Crime & Courts

'Boomtown' inspection finds 18 code violations

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold said that an inspection of a downtrodden neighborhood near Fort Meade, which was the site of a recent double fatal shooting, has revealed 18 violations of the county code. Leopold and representatives from the Health Department, the Planning and Zoning Department and the Police Department toured the stretch of Route 175 in Odenton, an area known as "Boomtown," on Dec. 16, a month after four Annapolis men were shot on the parking lot of a bar. Police have arrested three men and a woman in the shootings. The violations range from illegal signs to unsafe structures, said David Abrams, a county spokesman. The county began notifying the property owners' of the violations by letter Dec. 17. If the violations are not corrected, the county will do the work and place a lien on the property, Abrams said. Some violations carry potential fines. "So-called nuisance crimes, if left unattended, can create a breeding ground for more serious crimes," Leopold said. "This administration will take action to ensure that our neighborhoods are well-maintained and well-lit."

Nicole Fuller

Carroll man sentenced for laptop thefts

A Carroll County man has been sentenced to a year in prison for stealing laptop computers from his former employer, a nonprofit operated by Catholic nuns, according to the Howard County state's attorney's office. Paul Brian Steedman of Westminster was sentenced Tuesday in Howard County Circuit Court to 10 years with all but one suspended, said Wayne Kirwan, spokesman for the state's attorney's office. Steedman, 28, also was ordered to pay more than $53,000 in restitution. Prosecutors said Steedman stole 32 computers from Marriottsville-based Bon Secours Health System Inc., which manages hospitals, assisted-living facilities, nursing homes and hospices in seven states. Steedman used his employee ID to enter a secure room on several occasions and take the computers, Bon Secours representatives told police. Investigators later discovered that Steedman listed the computers on eBay and included photos in which serial numbers that matched those of the stolen items were visible on box labels. He pleaded guilty in October to felony theft scheme.

Tyeesha Dixon