Baltimore City State?s Attorney Patricia Jessamy has a message for Councilman James Kraft.
Grow up.
“Councilman Kraft, please grow up,” Jessamy wrote in a letter dated Tuesday. “Stop being a petulant ?do nothing? politician and represent the interest of your constituents. I am willing to work with you, but will not under any circumstances tolerate your attacks.”
Kraft drew Jessamy?s ire with a series of letters demanding she get tougher on violent crime in his Southeast District.
Kraft wrote a July 16 letter to Jessamy that he later released to the media under the title “Councilman Kraft calls on State?s Attorney for full prosecution of violent crimes.”
He sent her a more recent letter demanding tough prosecution against Ranard Brown, 26, who has been charged with shooting two police officers ? but he said he heard nothing until Tuesday?s letter.
“My first reaction was Ms. Jessamy couldn?t have written the letter because it was entirely too juvenile for someone as professional as her,” he said. “We both have obligations to our constituents. If police officers arrest individuals, her job is to prosecute them. The judges can?t put people in jail if they?re not prosecuted in the first place.”
In her letter, Jessamy defended her office?s “vigorous” record on violent crime prosecutions in Kraft?s district.
“Just since September 2006, we have convicted five individuals for murders occurring in the Southeast District,” she wrote.
Jessamy then portrayed Kraft as a thorn in her side, listing his repeated public criticism of Baltimore?s top prosecutor since March 2006, when he attempted to “discredit” her at a City Council hearing.
“I would also ask that you cease and desist in your irresponsible accusations,” she said. “You were not elected to pursue your personal vendetta against the State?s Attorney. ?Vendetta? is not an overstatement when you consider the totality of your irresponsible behavior.”
Kraft denied he has been needlessly attacking her.
“I have no vendetta against Pat Jessamy,” he said. “I just want the chief prosecutor of this city to be someone criminals fear. Many criminals look at her as part of the criminal defense team.”
Read Kraft’s response to the sentencing and Jessamy’s cease and desist letter in PDF file format.
