Police eye rape suspect for tie to earlier assaults
Baltimore County police were trying to determine whether a Baltimore man charged in the recent rape of a Towson University student has assaulted other victims, officials said yesterday. Citing the violent nature of the Oct. 6 rape of a 21-year-old woman near Towson University, police said they believe Ian Alexander Murphy, 24, may have sexually assaulted victims who have not come forward. Murphy may have been in the Towson area for several weeks before the attack, said police, who did not give further details on the investigation. Police said the woman was attacked when she was unloading groceries outside her building in the 7900 block of Knollwood Road and forced to go to a nearby location, where she was raped. Anyone with information about Murphy or other crimes is asked to call police at 410-307-2020 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).
From Baltimore Sun staff reports
Harford County man charged with extortion
A Harford County man has been charged with extortion after he was accused of demanding money from the winning bidder in a home foreclosure auction. Frank Wilhelm, 48, of Edgewood telephoned the winning bidder one day after the auction and threatened to challenge the sale unless he was paid $5,000, authorities in Cecil County said. Challenging the sale would have frozen the bidder's payment, possibly for months, said Lt. Bernard Chiominto of the Cecil County Sheriff's Office. Wilhelm was arrested last week in Perryville after the winning bidder contacted police and helped them set up a sting.
Associated Press
Internet check scam nets 1-year prison term
A former Waldorf man was sentenced to a year in federal prison yesterday for his role in an Internet scheme designed to steal $109,000 from Andrews Federal Credit Union, based in Suitland. According to the Maryland U.S. attorney's office, Tyron Lydale Johnson, 35, deposited a counterfeit $90,000 check into his credit union account, withdrawing enough money to buy a 2004 Ford Expedition, a $5,000 diamond ring, electronics and a vacation to Georgia. He later deposited a $19,000 check that never cleared.
Tricia Bishop
Two charged in burglaries in Harford, Cecil counties
