Calvert County

The Hells Angels didn't exactly get a warm welcome to Maryland. Last May in Calvert County, members of the state's inaugural chapter celebrated their first year of membership by attending the "Blessing of the Bikes" in North Beach. A few thousand other motorcyclists also went, for reasons of their own. But so did nearly a hundred policemen, who shadowed the Angels with sniper rifles and surveillance cameras. Two months later, federal agents raided the chapter's clubhouse, arresting president John Beal and another member on gun and drug charges.

A man was found fatally shot in a car in Annapolis on Sunday afternoon, a case detectives were investigating as a homicide, Annapolis police said. The man was shot in the 200 block of Victor Parkway in the parking lot of a condominium complex, police spokeswoman Detective Amy Miguez said. The shooting was reported about 4:30 p.m. Police on Monday identified the man as John Donnel Ray, 32, of the 4600 block of Rolling Hill Road in Huntingtown in Calvert County. Anyone with information about the homicide may call Detective Charles Bealefeld at 443-986-5561.

Here's the buzz: For 17-year cicadas in Maryland, the party this year is in Calvert and St. Mary's counties.Residents say those counties have been ringing with the creatures' mating songs for about two weeks. Most people are tolerating them. A few have eaten them as treats, baked and dipped in cocktail sauce or chocolate."They're pretty loud in the wooded areas," said state police Sgt. Ray Smiley, who works at the Prince Frederick barracks in Calvert County."It's a constant singing, like a buzzing," he said.

Annapolis police have released the names of a shooting victim and two men who died of suspected drug overdoses on Sunday, all three of whom appeared to be from Calvert County. Police believe John Donnel Ray, 32, of the 4600 block of Rolling Hill Road, Huntingtown, was shot in his car in the 200 block of Victor Parkway, according to Detective Richard Truitt. He was found dead in the vehicle. He said detectives think there may be witnesses to the crime. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Charles Bealefeld at 443-986-5561.

Dominic Solesky was playing tag behind his family's Towson rowhouse on a spring afternoon when he heard his friend scream. The 10-year-old boy remembers running down the alley to help his pal. He heard a rattle from a nearby cage -- and then saw a brawny dog jump a fence and head his way. The attack's toll: two surgeries for Dominic and more than two weeks in the hospital. Now, a Baltimore County lawmaker says Dominic's suffering shows that more must be done to protect the public from pit bulls.

Ailene W. Hutchins, a former educator and Orphans' Court judge who wrote widely about her native Calvert County, died in her sleep June 23 at her home in Prince Frederick. She was 86. Ailene Williams was born and raised on her family's farm near Barstow, and graduated from Calvert County High School. At 19, she earned a bachelor's degree in 1939 from Western Maryland College, now McDaniel College. She taught French, English and drama at Calvert County High, and was the school's guidance counselor from 1951 to 1963.

A tornado touched down in the Largo area of Prince George's County during storms that passed through the region Friday, the National Weather Service confirmed Monday. Meteorologists had previously confirmed another tornado in Northern Virginia. The Largo tornado touched down at 7:26 p.m. in the Marlboro Ridge neighborhood, uprooting trees, blowing out windows and garage doors and walls. The tornado traveled about half a mile, lasting less than a minute, according to the weather service.

Calvert County Sheriff Vonzell Ward, the first African-American to serve as his county's chief law enforcement officer, has resigned amid controversy over his conduct, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said yesterday. Ward, who served for six years and was widely admired for his bravery in overcoming the crippling effects of an automobile accident 20 years ago, announced his resignation in a letter to Gov. Parris N. Glendening. His resignation is to take effect May 4, sources said.

M. Esther Malone, a retired AT&T telephone operator, died of a heart attack Saturday at the Calvert County Nursing Home in Prince Frederick. She was 91.Services for Mrs. Malone, a native of the Calvert County community of Adelina, will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Trinity United Methodist Church in Prince Frederick, Calvert County.She worked at AT&T in Prince Frederick for 30 years, retiring in 1963 as chief telephone operator. She lived in Federalsburg for 10 years.She was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church and theFirst Church of God in Baltimore.

Taneytown man charged in sex with half-sisterA 21-year-old Taneytown man is being held in the Calvert County Detention Center on $50,000 bond after being charged with 10 counts of committing sexual acts on his 14-year-old half-sister in July.The man, whose name is being withheld to protect the teen-ager, was arrested Monday evening in Taneytown after warrants were forwarded from Calvert County.According to court documents, the man allegedly committed the acts at the girl's home on Broomes Island during a visit there from July 9 to July 13.The suspect is charged with six fourth-degree sex offenses on a minor more than four years his junior and with two counts each of incest and perverted practice.