and given medical attention. He may be put up for adoption. Terrence G. Merritt, 41, and Latoya Grant, 24, were both charged with animal cruelty. Police-involved shooting victim ID'd The man fatally shot by D.C. police Monday has been indentified as...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY: Priest, mistress found slain in lover's lane

On this day, Sept. 16, in 1922, a young couple in New Jersey discovered the slain bodies of an Episcopal priest and a member of his choir with whom he was having an affair. The suspected killers were the priest's wife and her brothers in what became known as the Hall-Mills case. The victims, Edward Hall and Eleanor Mills, were both shot in the head with a .32-caliber pistol. Her tongue had been cut out. Their bodies had been placed under a crabapple tree, positioned side by side with torn-up love letters placed between their bodies. The case against Frances Noel Stevens Hall and her brothers fell apart during the month long trial when the key witness changed her story each time she...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - 4 girls killed in Ala. church bombing

On this day, Sept. 15, in 1963, a bomb exploded during Sunday morning services in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., killing four black girls. Birmingham was a center of the civil rights struggle, and the church was a rallying point for the city's black leadership. In the early morning, Ku Klux Klansmen planted 122 sticks of dynamite at the church. At 10:26, while 26 children were readying for closing prayers, the bomb detonated, killing 14-year-olds Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, along with 11-year-old Denise McNair. Robert "Dynamite Bob" Chambliss originally was charged with murder but not convicted. The case was reopened in 1971, when it...

Continued...

 

Va. wants to execute D.C. sniper Nov. 9.

Virginia is seeking a Nov. 9 execution for D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad. Senior Assistant Attorney General Katherine B. Burnett wrote that the November date has been coordinated with the governor's office to ensure consideration of an expected clemency petition. Muhammad was sentenced to death for the slaying of Dean Meyers, one of 10 people killed during a 2002 shooting rampage that terrorized the Washington area. Muhammad's attorney, Jonathan Sheldon, has said he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. -- Scott...

Continued...

 

FBI: D.C.'s violent crime up in 2008

The number of violent crimes in the District of Columbia increased last year, according to the FBI, contradicting the police department's claims that violence had fallen substantially in 2008. The total number of murders, rapes, robberies and assaults in D.C. rose 2.3 percent last year over 2007, according to an annual FBI crime report released Monday. Property crime in the nation's capital also increased by 4.5 percent, the FBI said. Meanwhile, the rest of the country saw a better trend: Violent crime nationally fell 1.9 percent nationally; property crime dipped 0.8 percent. Earlier this year, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, boasted of "huge victories on crime," testifying...

Continued...

 

The Blotter: 'Wig Lady' mastermind sentenced

'Wig Lady' mastermind sentenced The ringleader in the "Wig Lady" bank fraud scheme was sentenced to nine years in prison. Authorities said 58-year-old Charles H. Belim, of Capitol Heights, was the mastermind of a team of thieves who pickpocketed checkbooks from more than 50 women and then wore wigs, scarves and glasses while impersonating them to draw money from the women's bank accounts. The group had operated in Boston for several years before Belim apparently decided to bring the crew to Maryland in 2005. In less than two years, police said the ring stole up to $120,000 in cash and hit at least 23 banks in the Washington area. Toddler drowns in ornamental pond A 14-month-old boy died...

Continued...

 

Hunt for murdered teen's killer continues decades later

It's been nearly 36 years since hunters in Anne Arundel County stumbled on the body of a young woman on a footpath in a wooded area just north of the Prince George's County line. The female was identified as 17-year-old Donna Lee Dustin, a 1973 graduate of Bowie High School with a promising future. Her death remains unsolved, and her killer, or killers, remain free. Chief investigator David Cordle, of the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office, has been investigating Dustin's slaying for a dozen years. Each year he attends her class reunion, hoping that someone will come forward with information about the night she was killed that might help solve Dustin's murder. "These...

Continued...

 

Detectives seek Md. bank fraud suspect

Police are asking for the public's help in identifying and locating the man who wrote thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks around Montgomery and Prince George's counties. From June 2 through 9, police said, the man went to various SunTrust banks and cashed checks from the Hyatt Corp. using bogus identification documents. Police said he stole nearly $9,000. The culprit is described as a black male, in his 40s or 50s, about 5 foot 7 and 180 pounds. The man was bald with a white goatee and glasses. On at least one occasion, he wore a red Cincinnati Reds baseball cap. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Montgomery County police at 240-773-6330. - Scott...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Serial killing duo met this day

On this day, Sept. 10, in 1977, Gerald Gallego met a young woman, Charlene Williams, at a poker club in Sacramento. The smitten couple blossomed into one of the most violent serial killing duos in history. After a year, Gallego decided he wanted to turn his sick fantasies into reality. Charlene Gallego convinced two girls, 16 and 17, to climb into their van. Gallego greeted them with a .25-caliber pistol and bound them. Charlene stayed in the van. When he returned hours later, he told his wife, "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies." Gallego then struck the girls with a tire iron and shot them dead. The couple repeated this gruesome scene several times, killing 10 girls over...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Woman shot outside Silver Spring home A 37-year-old Silver Spring woman was shot and killed outside her Briggs Chaney-area apartment, Montgomery County police said. Shortly after midnight Wednesday, police responded to the 14100 block of Castle Boulevard for a report of shots fired. They found the woman at the entrance of the Ashford at Woodlake complex on an elevated walkway that led from the parking lot to the woman's apartment building. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 240-773-5070. Callers may remain anonymous. Escaped inmates nabbed U.S. Marshals captured two inmates who escaped last week while working on a fence at a Maryland prison complex near...

Continued...

 

Police: Fugitive still robbing while on the run

U.S. Marshals want to put an end to Antione Lee Riley's burgeoning career as a violent criminal before other people become his victims. Riley, 21, who has been a fugitive from justice since he failed to show up for his armed robbery trial in June, is now a suspect in a robbery and assault over the Labor Day weekend. Marshals are asking the public's help to put him behind bars before he strikes again. "Riley has a very short criminal history but is clearly well on his way to becoming a serious threat to the community," said Matthew Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. "He needs to be sent a message that terrorizing your community is not...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Attica prison riot begins, ending with 39 killed

On this day, Sept. 9, in 1971, the four-day Attica Prison riot began, ending in 39 dead and one of the bloodiest encounters between Americans since the Civil War. Responding to the death of a Black Panther at the hands of prison guards in California, more than 1,000 inmates seized control of the New York facility, taking 33 corrections officers hostage. Four days of negotiations made little progress. At 9:46 a.m. Sept. 9, state police dropped tear gas into the yard and began shooting nonstop into the smoke for two minutes, killing hostages and inmates. By the time the facility was retaken, nine hostages and 28 inmates had been killed. The riots had a racial component. Of 2,225...

Continued...

 

Silver Spring man arrested in rape of ex-girlfriend

A 35-year-old Silver Spring man was charged with raping his former girlfriend, Montgomery County police said. The woman agreed to meet her ex-boyfriend Saturday morning at his apartment in the 9300 block of Piney Branch Road, where police said the man physically assaulted and raped her. The woman was able to get help from a nearby resident who called 9-1-1. Police arrested Roberto Samayoa-Pineda outside the apartment and charged him with rape. He was being held Monday without bond. -- Scott...

Continued...

 

D.C. man sentenced for drugging, prostituting teens

A 24-year-old D.C. man was sentenced to more than four years in prison for prostituting three underage girls around the capital area. Paul R. Green recruited young girls and drugged them to have sex for money with drug users, according to U.S. Attorney for Maryland Rod Rosenstein. The girls were used to help with his illegal drug sales, prosecutors said. "Anyone who pays for or profits from sex with a child should be on notice that Maryland's human trafficking task force is committed to a policy of zero tolerance for child prostitution," Rosenstein said in a statement. Green was sentenced Friday to 52 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Green will be...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Ex-ambassador charged with sex crimes A former U.S. ambassador to Paraguay was charged with having sex with an 18-year-old man against his will, according to charging documents filed in D.C. Superior Court. Police said Timothy L. Towell bought the teen alcoholic drinks and dinner, then invited the teen to stay with him at his home on the 1500 block of 33rd Street NW. It was there, the teen told police, that Towell performed sex acts on him. The boy claimed he felt threatened when Towell showed him a machete and revolver. Towell served as U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay from 1988 to 1991. Secretary accused of using company credit card to finance exotic dancing business A 41-year-old legal...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - 'The Kingfish' is gunned dpwn

On this day, Sept. 8, 1935, U.S. Sen. Huey Long was shot in the Louisiana capitol building. He died two days later at the age of 42. Long was a Great Depression-era radical populist with the motto, "Every Man a King." He advocated federal spending on public works, and old-age pensions promised a $2,500 minimum income per family. Critics accused him of being a dictator for his control of the state government. He earned the nickname "The Kingfish" after he once quipped, "I'm a small fish here in Washington. But I'm the Kingfish to the folks in Louisiana." At the pinnacle of his popularity, Long was attacked in Baton Rouge by Dr. Carl Weiss, the son-in-law of a political opponent. It...

Continued...

 

Police seek bank-robbing pair

Detectives have obtained video stills of a man and woman suspected of robbing an Anne Arundel County bank, and authorities are asking the public to help identify the pair. Shortly before noon on Aug. 22, a woman walked into the PNC Bank in Crofton and obtained a blank bank deposit slip. The woman scanned the bank lobby in a suspicious manner and left with the bank slip, according to Anne Arundel police. Outside the bank, the woman met with the male robber in the parking lot before she got into a small, light-colored pickup truck parked outside the bank, witnesses told police. A few moments later, the man entered the bank and handed a teller a PNC bank deposit slip with a written...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

After saying 'Yes,' woman falls off cliff A woman fell off a cliff after accepting a marriage proposal near Great Falls, Md., and had to be rescued by a helicopter, U.S. Park Police said. Shortly after the man proposed on Sunday afternoon, the new bride-to-be slipped off the path into rocks near the Billy Goat Trail, injuring her head and chest. Montgomery County's Fire and Rescue Unit arrived by boat and rescuers climbed 100 feet to reach the woman. She was placed on a gurney where a U.S. Park Police helicopter hoisted her to safety. The woman's injuries were serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. Officials would not identify the couple. Teenagers shot in D.C Two teens were...

Continued...

 

UPS employee charged with stealing $100K worth of pills from packages

A United Parcel Service employee was slapped with a drug dealing charge after police accused him of stealing prescription pills from mail packages at a distribution center in Fairfax, according to documents filed in district court in Alexandria. James Christopher Curtis, 23, of Springfield, was charged with one count of possession with the intent to distribute oxycodone, a controlled substance found in the prescription drug OxyContin. Authorities said the tablets have a street value in Northern Virginia of about $65 each or about $40 per tablet when purchased in large quantities. According to the FBI charging affidavit, authorities began investigating Curtis in July after a fellow...

Continued...

 

Shots fired in hostage standoff

A 44-year-old Woodbridge man was arrested after police said he held his wife hostage and fired two shots as she fled to safety Sunday. Torris D. Cowan was charged with two counts of attempted malicious wounding, abduction and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. According to police, at about 9:30 a.m., Prince William County police were called to a Woodbridge town house, where they found the man holding a gun to his estranged wife's head and trying to force open the front door with his body. When the homeowner opened the door from the inside, Cowan and his wife fell backward. The wife escaped, police said, but a struggle ensued between Cowan and the homeowner. During the...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - N.J. man kills 13 neighbors in 12 minutes

On this day, Sept. 6, 1949, Howard Unruh killed 13 neighbors in 12 minutes, in what is considered the first U.S. single-episode mass murderer. Unruh was a World War II veteran who was a tank soldier who fought at the Battle of the Bulge and kept meticulous notes of every German killed, down to the details of the corpse. After the war, Unruh lived with his mother in Camden, N.J., and became a recluse. At 9:20 a.m., Unruh grabbed his German Luger pistol, walked out his house and randomly picked off his victims. When Unruh was arrested, a cop asked if he was some kind of "psycho." He replied, "I'm no psycho. I have good mind." At the station, he told police that he...

Continued...

 

Man charged with DUI in crash that killed two

A 26-year-old Stafford man was charged with drunken driving in connection with a two-vehicle crash that killed two people in Prince William County. Police said William J. Mallory was behind the wheel of a Ford Explorer that rear-ended a Saturn Ion, knocking the car through a fence and killing passengers 2-year-old Jonathan Wade-Ortiz, 2, and 60-year-old Rebecca L. Sacras, of Alexandria. Mallory was charged with driving under the influence. He is being held without bond and is pending a court date. The investigation continues. -- Scott...

Continued...

 

Mortgage broker pleads to real estate scheme

A former mortgage broker pleaded guilty for her role in an extensive real estate scheme in the District and Maryland. Rasheeda M. Canty, 35, faces up to 30 years in prison, but will likely receive between three or four years in imprisonment under the federal sentencing guidelines, prosecutors said. At a federal court in Washington on Friday, Canty admitted that the plot cost her victims more than $1 million and she promised to pay the government more than $340,000 she received in commissions on the fraudulent transactions. Joseph Persichini Jr., head of the FBI's Washington Field Office, said the conviction "sends a clear message to bad actors" that law enforcement is focusing...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Grandmother, grandson killed in alleged DUI crash A grandmother and her 2-year-old grandson were killed in a car crash Friday, Prince William County police said. Rebecca L. Sacra, 60, of Alexandria, and 2-year-old Jonathan Wade-Ortiz were pronounced dead at the scene of a crash at the intersection of Prince William Parkway and University Boulevard in Manassas. Police arrested William John Mallory, 26, of Stafford, Va. and charged him with driving under the influence. Stafford is due in court on Nov. 6. Peaceoholics counselor found guilty A youth counselor for a prominent D.C. non-profit was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl at the school where he was allowed to...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Immigrant founds last of Mafia's 'Five Families'

On this day, Sept. 4, in 1921, Italian immigrant Joseph Profaci first set foot in New York, where he would rise quickly in the Mafia and become the founder of the last of the Five Families. Most of Profaci's mob operation was in Brooklyn, where he ruled with an iron fist from 1930 to 1962. People who expressed discontent were murdered. Profaci was one of the smarter Mafia dons, parlaying his illegal enterprises into a legitimate olive oil business to protect himself from the Internal Revenue Service. At one time he was the country's largest importer of olive oil, leading to his nickname as "Olive Oil King." Profaci lived a life of luxury and professed to be a devout Catholic. When two...

Continued...

 

3 men arrested in sex assault of girl, 14

Three men were arrested in the sexual assault of a 14-year-old Woodbridge girl who had invited friends to her house without her parent's permission, Prince William County police said. When the girl's mother came home on Aug. 27, she found her daughter and a friend highly intoxicated. The juveniles were taken to a hospital, where police said they were told that the men had sexual intercourse with the homeowner's daughter. Arrested were Oscar A. Hernandez and Michael Jerel Garris, both 19; and Eric Sarvelio Orellana, 18. -- Scott...

Continued...

 

Murder suspect limps from D.C. hospital before arrest

A suspect in the fatal shooting of a 63-year-old Silver Spring man limped out of a Washington hospital before police could arrest him on a murder warrant, Montgomery County police said. Winston D. Dillon, 39, is wanted on a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of Clarence Rankine, who was gunned down outside his residence early Sunday. Dillon was treated at the Washington Hospital Center for gunshot wounds to the leg that police said he suffered during Rankine's shooting, but he checked himself out Wednesday, police said. Lt. Paul Starks said an officer was not placed outside Dillon's room because he had not been charged with a crime. "We can't restrict somebody's...

Continued...

 

Stupid crimes

It's a dog-eat-tire world What happens when the dog chasing the car catches it? A North Carolina sheriff's deputy found out this week. The Fayetteville Observer reported that Hope Mills resident Gloria Bass called police to say a dog was chasing her daughter while she rode her bike. The deputy arrived and parked in Bass' driveway. While inside, Bass' own pit bull chomped on the police cruiser tires, puncturing all four and deflating them. Bass was billed $500 for a new set of wheels. 20 million men have had the Viagra conversation. Has this guy? A Florida man who got behind the wheel after taking Viagra was arrested after a mom with two children in her pickup truck complained...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Ex-trooper charged in sex offense A former Maryland state trooper was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he had pulled over, police said. Police said Marlon Iglesias of Silver Spring squeezed a woman's thigh after he arrested her last year. The woman told police in May that the trooper fondled and kissed her while she was in handcuffs. Iglesias, 42, had resigned in April after his police powers were suspended because of another issue. Elderly man arrested for sex assault A 79-year-old man was charged with aggravated sexual assault and Arlington County police are seeking additional victims. Police said Chester Fred Mancinelli, of Arlington, sexually assaulted a young...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Anti-abortion minister executed for Fla. killings

On this day, Sept. 3, in 2003, former Presbyterian minister Paul Jennings Hill became the first person executed for killing a doctor who performed abortions. On July 29, 1994, Hill used a shotgun to kill Dr. John Britton and his bodyguard, retired Lt. Col. James Barrett, outside a Pensacola, Fla., clinic. He also wounded Barrett's wife. At the time, the slayings were part of a tide of violence against abortion providers in the United States. Hill tried to claim that the killings were justifiable because he was preventing the murder of unborn children. The judge dismissed that argument and Hill refused to present any other defense. In a statement before his death, Hill said he felt no...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Father sold stolen guns for son A Stafford County father pleaded guilty Tuesday to pawning five weapons stolen by his son and his friend. George Troy Bradford faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 20. Md. prisons to test cell phone detectors Maryland corrections officials are planning to test technology that can detect cell phones in prisons. Law enforcement officials are lobbying Congress to allow states to use cell phone jamming technology to prevent criminals from using the phones to organize crimes from behind bars. The tests at Jessup on Thursday will only detect cell phone use, not jam them. Prison guard convicted in beatings A...

Continued...

 

Drug dealer keeps one step ahead of authorities

Authorities have been pursuing fugitive Dante Soloman Scott for more than a year and they're asking the public's assistance in bringing the chase to an end. Scott, convicted of federal cocaine distribution charges, is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service in Maryland for violating the conditions of his parole in March of 2008. The 45-year-old has a history of drug abuse and a long rap sheet, including arrests for burglary and assault. "Investigators have been playing a cat-and-mouse game with Scott," said Matthew Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. "We're asking the public's help in ending this game and bringing Scott back...

Continued...

 

Suspect in Holocaust museum shooting remains defiant

The 89-year-old white supremacist accused of killing a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum said he didn't need a psychology evaluation and demanded a speedy trial. James von Brunn tried to interrupt his attorney A.J. Kramer, who asked that his client be evaluated for competency. He swallowed and shook his head. "Your honor, your Constitution guarantees me a speedy and fair trial," von Brunn said in a halting voice. "I'm a United States citizen and as a U.S. naval officer I swore to protect my country. I take my vows very seriously." The hearing was von Brunn's first appearance since the June 10 shooting that killed security guard Stephen T. Johns....

Continued...

 

Police seek 'critical' missing D.C. woman

D.C. police are seeking the public's assistance in finding 23-year-old Claire E. Morra, who was last seen about 3:30 p.m. Friday in the area of Mount Pleasant. Morra, of the 3300 block of 16th Street NW, is described as a light-complexioned white female, 5 feet 9 inches, weighing 105 pounds, with hazel eyes and short brown hair. She reportedly was last seen wearing a black shirt and black pants. Police consider her a "critical" missing person because she needs medication. As such, Morra might appear to be disoriented. Anyone with information about Morra's whereabouts is asked to call police at 202-727-9099. - Scott...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Gang leader aligned with terrorists goes on trial

On this day, Sept. 2, in 1988, the murder trial began for the leader of a Chicago street gang who plotted with Libya to bomb U.S. buildings and airplanes and assassinate American politicians. The El Rukn Tribe seemed like the average criminal enterprise, but the gang had grander designs. Its leader, Jeff Fort, united dozens of other street gangs and presided over meetings from a throne on a pedestal, surrounded by giant posters of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi. In 1987, Fort and four other gang members were convicted of agreeing to accept $2.5 million from Lybia to carry out their terrorist plots, making them the first Americans to be found guilty of planning terrorist acts for a foreign...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Georgetown student attacked in sleep A Georgetown University student was sexually assaulted at her home in the middle of the night. Around 4 a.m. Tuesday, the assailant entered an on-campus apartment through an open window and crawled into the bed of a woman and began to sexually assault her, university police said. She screamed and the assailant fled through the front door, police said. The attack comes two days after another female student was attacked in her sleep. Police are investigating whether the culprit is the same man who has been involved in as many as seven attacks beginning last year in and around the campus. Students have dubbed him the Georgetown Cuddler. Ex-schools...

Continued...

 

Police seek witnesses in Arlington flasher case

KSTCLAIR 9/1/09 this is what's making news for crime page A Fairfax man was arrested on charges of indecent exposure and Arlington County police are asking other potential victims to come forward. Police said a 10-year old girl witnessed a man exposing himself in the area of North Williamsburg Boulevard and North Sycamore Street. The man was wearing short red shorts and appeared to attempt to expose himself while making it look like an accident. Arlington County police conducted surveillance on the area and found a suspect. Richard A. Simon, 45, was charged with felony indecent liberties, police said. He was held without bond. Anyone who has information is asked to call 703-228-4242 or...

Continued...

 

MS-13 member admits to fatal shooting of 15-year-old

A member of a violent Hispanic street gang pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing a teenager in a gang-related dispute at a Prince George's County strip mall. Jorge Rigorberto Amador, 33, admitted in federal court in Greenbelt to racketeering charges, including squeezing the trigger of the gun used to slay 15-year-old Jose Manuel Arias in 2005. Amador is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 9 and faces life in prison. Prosecutors said Amador, whose street name is Santa Diablo (or Saint Devil), was a member of the La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, comprised mostly of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador and boasting a huge presence throughout Prince George's and Montgomery...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Canadian serial killer/rapist husband convicted

On this day, Sept. 1, in 1995, Paul Bernardo was convicted of raping and killing young girls in Canada with his wife, Karla Homolka, aka the "Barbie and Ken Killers." When the two met, Bernardo had already raped a series of girls. The killings began in 1990 when the couple drugged Homolka's 15-year-old sister, Tammy, and taped themselves raping her. Tammy choked on her own vomit and died, but the death was ruled accidental. Six months later, Bernardo brought home a 14-year-old girl and raped and strangled her, put her body in cement and dumped her in a nearby lake. The girl's body resurfaced the same day Bernardo and Homolka were married. A year later, the couple abducted a...

Continued...

 

Ex-Prince George's cop gets 4 years for child porn

A former Prince George's County police sergeant was sentenced to more than four years in prison for buying and downloading images of child pornography onto his laptop computer, federal prosecutors said. U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams Jr. ordered 35-year-old David John Larose Jr. to spend 51 months in federal prison after he determined that Larose had lied during his testimony at his plea hearing and failed to accept responsibility for his conduct, prosecutors said. After pleading to the crimes in court, Larose recanted his story, saying he was coerced into the agreement by his attorney and the assistant U.S. attorney, but his new version fell apart during cross-examination,...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Silver Spring man killed in possible triple shooting A 63-year-old Silver Spring man was shot several times and killed outside his home early Sunday, Montgomery County police said. Police were dispatched at 5 a.m. to the 900 block of University Boulevard for a report of shots fired. They found Clarence Rankine dead near a side entrance to his home; a handgun was recovered. Police said there were numerous people at the house before the shooting. While police were on the scene, they were notified that two men were being treated at a nearby hospital for gunshot wounds. Police believe the shootings may be related. Woman slain on NW street D.C. police are investigating the shooting death...

Continued...

 

Truck driver's death remains a mystery

Truck driver Vernon Nielson was likely asleep in his cab seconds before he was fatally shot through the heart. That was 10 years ago, during the early-morning hours of July 6, 1999, and Prince William County police are still looking for Nielson's killer. Nielson, 69, the owner of a Springfield, Mo., trucking company, was making his last delivery before he was to retire from a career as a truck driver, police said. As the an owner of Christenson Transportation Inc., Nielson had stopped making cross-country deliveries -- but this time no other driver was available to haul the load of household goods to Woodbridge, police said. Nielson was scheduled to make a delivery to Modern...

Continued...

 

Firefighters rescue dog from 30-foot-deep well

with photo of dog with rescuerPrince George's County firefighters pulled a 3-year-old dog from a 30-foot well as it was filling with rain water. Kujo, a 120-pound Mastiff-like dog, had crawled underneath a wooden porch and fell into an abandoned well Friday. The dog barked and cried as water began to rise, authorities said. Firefighters dismantled the deck, pumped fresh air into the space and set up a series of ropes and pulleys. Firefighter Travis Lambert was lowered into the hole, placed a rescue harness around the dog and pulled him out. Kujo's owner said, "The firefighters just lifted [Kujo] out of his grave." - Scott...

Continued...

 

Husband faces trial in slaying of wife at church

Kelly faces first-degree murder charges The murder trial is scheduled to begin today for a Rockville man accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife outside her Montgomery County church. Kevin Kelly, 53, faces charges of first-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence. The shooting happened in February during Sunday services at the People's Community Baptist Church near Norwood Road and New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring. Police said 52-year-old Patricia Ann Simmons Kelly, of Rockville, was in the parking lot when she was shot several times, including in the chest. With church services under way, at least three off-duty police officers were...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Death follows Florida doctor

On this day, Aug. 28, in 1965, the 32-year-old wife of Dr. Carl Coppolino was found dead in Longboat Key, Fla., two years after the doctor's mistress's husband died under suspicious circumstances. Sarasota County sheriff's deputies soon got a tip that there was something odd about the deaths. The tipster was Marge Farber, the doctor's widowed mistress. Farber, recently dumped by Coppolino for a wealthy, younger divorcee, told a weird story of being hypnotized by Coppolino while he smothered her husband, a retired Army colonel. Coppolino was charged with both murders. Boston lawyer F. Lee Bailey, who won murder acquittals for Dr. Sam Sheppard a year earlier, successfully defended...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Mail carrier who stole golf survey is fired from course A postal worker caught stealing mail after he filled out a stolen golf survey and mailed it in was fired Thursday morning from his new job at the Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, the club's general manager said. William Seville filled out the golf survey in March. The Examiner reported Seville's guilty plea and his job at the golf club Thursday. General manager Bill O'Connor said he fired Seville after learning of his conviction from The Examiner. But Seville's attorney wrote in court filings that he was a valued employee "evidenced by his being kept on as an employee even after disclosing his conviction." Fatal...

Continued...

 

Crime History

On this day, Aug. 27, in 1904, Newport, R.I. Judge Darius Baker imposed the nation's first jail sentencing for speeding in an automobile. A jail term was especially harsh because automobile traffic laws were still new. The offender was caught traveling a breakneck 15 mph. Although laws against galloping horses and speeding carriages had been on the books in America since 1678, the first automobile traffic code wasn't implemented until 1903. Even before then, a New York cabbie was ticketed for reckless driving. On May 21, 1899, Jacob German, operator of a taxicab for the Electric Vehicle Co., was stopped by Bicycle Roundsman Schueller for driving at 12 mph on Lexington Avenue in...

Continued...

 

FBI reveals new details on teacher accused of child porn

The FBI has released details and a photo of the elite private school teacher who fled the area after school officials found inappropriate nude pictures of boys on his school-owned camera. After "America's Most Wanted" aired a story about Eric Toth, the former third-grade teacher at Beauvoir Elementary School at the Washington National Cathedral, authorities got a tip that he was at a homeless shelter in Phoenix. A woman at a nearby jobs center told an ABC affiliate in Phoenix that Toth used a fake identity. He told people that he had taken a five-year vow of poverty and became one of the best volunteers at the center, which acts as a kind of student union center in downtown...

Continued...

 

Cool summer chilling the killers?

Homicides are down dramatically in the District and other cities across America at the same time many parts of the nation are experiencing the coolest summer in decades. That has some experts wondering if the big chill is allowing cooler heads to prevail on city streets. "The hard science is not conclusive," said George Washington University criminologist Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor. But "it's probably true that the cooler weather is responsible for the drop in violent crime. Any beat cop will tell you that a cooler summer means safer streets." Police leaders like D.C. Chief Cathy Lanier bristle at the suggestion that cool weather is chilling the bad...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Gainesville Ripper kills first 2 victims

On this day, Aug. 26, in 1990, the Gainsville Ripper murdered and mutilated two University of Florida students, sending the college town into a panic. Christina Powell and Sonja Larson, both 17, became the first in a series killings linked to Danny Rolling. The girls were found in their apartment naked and posed in grotesque positions. Shortly after midnight, while police were wrapping up the crime scene, the body of a community college student, Christa Hoyt, 18, was found slain in another apartment. Her naked body had been seated on the edge of her bed, her head propped on a bookshelf. Two days later, Rolling killed roommates Tracy Paules and Manuel Taboada, both 23. Police...

Continued...

 

Feds: D.C. woman busted with cocaine bra

A District woman was arrested Tuesday after airport customs officials said they found nearly three pounds of cocaine stuffed inside her bra. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested Sophia Williams, of Washington, early Tuesday morning after they say they found two pounds and nine ounces of cocaine stuffed inside her bra when she landed at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport on a flight from Jamaica. It appeared as if the bra padding had been replaced with cocaine packages molded into the shape of an implant and colored with a marker to match the dark material, a spokesman said. "Narcotics smugglers will go to great lengths to conceal their...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Jets force down pilot lost over D.C. Fighter jets forced down a student pilot who flew into Washington's restricted airspace Tuesday afternoon. Secret Service officials said they believed the pilot did not intend to harm the White House or any D.C. facilities. The student pilot of the Cessna plane was on his first cross-country solo flight. The plane was forced to land in Gaithersburg. Teens charged with racial vandalism Four teens were charged with vandalizing an elementary school with racially charged words and symbols. Prince William County police said the teens arranged squares of sod on a parking lot to form a 30-foot KKK and a swastika. The teens, ages 14 through 17, are both...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - American Nazi leader killed near Arlington home

On this day, August 25, in 1967, George Lincoln Rockwell, the head of the American Nazi Party, was killed by a sniper near his home in Arlington. Rockwell, a former commercial artist and Naval Reserve commander, formed the party in 1959, opening its headquarters at 928 North Randolph St. in Arlington. Rockwell gained notoriety after columnist Drew Pearson wrote that Rockwell and his followers dressed in uniforms and armed themselves with guns while parading in front of an 18-foot Swastika flag inside Rockwell's home. Rockwell believed blacks should be deported to Africa and Jews should be sterilized. "Roots" author Alex Haley interviewed Rockwell for Playboy's April 1966 issue. On...

Continued...

 

Two injured in Dupont Circle electrical flash

Two workers were injured Monday, one critically, when one of them cut into a live electrical cable near Dupont Circle. The electrical contractors were removing cable from an underground high-voltage room when they sliced the 110-volt cable, Pepco spokesman Clay Anderson said. There was no explosion, Anderson said, just a low-voltage flash. One worker suffered critical burns to his face while a second worker suffered smoke inhalation, said D.C. Deputy Fire Chief Ken Crosswhite. The incident occurred near lunchtime under the sidewalk and flower bed of The Dupont Hotel in the 1500 block of 19th Street NW. – Scott...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Man, 87, charged with killing fellow nursing home resident An 87-year-old man was charged with fatally beating a 91-year-old man at a nursing home in Columbia. Earl Wilder was charged with second-degree murder in the death of James Brown, Howard County police said. Police said Wilder repeatedly struck Brown in the head. Police do not believe the men knew each other. Man accused of child abduction in Fairfax A Fairfax County man was arrested for allegedly abducting a 9-year-old boy from a store restroom. Police said the child left the restroom at the Dick's Sporting Goods at 5716 Columbia Pike on Saturday and immediately told his father that a man kept him from leaving the restroom...

Continued...

 

D.C. police looking for missing teen

D.C. police are seeking the public's help in finding a 13-year-old boy who has been missing for more than two weeks. Prince Ronald Williams was last seen about 3 p.m. Aug. 15, leaving his residence located on the 4500 block of B Street SE. He has not been heard from since. Prince is described as about 5 feet tall and weighing between 100 and 110 pounds. He has a medium complexion with black dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue pants, possibly bluejeans. Anyone with information as to Prince's whereabouts is asked to call police at 202-727-9099. - Scott...

Continued...

 

Ex-VOA chief of staff indicted in Abramoff scandal

A former chief of staff of Voice of America has been indicted by a D.C. federal grand jury on public corruption charges over accusations he took thousands of dollars in sports and concert tickets from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Horace M. Cooper, 44, of Lorton, Va., will appear Sept. 9 to face charges of conspiracy, fraudulent concealment, false statements and obstruction of an official proceeding. He faces up to 20 years if convicted, according to federal prosecutors. His lawyer, Solomon L. Wisenberg, said Cooper was innocent and planned to vigorously fight the charges. In court filings, federal prosecutors said Cooper began to solicit and accept gifts from Abramoff's...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Man hangs himself in Bladensburg jail cell Bladensburg police said a man hanged himself in a cell after he was arrested early Sunday on drunken driving charges. About 12:45 a.m., police were called to the 4500 block of Baltimore Avenue, where they found a green Isuzu sport utility vehicle had struck a telephone pole, Police Chief John Moss said. The man got out of his car and stumbled toward oncoming traffic, police said. He was arrested and taken to the station. About 2:45 a.m., during a routine cell check, police found the man had used a T-shirt to hang himself from the cell door. The victim has not been identified, and Prince George's police are investigating the incident. Man...

Continued...

 

Crime history - John Lennon’s killer sentenced to 20 years

On this day, Aug. 24, in 1981, Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon. Chapman had several obsessions, including Lennon and “The Catcher in the Rye.” On Dec. 8., 1980, Chapman shot Lennon five times outside the legendary Beatle’s New York apartment, then remained at the scene reading “The Catcher in the Rye” until the police arrived. In his statement to police, Chapman said, “I’m sure the large part of me is Holden Caulfield, who is the main person in the book. The small part of me must be the Devil.” He later penned a letter to the New York Times, urging everyone to read the book, saying...

Continued...

 

Cold case -

Robert Miller Jr. was a flamboyant contractor whose murder 31 years ago brought to the surface a federal investigation of alleged labor-business racketeering. The mystery surrounding his death remains unsolved. Miller, the president of the Interstate Bridge Co. in Monrovia, Md., was known as “Cowboy Bob” for his Western wear and the 30 racehorses he owned and bet on. On the night of May 9, 1978, Miller had been chauffeured to a Ramada Inn in Rockville to meet someone to make a bid on a contract. While his driver waited for two hours in the parking lot in Miller’s silver Continental — adorned with a ram’s head on the hood — someone fatally shot Miller...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY -- Feds arrest Civil War spy

On this day, Aug. 23, in 1861, Allan Pinkerton, head of the new secret service agency of the federal government, placed Confederate spy Rose O'Neal Greenhow under arrest in Washington, D.C. Born in Montgomery County, Greenhow became a leader in political circles and one of the most renowned spies of the Civil War, using her connections to extract key information. Jefferson Davis credited her with winning the battle of Manassas. Pinkerton imprisoned her in her home and then sent her to the Old Capitol Prison. Still, Greenhow continued to pass information on by hiding messages with her 8-year-old daughter or in a woman's hair bun. She won her release but was exiled, and she traveled to...

Continued...

 

Montgomery police officer indicted on perjury charges

A Montgomery County police officer who arrested a man for drunken driving was indicted on perjury charges after a defense attorney produced video of the defendant sleeping in the back seat of the car when the officer arrived. Officer Dina Hoffman was charged with one count of perjury and one count of misconduct in office. Hoffman is accused of testifying in court that George Zaliev had been behind the wheel of a black Lexus when she first encountered him. But surveillance video from a nearby building shows Zaliev was in the back seat of the car when she pulled up in her patrol car. Police say Hoffman, a three-year veteran of the Montgomery County force, is now on administrative...

Continued...

 

Head credit card skimmer sentenced to seven years

By Scott McCabe Examiner Staff Writer The mastermind behind a credit card skimming scheme was sentenced to seven years in prison for racking up more than $800,000 on cards stolen from Washington-area diners. Joseph A. Bush III, 29, also was ordered to pay $815,000 in restitution that prosecutors said the gang stole from more than 50 financial institutions in thousands of transactions. "The message must be that people who steal customers' credit card numbers and use them for personal gain will be punished appropriately," said assistant U.S. Attorney Charles F. Connolly in his sentencing memo. Bush, a former Eagle Scout from Fort Washington, was the front man for the criminal...

Continued...

 

Two arrested in car repair scheme

Montgomery County police arrested two men who they said were targeting elderly victims in a car repair scam in which they would damage the vehicle while trying to make it look like they had fixed it. Cory A. Jace and John Mitchell, both 22, are accused of offering to repair body damage to vehicles and then using spray paints and other tools to make it look like the problem was fixed, when they had actually further damaged the vehicles. Police said they observed the two men in the Georgetown Square Shopping Center in Bethesda tell a 75-year-old man they'd fix his front bumper for $375. When the man went into the grocery store, police said the men tried to spray paint the car's headlight...

Continued...

 

Stupid Crimes

Up to his neck in alligators, now Alligators are common along the roads of Louisiana, but they are rarely spotted traveling on bicycle. So sheriff's deputies had a few questions when they saw a man riding his bike with a 3-foot-long gator slung over his shoulders. The alligator carrier dropped the reptile and his bike and ran away from the deputies but was picked up a few blocks away. Terron D. Ingram 38, was charged with cruelty to animals by abandonment, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia. St. Charles Parish police didn't know where Ingram got the gator or what he had planned to do with it. Alligator Control officers released the animal into a marsh. Dungeons...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Teens accused of racial beating Two teenagers were charged as adults in what Baltimore police say was a racially motivated beating of an elderly black fisherman. Zachary Watson, 17, and Emmanual Miller, 16, told police they were with Calvin E. Lockner when he attacked 76-year-old James A. Privott, but they claimed not to have participated. All three were charged with attempted murder, armed carjacking and a dozen other crimes. Lockner, a 28-year-old white supremacist who goes by the nickname Hitler, said Watson beat up Privott. Police said Privott was punched, kicked and struck with a baseball bat. Bees attack again at Rock Creek Seven children and one adult suffered multiple bee...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Marshals descend on Ruby Ridge

On this day, Aug. 21, in 1992, U.S. marshals moved in on Randy Weaver's cabin at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, leading to one of the most controversial law enforcement incidents in recent history. Six marshals, wearing camouflage and equipped with night-vision goggles and M-16 rifles, scouted the family property after Weaver, a white separatist, failed to show up for court on illegal-weapons charges. Weaver's dogs started barking, alerting the family. Weaver, Kevin Harris and Weaver's 14-year-old boy, Samuel, went to investigate. A firefight erupted, leaving dead Samuel Weaver, a deputy marshal and a dog. A standoff ensued. On the second day, when Weaver went to the shed to look at his dead son,...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - FBI launches covert probe of journalist

On this day August 20, in 1971,the FBI began an investigation of journalist Daniel Schorr. Schorr, caught the ire of President Richard Nixon's administration, after he refused to retract a story about the president's failure to set up a program to fund Catholic schools. The FBI launched a background check on Schorr, interviewing friends, neighbors and co-workers. When confronted about the investigation, the White House said it was considering Schorr for a job in the environmental field. Schorr knew nothing about it. Three years later, during the Watergate hearings, it was revealed that White House aides had drawn up what became known as "Nixon's Enemies List." When this list...

Continued...

 

Man arrested in gym attack

Fairfax County police arrested a man they said tried to abduct a woman who was leaving a gym Tuesday morning. Wilson B. Barahona, 22, of Fairfax, was charged with assault and abduction. Police said a 25-year-old woman who had been exercising at an apartment complex gym in the 12200 block of Pender Creek Circle around 6:15 a.m. When she exited, a man grabbed her from behind, police said. She screamed and the man covered her mouth. The two struggled and the suspect fled. Several hours later, witnesses directed police to a man on a bicycle who matched the description, police said. - Scott...

Continued...

 

Marshals want to put birthday celebrant behind bars

A violent sex offender who has disappeared from the authorities' radar turns 46 this weekend, and U.S. Marshals are hoping to throw him a surprise birthday party. Gene Overton Nelson, of Southeast D.C., is a registered sex offender who violated the terms of his parole in September 2008, and has been on the run from authorities ever since, authorities said. Marshals believe that Nelson might be hiding with the help of friends and family who might celebrate his birthday, said Matt Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. Authorities are asking the public to help bring Nelson to justice and out of harm's way. "We hope that he will be eating his...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Flag burner gets probation An Ocean City woman arrested for flag burning was sentenced to probation. Rebecca McKimmie, 18, pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace and was sentenced to one year probation and a $300 fine. McKimmie was arrested early July 5 after officers observed her lighting an American flag and walking in traffic on Route 50, causing cars to swerve before she extinguished the flag by stomping on it as officers approached. Man charged with threatening to blow up Metro A man was indicted on five counts of threatening to blow up the Metro subway system, according to documents filed in federal court. Five times since January, Raymond A. Gray Jr., allegedly called...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

No charges after man's dogs kill his brother A man will not be charged with a crime after his two pit bulls mauled the man's 20-year-old brother to death in his Leesburg home, police said Tuesday. The two dogs will be euthanized, a Loudoun County Animal Control spokeswoman confirmed. A medical examiner's report concluded that the pit bulls' teeth severed arteries in Carter Delaney's neck Monday. Police believe Delaney was protecting a smaller dog when he was attacked. Man arrested in home break-in, abduction attempt Fairfax County police have arrested a man they say broke into a house and held a girl down until she fought him off. Silvestre Lara-Bulana, 29, was charged...

Continued...

 

Tattoo artist accused of shooting husband to death

D.C. police have charged the co-owner of a tattoo parlor with fatally shooting her husband in the head at their home. Thirty-six-year-old Kristin Renee Kozak, known in the tattoo world as Liquidity Jones, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 56-year-old Michael Burnett. Shortly after 6 p.m. Monday, police dispatchers got a call from a woman saying that she had shot her husband at 1503 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. The address is the site of Liquidity Jones Tattoo and Piercing. The couple lived in a residence upstairs. When police arrived, they were met by Kozak, who told them that she had shot her husband and led them upstairs to a bedroom, according to a police...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - 'Dean of Bank Robbers' nabbed by accident

On this day, Aug. 12, in 1933, lawmen accidentally captured Harvey Bailey, considered the "Dean of American Bank Robbers." Bailey had a reputation for meticulously planning the jobs, even obtaining road maps from the county surveyor to ensure that routes were safe for the getaway. Bailey stole more money than John Dillinger, but is largely unknown today. In 1933, Bailey had escaped from a Kansas prison and hooked up with "Machine Gun" Kelly while police were looking for Kelly in the kidnapping of an Oklahoma businessman, Charles Urschel. Bailey was sleeping on a cot at the Texas farm of Kelly's wife when 12 agents descended on the property and found Bailey. Police...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Accomplice of Sunset Slayer confesses to killing spree

On this day, Aug. 11, in 1980, a California nurse confessed to co-workers that she was an accomplice to the "Sunset Slayer." Carol Bundy said she picked up blond prostitutes on the famed Sunset Strip and brought them to Douglas Clark, who would shoot the women in the head during sex. He would then commit sex acts with their dead bodies. The duo met in North Hollywood earlier that year. Bundy began taking pictures of Clark having sex with children and listened to him talk about killing his victims. In June, he began living out his fantasies, abducting and mutilating a pair of teenager stepsisters. In another instance, he cut the head off a young woman and had Bundy apply makeup...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Battered dog tossed in trash bin A badly injured dog was found inside a trash bin in Southeast D.C., and the Washington Humane Society is offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. A woman was throwing out her garbage at an apartment on Ninth Street Friday when she discovered the pit bull. Someone had wrapped the dog in a plastic bag and closed it with duct tape, but the dog had chewed and clawed her way through the plastic, humane society organizers said. The dog, since named "Trooper," was bloodied and appeared to have been in an illegal dogfight, organizers said. She remains in intensive care at an animal hospital. Two charged...

Continued...

 

Prosecutors: D.C. sports manager hid income from IRS

Federal prosecutors have accused a D.C. sports promoter and business partner of former University of Maryland basketball star Steve Francis of using a shell corporation to avoid paying more than a half-million dollars in taxes, according to court records. Nathan A. Peake, a manager and business partner of Francis, an NBA all-star, has been charged with tax evasion for allegedly failing to pay $509,000 in income taxes from 2002 to 2007. Peake also tried to hide his taxable income from the Internal Revenue Service by using shell corporations and by paying for his personal and business expenses in cash, prosecutors said in court filings. Peake could face up to five years in prison and a...

Continued...

 

Another year passes and still no suspects in tourist's murder

It has now been more than 13 years since Eddie Rusboldt's family last saw him alive. Rusboldt was like so many others who come to D.C. in the summer to see the sites, spend time with friends and hit a few nightclubs. But unlike most tourists, Rusboldt didn't make it out of the nation's capital alive. On his last night in town, the 23-year-old Purdue University student got lost and separated from his buddies. Rusboldt's body was found the next morning just off Dupont Circle in the tree-lined 1900 block of Sunderland Place NW. A medical examiner concluded Rusboldt was beaten to death the night of May 31, 1986. He died of compression of the neck and chest with blunt force injuries to the...

Continued...

 

Another year passes and still no suspects in tourist’s slaying

It has now been more than 13 years since Eddie Rusboldt’s family last saw him alive. Rusboldt was like so many others who come to D.C. in the summer to see the sights, spend time with friends and hit a few nightclubs. But unlike most tourists, Rusboldt didn’t make it out of the nation’s capital alive. On his last night in town, the 23-year-old Purdue University student got lost and separated from his buddies. Rusboldt’s body was found the next morning just off Dupont Circle on the tree-lined 1900 block of Sunderland Place NW. A medical examiner concluded Rusboldt was beaten to death the night of May 31, 1986. He died of compression of the neck and chest with...

Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Shad Ireland

Dialysis patient Shad Ireland rode his bike into Washington last week, finishing a 4,639-mile bike trek across the United States to promote exercise and diabetes prevention. Ireland, 37, began his tour in May in Los Angeles. He must get a blood transfusion every four days, which takes about for about 4 1/2 hours each time. Why are you riding across America? The goal was to ask people what inspires them. I believe an individual inspired can accomplish anything. I met a gentleman in New Orleans, 49 years old, who was frustrated and angry and didn't understand how he developed the disease that caused his kidneys to fail. This is somebody we could have fixed had he had the right...

Continued...

 

Stupid crimes

Something old, something new, something black, something blue A Wisconsin woman who appeared as an out-of-control bride on the reality show "BridezillasÓ ended up behind bars for her antics. Karee Gibson Hart, 21, was booked into the jail Monday after a probation officer saw an episode that appeared to show her violating her probation -- a 2005 assault with a baseball bat charge in which a woman required 12 staples to her head. During the reality show, the bride-to-be threatened her groom, burned her bridesmaid's shoes, pushed her mother-in-law into a snowbank and made a false police report that she was being stalked -- which resulted in a police escort to her own wedding. Hart...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Judge killed in prisoner breakout

On this day, Aug. 7, 1970, California Judge Harold Haley was abducted and killed with three others during a prisoner escape attempt. Haley, 65, was a Marin County judge presiding over the trial of James McClain, accused of stabbing a San Quentin prison guard while serving a sentence for burglary. Jonathan Jackson, 17, snuck guns into Haley's courtroom and freed McClain and two other San Quentin inmates, witnesses Ruchell Magee, who was inside the courtroom, and William Christmas, who was guarded in the corridor outside. McLain told the judge to call the sheriff's office and demanded: "Call off your pigs or we'll kill everyone in the room!Ó The inmates fastened a sawed-off...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Seven children injured in bus accident At least seven children suffered minor injuries when a bus collided with a sport utility vehicle in Vienna on Wednesday. The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. in the intersection of Maple Avenue and Courthouse Road, Fairfax County officials said. The children, between the ages of 5 and 7, were taken to the hospital for minor injuries. The students were traveling from Daniels Run Elementary. Pedestrian killed on BW parkway A pedestrian was killed when he was struck by a car on the Baltimore Washington Parkway in Prince George's County, according to U.S. Park Police. Around 9 a.m., the adult male was trying to cross the northbound lanes of the...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - 'Bandit Queen's' first husband gunned down

On this day, Aug. 6, 1874, Jim Reed, the first husband of the famous bandit queen Belle Starr, is killed. Reed ran with Cherokee outlaw Tom Starr, a ruthless killer who wore the ears of his victims around his neck. Reed rustled cattle and ran whiskey, and was accused of murder. Belle embraced the role of a "bandit queen," dressing in velvet skirts and plumed hats. To escape law enforcement, Reed and Belle retreated to a farm in Texas, but Reed soon became involved with the James-Younger Gang. In April, 1874, he robbed the Austin-San Antonio stagecoach, and a sizable reward was offered for Reed, dead or alive. In 1874, Jim Reed was killed in Paris, Texas, by his own gang member...

Continued...

 

U.S. marshals want help with cash-carrying fugitive

A former D.C.-area fugitive busted while driving around with stacks of cash has managed to escape from the clutches of law enforcement, and U.S. marshals are asking the public to help track him down. Andy Stephen Alexander, 41, violated his parole on a federal weapons conviction last August and has been on the run since. Police in South Carolina stopped Alexander for speeding and discovered $600,000 in cash inside the car, which was registered in someone else's name. Police seized the money and released Alexander pending further investigation because he was not wanted at the time. Alexander, a convicted drug dealer, never returned to claim the money, and authorities have not seen him...

Continued...

 

Shoplifter sprayed her/his way out of Saks Fifth Avenue

Police are looking for a woman, or a man dressed like a woman, who pepper-sprayed a security guard while stealing an expensive dress from a high-end fashion store. The incident happened at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Saks Fifth Avenue at 5555 Wisconsin Ave. in Chevy Chase. Police said the thief removed a $2,000 Chanel dress from a rack and slipped it into a large bag. A security officer tried to stop the shoplifter from leaving, but the shoplifter sprayed the guard in the eyes with pepper spray. The culprit is described as a black male or female, 25 years old, 6 feet tall and 175 pounds with long black hair. The culprit was wearing a black and white minidress with long sleeves, a wide belt...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

D.C. man arrested for making child porn D.C. police arrested a District man on charges of first-degree child abuse after detectives found images of a nude young girl on his laptop and digital camera. Police arrested McKinley Ellie Hunt last week after they said a young girl told them she was inappropriately touched and photographed in sexually explicit poses at his residence on Fort Totten Drive in Northeast D.C. Police said they found dozens of images on Hunt's camera and laptop. Police said the conduct began when the girl was 7 years old, according to charging documents. Parachute opened inside plane in deadly skydiving accident A skydiving accident that killed a Fort Meade man...

Continued...

 

Pastor sentenced to 3 years for tax evasion, fraud

A former Hagerstown pastor was sentenced to more than three years for tax evasion and bank fraud conspiracy. A federal judge also ordered 53-year-old Otis Ray Hope, who once served as pastor of the 2,000-member Montrose Baptist in Rockville, to pay restitution of more than $2.4 million. U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said Hope created false financial statements to defraud a bank into approving a $1.75 million loan, stole hundreds of thousands of dollars of tuition for himself and cheated on his taxes. "This sentence holds him accountable for a pattern of fraud and deceit," Rosenstein said. According to his plea agreement, Hope was hired in 1996 as the senior pastor for...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Body found in cheap hotel leads to du Pont family

On this day, Aug. 5, in 1998, a handyman at a cheap Las Vegas motel checked on a foul odor coming from an air conditioner and discovered the body of a woman, leading to an investigation of the ne'er-do-well son of a du Pont heiress. Jammed inside the vent was Pati Margello, a cocaine addict and former prostitute. She had been bound with a pair of jumper cables, wrapped in a bed sheet and strangled. Police got a call from Dean MacGuigan, son of Lisa Dean, of the du Ponts, the first family of Delaware. Margello, 45, was his girlfriend. They lived in a Philadelphia flophouse. His mother was not happy. Lisa Dean and her husband, Christopher Moseley, had devised a scheme to send MacGuigan...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Lizzie Borden's family killed by hatchet

On this day, Aug. 4, 1892, the family of Lizzie Borden was found dead, starting one of the most enduring mysteries in American lore. Her parents, Andrew and Abby Borden, were found bludgeoned to death in their Fall River, Mass., home. Andrew Borden's face had been nearly split in two with a hatchet. Abby, Lizzie's stepmother, was found with her head smashed to pieces. Suspicion soon fell on Lizzie. She was the only other person besides the housekeeper who was present during the slayings. The trial attracted national attention. Prosecutors tried to prove that Lizzie tried to burn a dress she wore during the day of the murders and buy an ax the day before the slayings, but the jury...

Continued...

 

Police: Silver Spring man was violent burglar

Montgomery County police arrested a man in connection with a violent home invasion and two burglaries in Silver Spring. Detectives arrested Eddie Burks III, of Silver Spring, in connection with two burglaries last month. After further investigation, police charged Burks in connection with a robbery that occurred in January in which the suspect woke up three victims, stole cash, credit cards and the car parked out front. Detectives believe Burks, 38, could be responsible for several other burglaries in Silver Spring since October 2008. Additional charges could be pending. - Scott...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Bus shelters damaged around D.C. Vandals broke the glass panes of some two dozen bus shelters around D.C. this weekend, authorities said. All four quadrants of the city were struck, but most of the damage occurred in Northwest and Southeast D.C., said District Department of Transportation spokesman John Lisle. Clear Channel Outdoor, an advertising company, maintains most of the shelters and will be responsible for paying for the repairs, he said. – Kytja Weir Medics declare live man dead Baltimore medics pronounced a burglary suspect dead of a gunshot wound an hour before officers noticed he was still alive, Baltimore police said Monday. Emergency medical technicians...

Continued...

 

Officials seek help on vehicle fire death

Authorities have ruled out a crash as the cause of a Bethesda minivan fire last week in which a 45-year-old man was found dead, but they are still looking for clues as to what caused the mysterious blaze. The body of Ebrima Sarr, who was known as E-Bru, was found just before 4 a.m. July 27 in the driver's seat of a gold Kia minivan on the 5000 block of Bradley Boulevard at Arlington Road. The minivan was ablaze, its rear wheels up on the median strip of the eastbound lanes. Montgomery County detectives haven't called the death a homicide. They are still awaiting an autopsy to determine what killed the Takoma Park man. But investigators said the fire started in the front passenger...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

99-year-old woman robbed in home Montgomery County police are investigating a robbery that occurred at the home of a 99-year-old Silver Spring woman. Authorities say the woman received a phone call Friday asking her to open the door of her McKenney Avenue apartment to complete a survey. When she did, police say two men entered and stole cash and other items. The woman, who turns 100 this month, was not injured. Man spends night at party store, police say A Manassas man was charged with unlawful entry after he allegedly spent the night hiding inside a party supply store. Joseph A. Hamlett, 47, entered the Party Co. on Thursday evening while the store was still open and stayed the...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Highway Killer dodges justice system

On this day, Aug. 3, on 1978, Larry Eyler, who would later become known as the "Highway Killer," was arrested on suspicion of slashing a hitchhiker with a butcher knife, but the charges were later dropped and Eyler continued his murder spree. Eyler picked up men under the guise of sex and bondage. Once he handcuffed the men, Eyler would kill them. Most of his victims were found on the side of the road with their pants pulled down and disemboweled. In 1983, an Indiana police unit charged with solving the murders of nearly two dozen victims got a tip from the hitchhiker who survived the earlier attack. Police followed Eyler and witnessed him dumping eight trash bags in a trash...

Continued...

 

Court: Chompers can be considered deadly weapon

Human teeth qualify as a deadly weapon in the District of Columbia, an appeals court affirmed last week. A person's choppers joins a list of everyday objects that D.C. law considers deadly when used during an attack: a wooden table leg, a belt, an automobile and a shoed foot. Not deadly: Stationary bathroom fixtures and flip-flop sandals. The D.C. Court of Appeals ruling stems from a 2005 arrest of a juvenile in Southeast Washington in which the teenager bit a police officer in the groin. Responding to a call of shots fired near the D.C. Alternative Learning Academy, D.C. police Officer Anthony Convington spotted a teenager who matched the description of the suspect and wrestled him to...

Continued...

 

Fairfax police looking for armed bank robber

Fairfax County police are asking the public to help identify a man suspected of robbed a bank in Fair Lakes last week. Police said a masked man entered the Alliance Bank, 12735 Shoppes Lane, shortly after noon Wednesday, produced a handgun and demanded money. The suspect grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash and fled. The suspect was described as black, in his 20s to early 30s, about 6 feet 5 inches tall and 200 pounds, with a muscular build. He was wearing an orange long-sleeved shirt, bluejeans and white and blue tennis shoes. Anyone with information can contact Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS(8477) or Fairfax County police at 703-691-2131. - Scott...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Appeals court revives discrimination suit against Capitol Police Hundreds of black U.S. Capitol Police officers could finally get their day in court after a federal appeals court ruled that their 2001 lawsuit alleging discrimination in the agency could go forward. The approximately 270 black officers alleged their white senior officers created a hostile work environment because they referred to them with derogatory names and allegedly denied them promotions. One officer claims a noose was left on his locker. A lower-court judge dismissed the suit. A Capitol Police spokeswoman said Friday that she would not comment on the matter. - Maria Schmitt Brothers indicted in high-profile...

Continued...

 

Alleged streaker arrested

Montgomery County police arrested a man who they said had been running around parks wearing nothing but his sneakers. Matthew Goldman, 23, of Derwood, was charged with two counts of indecent exposure after two female joggers encountered a naked male runner in Olney. The women went into a nearby home and called police. When they stepped outside again, the man reappeared, mooned them and hopped into a silver car. Police said Goldberg was spotted earlier running naked in the Rock Creek Preserve bike trail in Olney by a mother and daughter on bicycles. – Scott...

Continued...

 

MS-13 leader guilty, faces 160 years

The man who authorities says headed up the violent Mara Salvatrucha street gang in the Washington area faces up to 160 years in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of trying to kill rival gang members. Dennis L. Gil Bernardez, 33, of Landover will be sentenced Oct. 16 at U.S. District Court in Alexandria. Also found guilty in the attacks was 18-year-old MS-13 member Jose M. Aguilar Orantes of Reston. He faces 95 years behind bars. Their convictions Thursday brings to seven the number of MS-13 members convicted of murder this year in Alexandria federal court. Gang leaders in El Salvador sent Bernardez into Northern Virginia because the gang there, the Western Locos Salvatrucha,...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Alcatraz inmate escapes to nearby island

On this day, July 31, in 1945, John K. Giles attempted an escape from Alcatraz Island, making it all the way to a neighboring San Francisco Bay island before being captured. At 10:40 a.m., Giles slipped onto a small Army vessel. He wore an Army uniform he had pieced together over several years from uniforms sent to the prison laundry from a nearby naval base. As the boat pulled from the Alcatraz wharf, a count was taken of the soldiers on board came up with one extra man. A count of Alcatraz dock workers showed one missing convict. Alcatraz officials called the captain and told him to keep everyone on the boat, but the captain misunderstood, thinking that only soldiers with passes...

Continued...

 

Driver in fatal I-270 hit-and-run gets eight years

A Fairfax County man who led police on a 14-hour search after a deadly hit-and-run crash was sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday. In August 2008, 33-year-old Michael D. Eaton was driving his Range Rover at a high rate of speed when he struck a Jeep Cherokee carrying a family of four on Interstate 270, killing 10-year-old Jasmine Warr, according to Montgomery County prosecutors. Eaton drove for a mile before fleeing on foot. He was sentenced to eight years for vehicular manslaughter and failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving death. - Scott...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Parking officer accused of using fake handicap passes A parking officer in Alexandria has been arrested and accused of using fake handicap parking passes. Gail Yvette Jones, 41, has been charged with forgery and obtaining a document under false pretenses. Investigators said they believe Jones began making phony handicap parking passes as soon as she was hired in December 2007. Fellow parking officers discovered the fraudulent passes, many of which were used a block away from police headquarters, police said. -- Elinor Flynn Mark Anthony McRae Sr., 48, pleaded to child sex abuse and second-degree rape. In January, prosecutors said, McCrae picked up the girl from her mother's house and...

Continued...

 

Driver in fatal I-270 hit-and-run gets eight years

A Fairfax County man who led police on a 14-hour search after a deadly hit-and-run crash was sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday. In August 2008, 33-year-old Michael D. Eaton was driving his Range Rover at a high rate of speed when he struck a Jeep Cherokee carrying a family of four on Interstate 270, killing 10-year-old Jasmine Warr, according to Montgomery County prosecutors. Eaton drove for a mile before fleeing on foot. He was sentenced to eight years for vehicular manslaughter and failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving death....

Continued...

 

Stupid Crimes

KSTCLAIR 7/30/09 w/ police dashcam picture of 7-year-hopping out of car to avoid going church Holy roller he is not Police in Utah say a 7-year-old boy led officers on a car chase to avoid going to church. Dispatchers received reports of a child driving recklessly Sunday morning. Deputies caught up with the boy and tried unsuccessfully to stop the weaving Dodge Intrepid. The car reached speeds of up to 40 mph. When it stopped, the little guy jumped out and ran inside his home. The boy told authorities he had taken the family car to avoid going to church. Trouser snakes A motorist blamed a multicar crash on two pet baby snakes in his pants. Angel Rolon claimed he lost control of his...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Jimmy Hoffa disappears

On this day, July 30, in 1975, Jimmy Hoffa disappeared from a restaurant parking lot in suburban Detroit. He has not been seen or heard from since. Hoffa, 62, had been the powerful and controversial head of the Teamsters union despite spending the last four years of his term in prison for jury tampering and attempted bribery. His 15-year sentence was commuted by President Richard Nixon in 1971, with the agreement that he step down from the union. In 1975, while trying to regain power in the Teamsters, he disappeared from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox Restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Mich. Hoffa was due to meet two high-ranking Mafia leaders that day. It has been reported that...

Continued...

 

Man accused of assaulting woman who died later

A 30-year-old Silver Spring man has been charged with assaulting a 23-year-old woman just a few hours before she was found dead in their home, Montgomery County police said. About 3 a.m. Monday, Angel Sandoval-Cruz was arguing with Mayra Martinez-Hernandez in their home on the 8800 block of Garland Avenue when he grabbed a knife and threatened her, police said. The two resolved the dispute between themselves and did not call police. About three hours later, police were called to check on Martinez-Hernandez’s welfare, only to find her dead inside. There was no apparent cause of death, and preliminary results from the medical examiner have been inconclusive. Sandoval-Cruz is...

Continued...

 

Most wanted - Teacher accused of abusing student still on run

A former parochial schoolteacher in Montgomery County has been on the run since his arrest on child abuse charges nearly 20 years ago, and law enforcement officials are asking the public to help capture him. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office officials said Edward John Santora Jr. was a mathematics teacher at St. Andrew Apostle School in the Kemp Mill neighborhood of Silver Spring in 1981 when he allegedly began beating and molesting a young male student. Santora was charged with two counts of child abuse involving sexual relations in 1989 after the alleged victim, then 21, walked into the police station in Wheaton and complained about the relationship. Santora was arrested at his...

Continued...

 

Police hiring new officers thanks to stimulus money

Six of the national capital region’s police departments were awarded nearly $25 million in stimulus money to help put more than 100 more cops on the area’s streets, the U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday. The grant money is part of the $1 billion awarded to 1,046 departments nationwide to pay 4,700 officers’ salaries and benefits for three years. The Justice Department chose cities with serious budgetary problems and relatively high crime rates. Some cities such as New York City, Houston and Pittsburgh didn’t receive any grant money, largely because of low crime rates, officials said. In the Greater Washington region, the biggest winners were the...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Child's rape, murder leads to Megan's Law

On this day, July 29, in 1994, 7-year-old Megan Kanka was raped and murdered by her neighbor in Hamilton Township, N.J. The murder led to Megan's Law, requiring convicted sex offenders to notify police when they move into a neighborhood. Jesse Timmendequas, already convicted of two rapes of young girls, had recently moved in with two other convicted sex offenders across the street from the Kanka house. Timmendequas lured Megan into his house by offering to show her a puppy. After raping and strangling her, he put Megan's body in a chest and dumped her in a park. He confessed to police the next day. Her family maintained that had they known about Timmendequas' past, they would have kept...

Continued...

 

Police seek more clues in woman's brutal death

Fairfax County Police said a woman whose body was found bound last week was not the target of a random killer or killers. Police continued to search for clues into the death Chung A. Auh, who was found inside of her home-based acupuncture business at 4119 Hummer Road in Annandale on Friday afternoon. Auh, 53, suffered trauma to her upper body and was tied up. Detectives want to talk with clients or friends who may have recently visited the clinic. Anyone with information is asked to call Fairfax County police at 703-691-2131. - Scott...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Source: Grave markers found, but no bodies at mental hospital District police received a report that possible human remains were found in the basement of a former D.C.-run mental hospital in Laurel, but a department source on Wednesday told The Examiner that cadaver dogs found no evidence of remains. Officials searched the basement of the Forest Haven mental hospital after learning there were what appeared to be makeshift graves -- mounds marked by white crosses -- in the basement, the source said. The facility has been closed since 1991. It opened in 1925 and was notorious for poor conditions and abuse. Son who chopped up father convicted A Vienna man was convicted by a...

Continued...

 

Police hunt for petite blond carjacker

U.S. Marshals are looking for a 5-foot-2, blond, blue-eyed armed carjacking suspect, and are asking the public's help in finding her. Cheryl Ann Linkins, 20, is sought by authorities in Prince George's County on September 2008 charges of conspiracy to commit armed carjacking, robbery with a deadly weapon, first-degree assault and 10 other counts, according to court records. Linkins is also wanted on a theft charge in Charles County. Linkins was released on the carjacking charge on $5,000 bail but failed to show up in court, according to the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. "Linkins has shown really poor judgment in not obeying court orders and getting involved in very...

Continued...

 

Budget trouble forces D.C. police hiring freeze

The Fenty administration, facing a budget shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars, has ordered a hiring freeze for the D.C. police department, according to memos obtained by The Examiner. A citywide hiring freeze was ordered last month, but there were questions whether public safety jobs would be affected. The Metropolitan Police Department was informed last week that all promotions and backfills have been placed on hold until further notice. "This is a result of the District facing significant spending pressures in Fiscal Year 2009, and the anticipation of further decline in projected revenues for the remainder of the Fiscal Year 2009 and 2010," according to a July 13...

Continued...

 

Traffic stop leads to 10 kilos of cocaine

A routine traffic stop by a state trooper in Alabama has led to the arrest of a suspected drug dealer in Temple Hills and the recovery of 10 kilograms of cocaine and thousands of dollars, police said. Jerry Leroy Butler, 31, and Jose Oscar Torres were charged with drug trafficking, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. Federal prosecutors said an Alabama state trooper pulled over a maroon Ford F-250 pickup truck last week after the officer said the vehicle was swerving between lanes on Interstate 65. The driver appeared nervous and was shaking, police said. Torres allowed the trooper to inspect the vehicle, police said. In the external fuel tank in the bed...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Public Enemy No. 1 gunned down by feds

On this day, July 22, in 1934, John Dillinger was fatally shot by FBI agents. Although Dillinger was a dangerous robber responsible for the deaths of several police officers, many people considered him a hero. His sensational exploits made great copy for the press. Dillinger twice escaped from jail, helped stage another breakout and had numerous shootouts with police, including one in which he was struck by a bullet. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover named him "Public Enemy No. 1." After chasing Dillinger to Florida, Wisconsin and Arizona, special agents learned he was back in Chicago. A prostitute threatened with deportation told the agents that she was attending a movie with...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Police ID teen shot to death at birthday party The 19-year-old who was killed at a birthday party Sunday has been identified as Bryan Vidarte, of Centreville. Loudoun County sheriff's deputies said Vidarte was fatally shot around 3 a.m. at a residence on Tappahannock Place in the Lowes Island community in Sterling. Guillermo A. Alvarado, 20, of Sterling, and Rasheed L. Nurse, 26, of Herndon, were charged with second-degree murder. Pedestrian hit by car charged with illegally crossing the road A 20-year-old Manassas woman was charged with carelessly interfering with traffic after she was struck by a car while crossing the road outside of a crosswalk, Prince William County...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Hickok kills man in first Wild West showdown

On this day, July 21, 1865, Wild Bill Hickok shot and killed cowboy Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first true Western showdown. The quick-draw duel, in the town square of Springfield, Mo., launched Hickok to fame as a gunfighter. The quick-draw duel later became a staple in cowboy Western films. Hickok and Tutt were friends who gambled together, but eventually had a falling out that was said to involve women and gambling debts. Around 6 p.m., Hickok calmly approached the square, his Colt Navy in his hand. The townspeople scattered. Hickok called out his friend's name, cocked his pistol and placed it in his holster. Tutt drew his pistol and they both fired...

Continued...

 

Rash of killings could be linked to gambling ring

Federal authorities are investigating the slaying of five people who might have been killed after winning thousands of dollars at illegal casinos that federal officials say may have been protected by police, The Examiner has learned. The homicides occurred over two months between 2007 and 2008 in Prince George's County near secret gambling houses where the jackpots sometimes reached $100,000, according to a source close to the investigation. Police believe that victims were killed after leaving the gambling tables with loads of cash, sources said. The gamblers made easy and profitable targets for underworld operators who knew about their run of good luck. Because the cash was obtained...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Evidence from Jacks case fouls courtroom Evidence from the home of a D.C. woman on trial for murder in the slayings of her four daughters caused a foul odor when presented in court. The decomposing bodies of Banita Jacks' four girls -- ages 5 to 17 -- were found Jan. 9, 2008, when U.S. Marshals entered Jacks' Southeast D.C. home to evict her. Authorities believe the girls had been killed seven months earlier. Police on Monday showed pictures of the girls when they were found in the home. They also brought to court boxes with more than 100 pieces of evidence that when opened, caused a stench in the courtroom. UPS workers indicted on gun charges Two UPS employees were indicted on...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

Sentencing set for ex-Fox News journalist A former Fox News Channel producer convicted on a child pornography charge is set to be sentenced Tuesday, the second D.C. journalist to be sentenced on the same charge in less than a week. Aaron Bruns, 29, pleaded guilty in May to possession of child pornography after investigators said he had been sharing the images online. Bruns, who pleaded to a child pornography charge as a juvenile in 1999, faces up to 10 years. Last week, former National Public Radio science editor David Malakoff, 46, was spared time behind bars by a D.C. federal judge partially because the journalist had been sexually assaulted as a 9-year-old boy. 2 charged after teen...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Serial killing couple finally captured

On this day, July 20, 1984, Alton Coleman and Debra Brown were captured after a six-state killing spree that left eight people dead. Coleman, a street-savvy con man, had a long criminal record before he met Brown in 1983. Their spree started the following year, on May 29, when they killed a 9-year-old girl. Three weeks later, in Gary, Ind., Coleman and Brown snatched two girls, ages 7 and 9. One girl escaped, but the other was choked to death. With authorities on their trail, the couple moved through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Kentucky, beating or killing victims for their cars and money. The spree ended in Evanston, Ill., when police received a call from a...

Continued...

 

Top 10 fugtive 'Freaky' Mercer captured in counterfeit sting

A member of The Examiner's Top 10 Most Wanted, the last remaining fugitive member of a violent D.C. street gang, was captured during a raid on a counterfeit operation in North Carolina. Police investigating a number of $20 and $100 bills being passed around in Lumberton, N.C., got a tip that 35-year-old Frederick "Freaky" Mercer was hiding out in a house believed to be producing the fake money. The Examiner featured Mercer last month as one of the Washington area's 10 most wanted fugitives and reported that he was possibly hiding out with family in Clinton, N.C., in the south central part of the state. He had been on the run for more than two years. Mercer was putting on his...

Continued...

 

FBI investigates local cops accused in high-stakes craps ring

Federal investigators are looking into allegations that several D.C.-area law enforcement officers were involved in a Maryland gambling ring that may also be connected to homicides, the Washington Post reported Sunday. The probe has targeted five Prince George’s County police officers, a District police official and a former D.C. Housing Authority officer, the report said. The officers allegedly helped protect illegal gambling sites that rotated around Southern Maryland. Sometimes the officers reportedly wore uniforms while providing security for high-stakes craps games with pots as high as $100,000. Prince George’s County Police Chief Roberto Hylton said he turned over the...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Allman Bros. roadie gets 75 years for drugs

On this day, July 19, in 1976, Allman Brothers roadie Scooter Herring was sentenced to 75 years in prison for providing drugs for the group, based on Gregg Allman's testimony. The blues/rock band had survived the tragic death of two members in separate motorcycle crashes, but the group saw Gregg Allman's actions as an unforgivable betrayal and the Allman Brothers broke up. Federal prosecutors accused Herring with supplying singer and keyboardist Gregg Allman with cocaine. Authorities squeezed Georgia's biggest star into giving testimony they hoped would break a larger crime ring. To avoid criminal charges, Allman testified against the road manager and gave details of his own drug...

Continued...

 

P.G. man gets 50 years for 'love triangle' shooting

A Riverdale man was ordered to spend the next 50 years behind bars for shooting his former roommate in a jealous rage over a woman. A Prince George's County judge sentenced Angel Barrera-Arevalo, 32, to life in prison, suspending all but 50 years. Barrera-Arevalo was convicted of attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of Jose Amaya, 26, after he found Amaya with the mother of his two young daughters. After his arrest, prosecutors said Barrera-Arevalo penned a letter from his jail cell to the woman, Lizjeivy Arriaga-Herrera, 20, threatening her and any man who tried to come between them, prosecutors said. "A love triangle is a problem; love is good between two, because when...

Continued...

 

Heroin dealer sentenced to 26 years for Va. teen's death

A District drug dealer who supplied the heroin that led to the death of 19-year-old Alicia Lannes was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison. Prosecutors estimated that 33-year-old Antonio L. Harper was responsible for putting as many as 300,000 bags of heroin into the hands of users. A group of teenagers and young adults in Centreville relied on Harper as their heroin supplier. Authorities said the heroin contributed to four deaths among that group of teens, which included Lannes, who overdosed on March 5, 2008. Harper is one of 16 people to be convicted following the investigation. - Scott...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Police release sketch of robbery suspect The Loudoun County Sheriff's department has released a composite sketch of a person who was involved in the armed robbery of a Round Hill, VA convenience store on July 8, 2009. The sketch is of a white male who was seen in the store prior to the robbery. Around 9 p.m. an unknown subject entered the Round Hill Mini-Mart on Main Street and approached the counter as if he was going to purchase an item. After showing a firearm and demanding money he fled the store in a Ford Ranger driven by a second white male. The suspect who entered the store is described as being 6' tall and in his early 20's. He was wearing sunglasses, a baseball hat, a white...

Continued...

 

STUPID CRIMES

Cops 1, Man of Steel 0 Superman and Batman recently took on New York's finest and lost. The incident occurred in Times Square, where police officers approached the Man of Steel, aka Maksim Katsnelson, 23, who was panhandling, and asked whether he had any identification. That's when Superman started swinging. "He freaked out and punched the girl cop in the face," his friend, dressed as Batman, later told the New York Post. Cops cuffed Batman but let him go because he didn't cause any problems. The two had dressed up as the superheroes for laughs. Their comic-book adventure went awry when police learned they didn't have the required license to perform in costume in...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Waterford Rats pull off largest Kentucky art heist

On this day, July 17, in 1994, Mafia wannabes pulled off a $1.6 million heist from a Lexington, Ky., museum in the state's largest ever art theft. The trio, aided by a getaway driver in his 80s, was trying to work its way into a Pittsburgh mob family.Master thief James P. Quinn was part of an Ohio-based criminal network known as the Waterford Rats, who stole more than $10 million over 10 years.The gang was linked to more than 300 burglaries in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, the Carolinas and Florida. But Quinn had more ambitious plans. He believed a heist of the Headley-Whitney Museum could make him a made man in the Mafia. The men disabled the alarm system and made off with 103 pieces...

Continued...

 

Former NPR editor gets no prison time in child porn case

The former NPR science editor who pleaded guilty to downloading videos of young children being raped will not have to spend any time in prison, a federal D.C. judge ruled Thursday....

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Army doctor MacDonald stands trial for killing family

On this day, July 16, in 1979, a trial began for an Army doctor accused of murdering his pregnant wife and two daughters nearly 10 years earlier. In 1970, Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald called emergency crews at Fort Bragg, N.C., to report that he and his family had been attacked by hippies. His wife, Colette, and their two children, ages 5 and 2, had been stabbed to death. "Pig" had been scrawled across a headboard in fresh blood. MacDonald had suffered stab wounds himself. Investigators doubted his story, but initially didn't have enough evidence to prove that he was the killer. Five years after the slayings, a grand jury indicted MacDonald for the deaths. Because of delays, his...

Continued...

 

Puppy rescued after ordeal stuck in pipe

A young border collie was rescued after spending 20 hours stuck in a drainage pipe near Charlottesville. The curious Scout, a 6-month-old, was probably chasing a squirrel when he darted into a 10-inch pipe, his family said. The family realized Scout was missing Monday night but were unable to find him in the dark. They found the pooch around 2 p.m. Tuesday when they heard him whimpering and barking. Rescue crews could barely see the scared puppy. Firefighters freed Scout using a backhoe to dig a trench around the pipe. A firefighter cut a portion of the pipe with a power saw. It was enough to reach in and pull Scout out. After a bath, he was said to be back to normal. - Examiner...

Continued...

 

Child sex abuse suspect on the run

U.S. marshals are looking for a capital-region man wanted on charges of sexually abusing multiple children over several years. Forty-four-year-old Virgilio Nunez was indicted in February on 15 counts of child sex abuse in Montgomery County. The children were girls under the age of 12. Nunez was released on a $10,000 bond and ordered to return to court last month, but he never showed. He's been on the run since. Marshals are asking the public to help capture the fugitive. "We need to get him back in the court system and prevent any more future victims," said Matt Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. Nunez, who was born in El...

Continued...

 

Police shoot, kill robbery suspect near Capitol

Police shot and killed an armed man suspected of robbery near the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The shooting, which startled tourists visiting Capitol Hill, happened at New Jersey Avenue and C Street around 5 p.m. Capitol Police said they tried to stop a man in a white Mercedez-Benz following a report of a robbery at Union Station. The car stuck an officer and the man got out of the car, said U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider. Officers ordered the man to stop and put down his weapon. When he didn't, police fired several shots, according to Schneider. The man was taken by a helicopter to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police closed off part of the Capitol and...

Continued...

 

Letters pour in for former NPR editor in child porn case

A flood of letters from admirers of former National Public Radio editor and convicted sex offender David Malakoff have poured into a D.C. federal court on behalf of the award-winning journalist, saying his rape as a child should earn him leniency. Malakoff, 46, faces more than eight years in prison on a felony child pornography possession charge. He is set to be sentenced Thursday. More than 100 people wrote to D.C. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle vouching for Malakoff's character. Friends argued that Malakoff was sexually assaulted at about age 9 and would not hurt anyone. A psychologist wrote that Malakoff would not be in the predicament had he not been raped by a stranger nearly...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Spree killer murders fashion icon Versace

On this day, July 15, 1997, killer Andrew Cunanan gunned down Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace outside his Miami mansion. Cunanan, a gay gigolo, was in the midst of a cross-country killing spree. It began three months earlier in Minneapolis, with Cunanan bludgeoning one of his love interests with a hammer. He later shot a friend in the head. Two days later, in Chicago, he fatally beat a wealthy developer and stole his Lexus. Cunanan dumped the car in New Jersey, and killed a cemetery worker for his pickup truck. With a massive FBI manhunt underway, Cunanan drove to Miami Beach where he planned his next murder. Cunanan waited in the shadows outside Versace's South Beach home. He...

Continued...

 

Brothers jailed for stabbing in Arlington fight

Arlington County police are investigating a brawl that resulted in the stabbing of a man and two arrests. At about 9 p.m. July 7, two men began arguing in the 5500 block of Columbia Pike. One of them called his brother for help. The brother showed up and stabbed the victim in the back several times. The victim was driven to an area hospital and remains hospitalized. Police arrested brothers Manuel De Jesus Ramirez, 19, and Jorge Luis Ramirez, 21, both of Arlington. They were charged with "malicious wounding by mob" and were held without bond. They are facing five to 20 years imprisonment if convicted. Anyone with information is urged to call the tip line at 703-228-4242, or...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Man in black suit robs D.C. bank A bearded man in a black suit and golf hat robbed a downtown D.C. bank Tuesday morning. At 10 a.m., the man walked into the United Bank on the 1600 block of K Street Northwest and passed a note demanding cash. He took the money and was last seen walking north on the 1000 block of 17th Street NW. The robber was described as a black male, in his late 30s or early 40s, with a full beard. He was about 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. Police are offering a reward of up to $10,000. Anyone who has information regarding this case is asked to call police at 202-727-9099. Violent crime drops in Prince George's County Violent crime in Prince George's County has dropped...

Continued...

 

Crime History - Motley Crue singer jailed for fatal crash

On this day, July 14, in 1986, Motley Crue's Vince Neil began a 30-day sentence for vehicular homicide. On Dec. 8, 1984, the hard rock singer got behind the wheel of his sports car to buy more liquor in Redondo Beach, Calif. Neil lost control his vehicle and drove head-on into a Volkswagen. The collision killed his passenger, Nicholas Dingley, a drummer for Hanoi Rocks, and seriously injured two people. Neil registered a 0.17 percent blood-alcohol level, more than double the limit at which a driver is considered intoxicated. The rocker was sentenced to 30 days, $2.6 million in restitution and 200 hours of community service. Neil got out of jail in 15 days. Motley Crue dedicated its...

Continued...

 

Supreme Court halts execution of Manassas murderer

The U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution of a Prince William County man who was set to die tonight so the justices could consider whether to hear arguments that Paul Warner Powell was unconstitutionally tried twice for killing a 16-year-old Manassas girl. The order came as Virginia corrections officers were practicing electric chair procedures for the 31-year-old Powell, who in 1999 drove a knife into the heart of teenager Stacie Lynn Reed before raping and stabbing her 14-year-old sister, Kristie. Powell was convicted and sentenced to death in 2000, but the Virginia Supreme Court overturned the verdict. Prosecutors had tried to link Stacie's killing to Kristie's rape, arguing that...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Group robs elderly woman of her bus pass A group of young women attacked and robbed an elderly woman of her bus pass and then tried to flee on a Montgomery County Ride-on Bus, police said. The girls were spotted attacking the woman around a little before 4 p.m. Monday in Silver Spring, police said. The woman was not seriously injured. A witness to the attack called police, who caught up to the bus at the intersection of Tamarack and Fairland roads and took the women into custody. No further details were immediately available. Lookout in bank robbery that led to chase pleads guilty A 27-year-old Burtonsville man pleaded guilty to armed robbery for serving as the lookout in a bank...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Drug-dealing dictator Noriega sentenced in Miami

On this day, July 10, in 1992, former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega is sentenced in Miami to 40 years in prison for drug and racketeering charges. Noriega, who was on the CIA payroll in the 1950s and 1960s, was the military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989. He retained U.S. backing until he was indicted on drug charges in 1989. When U.S. troops invaded the Central American country in 1989, Noriega took refuge in the Vatican's embassy. American troops set up a perimeter outside and blared rock and roll music through loudspeakers and, eventually, Noriega surrendered. He was flown to the Miami and convicted of cocaine trafficking, racketeering and money laundering. His prison term...

Continued...

 

Stupid Crimes

w/ horrendous picture of Donnie Hendrix Casual Encounters of the worst kind A Long Island mom is accused of seeking revenge on a 9-year-old classmate of her daughter by taking out a Craigslist ad that sent men seeking sex to the rival girl's phone number. Margery Tannenbaum, 40, was charged with aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a minor. Police said she posted an online ad that read, "Looking for a good time? I need a little affection.I am blonde and very cute! I'll be waiting." The ad directed men to an e-mail address controlled by Tannenbaum. She then gave the would-be sex partners the girl's name and home phone number, police said. The mother of the...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Elderly couple found dead in Rockville home Rockville police found the bodies of a couple, believed to be in their 70s, in their apartment in downtown Rockville. Police said they were called to the 100 block of Monroe Street by neighbors who had grown concerned about the mounting pile of newspapers outside the couple's door. Authorities said they found the bodies in separate rooms after building employees had to drill open the lock to their door. Police do not believe foul play was involved. They did not release the names of the man and woman. Football player convicted of drunken driving Former Washington Redskins player Bruce Smith was convicted of drunken driving by a judge...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Two killed in Beltway hit-and-run Two people were killed late Tuesday night on the Capital Beltway when an allegedly drunken driver slammed their car from behind with her sport utility vehicle just before crossing the American Legion Bridge into Virginia, police said. Virginia State Police said they caught up to the SUV driver. Police say she had a blood-alcohol level of more than twice the limit at which drivers are considered drunk. Neither her name nor the names of those killed were immediately released. State employee fined, fired for passport peeking A U.S. State Department employee was fined $500 for illegally snooping into the passport files of celebrities and politicians....

Continued...

 

Marshals seeking woman suspected of swindling elderly man

U.S. Marshals are seeking the public's help in finding a woman suspected of swindling tens of thousands of dollars from an elderly Montgomery County man she worked for. Authorities said Ursula Porro was hired as a personal assistant to help take care of an 88-year-old man's finances. Instead, between 2007 and '08, she stole nearly $100,000 for herself, police said. Porro, 47, is facing 21 counts of theft. Marshals are asking the public to assist in their search for Porro. "Anyone that takes advantage of any elderly person or someone that may be required to place their trust in others is despicable and needs to be taken off the street," said Matt Burke, supervisory inspector...

Continued...

 

Police chief calls for scrutiny of group homes

Prince George’s County’s police chief said he wanted more regulation of group homes after a 23-year-old man was shot and killed at a residential facility in Accokeek. Police Chief Roberto Hylton said his department has noticed escalating violence and crime surrounding group homes and has called for a more stringent inspection system. He also said police departments needed to be notified when group homes opened in their jurisdictions. Hylton made his announcement following the shooting death of Stepfone Barry Robison, 23, of Fort Washington, at a group home on the 1500 block of Accokeek Road early Tuesday. Police ruled the death a...

Continued...

 

Crime history - DEA agent’s killer finally captured in Mexico

On this date, July 9, in 2000, FBI most wanted fugitive Agustin Vasquez-Mendoza was arrested for the murder of an undercover federal agent six years earlier in Arizona. Vasquez-Mendoza was the head of a gang that owned several Mexican methamphetamine labs and smuggled the drug into the United States. In 1994, he hatched a plan to kill and rob undercover Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Richard E. Fass of $160,000 used to buy methamphetamine. Fass was shot five times as he begged for his life. Police arrested three suspects, but the ringleader hid out across the border. The FBI placed Vasquez-Mendoza on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list and offered a $2.2 million reward. The...

Continued...

 

Feds: Stolen firearms sold out of UPS parking lot

Two United Parcel Service employees were charged with selling stolen firearms from the parking lot of the customer service facility in Landover. Prosecutors said Jason T. Scott, 26, and Marcus D. Hunter, 23, sold duffel bags full of handguns and semiautomatic rifles, including at least five of nearly two dozen weapons that had been stolen from a gun store in Woodbine, Md., in May, according to court documents filed in federal court in Greenbelt. Special agents with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began investigating after they received a tip that Scott was showing off assault-style weapons from the trunk of his blue Toyota Camry at the UPS facility. "ATF is...

Continued...

 

Barry lawyer: Ex-girlfriend 'not credible'

D.C. Councilman Marion Barry’s attorney said that the latest criminal charge filed against him wouldn’t stand, as the woman whom Barry is accused of stalking was “not credible” and was “striking out against” him over a relationship gone bad. Fred Cooke addressed reporters Monday outside the John A. Wilson Building regarding Barry’s Saturday night arrest by the U.S. Park Police, and the subsequent misdemeanor stalking charge. Barry, 73, is alleged to have stalked Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, his 40-year-old ex-girlfriend. The former mayor attended the news conference but said nothing, at Cooke’s insistence, regarding his latest brush with the...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Three killed in Starbucks freezer in Georgetown

On this date, July 7, in 1997, three clerks were forced into a Washington, D.C., coffeehouse freezer and murdered. One of three victims nearly escaped, making it to the sidewalk outside Starbucks in Georgetown before the gunman wrestled her back inside. When the rampage ended, Caitry Mahoney, 25, Emory Evans, 25, and Aaron Goodrich, 18, were dead, their bodies found the next morning by the day shift. Police developed a suspect, Carl D. Cooper, but had circumstantial evidence. Cooper toyed with the investigators, D.C. homicide detective Jim Trainum and FBI agent Brad Garrett. At one point, Cooper called them to get his gun. When they showed up, he changed his mind, became agitated, left...

Continued...

 

Manassas woman pleads guilty to drowning adopted daughter

The adoptive mother of a developmentally disabled girl whose body was found in Woodbridge creek has pleaded guilty to killing the 13-year-old. Alfreedia Gregg-Glover, 45, admitted Monday in Prince William County Circuit Court to felony murder, felony child abuse and filing a false police report. The Manassas woman faces up to 51 years in prison at her sentencing, which is set for Oct. 2. Gregg-Glover reported her daughter missing Jan. 7. She told police that Alexis "Lexie" Glover disappeared from her side in the Manassas Central Library parking lot. Police found the girl's Global Positioning System bracelet nearby. Lexie had run away several times and police had equipped her...

Continued...

 

The Blotter

D.C. woman sentenced for ID theft of Library of Congress employees A 35-year-old D.C. woman was sentenced to 30 months in prison for stealing private information from Library of Congress employees to finance a $38,000 shopping spree. Labiska Gibbs convinced her cousin William Sinclair, an employee of the library, to access the payroll system to obtain employee data to fraudulently apply for lines of credit, prosecutors said. Gibbs' second cousin, William Sinclair Jr., 27, was sentenced to three years probation for his role. Prosecutors said Sinclair he did not receive any money in the theft. Police: Man arrested for killing opossum during ride-along A Virginia man is facing an...

Continued...

 

More teens escape from $46 million juvenile center

Six teenagers escaped from the District's brand new juvenile detention center Sunday, the second time someone has scrambled away from the $46 million facility since it opened five weeks ago. U.S. Park Police said all six youth were captured about an hour after authorities launched an extensive manhunt that included at least five law enforcement agencies, a helicopter and K-9 units. "Six out and six in," said park police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser. It's unclear how a half-dozen teenagers were able to walk away from the watchful eyes of the District's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. "DYRS has initiated a full investigation into this matter and, once...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - Cubs shortstop shot by chorus girl

On this day, July 6, in 1932, Chicago Cubs shortstop Bill Jurges was shot twice by a spurned girlfriend, Violet Popovich Valli. The 24-year-old Jurges had tried to break up with the attractive young brunette showgirl, when she showed up at his Chicago hotel. She asked for a drink of water and pulled out a gun. Three shots were fired. One bullet hit the shortstop's little finger while another shot struck a rib and ricocheted out of his right shoulder. Valli was hit once in her arm. Police found a suicide note left by Valli in which she blamed teammates for the breakup. "But why should I leave this earth alone," she wrote. "I'm going to take Billy with me." Charges were...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Two die in July 4 house fire Two people were killed in a late-night house fire in Upper Marlboro. Prince George's County fire officials did not release the identity of the victims. Fire and rescue officials responded to the home on the 12300 block of Wheeling Avenue just before midnight Saturday. One body was found on the first floor, and the other was found in the basement. The investigation into the fire was ongoing. D.C. investigates 3 homicides A man was killed early Sunday in D.C., and police identified the victims in two fatal shootings that occurred Saturday. Shortly after midnight Sunday, a man was fatally shot on the 600 block of Morton Place NW. On...

Continued...

 

Pr. George's police seek robbery suspects

Prince George's County police are trying to identify two men who robbed a citizen at gunpoint. The incident happened around 12:53 p.m. on the 3600 block of Pennsy Drive in Landover. One suspect pointed a gun at the victim and demanded the victim's wallet. The victim complied, and the suspects fled. Anyone with information is urged to call police at 301-772-4911. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A cash reward is being offered for the tip that leads to the arrest and indictment of the suspect. - Scott...

Continued...

 

Marion Barry arrested in D.C. on stalking charges

Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry on Sunday defended himself against stalking charges brought by U.S. Park Police, saying he was "betrayed" by a woman he had befriended. But that was swiftly denied by the woman, 40-year-old Donna Watts, who called Barry's account a lie. The latest legal run-in for the 73-year-old council member was related to an ongoing dispute being investigated by D.C. law enforcement officials in which Barry accused the woman's ex-husband of threatening him, Watts and a law enforcement official said. Barry's spokeswoman Natalie Williams said Sunday, "Council member Barry is no stalker." She portrayed Watts as a constituent whom Barry helped...

Continued...

 

Three-minute interview - Pat Shelly

Pat Shelly is founder and director of the Breastfeeding Center for Greater Washington, a nonprofit clinic offering consultations, education and group support. Known as the “The Breast Whisperer,” Shelly started the center in 1997, now located at 2141 K St. NW. What led to the creation of the center? I began a home visit practice in the late ’80s to support breastfeeding women. After years working as a registered nurse, I repeatedly encountered new mothers leaving the hospital who felt unsure and misinformed when it came to breastfeeding. Why is there a need for a breastfeeding center? Isn’t breastfeeding kind of natural? Yes, breastfeeding is natural, as is...

Continued...

 

Police have lead on thief, need help with identity

Montgomery County Police are looking for suspect who stole a wallet from a car last month in Derwood. Detectives have a surveillance photograph of a man who used the victim's stolen credit card. He is described as a black male, about 25 years old, with a trimmed beard. The victim left his wallet inside a vehicle parked in the 7700 block of White Cliff Terrace in Derwood. Overnight, the suspect entered the vehicle and stole the wallet, which contained credit and debit cards, police said. Anyone who has information about this incident or the suspect shown in the surveillance photograph is asked to call police 240-773-6084. -- Scott...

Continued...

 

Violinist contesting extradition to Loudoun on sex charges

A top violinist for the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is fighting extradition to Loudoun County on charges he tried to solicit a 14-year-old girl for sex over the Internet. Luigi Peracchia, 41, was arrested on a fugitive warrant by state police in West Virginia in March while he was practicing with the symphony's top string players. Peracchia, of Charleston, couldn't be reached Friday, but his lawyer John Flannery, told the West Virginia Gazette that the arrest of his client was "reckless" because Peracchia was not a fugitive. His client was never in Virginia, he had no idea that he was wanted by police, and the police knew he was in Charleston all along. The violinist has...

Continued...

 

Crime history - Wild Bunch founder escapes from jail

On this day, July 5, in 1896, cowboy outlaw Bill Doolin, head of the Wild Bunch, escaped from an Oklahoma jail. Doolin began his life of crime at age 32 when he and some drunk friends got into a shootout with lawmen who tried to confiscate their alcohol. Doolin was suited to being an outlaw and soon joined the Dalton Gang before forming his own criminal gang, the Wild Bunch, considered the most powerful outlaw group in the West. The U.S. Marshals Service lost three men trying to capture Doolin. The lawmen finally caught him in a bathhouse in Eureka Springs, Ark., where he went to treat rheumatism from a gunshot wound. In jail, Doolin overpowered the guards and escaped. Several weeks...

Continued...

 

CRIME HISTORY - President Garfield shot in D.C.

On this day, July 2, in 1881, President James Garfield was shot at a railroad station in the District. The shooter was Charles J. Guiteau, a lawyer who was angry because he failed to secure a federal job. Guiteau waited for Garfield at the railroad depot, on the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue in Northwest, jumped from a crowd and shot the president twice with a .44-caliber revolver. Guiteau was quickly seized by D.C. police Pvt. Patrick Kearney, who was surprised that Guiteau so readily surrendered. The president was wounded; one bullet lodged in his spine. Doctors could not find it, and Alexander Graham Bell devised a metal detector but was unsuccessful in...

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Condemned man wants electrocution A man sentenced to die next week for fatally stabbing a Manassas teenager wants to be executed by electrocution. Paul Warner Powell was convicted of the 1999 murder of 16-year-old Stacie Reed, but the verdict was overturned. Powell then sent a taunting letter to prosecutors with details about the crime, thinking he could no longer could be charged. He was convicted again in 2003. Since 1995, when Virginia began offering the choice between lethal injection and electrocution, only four of the 79 inmates executed have chosen electrocution. Man, 23, fatally shot in home Fairfax County police are investigating a shooting death in Burke. Around 5:30 p.m....

Continued...

 

Text-messaged tip leads police to sex offender

A new crime-fighting tool has led authorities to the arrest of a 52-year-old convicted sex offender, Montgomery County police said. Someone used a text-messenging tip line to notify police that David J. Cain had not notified authorities that he had moved into a Poolesville neighborhood. Police followed up on the tip and arrested Cain on charges of failure to register as a sex offender and failure to change address information for the sex offender registry. To text a tip to the Montgomery County police, type “MCPD” plus the message on a cell phone or personal digital assistant and send it to 274637 (CRIMES). The text message is encrypted and an alias is generated, masking the...

Continued...

 

Ringleader of tax office scandal sentenced to 17-plus years

The self-confessed mastermind of the largest embezzlement scheme in the District's history was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison Tuesday, nearly one for each year she stole from the city's taxpayers. U.S. federal Judge Emmet Sullivan said the maximum of 18 years was an "eminently reasonable" sentence for former tax office manager Harriette Walters, but that he subtracted six months because she helped explain to city auditors how she was able to steal so much for so long without detection. Walters, a midlevel manager in D.C.'s Office of Tax and Revenue, manipulated an antiquated property tax refund system for two decades, draining $48 million from city coffers. Wearing a dark...

Continued...

 

Tax office cash fueled Walters' spending sprees

Harriette Walters spent most of the $48 million she stole from the District on herself, going on lavish spending sprees and gambling trips. From her one-story home, FBI investigators recovered more than 100 pieces of jewelry, a mink coat and 90 designer handbags made by Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci. Police found 68 pairs of shoes, some never worn with the price tags still on them. They also found 13 watches, a 2006 Mercedes-Benz, a pair of silver-plated iguana figurines, a silverware set, a silver bar cart and a $30,000 wedding ring set....

Continued...

 

Crime history - Trio of soldiers kidnap, murder actor’s sister

On this day, July 1, in 1975, Emmy-winning actor Kelsey Grammer’s sister was raped and murdered by drugged-out killers in Colorado Springs, Colo. Karen Grammer, 18, was abducted from outside a Red Lobster restaurant by three men, current and former U.S. soldiers who worked at the Army base at Fort Carson. After raping her, the men blindfolded Karen, drove her to an alley and slit her throat. Kelsey Grammer, then a 20-year-old aspiring actor who went on to star as Frasier Crane in “Cheers” and “Frasier,” had to fly to Colorado to identify her body. The investigation led from Colorado to Florida and New Orleans, and resulted in the men’s capture and...

Continued...

 

Woman returns safely; ex-boyfriend still wanted

A Wheaton woman who went missing over the weekend is OK, but authorities are still looking for her boyfriend, who is wanted on a Pennsylvania warrant on attempted murder and armed robbery charges, Montgomery police said. Sakina Knight disappeared after she told police that she feared for her life, and her name was placed in a national database for missing persons in danger. She showed up at a police station Monday night to say she was safe, police said. The ex-boyfriend, Kareem Gaines, 32, is described as 5 feel 11 inches tall, 190 pounds with a tattoo on his left hand. Anyone with information about Gaines can call police at 240-773-5530....

Continued...

 

THE BLOTTER

Teen shot by police officer A 16-year-old Hyattsville boy was shot by an Anne Arundel County police officer after he tried to drive over the officer, police said. Around 3 a.m. Tuesday, the officer responding to a report of someone tampering with a vehicle in Laurel approached a sport utility vehicle. Police said the teen backed into the officer and his cruiser, pulled forward, then backed up into the officer again. The driver got out of the car and the officer fired, striking the teen twice. He was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive. Police are looking for two other people who fled the scene. Single-car accident kills passenger A 51-year-old Herndon resident was killed...

Continued...

 

D.C. homicides on pace for four-decade low

Halfway through the year, the District of Columbia is on pace to have the fewest homicides since the mid-1960s, when the city earned the nickname "Murder Capital on the Potomac." Through the first six months, the city recorded 66 homicides, 21 percent less than the first half of last year. If the trend holds, the District would end up with 132 slayings, the fewest since 1964, when there were also 132 homicides. "Of course, we are glad that the number of murders have gone down, but we couldn't do it without the assistance of the public and the media," said spokesman Officer Israel James. At this time last year, the city had 83 homicides, according to police. Police remain...

Continued...

 

Walters sentenced to 17-plus years for $48M tax office scandal

Self-confessed tax scam mastermind Harriette Walters was sentenced to 17-and-a-half years in prison Tuesday, nearly one year for every year she stole from the D.C. tax office in the largest embezzlement scheme in city history. U.S. federal Judge Emmet Sullivan said the maximum of 18 years was “eminently reasonable,” but that he subtracted six months because she cooperated with authorities. Walters was a mid-level manager in D.C.’s Office of Tax and Revenue who manipulated a broken property tax refund system for two decades, draining $48 million from city coffers. In jail since her 2007 arrest, she pleaded guilty last September. In October, she met with auditors hired...

Continued...

 

Real estate agent charged in mortgage scam

A D.C.-area real estate salesman already disciplined for lying about his properties was charged in a conspiracy to commit bank fraud by repeatedly selling properties to unqualified buyers and keeping the proceeds of the sale for himself, then getting the property back and selling it again, according to documents filed in federal court. From 2004 to 2007, Mark D. Blunt "churned through" at least six properties, including his own million-dollar home, by "tricking" banks into loaning hundreds of thousands of dollars to people who could not afford them, prosecutors said. Blunt and his co-conspirators created forged documents, lied on applications and employed an appraiser...

Continued...

 

Virginia man gets 15 years for nonfatal shootings

A 20-year-old Virginia man will spend 15 years in prison for his role in a series of 2008 shootings along Interstate 64 that injured two people. An Albemarle County judge sentenced Slade Allen Woodson to 150 years, with all but 135 suspended. Woodson had admitted to firing a .22-caliber rifle at cars, houses, utility equipment and a deer in the Charlottesville area last year. A co-defendant, Brandon Dawson, 17, is now on...

Continued...

 

Crime history - Millionaire kills architect

On this day, June 25, in 1906, Pittsburgh millionaire Harry Thaw shot and killed prominent architect Stanford White at Madison Square Garden. Thaw, the ne’er-do-well son of a Pittsburgh coal and railroad baron, had competed with White for the affection of a raven-haired New York chorus girl named Evelyn Nesbit. After years of courtship, Thaw married her. On that fateful night 103 years ago, Thaw and Evelyn bumped into White and learned that they were attending the same premiere. During the show, Thaw approached and shot White three times in the face, killing him. Thaw held the gun aloft and walked out. The crowd thought that it was part of the show. Before the trial, Thaw’s...

Continued...

 

Most wanted - Marshals hope for 3rd caught fugitive in a row

Convicted child sex offender Christopher Preston has been on the run for five years, and U.S. marshals are hoping that Examiner readers can, for the third week in a row, help them catch a fugitive. As a sexually violent offender, 37-year-old Preston is required to register with Prince George’s County officials. But he moved in 2003 without telling authorities and has been missing ever since. “Preston has been in the wind way too long, and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force would like the public’s help in catching up with him,” said Matt Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. In the past two weeks, alert Examiner...

Continued...

 

Crime history - Teen gives birth, kills baby during prom

On this day, June 24, in 1997, 18-year-old Melissa Drexler was charged with killing her newborn baby during her prom. Drexler, who attended Lacey Township High School in New Jersey, kept her pregnancy a secret. During the dance, the 18-year-old ducked into a bathroom stall and gave birth to a baby boy. She cut the umbilical cord, wrapped the baby in garbage sacks and put the boy in the trash can. “Go tell the boys we’ll be right out,” Drexler yelled to a friend. Drexler put back on her black gown and returned to the dance floor as if nothing happened, just in time to listen to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” A janitor responding to reports of blood in...

Continued...

 

DCRA worker sentenced for shaking down firms

A former D.C. Department of Consumer of Regulatory Affairs employee was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in prison for shaking down D.C. businesses. Ikela M. Dean, a 32-year-old former clerk in the District’s construction licensing agency, was convicted in November of taking bribes in exchange for voiding bogus “late fees” against hotel projects in the city. She was arrested in September 2007 after a yearlong FBI sting investigation and indicted on 14 counts of bribery, but U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton threw out 12 of the counts during the trial. Walton on Tuesday ordered her to serve 27 months behind bars and three months supervised...

Continued...

 

Montgomery police seek help in finding bank robber

Montgomery County police are asking the public to help identify a gunman who robbed a bank this weekend. About 10 a.m. Saturday, the man entered the M&T Bank at 5416 Wisconsin Ave. from Friendship Heights carrying a tote bag. He displayed a gun, demanded cash and then fled on foot south toward the D.C. line. Police believe the same suspect also robbed a Provident Chevy Chase Bank in Bethesda in January. The suspect is described as a black male, about 25, 5 feet 6 inches tall, and 150 pounds. He was wearing glasses and had facial hair. Anyone who has information about this suspect is asked to call robbery detectives at 240- 773-5100....

Continued...

 

Investigators already seeking answers in Metrorail crash

The National Transportation Safety Board began an investigation into the deadliest Metrorail crash in the system’s 33-year history. “We already have people en route,” NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson told The Examiner on Monday night. The FBI was assisting the probe, according to city officials. The NTSB sent its “Go Team,” a collection of experts who try to get to the site as quickly as possible to determine the cause of major crashes such as the Hudson River airliner landing earlier this year. Senior safety investigator Ed Dobranetski was dispatched to the crash sight in Northeast Washington and will lead the team to make a report of the crash. An...

Continued...

 

Detectives still following trail of blood from ’89 slaying

D.C. cold case detectives are looking for the man who fatally stabbed a construction foreman in the late 1980s and left a trail of blood from the crime scene. Authorities have obtained a partial DNA profile to match the person who killed James McCallum. The evidence is not enough to be entered into a national database, but it’s enough to get a match to the killer. All police need is a name, said Detective Jim Trainum, of the Violent Crime Case Review Project. And they’re offering $25,000 to the person who can provide it. “It’s very simple. For up to $25,000, you give me the name, we do the rest,” Trainum said. The McCallum case has been one of the 40...

Continued...

 

Crime history - Mobster killed before scheduled testimony

On this day, June 19, in 1975, Chicago mobster Sam Giancana was shot to death shortly before he was to testify before a United States Senate committee investigating Mafia involvement in a failed CIA plot to assassinate Fidel Castro. Giancana rose to power by taking over the black lottery game in South Side Chicago, earning millions for “The Outfit.” Giancana had several mistresses, including two women who have been romantically linked to President John F. Kennedy. One of the women later claimed she unwittingly passed information along from Kennedy to Giancana. Giancana and other mobsters had been recruited by the CIA during the Kennedy administration to assassinate...

Continued...

 

Examiner readers turn in another dangerous fugitive

For the second week in a row, tips from alert readers of The Washington Examiner have led directly to the capture of a dangerous fugitive. Andrew Courtney Jenkins, a convicted child sex offender, had been on the run since last summer after failing to notify Prince George’s County authorities that he had changed his address. His story was featured in Thursday’s newspaper, and by 8 a.m., authorities had at least two Jenkins sightings. “We got another one” featured in The Examiner, said Matt Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. “Jenkins had made a statement in the past that he wasn’t going back to jail, but he...

Continued...

 

Crime history - Radio show host gunning down by neo-Nazis

On this day, June 18, in 1984, radio talk show host Alan Berg, the self-described “man you love to hate,” was gunned down by neo-Nazis. Berg, crude, combative and irreverent, was used to receiving death threats. Six years earlier, a member of the KKK stormed into his studio and pulled a gun on him on the air. On this night, 25 years ago, Berg was shot 13 times in his driveway in Denver. Four members of a group called the Order were indicted, including founder Robert Matthews, who later died during a shootout with FBI agents. The Order modeled its blueprint from “The Turner Diaries,” the bible of the racist right. The getaway driver in the Berg shooting, David...

Continued...

 

Most wanted - Sex offender with history of arrests is on the run

U.S. marshals are looking for a convicted child sex offender wanted out of Prince George’s County and are turning to the public for help. Andrew Courtney Jenkins, 24, has a violent criminal history, including arrests on charges of rape, stalking, burglary and assault. As a convicted child sex offender, Jenkins was supposed to register with the Prince George’s County Police Department, but took off last summer without notifying authorities and has not been spotted by authorities since. The U.S. marshals’ Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force has been asked to help locate and arrest Jenkins. Now, the marshals are asking for the public’s assistance before he...

Continued...

 

Murder suspect on run prone to sudden, unprovoked violence

He’s known for sudden, unprovoked violence, authorities said. He’s wanted on a murder charge and believed to still be living in the Washington area. Richard Morton is one of The Examiner’s most wanted fugitives. Authorities allege he stabbed 39-year-old Rachel Culver, resulting in her death, on the steps of a domestic violence shelter in the District. After a life on the streets, Culver had begun to rejoin society during the year she lived at the House of Ruth women’s shelter. Culver took a new job, got baptized and was trying to get her three children back, authorities said. On the evening of Jan. 28, as she was returning to the shelter, Culver was stabbed,...

Continued...

 

Washington area's most wanted list

Craig John Oliver Oliver, 56, scammed more than $2.5 million from dozens of homeowners for unfinished and shoddy remodeling projects in suburban Maryland and in Northern Virginia. Oliver had already spent 10 years in prison for securities rip-offs when he was convicted again for fraud in 2005, but before his sentencing, the Fairfax remodeler skipped town with his wife, Jennifer. He was sentenced in absentia to 20 years. In July, when “America’s Most Wanted” aired a segment on Oliver, his new client base in Phoenix tipped off police that he was running a remodeling business under the name Danny Sullivan. But before authorities could nab him, Oliver skipped town...

Continued...

 

Washington area’s most wanted

Craig J. Oliver conned Maryland and Virginia homeowners out of millions of dollars. Richard Morton slashed his girlfriend’s throat outside a D.C. women’s shelter. John D. Cody is a former Army captain with a Harvard law degree wanted for questioning in a federal spy probe. History of the most wanted list The FBI has famously maintained a list of the most wanted fugitives for decades. The longest any one person has been on the roster is nearly 26 years, while the shortest is just two hours. The list was born in 1949 during a card game with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, above, and a top United Press International editor who were talking about ways to capture the...

Continued...

 

Crime history - Nixon’s downfall begins with Watergate break-in

On this day, June 17, in 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office and apartment complex in Washington. The ensuing scandal led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation two years later. Early that morning, Frank Wills, a security guard at the Watergate, noticed a piece of tape on the door between the basement stairwell and the parking garage. He called D.C. police. The burglars wore surgical gloves and carried electronic bugging equipment. One of the men, James McCord, was security chief for the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP). Investigations revealed a massive White House dirty tricks...

Continued...

 

Pickpockets victimize senior citizens in Montgomery

Pickpockets are targeting senior citizens in Montgomery County, and police are releasing video images in the hopes that the public can help identify the culprits. Detectives aren’t sure whether this is a large group working together or smaller teams working separately, said Officer Megan Duffey of the Montgomery County police. All the thefts occurred during the day, mostly around lobbies or elevators in office buildings, police said. “We just know that these people seem to be targeting certain buildings or certain people,” Duffey said. “We want people to take caution.” The scheme involves men and women who try to distract their victims. One person will...

Continued...

 

Arraignment postponed for accused museum shooter

The 88-year-old white supremacist accused of fatally shooting a guard at the Holocaust Museum was too injured to appear in a D.C. court to answer murder charges, a federal judge ruled Monday. James W. von Brunn remains in critical but stable condition at a hospital in the District, prosecutors said. U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola adjourned the arraignment for another week to see whether von Brunn’s condition improves. Von Brunn was charged in the shooting death of museum security guard Stephen T. Johns, 39. Police said Johns politely opened the door of the museum for von Brunn before the 88-year-old turned around and shot Johns in the chest with a World War II-era...

Continued...

 

Crime history - Teenager shoots baseball star Eddie Waitkus

On this day, June 15, in 1949, Philadelphia Phillies star Eddie Waitkus was shot by teenager Ruth Ann Steinhagen in one of the first celebrity “stalker” crimes. Waitkus, 29, was a World War II hero — media-savvy, multilingual and an all-star. Steinhagen was 19 and lovesick. On that fateful night, Steinhagen left a message at his Chicago hotel pretending to be a former classmate and asking him to visit her room. When he showed up, she produced a rifle and shot him through the chest. She called the front desk and calmly explained that she had shot a man. He nearly died several times on the operating table. Steinhagen never stood trial, but instead was confined to a...

Continued...

 

Machete-wielding man found guilty of attempted murder

A Prince George’s County jury took two hours to find a Hyattsville man guilty of taking a machete to his girlfriend and his neighbor. Gerardo Hernandez, 33, was convicted late Friday of attempted murder, kidnapping, first- and second-degree assault, and carrying a dangerous weapon. Hernandez faces as many as 90 years in prison at his sentencing Aug. 13. On Aug. 24, 2008, police officers responding to a 911 call for a domestic assault heard a woman screaming from inside a home. Police opened the front door and found Elizabeth Merino, 36, with her wrist “spraying blood like a fountain,” said Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey. Hernandez had...

Continued...

 

Tip from store clerk leads to slaying suspect’s arrest

The Frederick County, Va., man w