Around The Region

Man charged in murder try

A man charged with attempting to murder a 26-year-old woman last fall in Crofton is believed by the woman to be the father of her unborn child, according to police and court documents. Charles B. Martin, 32, of Charles County was arrested Monday afternoon after months of investigation by Anne Arundel County homicide detectives, who linked him to the shooting through interviews with witnesses and a hair found at the crime scene, said Capt. David Waltemeyer, who commands the department's criminal investigation division. Martin conspired with Jerold R. Burks, 22, to shoot Jodi Torok, 26, in the head as she stood in the vestibule of her home Oct. 27, according to court documents. Torok, a hairdresser at an Annapolis salon, believed that Martin was the father of her unborn child, but he "was not happy about the pregnancy" and had a wife and other children, according to the court documents. Torok was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center for emergency brain surgery after the shooting and survived. According to the documents, detectives searching the shooting scene found a Gatorade bottle that had been used as a silencer for a gun. DNA tests showed that hair found in tape wrapped around the mouth of the bottle matched Martin's, according to the documents. Police said they believe that Burks was the gunman. Martin was also charged with conspiring to commit attempted first-degree murder and using a handgun in a violent crime. He was being held at the county detention center in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Julie Scharper

UB says Wood will be its provost July 1

The University of Baltimore named as its provost Tuesday a veteran administrator and geographer. Joseph S. Wood, the provost at the University of Southern Maine, will be responsible for academic affairs at UB, starting July 1. He has a bachelor's degree from Middlebury College, a master's from the University of Vermont and a doctorate from Penn State, all in geography.

STEPHEN KIEHL

Opportunity to learn of chances to help

Baltimore County Volunteers will hold a meeting Thursday for residents interested in learning about programs and projects that need volunteer help. The meeting, "Catch the VIBE (Volunteers Impact By Example)," will be held at 6 p.m. at Oasis Coffee and Cream, 105 Carroll Island Road in Middle River. Registration is requested. 410-887-2715.

Halethorpe man, 36, charged in carjacking

A Halethorpe man was arrested Monday after a car in which a 79-year-old woman was a passenger was hijacked outside a Glen Burnie restaurant, Anne Arundel County police said. Christopher Michael King, 36, was charged with carjacking and related offenses. Police said a woman had been in the passenger seat of a Toyota Camry outside the Fireside Inn at 7400 Ritchie Highway at 5:25 p.m. March 20, waiting for the driver to return, when a man opened the unlocked driver's door and began to drive away. The woman tried to turn off the ignition, but the man stopped the car and forced her out, police said.

Liz F. Kay