Fallston Recreation Complex Burglary & Theft Under Investigation
From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
Information is being sought in reference to a commercial burglary & theft of electrical boxes, 25 & 45 amp industrial circuit breakers, 16 rolls of THHN #10 & # 72 copper wiring, telephone & cable wiring, copper jumpers and copper electrical feeds. The above items were stolen between 1/16/10 and 1/18/10 from the Fallston Recreation Complex construction site in the 1800 block of Fallston Road.
Unknown subject(s) broke in through a locked door and removed the above listed property.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Harford County Crime Solvers tip line at 1-888-540-TIPS(8477) .You must use the tip line to be eligible for a reward. If the information you provide leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000. You do not have to give your name or appear in court. All information will be kept strictly
confidential.
For additional information contact Detective Matthews of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Investigation Division at 410-836-5434.
February 1, 2010 at 9:01 pmMedication Stolen in Burglary of Fallston Pharmacy
From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division is seeking the community’s assistance in identifying/locating the individuals pictured in these photos.
The subjects pictured in Photos 1 and 2 are suspects. The person in photo 3 is a person of interest in connection with the commercial burglary of the Fallston Pharmacy and Medical Equipment Store, 2100 block of Bel Air Road, in Fallston, MD.
The burglary occurred between closing on January 12th and 3am on January 13th. Subjects made entry to the store trigging the store’s alarm system and removed assorted pharmaceuticals. It was determined that a majority of the medications taken appeared to be non-narcotic.
The suspect seen in photo 1 is described as a white male, 5’9” to 6’0”, around 150 lbs, wearing black shoes, a black hooded sweatshirt, dark blue jeans and a plastic mask. The suspect seen in photo 2 is described as a white male 5’9” to 6’0”, wearing black shoes, a black hooded sweatshirt, light blue jeans and a black mask. The person seen in Photo 3 is White Male, medium build in his mid 40’s to early 50’s wearing a black jacket, jeans. He possibly drives a white pick up truck.
If you have any investigative information regarding the individual depicted in the photos, contact: Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Detective Brandon Hopkins at 410-836-5003 or hopkinsb@harfordsheriff.org
February 1, 2010 at 2:00 pmFallston Phys Ed Teacher Pleads Guilty To Sexual Abuse
Jonathan Stewart Dick, age 43, of Bel Air, Maryland, formerly a physical education teacher at Fallston Middle School and high school lacrosse coach entered a guilty plea today (1/27/10), before Judge William O. Carr, to one count of Sexual Solicitation of a Minor involving a 14 year old male and three counts of Third Degree Sex Offense for acts involving a 14 year old male. He was sentenced to 40 years in the Department of Corrections, all suspended but for eight years to be served. Upon his release, he will be on supervised probation for a period of five years. As a result of these convictions, he will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
The acts that were the basis of the Solicitation took place between January and February 2009, and the acts that were the bases for the Sex Offenses took place between March 2007 and April 2008. The case was investigated by the Harford County Child Advocacy Center.
Refer questions to Joseph Cassilly, State’s Attorney, 410-638-3500.
January 1, 2010 at 2:24 pmHarford 2000-2009: Stories Of The Decade
What a difference a decade makes.
From January 2000 to December 2009, Harford County enjoyed an historic housing boom, then suffered through historic economic downturn.
Harford was the big winner in the U.S. Army’s Base Realignment and Closure decision, but has yet to experience any meaningful impact from BRAC other than the headaches and problems associated with preparing for the anticipated growth.
Harford lost many familiar faces who passed away doing what they loved most in the last decade, but also saw several who left the scene for more nefarious reasons.
Havre de Grace saw a major international golf tournament arrive and depart, and watched as its Promenade was destroyed and rebuilt.
Harford hero Cal Ripken, Jr. retired from baseball, built a stadium in his hometown, and was elected to the Hall of Fame, while ice skater Kimmie Meissner propelled herself toward Harford hero status with her Olympic performance.
Far too much transpired in the previous ten years for us to fairly rate, rank, or sort out, but let’s give it a shot anyway.
During the last decade, what stories, events, or happenings were of the most importance to you?
To get things started, here are some of our top stories of the decade 2000-2009:
- Those we lost. The list of prominent obituaries during the decade would certainly include State Sen. Bob Hooper, School Superintendent Jacqueline Haas, former Del. Joanne Parrott, Harford County Councilman Veronica Chenowith, and former County Council President and Judge John Hardwicke – who died on Christmas Eve.
- The tone for the entire decade was set on Sept. 11, 2001. The already-close relationship between Harford and its military presence at Aberdeen Proving Ground and its emergency responders was redoubled and remains as strong as ever at the close of the decade. Much like many communities across the nation, Harford had its share of residents who lost loved ones and were personally impacted by the terrorist attacks of that day.
- It was announced mid-decade, 2005 to be exact, that Harford and APG were the big winners in the federal BRAC process. With the decade over and just one year remaining before the mandated 2011 transfer, Harford seems as far as ever from realizing what BRAC could/would/should actually bring – much less tapping into its potential.
- It was a big decade for Cal Ripken, Jr. The Aberdeen native turned 40 in 2000, retired from baseball in 2001, built a stadium in his hometown in 2002 (which could be its own entry in this list for potentially setting the city on the path to bankruptcy), and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2007.
- In 2003, Havre de Grace saw its crown jewel, the Promenade boardwalk, tossed around like a rag doll before ultimately being torn asunder and scattered along the upper Chesapeake Bay/lower Susquehanna River shoreline. A year later, with the help of Americorps and a legion of volunteers, the boardwalk was rebuilt.
- At the height of the real estate and economic boom in 2005, Harford was flying high when it was announced the LPGA Championship would be moving from its longtime home in Delaware to Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace. This would be a final feather in the county’s cap – drawing tourism dollars from across the nation and around the world. By the end of the decade, the economy was in free-fall, attendance at the tournament waned, and the LPGA announced it would be moving to Rochester, New York beginning in 2010.
- In 2006, Fallston High School student and ice skater Kimmie Meissner was the youngest American athlete competing in the Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. She came in sixth place, leading to a string of impressive victories and international recognition. By the end of the decade, Meissner had moved to Florida and withdrawn from several skating competitions due to injury. There may still be a road in downtown Bel Air named in her honor.
- Those who left the scene. County executive Jim Harkins miraculously survived an embarrassing 911-call debacle, but jumped ship from his second term a year early when buddy Gov. Robert Ehrlich named him Director of Maryland Environmental Services in 2005. Curiously and similarly, Del. Chuck Boutin left his term early when Ehrlich tapped him to join the Public Service Commission, also in 2005. Boutin only held that job until 2007, when he resigned after allegations of exchanged e-mails with a suspected prostitute surfaced. Inexplicably, Boutin was almost immediately offered a position as Administrative Law Judge in the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings, which he took.
- Fall 2007: The Dagger is born.
What else happened between January 2000 and December 2009 that you think is worth mentioning?
December 31, 2009 at 11:25 amHarford 2009: The Dagger’s Top Ten Stories Of The Year
The year 2009 opened on a sad note in Harford County with residents still mourning the death of prominent, longtime school superintendent Jacqueline Haas. Before the year was over, Harford County would lose two other wellknown female leaders – former delegate Joanne Parrott and Harford County Councilwoman Veronica Chenowith.
It was also a year of contradiction. Even as President-Elect Barack Obama slowed his inaugural train ride through Edgewood in January to wave and thank a thousand or so supporters, there were a thousand or so more Harford County residents who fought tooth-and-nail in September to prevent President Obama’s live address to be shown to their children during the school day.
Bel Air High School was demolished and Fallston Library was spared from closure. Art Helton survived another political scandal in Aberdeen while Harford County’s delegation to the Maryland General Assembly played a furious and humiliating game of musical chairs in Annapolis.
Citizens were outraged that Del. Pat McDonough couldn’t carry his questionable campaign signs during the Bel Air Independence Day Parade, yet couldn’t muster the same reaction when it was exposed that the Board of Education may have seriously bungled the bidding process for the new Red Pump Elementary School.
Without further ado, here are the top 10 stories of 2009, as chosen by The Dagger staff:
#1 – Obama Slows His Roll Through Harford To Greet Edgewood Crowd
While his ride never came to a stop, President-Elect Barack Obama, with Joe Biden by his side, smiled, waved and even interacted with a few people, which was good enough for the thousand or so gathered at the Edgewood train station who had waited hours in the stinging cold of mid-January to catch a glimpse of the soon-to-be president aboard the train that would eventually take him to Washington D.C. for his inauguration.
#2 – Harford Schools Will Not Broadcast Obama’s Live Address To Students
The White House issued an advisory that President Barack Obama would be speaking live to the nation’s school children at noon on September 8th in an address that could be streamed directly into the schools. The President’s speech about the importance of education was reportedly planned for weeks, but a national backlash erupted that included a call to boycott the schools that decide to air the speech by keeping students home on the day of the broadcast.
Harford County Public Schools sent a mass Alert Now phone call out to parents with a message saying the speech would not be broadcast live in school, but leaving open the possibility that the speech might be used in the classroom at a later date.
#3 – Three Of A Kind: Our Dearly Departed (Haas, Parrott, Chenowith)
They say these things happen in 3’s, so we included Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Haas in our triumvirate of dearly departed, even though she passed away just a few days shy of 2009. Haas died after apparently suffering an asthma attack and then going into cardiac arrest in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
In early March, Joanne S. Parrott, a former state delegate and Harford County Council President, was found dead in her home at the age of 68.
Just a few weeks later, longtime Harford County Councilwoman Veronica “Roni” Chenowith, who had represented Fallston and Emmorton since 1994, died after battling cancer for several years.
#4 – “The Goal Was To Destroy The Harford County Delegation…”
Dissension in the ranks led to all out mutiny among members of the Harford County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis, who, within two weeks, re-elected and then booted the chair and vice chair of the county delegation.
Dels. Susan McComas and Rick Impallaria were removed in early February as chair and vice chair in a controversial vote which both challenged. Dels. J.B. Jennings and Wayne Norman were installed in the place of McComas and Impallaria, who had just recently being reelected to their leadership positions. Then, in a letter dated April 20, Dels. McComas, Impallaria and Pat McDonough have formally requested that Jennings and Norman step down from their largely ceremonial positions as chair and vice-chair of the delegation.
#5 – Bel Air High School – Thanks for the Memories
The Bel Air High School building rose from the earth sixty years ago and it was demolished in fall of 2009. In August, as the wreckage had already begun with the glorious new replacement building standing by, ready to welcome students at the start of the new school year, The Dagger took a final tour of the old BAHS and the memories of those who taught and learned there.
#6 – Tempest In A Teapot? Independence Day Incident Brews Angry Response
An Independence Day incident, during which Del. Pat McDonough was apparently asked to observe long-standing July 4th parade rules forbidding the use and display of campaign signs, turned into a full-fledged fiasco that played out on airwaves and email in the first week of July.
McDonough cried “censorship!” and the rest is history. McDonough and his “angry mob that wasn’t” later went on to attack anything within reach, including The Dagger.
#7 – Fallston Library May Close In Wake Of Harford Budget Cuts
The Fallston Branch of the Harford County Public Library was set to close by the end of June in a cost-saving manuever deemed necessary after the County Executive and County Council mandated an additional 5% cut from each departmental budget.
Facing confusion and concern regarding the proposal, the Harford County Council issued a resolution urging all library branches to remain open and requesting the County Executive David Craig transfer money in the budget to save the Fallston branch.
#8 – The Art of War: No Tactic Off-Limits During Aberdeen Election Season
A police report filed in early summer against former State Senator and Harford County Councilman Art Helton became the most talked about topic during Aberdeen’s municipal election season this fall. According to the report, Helton was not charged earlier in the year after a 32-year-old woman who rented one of his properties accused him of harassment.
Much more interesting than the non-charges against Helton was the timing of the release of the police report bearing her accusations. The authorities canned their brief investigation months ago, but in an Aberdeen election, nothing stays buried.
#9 – Did Bidding Irregularities Stall Red Pump Elementary?
When the Harford County Board of Education cancelled plans to build Red Pump Elementary School last December, the school board was just days away from approving nearly $23 million in construction contracts that would have put shovels in the ground. The decision sparked a public debate over the fate of the school.
The Dagger learned in August that contractors who bid on Red Pump before it was cancelled filed an unusual number of protests over the bid process, raising the potential for legal action against Harford County Public Schools in the weeks leading up to the decision to scrap the school.
Was the specter of legal action the real reason Red Pump was ditched? And if it was not a factor, why wouldn’t the possibility of a court battle have been among the board’s considerations? More importantly, were the allegations of impropriety surrounding the bid process true? And if so, were they the result of one-time errors, or ongoing, systemic problems within HCPS?
#10 – “You Can’t Get The Ink Out Of Our Blood” – Baltimore Sun Takes On The Dagger
In early March, a few of us sat down with Baltimore Sun Today Editor Andrew Ratner for about an hour-and-a-half. A Harford County resident himself, Ratner had been following The Dagger for some time and was interested in writing a story about us.
If you haven’t read the now-epic story, you missed former Aberdeen mayor Fred Simmons trying to expose our embedded sources and opining on tattoos he thought I had; School Board member Mark Wolkow dissing our name; State Senator Barry Glassman sticking up for us; and Ratner himself commenting on my apparent apathy toward our website.
Ratner, a good journalist and a great guy, would leave The Sun within weeks of the story’s publication during one of many staff purgings at the paper in 2009.
Those were our hand-picked favorite stories of the year, but statistically speaking, the most popular, most read, most commented stories of the last year on The Dagger, even if they weren’t written in 2009, were:
- Two Years After The Attack, Alleged Rape Suspect Arrested In Forest Hill
- C. Milton Wright Fight Sends Student to Shock Trauma, Three Students Face Charges
- Charges Pending In Double Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision In Street
- Longer Terms, Weaker Mayor, Recall Votes Provided Through New Aberdeen City Charter
- Harford Election 2010: Political Round-Up
December 8, 2009 at 8:27 pmSuspect Sought In Robbery of 7-11 in Fallston and Redners in Bel Air
From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
The subject shown is being sought for questioning in connection with a robbery of the 7-11 store located at 2400 Pleasantville Rd, Fallston, MD which occurred on Monday, December 7, 2009 at 3:00am. (HCSO CC# 09-184970).
The subject described as a white male wearing a black jacket and ball cap with logo, approximately 18-25 years old, 5′7″- 5′8″ in height and weighing 170-185 pounds entered the store selected a bottled beverage, asked for a carton of cigarettes then during the transaction with the clerk implied he had a gun in his pocket demanding the money in the register. The subject left on foot towards Pleasantville Rd.
This same subject and circumstances match the description of a robbery that occurred on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 1:00am at the Redner’s Warehouse Market in Bel Air, MD that is being handled by the Maryland State Police (CC# 09-53-014571).
December 7, 2009 at 8:04 pmWoods: Official Retirement of Search and Rescue (SAR) Canine Katie
The following letter was written by Harford County Councilman Joe Woods. A copy was provided to The Dagger:
It is with mixed emotions, I announce the official retirement of Search and Rescue (SAR) Canine Katie. Katie is a member of the Harford County Technical Rescue Team; the Maryland Task Force 2 (MD-TF2) Urban Search and Rescue Team; and a past member of Chesapeake Search Dogs. She has trained in many states around the country. Katie was certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWADA) as an Urban Search and Rescue Canine. She received top honors at two national training events. Katie has taken an active role in many searches in and around the state of Maryland and was instrumental in locating a number of victims.
Effective on December 5th (Katie’s 8th birthday) at 2400 hours, Katie’s IPWADA Urban Search and Rescue Certification expired. This certification was her last remaining national SAR certification and I will not be able to have her recertified in any of her certifications do to time constraints. Katie will live out the rest of her life as a happy and healthy retired service canine with Laura and me. We still plan to put smiles on people faces by doing demos and visiting people at schools, VA’s, and hospitals. Of course you can still come see her at one of my offices or at www.katiedog.com .
Katie and I have had a fulfilling and exciting Canine Search and Rescue career. I would like to thank everyone for their support and guidance. Especially when Katie was injured and we all expected her career to end way too early. I’m very thankful for the support over the years from the Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company, the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association, and the Harford County Technical Rescue Team. Without that support my great experience with Katie would never have occurred and Harford County would not have a Search Canine or a Technical Search and Rescue program today.
Thank You,
Joseph M. Woods
TRT-11, SAR Team Leader, Harford County Technical Rescue Team
Chief, Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company, Inc.
COO, Paramedical Personnel of Maryland, Inc.
Councilman, District B Harford County Maryland
Photos from www.katiedog.com
November 2, 2009 at 7:55 pmEarly Morning Melee In Fallston Leads to Several Arrests
From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
(Bel Air, MD – November 2, 2009) Harford County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested several subjects on November 1, 2009 approximately 1:20 a.m. on the parking lot of Tully’s Bar located at 2403 Bel Air Road Fallston, Maryland.
The Harford County Emergency Operations Center received several 911 calls indicating an assault had just occurred. Upon deputies arrival they encountered a large crowd on the parking lot of Tully’s with numerous fights in the area. Deputies requested additional manpower and were assisted by the Maryland State Police, Bel Air Police Department and Baltimore County Police.
A vehicle attempting to leave the area struck a deputy in the parking lot and failed to stop. The vehicle was commandeered by deputies’ short distance away. The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody.
The front seat passenger was observed by deputies taking a greenish vegetable substance out of a clear plastic baggy and shoving it into his mouth. The two passengers in the vehicle refused deputies request to exit the vehicle which lead to a deputy being assaulted by one of the subject’s prior to being apprehended. The deputy involved in the incident wasn’t injured.
The driver of vehicle was identified as Sylvia Lynne Core, 44, of the 900 block of Edmund Street Aberdeen, Maryland. Ms. Core is charged with First Degree Assault, Second Degree Assault, and Reckless Endangerment. Ms. Core released from the Harford County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.
The front seat passenger was identified as Thomas V. Hill Jr, 34, of the 2300 block of Rogate Circle Gwynn Oak, Maryland. Mr. Hill is charged with CDS: Possession of Marihuana, Resist/Interfere with Arrest, and Failure to Obey Lawful Order. Mr. Hill was released from the Harford County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond.
The second passenger was identified as Antoine Donte Smith, 31, of the 2000 block of Watergate Court Edgewood, Maryland. Mr. Smith is charged with Second Degree Assault, Failure to Obey Lawful Order, and Resist/Interfere with Arrest. Mr. Smith was released from the Harford County Detention Center on a $7,500 bond.
Robert A. McClellan, 22, of the 2300 block of Hanson Road Edgewood, Maryland was also arrested in a separate incident on the parking lot. Mr. McClellan was acting disorderly and inciting others in the crowd on the parking lot. Mr. McClellan was instructed by deputies to leave the area but refused and was taken into custody. Mr. McClellan is charged with Failure to Obey Lawful Order and Disorderly Conduct. Mr. McClellan was released from the Harford County Detention Center on his own recognizance.
The Maryland State Police simultaneously handled a stabbing that had occurred inside Tully’s that resulted in several arrests.
November 1, 2009 at 11:33 amPolice Charge Two In Halloween Night Stabbing At Fallston Bar
From Maryland State Police:
On November 1, 2009 at approximately 01:22 a.m. troopers from the Bel Air Barrack responded to Tully’s Bar located at 2403 Belair Road, Fallston, Md. to assist the Harford County Sheriff’s office with a fight in progress.
Upon arrival it was learned that one of the confrontations involved a Tyrell Lamont YOUNG (B/M, 22 yoa, Edgewood resident) who had been removed from the establishment by security. Upon walking towards the rear of the establishment this suspect became involved in another fight with security. Tfc. W. Johnson observed the altercation and immediately apprehended YOUNG and shortly afterwards Sgt. J. Kloiber received information that YOUNG allegedly stabbed a subject inside the bar. Further information was later developed concerning a second suspect, Douglas Reginald GREEN (B/M, 25 yoa, Aberdeen resident), being a participant in the crime.
Simultaneous to the stabbing a number of additional unrelated altercations were occurring which were handled by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. To assist in stabilizing the incident on-scene personnel called for assistance from law enforcement agencies from surrounding jurisdictions. Law enforcement personnel from the Maryland State Police North East Barrack, JFK Barrack, Bel Air Police Department and the Baltimore County Police Department responded to assist.
The stabbing victim is identified as David Swedo, 26 yoa, Bel Air resident. Swedo had sustained several stab wounds to his back. The victim is currently in stable condition at Bayview Hospital, Baltimore, Md.
Accused # 1: Tyrell Lamont Young, B/M, 22 yoa, Charges: Attempted 1st and 2nd Degree Murder; 1st and 2nd Degree Assault (several counts); Reckless Endangerment.
Accused #2: Douglas Reginald Green, B/M, 25 yoa, Charges: Accessory After the Fact of the following: Attempted 1st and 2nd Degree Murder; 1st and 2nd Degree Assault; Reckless Endangerment
October 13, 2009 at 3:57 pmSeasonal Flu Vaccination Clinic To Be Held At Fallston Middle, Rain or Shine
From Harford County Health Department:
Bel Air, MD – October 13, 2009 – The Harford County Health Department will be holding a seasonal influenza community vaccination clinic on Friday, October 16, 2009 from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm at the Fallston Middle School, located at 2303 Carrs Mill Road in Fallston. Only the injectable form of the seasonal flu vaccine will be administered at the clinic.
The event will be held rain or shine. Although this vaccination clinic has been scheduled as a “Drive-Through” site, whereby persons wishing to be vaccinated remain in their vehicles, the Health Department is prepared to move the operation indoors in the event of inclement weather.
These seasonal vaccination shots are offered at no cost for persons with Medicare Part B who bring their Medicare cards. The charge is $20 for all others.
For additional information, visit the Harford County Health Department website at www.harfordcountyhealth.com or call 410-612-1781.
