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Criminal justice

    Court tosses lone recording from Anne Arundel Orphans’ Court judge’s case
    The recording at the center of the prosecution’s case against Anne Arundel County Orphans’ Court Judge Marc Knapp is not admissible at trial, a Circuit Court judge ruled Tuesday.
    The Anne Arundel County Courthouse is located on Church Circle in Annapolis. It is home to the Circuit Court, the Clerk of the Court, the State Attorney's Office and other agencies.
    Planned federal bill would require return of improperly deported people, like Maryland father
    A New York City congressman announced he will introduce legislation inspired by a Maryland father Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last month.
    WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 09: Mother (2nd R) of Kilmar Abrego Garcia holds a picture of her son and his family during a news conference to discuss his son's arrest and deportation at Cannon House Office Building on April 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus held a news conference to discuss the deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the maximum security prison Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador, an incident the Trump administration claims as “an administrative error,” but refuses to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States.
    ‘Justice was served’: Jury delivers swift guilty verdict for man who murdered Rachel Morin
    Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was killed on Aug. 5, 2023. Her death received national attention and became an issue in the 2024 presidential election.
    The body of a woman found on a popular Maryland hiking trail has been formally identified as 37-year-old mother-of-five Rachel Morin.
    Rachel Morin trial updates: Jury reaches verdict in an hour
    The Baltimore Banner live blog will provide real-time updates from the Rachel Morin trial as the proceedings unfold.
    Law enforcement agents escort 23-year-old Victor Martinez-Hernandez from an airplane at Martin State Airport after his extradition from Oklahoma, June 20, 2024. Martinez-Hernandez is charged with raping and killing Rachel Morin of Harford County.
    Howard County to put permanent police unit in downtown Columbia
    The Howard County Police Department is establishing a full-time unit of officers to three areas in Columbia: the Merriweather District, The Mall in Columbia and Columbia Lakefront.
    The Mall in Columbia shopping mall on Thursday, February 27, 2025.
    Westminster mother arrested by ICE on viral video slated for deportation hearing
    In the video, Berrios’ daughter pleaded for the ICE officers to leave her mother alone, just before one agent shattered the car door window and placed the mother in handcuffs.
    In a still from a video captured by her daughter, Elsy Noemi Berrios is detained by ICE agents after being forcibly removed from her car while on her way to work in March.
    Man sentenced to life for sexually abusing 10-year-old girl at wife’s day care in Owings Mills
    James Weems Jr., 59, of Towson, was found guilty in 2024 in Baltimore County Circuit Court of sexual abuse of a minor, rape and displaying obscene matter to a child.
    James Weems Jr., 59, of Towson, was found guilty in 2024 in Baltimore County Circuit Court of sexual abuse of a minor, rape and displaying obscene matter to a child. He worked as the van driver at his wife's business, Lil Kidz Kastle Daycare Center, in Owings Mills.
    Baltimore County man pleads guilty to paying thousands in bribes to former state official
    A Randallstown man pleaded guilty to paying about $20,000 in bribes to steer state contracts to his company.
    Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced the guilty plea on Monday, saying the investigation into the matter is ongoing.
    What to know about alleged arson at Pennsylvania governor’s official residence
    The suspect, identified as Cody Balmer, 38, was arrested nearby later in the day, police said.
    HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 13: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a press conference outside of the Governor's Mansion after a portion of the property was damaged in an arson fire on April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Shapiro and his family escaped unharmed and police have a suspect, Cody Balmer, in custody. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
    16-year-old boy killed in Baltimore County shooting
    A 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in Arbutus on Sunday, Baltimore County Police said.
    6/16/22—A Baltimore County police car sits outside of the Public Safety Building and Police Department in Towson.
    10 years after Palak Patel’s killing, her husband remains on FBI’s Most Wanted List
    Anne Arundel Police and FBI officials asked for the public's help in locating Bhadreshkumar Patel, charged with fatally stabbing his wife, Palak Patel, at the Dunkin' Donuts in Hanover where they worked in 2015.
    From left: Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad, William J. DelBagno, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, FBI Special Agent Jonathan D. Shaffer and homicide detective Vincent Carbonaro. Law enforcement officials gathered Friday to discuss the 10-year search for the suspect in Palak Patel's killing in Hanover.
    A decade after Freddie Gray’s death, Baltimore police still work to gain trust
    In the decade since Gray’s arrest, Baltimore insists there has been a transformation in policing, but some residents aren’t so sure.
    From left, officers Rashad Hamond, Terrell Taylor, and Steve Tandy on a "community walk" with community members in the Forest Park neighborhood.
    Man accused of killing Rachel Morin left his DNA on her body, expert testifies
    The prosecution rested its case against Victor Martinez-Hernandez who’s standing trial on charges of first-degree murder and related offenses in the killing of Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, on Aug. 5, 2023.
    Law enforcement agents escort Victor Martinez Hernadez from an airplane at Martin State Airport after his extradition from Oklahoma, June 20, 2024.
    State’s maximum-security psychiatric hospital gets failure warning
    Clifton T. Perkins, the state-run maximum security hospital for those charged with crimes, was warned to improve or risk losing its accreditation.
    The Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup, Md. on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024.
    Baltimore mayor sees a changed city 10 years after death of Freddie Gray
    Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott recalls the tragic, police-involved death of Freddie Gray nearly 10 years ago.
    Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott speaks with Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association/Black Press of America, during The Baltimore Uprising: 10 Years Later panel on Friday at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture.
    COMMENTARY: I left Baltimore after Freddie Gray. This is why I still have hope for the city.
    We owe Freddie Gray more than memorials. We owe him progress, Kwame Rose writes.
    Commentary: Freddie Gray’s tragic death exposed inequities, sparked change
    The senior center at Pastor Donté Hickman's church was set ablaze after Freddie Gray’s death, but he says the young man's lost life became a seed that started to germinate into a harvest.
    Man charged in 2020 cold case killing of pregnant woman and her baby in Columbia
    Nearly five years after Rabiah Ahmad was shot and killed in Howard County, police have arrested a suspect.
    How family members helped detectives capture man charged in Rachel Morin’s death
    Jose and Tania Hernandez, Victor Martinez-Hernandez’s cousins, testified against him as he continues to stand trial on charges, including first-degree murder in the killing of Rachel Morin, 37, a mother of five, on Aug. 5, 2023, on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air.
    Law enforcement agents escort Victor Martinez-Hernandez into a Harford County Police car at Martin State Airport after his extradition from Oklahoma on June 20, 2024.
    From Wawa to the woods: Rachel Morin’s final hour traced through technology and witnesses
    Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was killed on Aug. 5, 2023.
    The loved ones of Rachel Morin taped photos of her to trees and laid flowers on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail where she was found dead.
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