Crime Scene - The Washington Post's Blog About Local, National and International Crime and Criminal Justice - November 21, 2010

Baltimore police officer shot

Police say three people will likely face charges after the shooting of a Baltimore police officer. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says the officer was shot in the chest early Saturday as he approached someone who appeared to be armed. The...

By The Associated Press | November 27, 2010; 12:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore
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Suspect sought in D.C. bike hit-and-run

Police are seeking a bicyclist they say ran into an elderly couple Friday as they were walking through an alley near the Washington Convention Center, critically injuring one before speeding away. The man and woman, both in their 70s, were...

By Carol Morello | November 26, 2010; 4:21 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: The District
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Police: arrests in phony robbery report

A Prince William County woman who reported she was robbed while trying to deposit cash from her employer has been arrested, along with two of her pals, for allegedly faking the holdup, Prince William police said Friday.

By Tom Jackman | November 26, 2010; 1:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Cons & Scams, Pr. William, Tom Jackman
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Md. shooting, chase suspect ID'd

An Oxon Hill man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree assault and use of a handgun in a crime of violence after a Thursday incident in which he allegedly exchanged gunfire with a Takoma...

By Washington Post Editors | November 26, 2010; 11:04 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Montgomery, Updates
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Jail for 2 after dog's death in Md.

A Berlin, Md., couple face jail time for locking their dogs in a hot SUV parked at a Salisbury mall over the summer. Thirty-six-year-old Shannon Mecall Hussain and her fiance, 45-year-old Kirt Barren Greenberg, were convicted on 18 counts of...

By The Daily Times of Salisbury | November 26, 2010; 7:37 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Animal Stories, Maryland
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Arrest after shots, chase, in Md.

A man exchanged gunfire with a Takoma Park police officer and briefly took a bystander hostage before being apprehended Thursday, officials said. No one was hit by bullets and no one was injured, police said. Montgomery County detectives were preparing...

By Dan Morse | November 25, 2010; 4:33 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Dan Morse, Montgomery
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Hill staffer in sex sting released on bond

Congressional staffer Robert Decheine, one of 11 men caught up in a recent Montgomery County sex sting, showed up at an apartment complex expecting to go inside to meet a teenager, police said, but instead was greeted by police officers...

By Dan Morse | November 25, 2010; 3:49 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Montgomery, Updates
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Not guilty plea in alleged attack on son

A man who allegedly tried to suffocate his 19-month-old son in September has pleaded not criminally responsible. Thirty-three-year-old Alton Ambush of Frederick entered the plea Tuesday. He is charged with second-degree assault and other offenses in the Sept. 17 attack...

By The Frederick (Md.) News-Post | November 25, 2010; 2:20 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Frederick, From the Courthouse
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Congressman's chief fired after Md. sex sting

The chief of staff of a New Jersey congressman has been fired after police say he got caught up in an online sex sting in Montgomery County. Robert Decheine, 48, the ex-chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, D-NJ,...

By Dan Morse | November 25, 2010; 12:23 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Dan Morse, Montgomery, Politics
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Year for salesman in alleged Md. rape

A magazine salesman will spend more than a year in jail for allegedly raping an autistic woman he met while going door to door in Arnold. Twenty-one-year-old Jarvis Spain of Chicago was sentenced Thursday to 17 months in jail....

By The Capital of Annapolis | November 25, 2010; 9:35 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Anne Arundel, From the Courthouse, Sex Crimes, Updates
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Boy, 15, joins Md. fire cadet program

Austin Foertschbeck has always had an interest in fire and rescue services. "I'm an active person that likes to help out in the community," he said. "Fire and rescue is the best of both worlds."...

By The Frederick (Md.) News-Post | November 25, 2010; 9:32 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Fires & Fire Safety, Maryland
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13 years for man in girl's rape

A Frederick man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for the New Year's Eve rape of a 14-year-old girl. Thirty-three-year-old Demond Coleman was also ordered to register as a child sex offender for life at Tuesday's sentencing....

By The Frederick (Md.) News-Post | November 25, 2010; 9:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Frederick, From the Courthouse, Sex Crimes
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Solicitation charges after man complains about prostitutes

A Columbia, Mo., man was arrested after complaining to police that two prostitutes didn't give him the services he'd bargained for, according to this report: McNames requested that the officer contact the women and get them to return at least...

By Washington Post Editors | November 25, 2010; 6:39 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Anne Arundel, Around the Nation, Offbeat
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Deadly stabbing in Md. home: Police

A man was fatally stabbed late Tuesday night after he forced his way into the Temple Hills apartment of a woman he was once romantically involved with, authorities and law enforcement sources said. The incident occurred about 11:40 p.m. in...

By Matt Zapotosky and Allison Klein | November 24, 2010; 5:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (28)
Categories: Allison Klein, Matt Zapotosky, Pr. George's
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District man dies from stabbing

Kevin Willis, 19, of Northeast, died Monday of stab wounds he suffered Nov. 6 in an attack that District police said Wednesday is being investigated as a homicide. Willis was hospitalized after being found by officers at about 3:30...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | November 24, 2010; 4:34 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Homicide, Mary Pat Flaherty, The District
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Apartment fire snuffed out at Leisure World

A small fire broke out Wednesday afternoon in the first floor of a high-rise apartment building at a Montgomery County retirement community, but no injuries were immediately reported. Firefighters were called to 15107 Interlachen Drive, in Leisure World, at 2:52...

By Dan Morse | November 24, 2010; 4:19 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Dan Morse, Fires & Fire Safety, Montgomery
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Man killed Sunday in New Carrollton

A Glenn Dale man was shot and killed Sunday night in the New Carrollton area of Prince George's County, authorities said. The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. in the Heritage Square apartment complex in the 7700 block of Riverdale...

By Matt Zapotosky | November 24, 2010; 3:10 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Homicide, Matt Zapotosky, Pr. George's
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Squad in Pr. George's seizes 100th gun

The Prince George's County Police Department's District III Special Assignment Team is giving thanks for an unusual accomplishment this year: taking 100 guns off the streets before Turkey Day. The squad of seven picked up its 100th firearm Saturday night,...

By Matt Zapotosky | November 24, 2010; 1:59 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Matt Zapotosky, Pr. George's
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Man arrested in Va. tourist attack

A LaPlata man arrested for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a mother and daughter in an Arlington hotel in August was a sex offender recently released from prison, according to police and court records. The victims, one in her 50s and...

By Allison Klein | November 24, 2010; 11:52 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Allison Klein, Arlington, Charles, Sex Crimes, Updates
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Arrest in Nov. 5 Southeast D.C. killing

A 20-year-old man has been arrested and charged in a Nov. 5 homicide in Southeast D.C., police said. Jerome Bailey, of no fixed address, was charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of Rico Matthews, 36, D.C. police...

By David P. Marino-Nachison | November 24, 2010; 8:10 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: David P. Marino-Nachison, Homicide, The District, Updates
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Murder indictment in Md. burning case

A homeless man accused of setting his girlfriend on fire has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge. Police say 48-year-old Richard Rodola poured gasoline on 37-year-old Pamela Myers on Oct. 23, then used her pocket lighter to start the...

By The Baltimore Sun | November 24, 2010; 7:51 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: From the Courthouse, Homicide, Howard, Updates
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Child sex abuse charges for Md. couple

A Hagerstown couple who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges have been charged with sexually abusing children. Forty-two-year-old Charles Selby III and 28-year-old Jessica Selby were charged Monday with multiple counts of sex abuse of a minor and other offenses....

By The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown | November 24, 2010; 7:49 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland, Sex Crimes
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Va. Muslim inmate case settled

Virginia has settled a lawsuit filed by a Muslim inmate who claimed the prisons system violated his rights by refusing him an Islamic newspaper and religious programs. Red Onion State Prison inmate Kelvin Brown, 37, sued the warden and other...

By the Associated Press | November 24, 2010; 7:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Prison Beat, Virginia
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Report: Pizza mugging nets wrong 'dough'

A Staten Island, N.Y. mugger who demanded a bag from a pizza shop owner got one that was filled with pizza dough, according to this report: The assailants demanded one of the shopkeepers hand over a bag -- thinking it...

By Washington Post Editors | November 24, 2010; 6:32 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Around the Nation, Offbeat
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Man charged with stealing from school

The founder of a District school for learning and emotionally disabled boys has been indicted on charges that he stole more than $2.4 million in government special education grants and spent the money instead on cars, electronics and jewelry, U.S....

By Spencer S. Hsu | November 23, 2010; 7:18 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Financial Crimes, Spencer S. Hsu, The District
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Burglars hit The Fishing School in D.C.

When burglars hit The Fishing School in Deanwood at about 4 a.m. Tuesday they needed a way to haul their tools and cart away a flat screen television, computers and a safe. They took a taxi. Actually three taxis, stolen...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | November 23, 2010; 5:47 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Mary Pat Flaherty, Schools, The District
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Trooper charged over time sheets

A former Maryland State Police trooper was charged Tuesday with misconduct in office for claiming more than $5,500 in overtime for hours he did not work, authorities said. David McKinley Thomas, Jr., 40, allegedly falsified his time sheets over a...

By Matt Zapotosky | November 23, 2010; 4:20 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland, Matt Zapotosky
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White powder in Pr. William courthouse

UPDATE: The part of the courthouse that had been closed has been reopened, officials said, and the powder was deemed harmless. Nobody was harmed during the incident. ORIGINAL POST: A portion of the Prince William County Courthouse has been blocked...

By Jennifer Buske | November 23, 2010; 2:23 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Emergencies & Rescues, Pr. William
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Second plea deal in Brian Betts case

The winding down of the Brian Betts murder case continued in Montgomery County on Tuesday, with a guilty plea in the morning and a sentencing set for the afternoon. Four men were originally charged with murder in the case, which...

By Dan Morse | November 23, 2010; 1:52 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Dan Morse, From the Courthouse, Montgomery, Updates
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New murder attempt charge for Abuelazam

Authorities in Michigan have added a new charge of attempted murder against a man accused in a serial stabbing spree. Elias Abuelazam now is charged with three murders and six attempted murders in Genesee County, Mich., as well as an...

By the Associated Press | November 23, 2010; 1:34 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Around the Nation, Loudoun, Updates
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Police seek teen in Md. restaurant killing

Anne Arundel police are looking for a 19-year-old in connection with the fatal shooting of a man who tried to stop a restaurant robbery in Glen Burnie. Authorities have an arrest warrant for Willie Antonio McLean for his alleged involvement...

By Allison Klein | November 23, 2010; 12:06 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Allison Klein, Anne Arundel, Homicide, Updates
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Shooting in Northeast D.C.

D.C. police are on the scene of a Tuesday morning shooting in Northeast in which a juvenile was hit in the leg. The victim, who was not identified by police, was taken to an area hospital. The shooting took place...

By Allison Klein | November 23, 2010; 8:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Allison Klein, The District
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Arrest in D.C. fatal shooting

D.C. police have arrested a Maryland man in connection with Monday's killing of Gregory Joyner, 28. Carl Purvis, 45, of Capitol Heights, is charged with first-degree murder while armed. Joyner was found with a gunshot wound at about 9:15 p.m....

By Allison Klein | November 23, 2010; 8:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Allison Klein, Homicide, The District, Updates
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Guilty plea for Md. man in counterfeiting

Prosecutors in Baltimore say a man has pleaded guilty a scheme to create, possess or pass counterfeit currency. Twenty-nine-year-old Antwine Finch, of no fixed address, entered the plea on Monday. He will be sentenced on Jan. 24....

By The Associated Press | November 23, 2010; 7:35 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore, Financial Crimes, From the Courthouse
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Md. inmate's March death ruled homicide

The Maryland medical examiner's office has ruled that a state prison inmate who died earlier this year after suffering a seizure was a homicide victim. Fifty-two-year-old Wilbur Street was shot in the face in 1982 and developed a seizure disorder....

By The Baltimore Sun | November 23, 2010; 7:33 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Homicide, Maryland, Prison Beat
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School attack plot conviction for Va. man

A jury in Virginia Beach has convicted a former Landstown High School student on 18 charges related to a plot to attack the school with explosives and sawed-off shotguns. The jury rejected 19-year-old Philip Bay's insanity defense Monday....

By The Virginian-Pilot | November 23, 2010; 7:31 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: From the Courthouse, Schools, Virginia
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Video game heist at Frederick Wal-Mart

Frederick police say two shoplifters trying to steal video games escaped after one pulled a knife on a store employee. It happened Saturday about 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart on Monocacy Boulevard....

By The Frederick (Md.) News-Post | November 23, 2010; 7:29 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Frederick
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Busy weekend ahead for Va. State Police

Virginia State Police will be out in force over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The agency says 75 percent of its uniformed work force will be on patrol from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday through midnight Sunday....

By The Associated Press | November 23, 2010; 7:28 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Traffic Accidents, Virginia
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Mother claims terrorism to stall daughter's marriage

A Russian mother told authorities her daughter was a suicide bomber to stop her from flying to wed a Moroccan man, according to this report: Meanwhile, police traced the fraudulent call to the city of Yaroslavl, where the 56-year-old mother...

By Washington Post Editors | November 23, 2010; 6:37 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Around the World, Offbeat
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Deadly fire in Northwest D.C. rowhouse

An unidentified person was found dead in a Northwest Washington rowhouse Monday as firefighters worked to extinguish a blaze on the upper floor. A passerby called for help about 3:30 p.m. after seeing smoke coming from windows on the top...

By Paul Duggan | November 22, 2010; 4:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Fires & Fire Safety, Paul Duggan, The District
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Suspect sought in Va. bank robberies

A man who robbed a Wachovia Bank in Sterling on Saturday may be responsible for a number of other robberies in Northern Virginia, police said Monday.

By David P. Marino-Nachison | November 22, 2010; 3:29 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Crime, Seen, Fairfax, Loudoun, Virginia
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Sketch of Md. rape suspect released

Montgomery County police have created a computer-generated likeness of the man they say raped a 52-year-old woman early Saturday morning in a wooded area off Georgia Avenue in the Aspen Hill area. According to preliminary investigation results, the woman was...

By Dan Morse | November 22, 2010; 2:17 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Dan Morse, Montgomery, Sex Crimes
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Chandra Levy death trial: Guandique guilty

Ingmar Guandique was found guilty Monday on both charges of first-degree murder in the 2001 killing of Chandra Levy. (Read full coverage from the Post.) Monday was the D.C. Superior Court jury's fourth day of deliberations on the two counts...

By Washington Post Editors | November 22, 2010; 12:39 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (28)
Categories: Chandra Levy, From the Courthouse, Homicide, The District, Updates
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Jury resumes deliberations in Levy case

A short verdict form, we can safely say, does not ensure short jury deliberations. The jurors in the trial of the man charged with killing Chandra Levy are now into their fourth day of deliberations on the two counts of...

By Henri E. Cauvin | November 22, 2010; 10:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chandra Levy, Document Room, From the Courthouse, Homicide, The District, Updates
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CVS store robbed in Frederick

A Frederick CVS was robbed at 1 a.m. Monday morning by a man who was recorded on store surveillance, police said. It happened at 402 S. Jefferson St. when a man walked into the store, told an employee he had...

By Allison Klein | November 22, 2010; 10:27 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Allison Klein, Crime, Seen, Frederick, Robbery
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Snags in 1964 Va. murder case

A prosecutor says the case against a Las Vegas man charged with killing his then-wife in Virginia in 1964 has suffered a setback. Hopewell Commonwealth's Attorney Rick Newman told The Richmond-Times Dispatch that a Hopewell police employee is believed to...

By the Richmond Times-Dispatch | November 22, 2010; 9:54 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Homicide, Virginia
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Man, 19, shot dead in Baltimore

Police say they are investigating the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man in West Baltimore over the weekend. Authorities say the teenager was shot in the stomach around 5 p.m. Saturday on Route 40 near a shopping center in the...

By the Baltimore Sun | November 22, 2010; 7:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Baltimore
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Md. correctional officer shot dead

Baltimore police are investigating the shooting death of a Maryland correctional officer. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said 28-year-old Sharon Jones was fatally shot around 3:45 a.m. Sunday. She was at a friend's house in east Baltimore when she was shot...

By the Associated Press | November 22, 2010; 7:28 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore
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Crime Scene: November 21, 2010 - November 27, 2010