Assault

A Baltimore Circuit Court judge sentenced Richard Charles to 65 years in prison Wednesday for a string of sexual assaults on his girlfriend's young daughter. The attacks started when the girl was seven years old and continued until she was nine, according to the State's Attorney's Office. The girl came forward in April 2011 and Charles, 45, was convicted of second degree rape and three counts of sexual abuse of a minor last December. "This was a depraved, unconscionable act of repeated violence and the basest kind of violation of a child's vulnerability," Baltimore State's Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein said in a statement.

Sensible gun legislation is no threat to Second Amendment rights. Although there is no one solution to violence by the use of a gun, the death of many people could be avoided by outlawing assault weapons and high capacity gun clips, as well as requiring background checks on everyone purchasing a gun. Polls show that a large majority of responsible gun owners support such legislation. In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said that victims of gun violence and their families deserve a vote ("We deserve a vote," Feb. 17)

The following is compiled from local police reports. Our policy is to include descriptions when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Wilkens Police Station at 410-887-0872. Ingleside Avenue and Edmondson Avenue , Feb. 7, 9:30 p.m. Three men approached juvenile at bus stop from behind, knocked him to the ground and stole his wallet and shoes. Old Frederick Road and Holly Manor Road, Feb. 7, 6:57 p.m. Three men approached adult male and one juvenile, struck the adult several times and stole his money.

A Gywnns Falls Elementary School staff member was assaulted as she entered the building early Tuesday, according to a Baltimore City public schools spokeswoman. The staff member was assaulted by an unknown assailant at 6 a.m. at the school's main entrance. The attacker left the scene, and the staff member was taken to the hospital. Spokeswoman Molly Rath said she could not release any information regarding the staff member's occupation, her injuries or what hospital she was transported to. No students or other staff members were present for the assault, Rath said, and parents were notified about the incident via a phone call and letter.

A 26-year-old man has been charged in the after hours club shooting last month that left one man dead and others injured, according to Baltimore police. Ricky Horton is charged in the death of Sean Rhodes, 25, of Franklin Square, who was one of three people shot early Jan. 13 at the Ras-a-Ter International Restaurant and Club at 2103 W. North Ave., police said. Horton, of the 4900 block of Edgemere Avenue in Baltimore, faces first degree murder and assault charges. The shooting occurred about 5:30 a.m. as people left the club, marking the second within 14 months, police said.

Several thousand Marylanders went to Annapolis to voice their opinions on gun control Wednesday as the General Assembly began considering Gov. Martin O'Malley's sweeping proposal to impose new limits on the purchase of firearms. At a hearing before a Senate committee, O'Malley urged state legislators to approve what he called a comprehensive approach to curbing gun violence. He called for a ban on the sale of "military-style" assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and said the state should require licensing and training for handgun buyers.

The following is compiled from local police reports. Our policy is to include descriptions when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Wilkens Police Station at 410-887-0872. Hollins Ferry Road, 3900 block, Feb. 3, 11:15 p.m. Two people were struck in the head in parking lot. Two assailants were chased off by witness. Washington Boulevard, unknown block, Feb. 2, between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Woman who accepted a ride while waiting at bus stop was taken into Morrell Park and sexually assaulted at knifepoint.

A world-class ice dancer from Clarksville has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors in connection with allegations that he sexually abused a 16-year-old girl in Lake Placid, N.Y. Genrikh Sretenski, 50, a Russian-born former Olympic competitor, pleaded guilty in January to third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to his defense attorney Terence L. Kindlon. Under terms of the plea deal in courts in Essex County and Lake Placid Village, N.Y., he was fined, given a one-year conditional release and ordered to stay away from the teenager, according to an email from Essex County, N.Y., prosecutors.

Baltimore County Police Chief James W. Johnson added a much-needed voice of reason to the national debate over gun control last week when he appeared before Congress to testify in favor of universal background checks for gun purchases and a ban on assault rifles and large capacity ammunition magazines. It was only common sense, he told lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee, to extend the reporting requirements for federally licensed firearms dealers to the private individuals who account for 40 percent of gun sales in this country.

A former Naval Academy instructor who is accused of sexually assaulting a female midshipman will be court-martialed, an academy spokeswoman said Thursday. Marine Corps Maj. Mark A. Thompson, a former history instructor at the academy, is accused of assaulting the midshipman in his Annapolis apartment following the annual croquet match between the academy and St. John's College in 2011. Adm. Michael H. Miller, the academy's superintendent, referred the case to a general court-martial after reviewing information from a preliminary hearing that concluded this month in Washington, spokeswoman Jenny Erickson said.