Saturday, May 19, 2012
An article in the Maryland Gazette on Saturday reported that Brian McDevitt, the Pasadena man who died in an accident earlier this year, had alcohol in his system and was excessively speeding.
Brian McDevitt, a Pasadena man whose death earlier this year incited hundreds of passionate comments on Patch, had alcohol in his system and was excessively speeding when the car he was driving hit another car on Fort Smallwood Road, according to the Maryland Gazette. McDevitt was the co-founder of Anne Arundel Breaking News and Events, a popular local Facebook page and web page. McDevitt, 32, was traveling between 99 and 113 mph at the time of the accident and had a blood-alcohol content of between .05 and .07 percent, according to documents obtained by the Gazette. The posted speed on the portion of Fort Smallwood Road where McDevitt crashed is 50 mph and Maryland law states that a motorist can be charged with driving under the influence…
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Governor calls budget package "good for all Marylanders." Republicans say burden to local governments may force county governments to increase taxes.
The Maryland House of Delegates gave final approval Wednesday to a package of three bills that increases taxes on some state residents, shifts part of teacher pensions to local governments and undoes the so-called "doomsday budget." The votes Wednesday afternoon capped the three-day special session called by Gov. Martin O'Malley in order to override more than $500 million in cuts made in a budget passed in early April. The Senate approved the same three bills Tuesday. As part of the package, legislators approved by a vote of 86-51 what amounts to a 50-50 split of teacher pension costs with local governments. The split will be phased in over the next four years beginning July 1 with the new budget year. That bill also includes a doubling of…
Police headquarters in Millersville is a SHRED-A-RAMA VI site where residents can bring four boxes of personal documents for disposal.
Anyone with sensitive documents or other items in need of disposal can stop by the Anne Arundel County Police Headquarters in Millersville on Saturday for the SHRED-A-RAMA VI event. Headquarters is located at 8495 Veterans Highway in Millersville. The Police-Community Relations Council for Anne Arundel County will again sponsor the free event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Residents can bring up to four handheld boxes of personal documents to be deposited in a commercial shredder. Additional boxes will cost $2. “This is an ideal opportunity for residents to safely dispose of old tax and medical records, financial documents and other personal items to help prevent identity theft,” the police department said in a press release. X-rays, film…
The law requires motorists to move over or slow down if they see emergency personnel on the side of the road.
In an effort to increase awareness and ensure the safety of emergency personnel, the Maryland State Police have declared May “Move Over Month.” The Move Over initiative is being used to remind motorists that if they see emergency personnel on the side of the road they need to switch lanes or slow down. Many drivers remain unaware of the law that went into effect in October 2010. “We thought that because of a couple incidents in the beginning of the year that injured a couple of police officers, the Move Over Law was not something that our motorists were familiar with enough,” said Elena Russo, Maryland State Police spokeswoman. “These two incidents could have been prevented if the motorist had slowed down and moved over when they saw the …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Police said they learned of an alleged stolen credit card ring operating in Hanover.
Anne Arundel County police said they arrested three men Friday after a report of a stolen credit card tipped them off to a theft in progress in Hanover. Police said in a press release that officers arrived at 6:35 p.m. to the I-97 business park in Millersville, where a man reported that his wallet had been stolen. The responding officer, Cpl. Jeff Golas, investigated the incident and learned that one of the stolen credit cards had just been used at a store in Hanover. Golas was aware of some recent incidents of stolen credit cards, and contacted other officers in the area. County police officers said they worked with store security personnel to locate the suspects using video surveillance. While other officers maintained visual contact …
The incident occurred less than two weeks after the Maryland Court of Appeals released a statement claiming pit bulls are dangerous.
In April, the Maryland Court of Appeals set a new precedent regarding pit bulls when it announced that owners face increased liability if their dog attacks—labeling them definitively dangerous. Less than two weeks after the court’s opinion was released, a parent said a pit bull attacked and bit a boy at Tracey’s Elementary School during a peewee lacrosse practice. On May 4 at about 9:45 a.m., the Green Hornets' 10-year-old boys lacrosse team was practicing at the school when a black dog ran out from the woods and onto the field. According to Marc Griswold, a Green Hornets dad who attended the practice, the dog appeared to be a pit bull and aggressively barked at one of the boys on the field. The dog then bit the boy in the calf, drawing …
Friday, May 11, 2012
A man was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma on Thursday after his vehicle hit a tree on Ritchie Highway, according to a fire official.
An accident occurred Thursday evening when a driver reportedly crossed over the median of Ritchie Highway and struck a tree. Fire crews responded at 6:54 p.m. Thursday to the 500 block of Ritchie Highway near Arundel Beach Road where the accident occurred. Medics transported a 49-year-old man to Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore on Thursday evening, according to Chief Michael Cox of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. There were no other vehicles involved and no further information is available. Odenton-Severn Patch Editor Tim Lemke contributed to this story.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Plan to fix "Doomsday Budget" includes $247 million in tax increases and elimination of exemptions for single filers earning $100,000 or more and joint filers earning $150,000 or more.
UPDATE (5:59 p.m.)—Some Maryland residents will pay more taxes in the coming year under a plan worked out between Gov. Martin O'Malley and legislative leaders. O'Malley, accompanied by House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, announced the nearly $35.8 billion plan during a Wednesday morning news conference in Annapolis to discuss the upcoming special session. "To leave this budget incomplete, to leave this budget as it stands right now, would damage the very forward motion that all of us, together, have worked so hard to achieve for our state," O'Malley said. "Progress is a choice," O'Malley said. "Job creation is a choice. Building America's number one schools, making a college education affordable, …
Friday, May 4, 2012
The decline includes a drop in most violent crimes, and large drops in burglaries and vehicle thefts.
The Anne Arundel County Police Department reported an 8.7 percent drop in major crime in 2011, and a decrease in cases of violence, according to new statistics. The police department reported 15,932 “part I” crimes during the year, representing 1,515 fewer cases than in 2010. Part I crimes are generally considered the most serious offenses. Crime dropped in nearly all categories, with the most significant declines coming in cases of rape, motor vehicle theft and burglary. The only increase came in the number of homicides, which rose from 13 to 14. Total violent crime dropped 7.7 percent, representing 2,486 incidents, down from 2,693 in 2010. The drop in violent crime in 2011 marks a reversal from the previous year, when such cases rose …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Anne Arundel County police report the "Prescription Drug Take Back Day" was a success.
The Anne Arundel County Police Department collected more than 300 pounds of unused drugs as part of their annual "Prescription Drug Take Back" on April 28, according to a press release. In total, the county collected 12.5 boxes of various unused medications weighing approximately 363.87 pounds. Two previous initiatives held in 2011 had similar results with the combined collection of over 575 pounds of unused/unwarranted medication. Sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Anne Arundel County Police Department, officers reported that area residents dropped off “several hundred bottles” of expired and unused medications, according to the release. Some of the medications collected were OxyContin, Percocet and fentanyl …
tom
11:00 am on Sunday, May 20, 2012
To add insult to injury, generally when they are caught they get probation. We need judges to do their duty. more ›