Child

When a child died after falling from a town house bedroom window in 1982, the County Council enacted a law requiring "child-proof" screens on windows more than 3 feet above ground level.Under a proposedrevision to the county's building code, David M. Hammerman, the chief of the county's inspections and permits department, is requesting elimination of the "child-proof" screen provision, citing fire safety reasons.Hammerman said the law requiring residential window screens to besecurely fastened is unique nationally and conflicts with the national model building code, which "requires windows be easily opened without a special tool by an occupant in event of escape, rescue and ventilation in case of a fire."

Thanks very much and congratulations on Kevin Rector's very informative and sensitive article, "Girl charged in father's death struggled with mental health" (May 19). As educators and professional counselors, and as residents of the Mount Hebron area with children who graduated from the high school, we have been shocked at the news of Dennis Lane's murder. Your story provided valuable information about the complex issues that parents and educators deal with in relation to children and students who have developmental and mental health issues.

THERE IS A reason that the repulsive crazed-killer murder stories, the type that is flooding the November airwaves, make such attractive television, and "In a Child's Name" reminds us of what that is.When properly made, these are compelling, dramatic tales that, in shining their raking light across the psyche of an individual and a community, can reveal the strengths and flaws of the human condition.But most of the movies that have trod this well-worn path this month have not done that. They have instead been nothing more than exploitative, voyeuristic excursions into the weirdness.

A Baltimore judge postponed the trial of a second man accused of nearly beheading three young relatives nine years ago until October so that lawyers have more time to prepare arguments on DNA evidence. Adan Canela, 26, is charged with multiple murder and conspiracy counts in the deaths of three of his young relatives, who were killed in May 2004. His uncle, Policarpio Espinoza Perez, 31, was convicted on murder conspiracy charges in the case earlier this year and sentenced to life in prison last month.

The 19-year-old man charged with fatally stabbing Dennis Lane allegedly told investigators that his girlfriend had instructed him to kill her father and his fiancee, specifying the number of times each was to be stabbed in the throat - 10 for him and 15 for her. Jason Anthony Bulmer charging documents In a conversation at school hours before the Ellicott City blogger and businessman was killed, Jason Anthony Bulmer said, 14-year-old Morgan...

Editor: Kudos to Anne M. Brown of Bel Air (Open Forum, 27 Jan 12). Her letter said it all. For 16 years, Robert C. Richardson III's life has been swept under the rug and now our judicial system wants to do the same with his future! Are there so few of us who cannot feel compassion for this child? Yes, child, albeit a troubled one. He did not get that way overnight nor did he get there by himself. He needs help and support - not more abuse and disappointment. He needs love and understanding - every human's birthright!

A Baltimore jury convicted a 31-year-old man Wednesday of child sexual abuse for "repeatedly attacking" a 10-year-old girl in 2010, the Baltimore State's Attorney's office announced. George H. Jones Jr., of the 4200 block of W. Rogers Ave., faces a maximum of 170 years in prison at his sentencing, set for April 16. tricia.bishop@baltsun.com Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

A Baltimore lawyer was sentenced Wednesday to two years in federal prison and a year of home detention for possessing child pornography, the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office announced. Patrick Joseph Redd, 33, searched the Internet for illegal images of children - some younger than 12 - and downloaded them to his home computer, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in May. He was disbarred from practicing law in Maryland in March. Tricia.bishop@baltsun.com

I am a 17-year-old student who is responding to the article, "Glen Burnie an gets 10 years for child sex trafficking"(Baltimore Crime Beat blog, May 11). From what I have read, many details were included but some questions seemed to still be unanswered. For example, was the 12- year-old victim abducted, or did she willingly go along with the suspect? I also wonder how long the young girl was missing before police were contacted. After reading this article it made me think, what would make a 43 year old man stoop so low and do something like this to a minor?

A pit bull attacked a 9-year-old child Wednesday night in Pasadena as the boy played on his bike, police said. The child was with his mother who was visiting a neighbor in the 200 block of Armstrong Lane around 8:18 p.m. when the dog bit the boy on his lower leg. The child was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police said the dog's owner was able to get the animal away from the child. Animal Control officers took the dog into custody. An investigation continues.

The city of Baltimore agreed Wednesday to pay $100,000 to a West Baltimore family whose special-needs student died after falling from a moving school bus in 2010. City Solicitor George Nilson said school officials knew that Jeremy C. Jennings Jr., the emotionally disturbed 6-year-old, needed to be restrained on the bus but failed to do so. "A young, vulnerable child was sent off to school and didn't return home through no fault of his own," said Nilson, a member of the city Board of Estimates.

A former volunteer firefighter who worked with youth at the Lansdowne fire department pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to producing and possessing child pornography. Anthony Maurice Cottle, 23, of Owings Mills, faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison after engaging in sexually activity with two boys and filming the encounters. Authorities recovered more than 600 images of child pornography from Cottle's computer and cell phone, which included images of additional victims, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office.

A Fallston man found guilty earlier this year of child sex abuse charges was recently sentenced to serve 20 years in prison, according to court records. James Thomas Starr, 26, was found guilty by a Harford County Circuit Court jury Feb. 8 of sex abuse of a minor and a third degree sex offense. On April 17, Circuit Judge Stephen Waldron sentenced Starr to serve 25 years with five years suspended on the child sex abuse conviction and 10 years with all 10 years suspended on the third degree sex offense conviction, according to Maryland online court records.

William F. Childs III, a retired engineer who was an early salesman of do-it-yourself cement products, died of complications from heart disease April 23 at his Towson home. He was 95 and lived for many years in Stoneleigh. Born in Salisbury, he was a 1936 graduate of the Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania and earned a civil engineering and business administration degree from the Johns Hopkins University, where he was lacrosse team manager. He joined the old Glenn L. Martin Co. in Middle River.

The following is compiled from Howard County police reports. East Columbia Gerwing Lane, 9600 block, 11:53 a.m. April 24. Witness stated that as a mother and child were approaching the business an elderly white man, who was sitting at a picnic table, exposed himself. West Columbia Thistle Brook Court, 11000 block, between 11:45 p.m. April 25 and 6:45 a.m. April 26. Entry gained to an open garage. Cash, credit cards, computer equipment and a GPS unit stolen from an unlocked vehicle.

A Baltimore judge sentenced Policarpio Espinoza Perez to life in prison Monday for conspiring to murder his brother's two children and their young cousin nearly a decade ago in a killing described as the "most horrific" to ever come before the court. The parents of Ricardo and Lucero Espinoza, 8 and 9 years old, came home to their Fallstaff apartment in May 2004 to find the boys and their 10-year-old cousin, Alexis Espejo Quezada, beaten and mutilated, their throats cut and bleeding.

As bad as Matt Birk and the Ravens must have felt after Sunday night's 34-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers, it was nothing but joy today for the veteran center. Ravens coach John Harbaugh confirmed at today's news conference that the center's wife, Adrianna, gave birth to the couple's sixth child, a boy. Tweets between some of Birk's teammates said the name of the boy was Brady. After 11 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Birk, 35, has spent the last three seasons with the Ravens after signing as a free agent in 2009.

A toddler was stabbed this morning at a Social Services office in East Baltimore, and the child's mother is in custody, city officials said. A woman was visiting her 8-month-old child at the office, in the 3000 block of E. Biddle St., and was in a room with the child and a social worker, said Baltimore Police Detective Donny Moses. At some point the woman became irate, Moses said, took out a long kitchen knife and stabbed the baby. The child was taken to Johns Hopkins Pediatrics, is in good condition and is expected to survive, Moses said.

A lawyer for John Joseph Merzbacher, a former Catholic school teacher imprisoned for raping a student decades ago, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his case after a federal appeals court rejected an earlier argument that he should be set free. In a 21-page petition, Merzbacher's attorney H. Mark Stichel asks the high court to resolve several legal questions, including whether a defendant's claim that he would have taken a plea deal if offered, even while proclaiming his innocence, demonstrates a "reasonable probability" that he would have followed through.

It's Bring Your Child to Work Day. Or Take Your Kid to Work Day. Or maybe officially " Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work " day. Whatever it's called, my kids are at school. They see me on the computer enough as it is, and I have a feeling they wouldn't be too excited by what I'm actually doing most of the time. "See this comma? It's called a serial comma and we're going to delete it. And the abbreviation for California should actually be Calif., not CA. We call that 'AP style,' honey!"