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Harford sheriff: No slayings trend
LATEST ON THIS STORYRelated Topics: Harford County
Harford County (Map, News) - Harford County’s experienced more than three times as many homicides in 2006 compared with the previous year, but law enforcement officials don’t believe the jump is becoming a trend.
Sheriff Jesse Bane said the circumstances of the four homicides the Harford County Sheriff’s Office handled did not indicate any trends police could have predicted and prevented.
“If you look at these homicides, it’s a wide range: road rage, one potentially gang-related, domestic violence, a potential serial killer,” Bane said.
“That’s quite a variety of motives. We’ve committed quite a lot of resources to deal with domestic violence, drugs and gangs. If we have a homicide, it’s likely to be related to one of those areas.”
In 2006, Harford police agencies reported these homicides compared with the two homicides reported in 2005:
» Robin Lee Welshons was shot to death Feb. 8 at Ken’s Motel in Aberdeen. Aberdeen police say her case is not solved.
» Patrick Walker was fatally stabbed May 26 in an act of road rage in Bel Air. Michael Simmons pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in April but is seeking another trial.
» Kevin Rowlette was shot in the face July 11 on Brookside Drive in Edgewood. Police sought suspect Kyvelle Jamaas Martin, concerned about retribution from the Bloods gang to which both men may have belonged. Martin was captured in another state and is awaiting extradition.
» Randolph M. Goodson and Waverly C. Lewis were killed Sept. 14 in their Edgewood condominium. Their murders remain the Sheriff’s Office’s only unsolved cases for 2006.
» The bodies of four women were found between June and September in secluded areas outside Aberdeen and Havre de Grace. Lillian Abramowicz Phelps was connected to Charles Eugene Burns, who was found guilty of her murder in April.
The deaths of Jennifer Blankenship and Joyce Ann Toliver have yet to be charged as homicides, pending an analysis by forensic scientists, but police have said they also could be connected to Burns.
An autopsy could not pin down a cause or manner of death for Sheila Ann Turner, the fourth woman found. Maryland State Police are investigating.
» Jeffrey Bergmann was stabbed to death Dec. 15 in his house, allegedly by his wife Eveline after a drunken argument, police said. She is scheduled for trial this October.
Bane said police work may have prevented other homicides so far this year, including at least two incidents when intelligence indicated rival gangs were going to clash, and police presence was increased in response.
Only one person has been killed in 2007, the New Year’s Day death of Walter Antonio Overton.
msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com
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Examiner Reader said:
Read through the lines. All this article is about is a Sheriff trying to discredit good things that are happening in a county. The UCR is the most accurate means of analying serious crime for mostpolice departments in the U.S..... They are just trying to expand their department by discrediting other's good work and this is the only way they know how to do it! The people in Carroll County think that they pay alot for the MSP, wait until they get a county police force - then they will really pay no matter what this guy says - just look at the property taxes and expenses in other counties.
135 agree | 121 disagree
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Concerned Resident said:
It sounds as if the State Police have adjusted the crime stats to save their outdated resident trooper program ! Doesnt crime go up when they want more money for troopers in Carroll County ?
147 agree | 130 disagree
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Annapolis Defense Attorney said:
Yeah don't and don't forget about all of those bong cases that go unreported each year! Thank God we pay taxes to the police to stop those horrible criminals.
169 agree | 126 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
500 or 1,000 more poilce officers will not help. The base problem is lack of respect, which starts in the home. Once the population realizes that the police and teachers can not be the parents to your kids, this whole sad situation may turn around.
164 agree | 152 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Could it be Management? Has anyone asked that question? Now that we have looked at numbers let's look at the quality of the leadership. At this point it is not about how many police, it is about what they are doing. Where is the strategic plan? That is why Mitchell's plan of the three Mayoral contenders is so weak. These folks can't get think outside of the box, and the entire city is suffering.
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Examiner Reader said:
Clearly, based on the above article, it is not that we have too few police. Other cities have close to the same number in proportion to their population but less crime and homicide. This tells me that the policedepartment is malfunctioning. Before we get more officers we need to put the ones we have to good use.
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Examiner Reader said:
Kareem Timmons was an ex-boyfriend of mine about 10 years ago. I miss him and loved him dearly. He was a very kind hearted person.
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