Aberdeen Police

The Aberdeen Police Department is mourning the loss of Detective Mark Franklin, who died Sept. 20 after battling cancer since the first of the year. Detective Franklin , 55 , was a 13-year veteran of the city's police force, serving as the department's crime scene technician. Before joining the Aberdeen Police, Detective Franklin served two years with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. He was a member of Local Union #26 and worked as an electrician for 15 years.

Aberdeen William Thomas Cody, 24, of the 800 block of Shirley Drive, was charged Wednesday with second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. Fraud was reported Tuesday in the 4400 block of Kildare Court. Carlos Miguel Cortez III, 30, of the 300 block of Heron Street, was charged Wednesday with possessing a drug other than marijuana. Elliott Colin Gladden, 18, of the 1400 block of Cranberry Road, was charged Tuesday with violating probation in a case in which he was charged with second-degree assault.

To Aberdeen Police Chief John Jolley, drugs have affected all types of city households -- rich and poor, young and old, regardless of race or gender.But Jolley believes that the drug problem is no worse in his city than in any other community."

Harford County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police Reports: Aberdeen Ronald B. Comer, 26, of the first block of North Post Road, was charged Friday with second-degree escape. Prentis James Vinson III, 24, of the first block of North Post Road, was charged Saturday with violating probation in a case in which he was found guilty of theft below $100. Justin D. Baughman, 24, of the 800 block of Matthews Avenue, was charged Sunday with concealing a dangerous weapon and possessing drug paraphernalia.

Piled on Sheriff L. Jesse Bane's desk are stacks of unopened mail, and among the envelopes stuffed with condolences, is a black leather-bound Bible inscribed with gold lettering. Harford County's top lawman has been wrestling with leading an agency of 290 sworn officers through tragedy unlike any it has endured in the last two centuries: the back-to-back deaths of active duty officers. Sgt. Ian A. Loughran died in the hours after he began to suffer a heart attack at the funeral of his mentee, Cpl. Charles Barton Licato.

The mailman strolled from doorstep to doorstep in the Aberdeen townhouse community when a van drove up and parked across the street. Gun-toting men in green jumpsuits leapt from the back. They crept down the sidewalk and shuffled up to the front door of a house. With two swings of a battering ram, the door had been knocked in, and the men yelled as they rushed upstairs to a bedroom. All the while, the mailman kept delivering. On one level, the drug sting, carried out simultaneously at two locations by the Aberdeen Police Department with members of the Harford County Task Force, was a flop.

As the investigation into Violet R. Ripken's abduction stretched into an eighth day, police remained silent Wednesday about their leads - a strategy Harford County State's Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly said could ensure the potential suspect doesn't destroy evidence or intimidate witnesses. Investigators on the 40-person Aberdeen police force, Cassilly said, must find a balance in publicly releasing details that will help solve the case but will not provide any advantage to the man believed to have abducted the 74-year-old mother of Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. and widow of former manager Cal Ripken Sr. "I hope that we're successful; that's all I say," Cassilly said.

During 30 years with the Aberdeen Police Department, Sgt. James G. Testerman has seen it all, from drug arrests to shootings to high-speed chases. Unfortunately, he says, he has also seen dozens of talented officers leave the force for better pay and benefits. Testerman, who plans to retire soon, said any remedy the city might come up with would probably be too late for him. But this week, the city's police officers made a major move toward achieving collective bargaining with binding arbitration, which would send stalled negotiations on compensation and working conditions to a third party.

A photo of the suspect in the Violet R. Ripken abduction has led to "numerous" tips aiding in the investigation, according to Aberdeen police, who released no other new details Friday. A man abducted Ripken at gunpoint Tuesday and drove her around in her Lincoln Town Car for 24 hours, demanding no ransom before returning her home, according to authorities. The 74-year-old mother of Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. wasn't harmed. While no motive has emerged in the case, criminal experts say adult kidnappings are rare and typically involve robberies.

Terrence G. Johnson, paroled amid controversy in 1995 after serving nearly 17 years in the slayings of two Prince George's County police officers, shot himself to death yesterday moments after robbing an Aberdeen bank with his brother, police said.The shooting, which came as police closed in near the NationsBank branch at Beards Hill Plaza, shocked those who knew Johnson as a model former prisoner. And it brought tears at the University of the District of Columbia law school, where, until recently, he had been a second-year student.

Aberdeen Charles William Gilbert, 76, whose address is listed as the Aberdeen Post Office, was charged Friday with failing to appear in court in a case in which he was charged with having an alcoholic beverage in a retail area. Justin P. Walters, 30, of the 200 block of Farm Road, was charged Sunday with possessing a drug other than marijuana. Jonathan David Hodges, 25, of the 3100 block of James Run Road, was charged Sunday with failing to appear in court in a case in which he was charged with driving with a suspended license.

Aberdeen Victor Thomas Gordon Jr., 24, of the 400 block of Holly Drive, was charged Tuesday with failing to appear for court in a case in which he was charged with driving even though his license had been suspended, failing to display a registration card and driving without current registration plates. Aberdeen police report: A man was walking around Halls Cross Roads Elementary School and shouting Tuesday. Someone threatened an employee at L&M Auto, in the 1400 block of South Philadelphia Boulevard, on Tuesday.

Aberdeen Stacey Marie England, 22, of the 200 block of Mayberry Drive, was arrested Saturday on a warrant for failing to appear for court in a case in which she is charged with speeding and speeding in a work zone, failure to display her license on demand, two counts of driving while her license was suspended and holding and talking on a cell phone while driving. Christopher Tolley, 19, of the 500 block of South Parke Street, was arrested Monday on a district court bench warrant in a case in which he is charged with two counts of second-degree assault.

As taken from the pages of The Aegis dated Thursday, January 24, 1963: The First Harford Federal Savings and Loan Association in Aberdeen was robbed by a lone armed gunman. Robert Shutt of Havre de Grace, the assistant secretary of the Association, was the victim of the holdup. Shutt was alone in the Bel Air Avenue building when a man walked in and pointed a gun at him. The robber said, "How would you like to give me all your money?" Shutt brought out all the cash in the cash drawers and placed it on the counter.

Two brothers were arrested Sunday night on the parking lot of the McDonald's on Route 40 in Aberdeen and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. Brenden Anthony Johnson, 20, and his brother, Kyle Johnson, 18, both of Belcamp, were arrested just before 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 and charged with five separate drug offenses. Each was charged with possession of marijuana, marijuana possession with intent to distribute, marijuana packing possession/distribution and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

The Harford County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police report: Aberdeen Matthew Smothers, 42, of the 200 block of Mayberry Drive, was charged Thursday with second-degree assault. A door was stolen from a construction site Wednesday in the 1500 block of Carsins Run Road. A generator was stolen from a garage Wednesday in the 1100 block of Montreal Drive. A shed was vandalized Monday in the 3400 block of Nova Scotia Road. Aberdeen police report: A cab driver was robbed Monday by two men and a woman she picked up in the Riverside area and drove to the 400 block of Washington Street.

Harford County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police Reports: Aberdeen Ronald B. Comer, 26, of the first block of North Post Road, was charged Friday with second-degree escape. Prentis James Vinson III, 24, of the first block of North Post Road, was charged Saturday with violating probation in a case in which he was found guilty of theft below $100. Justin D. Baughman, 24, of the 800 block of Matthews Avenue, was charged Sunday with concealing a dangerous weapon and possessing drug paraphernalia.

A body found in the parking lot of a convenience store Sunday was identified yesterday by Aberdeen police.Stephen Eugene Heintz, 30, whose address is not known, died of blunt trauma injuries, police said.The death, which has been ruled a homicide, remains under investigation by Aberdeen police. Police said they have no suspects.Pub Date: 3/09/99

Piled on Sheriff L. Jesse Bane's desk are stacks of unopened mail, and among the envelopes stuffed with condolences, is a black leather-bound Bible inscribed with gold lettering. Harford County's top lawman has been wrestling with leading an agency of 290 sworn officers through tragedy unlike any it has endured in the last two centuries: the back-to-back deaths of active duty officers. Sgt. Ian A. Loughran died in the hours after he began to suffer a heart attack at the funeral of his mentee, Cpl. Charles Barton Licato.

The Aberdeen Police Department is mourning the loss of Detective Mark Franklin, who died Sept. 20 after battling cancer since the first of the year. Detective Franklin , 55 , was a 13-year veteran of the city's police force, serving as the department's crime scene technician. Before joining the Aberdeen Police, Detective Franklin served two years with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. He was a member of Local Union #26 and worked as an electrician for 15 years.