Abuse

Karla Porter, the White Marsh woman accused of enlisting three family members to help kill her husband, is considering a psychiatric defense and will argue that she suffered from decades of physical and emotional abuse, her attorney said Thursday. A prosecutor, meanwhile, said Porter could face the death penalty for her role in the killing of William "Ray" Porter, who was shot March 1 outside his Towson-area gas station and died two days later. The 47-year-old mother of three was denied bail for a second time Thursday, despite pleas from her attorney that she "desperately needs to meet with psychiatrists and her legal counsel" to prepare her defense against a charge of first-degree murder.

I was among the many thousands of Baltimore's working class and poor children who greatly benefited from a Catholic school education. The present closing of many Baltimore schools can be attributed to changing demographics, the nearly prohibitive cost of any private education (whether religious or secular), a wounded American economy and the lack of teaching nuns. Dan Rodricks' twisted reasoning ("Education and atonement," June 13) in equating the Baltimore school closures with the tragedy of child abuse was shrill and illogical.

A tough-guy tackle of the Baltimore Colts in the 1970s, Joe Ehrmann turned his life over to God and became a Christian minister after his professional football days. Last week, following the Freeh report on Penn State and Joe Paterno, Ehrmann sent out this Tweet: "My faith position affirms there r no unpardonable sins. But PSU leadership that knew re Sandusky n did nothing is as close as u can get. " This wasn't just another disgusted American commenting on the report's conclusion that Paterno, the legendary (and late)

A 38-year-old Columbia teacher's aide was found guilty Friday of sexually abusing a third-grader by writing her dozens of explicit love letters, setting a new precedent in Maryland for a sex crime conviction without evidence of inappropriate physical contact. Howard County Circuit Judge Diane O. Leasure ruled that Karl Marshall Walker Jr., who worked at Bryant Woods Elementary School for three years, sexually exploited an 8-year-old girl by giving her notes that spoke of his passion for her, his desire to kiss her and his request that she keep their correspondence secret.

Sexually perverted adults are found in all walks of life, not merely college football programs. That the recent Penn State tragedy occurred around a sport with a reputation for machismo and tough men is a coincidence. This sort of criminal behavior has taken place in religious institutions, service organizations like the Boy Scouts, community recreation programs, public schools, and even in families. It has been suggested in the press that those who were aware of this behavior and did not stop it immediately or report it to the police used poor judgment.

The odyssey of Billy Rowell took another strange turn Monday when Major League Baseball announced that the Orioles' first-round pick in 2006 has been suspended for 50 games for his second violation of the minor league's drug testing and prevention program. Rowell, 23, tested positive for a “drug of abuse,” MLB stated in a news release Monday. The specific drug is not revealed. He had been in Sarasota attempting to become a pitcher after six seasons as an infielder/outfielder in which he batted a collective .261 and never played above Double-A Bowie.

Out on bail after being caught on tape beating the elderly man she had been hired to care for, Anastacia Oluoch boarded a plane at Dulles International Airport, police said, and fled home to Kenya via Italy and Ethiopia. More than five years later and after an international search, Oluoch was again brought before a Baltimore judge Tuesday, brought to trial through the first ever international extradition by the Baltimore Police Department. She pleaded guilty to abusing 90-year-old John Taylor and was sentenced to six years in prison.

A former Fallston psychologist, who sexually abused three girls under his care, will serve 18 months in jail, rather than the six years he agreed to as part of a plea agreement reached with prosecutors in August. Despite calling it a "sad and distressing case," retired Harford County Circuit Judge Maurice Baldwin Monday sharply modified the sentence David Wayne Schrumpf, 56, of the 4400 block of Prospect Road in Whiteford, from what Schrumpf had agreed to when he entered an Alford plea, which is not an admission of guilt, but rather an acknowledgment that the state had enough evidence to get a conviction.

IF THE SEXUAL abuse allegations raised by former altar boy James Devereaux are true, the Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., will have to account for its negligence in allowing a now dead pedophile priest to molest children time and again. The diocese's unprecedented decision last week to file for bankruptcy halted Mr. Devereaux's civil trial on his claims as it was set to start. Mr. Devereaux may eventually get his day in court, but now a federal bankruptcy judge will determine how far the Portland Archdiocese must go to settle its debts, including sexual abuse claims.

The United Way provides a variety of substance-abuse prevention and treatment services in Anne Arundel County. These services range from individual counseling and substance abuse-related delinquency prevention services to comprehensive, family-focused services targeted toward suicide prevention.Among the programs the United Way supports is the Annapolis Bywater Boys and Girls Club. This group provides delinquency, school drop-out, and drug-abuse prevention services to 350 area youths.Information: 547-8000, Ext. 362.