Friday, August 31, 2012
The jury entered deliberations in the trial for two men charged in a December killing in Towson.
Gang leadership or patsies? That's for a Baltimore County jury to decide as deliberations begin in the case against Frank Theodore Williams of Baltimore Highlands and William Ward III of Waverly. The two stand accused of first-degree murder for their roles in the shooting death of Baltimore teen Rodney Pridget on Dec. 19 outside Towson Town Center. The jury entered deliberations just after 4 p.m. Friday, following four days of witness and expert testimony. In closing statements to the jury, deputy state's attorney Robin Coffin told the jury the two men were "as guilty as if they pulled the trigger" on that December evening. Prosecutors say Williams drove Ward and alleged shooter Tyrone Brown to the mall after receiving a call from alleged …
Thursday, August 30, 2012
The school system's homeless liaison said figures have increased 10-fold in the last ten years.
The number of homeless students enrolled in Baltimore County Public Schools is growing at an alarming rate. There were about 300 homeless students countywide in 2001, and the figure has now grown to more than 2,000, said Mary Jo Slowey, the homeless liaison for the school system. "It increased 10-fold in the last 10 years," she said. Slowey noted that the figures took a turn for the worse following the 2008 economic collapse. "Sadly, the number of students in need is growing," she said. At a Thursday ceremony held at the school system's Greenwood Campus, the Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce donated $1,500 to benefit the homeless students. Additionally, the chamber, Community College of Baltimore County and Northwest Savings Bank …
Jermell Brandon took the witness stand in the trial of alleged co-conspirators accused of murdering a teenager last December.
(Updated 5:45 p.m.)—A suspect in the fatal December shooting at Towson Town Center said his alleged co-conspirator Frank Williams ordered the hit against a Baltimore teen. Jermell Brandon made the statement Tuesday morning while on the witness stand at Circuit Court for the trial against Williams, 31, and William Ward III, 44, who are charged with conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree murder and first-degree assault. Brandon, Williams, Ward and another man, alleged shooter Tyrone Brown, were arrested in February in connection with the death of 19-year-old Rodney Vest Pridget. Pridget was found dead outside Nordstrom at Towson Town Center. In exchange for his testimony, Brandon, who originally faced a possible sentence of life without …
Maryland reports 13 cases of the mosquito-borne virus so far in 2012.
One Maryland resident has died as a result of West Nile Virus, according to state health department officials. Dori Henry, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Thursday confirmed the death of one adult. The age, gender and county where the victim lived are not being released because of privacy reasons, Henry said. So far, Maryland has reported 13 cases of the virus this year. Nearly 1,600 cases have been reported in 48 states. About 70 percent of those cases come from Texas, South Dakota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Michigan—45 percent along were in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those cases, 66 people have died as of Aug. 28. It is not clear if the Maryland …
John T.
4:29 pm on Wednesday, September 5, 2012
I don't care what part of the state they reside in, what their relationship is with their mother or father. None of that makes what happened to the victim any more acceptable. They should be put away for life so as not to have any contact with the public. And concerning these people that have children, then refuse to parent and dump the end result onto society, then these parents should be held … more ›