Carroll County?s location has made it a target for organized drug distribution and turf wars between rival gangs from Baltimore and Frederick counties, with most activity occurring in Westminster and Taneytown, state?s attorneys said Tuesday.
“We?re right in the middle of it,” said Jennifer Darby, senior assistant state?s attorney, referring to the five areas Carroll borders ? Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Frederick counties and southern Pennsylvania ? all of which have gang suppression task forces.
So the Carroll County commissioners signed off on a $15,000 state grant Tuesday, the county?s first official step in organizing an interagency task force consisting of representatives from law enforcement, schools, juvenile services and drug and alcohol programs, said Mary Scholz, administrator for the local management board.
The State?s Attorney?s Office has identified 52 gang members in 13 different gangs in Carroll, with the Crips as the most prevalent, having 20 members and 25 known associates.
In addition to Carroll?s geographic location, many Crips are “homegrown,” or county natives, with members who have known each other since childhood.
“[Law enforcement agencies] do not have the capability to embed people, so the arrests don?t go beyond the street-level dealers,” said Clarence Beall, deputy state?s attorney.
In addition, gang members in Carroll have been intimidating witnesses to discourage them from testifying at trials. One woman has even entered the witness-protection program, Darby said.
The county State?s Attorney?s Office started tracking gang activity in Carroll two years ago when prosecutors first noticed a rash in gang-related shootings, stabbings, robberies and drugs.
One such incident involved Crips member Brian Hill, 23, who has been serving five years in a state prison since last August on charges that he shot through houses following a fight with a rival Bloods member in Westminster.
One bullet penetrated the bedroom of an elderly couple and passed over them as they were in bed, and another bullet hit a woman?s mattress while she was in bed.
Breakdown of identified gang members
» Crips: Sixteen arrested for drugs, assaults and trespassing ? seven in jail and nine on probation
» Bloods: Six arrested for drugs and armed robbery ? one in jail and four with pending cases
Source: Office of State?s Attorney for Carroll County
