City/county Digest

Baltimore: NAACP

Powder-filled letter sent to branch

The FBI is investigating a possible hate crime after a letter containing white powder was received by the Baltimore branch of the NAACP.

The letter was opened Friday afternoon by branch President Marvin "Doc" Cheatham Sr. As he did so, the white powder spilled over him. He called 911, and Baltimore police, rescue officials and FBI agents arrived.

Officials determined that the white powder was not anthrax, but boric acid.

Cheatham did not read the letter, but said that FBI agents told him it contained racist sentiments.

David Kohn and Phillip McGowan

Howard County: Accident

Car kills woman walking horse

A Howard County woman was struck by a car and killed yesterday morning while walking a horse across a road, Howard County police said. At 7:45 a.m., Deborah Jean Leister, 50, was trying to lead a horse across Woodbine Road at A.E. Mullinix Road, near her home. As she was doing so, a southbound car stopped, but the driver of a northbound car failed to stop, then crossed the double yellow line to avoid the pedestrian, hitting instead the other car, police said. After hitting the stopped car, the northbound vehicle hit the victim. Leister, of the 1900 block of Woodbine Road, was pronounced dead at the scene. Neither driver was injured. Police said the investigation is continuing.

David Kohn

Anne Arundel: Severn River

Water-skier missing after hit by boat

A 24-year-old man was missing and presumed dead yesterday after he fell off a wakeboard while water-skiing on the Severn River and was struck by a motorboat, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman said. The skier was wearing a lifejacket as he was being towed behind a motorboat, said Battalion Chief Steve Thompson. After he fell into the water, a flag went up on the boat notifying other boaters that a water-skier had fallen, Thompson said. The operator of another boat swerved to avoid the man but struck him, and the victim went underwater, Thompson said. Authorities did not release the name of the man pending notification of his family. The Fire Department received a call about the accident near Lakeland Point at around 6 p.m. Crews searched for him for two hours, but only found his lifejacket.

The investigation has been turned over to the Maryland Natural Resources Police, Thompson said.

Phillip McGowan