County Sheriff S Office

MYERSVILLE -- Two men assaulted and robbed a Myersville woman and kidnapped her 2-week-old baby last night after forcing the woman to stop her vehicle on Highland School Road, the Frederick County sheriff's office says.The baby was found unharmed several hours later alongside a road not far from where she was kidnapped.Authorities stopped numerous vehicles at roadblocks last night, but did not catch the kidnappers. The search was resuming today.Karen Bruchey, 23, of Gambrill Park Road, was driving a Chevrolet Blazer in the 12000 block of Highland School Road about 9 p.m. when an object struck the windshield.

After stopping at a Joppa Royal Farms store, a Harford County Sheriff's Deputy forgot one thing — his handgun. The deputy took the gun into the bathroom of the store on Mountain Road and left it there, said spokeswoman Monica Worrell. When he returned to the store after realizing that, the weapon was gone, she said. The March 1 incident was revealed Friday, as detectives sought the public's help in recovering the gun. The name of the 15-year veteran will not be released, but he was given "appropriate sanctions," she said.

In the tight law enforcement community of the Eastern Shore, it doesn't matter which department officers work for. They all back up each other. On the winding, rural roads of the Eastern Shore, the nearest help sometimes can be 20 minutes away. That was true Tuesday night when Centreville police Officer Michael S. Nickerson, 24, and Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Deputy Jason C. Schwenz, 28, responded together to a noise complaint in a trailer park in Centreville. Both were shot and killed, authorities say, by a man who might have been setting up an ambush.

Maintenance man shot at complex A maintenance man at a Pikesville apartment complex was shot in the head about 3 p.m. Monday, an incident that police said was witnessed by several middle school students as they left a nearby school. The man was taken to Northwest Hospital Center and was in grave condition, according to police. The shooting happened in the Owings Chase Apartments in the 4600 block of Old Court Road, police said. Police spokeswoman Sgt. Vickie Warehime said the suspect was involved in some kind of conflict before the shooting.

Two drawings of the Star of David found in a Forest Hill neighborhood are being investigated as a hate crime, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. A resident of the 2200 block of Howland Drive called authorities Wednesday morning after finding the symbol, drawn with mustard and what appeared to be glue, on her driveway, said Sgt. Dave Betz, spokesman for the Harford County Sheriff's Office. The resident told deputies that she heard her dog barking about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday but didn't see anything when she looked outside.

A 23-year-old man from Gambrills was arrested yesterday shortly after he stepped off a plane in Florida, charged in the death of his live-in girlfriend -- a college student also from Anne Arundel County, authorities said. Matthew R. Dieterle, who had been living in Palm Harbor, Fla., was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Samantha MacQuilliam, 19, law enforcement officials in Florida said. MacQuilliam, who is also from Gambrills, was a student at the University of Tampa.

Harford County Government offices will be closed tomorrow for Presidents Day. The Harford County Waste Disposal Center will be closed, while Waste to Energy will be open. Senior centers, Harford County Public Library and public schools are closed tomorrow. Harford transit will operate on a limited schedule. Library board seeks candidates The Harford County Public Library board of trustees is seeking candidates to be considered for appointment to the board for fiscal year 2009 (July 2008 to June 2009)

Jacob Moser stepped out from the passenger seat of a Charles County Sheriff's Office police cruiser, his right hand gripping the weapon holstered to his hip. His partner, James DeHart, walked cautiously up to the driver's side of a green Ford Mustang convertible, unsure of what this traffic stop would bring. The Mustang had been pulled over for speeding, a violation for which DeHart issued a ticket. But while Moser and DeHart were preoccupied with asking the driver to keep his hands on the steering wheel and telling the vehicle's occupants to turn off the stereo, they missed a bag of drugs by the Mustang's console and a gun in the passenger door panel.

With Carroll County voters selecting candidates for state and county offices during Tuesday's primary election, two county incumbents - Sheriff Kenneth L. Tregoning and State's Attorney Jerry F. Barnes - are running unopposed in both the primary and general elections. Each incumbent has served multiple terms in office. In 1994, Barnes defeated 20-year State's Attorney Thomas E. Hickman in a closely contested Republican primary and then won the general election by a landslide over Democratic candidate Linda A. Holmes and a write-in campaign from Hickman.

Harford County Executive Eileen M. Rehrmann wants employees of the county Sheriff's Office, who are state employees, to be on the county merit pay system.She says that will eliminate concerns over job security every four years when the sheriff is up for re-election.Rehrmann has asked the county's seven state legislators to draft a law in the upcoming General Assembly session to make the change.The executive provided the legislators with a working draft.LANDFILL COMPLAINTSThree members of the Harford County Council, acting as a subcommittee of the Harford Board of Health, will look into citizens' complaints about the county-owned Scarboro Landfill.

Man being sought In Forest Hill assault Harford County sheriff's deputies said yesterday that they are looking for the man who assaulted a 46-year-old Forest Hill woman last week. The man confronted the woman about 6:30 a.m. Feb. 18 when she went outside her home to start her car. Her boyfriend later found her lying on the ground. Emergency crews from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Department treated the woman for minor injuries at the scene in the 2400 block of Rocks Road and took her to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, police said.

Miguel Martinez knows what to look for in dangerous situations. At age 17, he knows how to perform a building search, clear a room and handle a weapon. On a recent afternoon, he rattled off the warning signs that someone may be using drugs. "When you think a person is on drugs, you look for eye dilation and heavy breathing," Martinez said. "They also tense up their muscles to try to make them look bigger." Martinez's knowledge comes from experience gained through a program that gets students interested in careers in law enforcement.

Two drawings of the Star of David found in a Forest Hill neighborhood are being investigated as a hate crime, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. A resident of the 2200 block of Howland Drive called authorities Wednesday morning after finding the symbol, drawn with mustard and what appeared to be glue, on her driveway, said Sgt. Dave Betz, spokesman for the Harford County Sheriff's Office. The resident told deputies that she heard her dog barking about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday but didn't see anything when she looked outside.

Constable Charles Weber, Howard County Sheriff's Office, Nov. 10, 1924 Deputy Frank Miller, Howard County Sheriff's Office, June 7, 1946 Officer Randy Brightwell, Howard County Police Department, May 29, 1961 Cpl. Ted Wolf Sr., Maryland State Police, March 19, 1990 Recruit Officer Roger Cassell Jr., Howard County Police Department, Nov. 2, 1994 Cpl. Scott Wheeler, Howard County Police Department, June 18, 2007 Source: Howard County police

A 47-year-old Harford County man was injured yesterday after a CSX train plowed into a Jeep he was test-driving, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. The mechanic from Street, whose name was not released, stayed in the car when it became stuck on the tracks, police said. He was taken to Chesapeake Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries, police said.

Harford County Government offices will be closed tomorrow for Presidents Day. The Harford County Waste Disposal Center will be closed, while Waste to Energy will be open. Senior centers, Harford County Public Library and public schools are closed tomorrow. Harford transit will operate on a limited schedule. Library board seeks candidates The Harford County Public Library board of trustees is seeking candidates to be considered for appointment to the board for fiscal year 2009 (July 2008 to June 2009)

While last-minute politicians made their candidacies official by filing last week, a key issue that voters will be deciding this fall was being readied for the campaign as well.People for a County Police Department, an organization anchored by members of the Harford County Deputy Sheriffs Union, announced plans to open its campaign headquarters at 43 N. Bond St. in Bel Air with a "parking lot party" next Sunday.The question of whether Harford County government should create a police department, separate from the Sheriff's Office, to handle law enforcement responsibilities will be on the November ballot as a proposed charter amendment.

At Smith Farm, our oft-maligned system workedCarping at our elected officials is always good sport. Sometimes, it may even become a podium-thumping exercise where the rules of engagement are foggy and private agendas veer wildly off the topic, but mostly it is hung on the sincere complaint of a single gored ox or the perceived slight.The seasoned administrator deftly handles this stuff in a manner that seeks to calm and placate the speaker showing respect for the opinion and discomfort of the aggrieved and moving the laborious proceedings along after taking notes for further study.

A 23-year-old man from Gambrills was arrested yesterday shortly after he stepped off a plane in Florida, charged in the death of his live-in girlfriend -- a college student also from Anne Arundel County, authorities said. Matthew R. Dieterle, who had been living in Palm Harbor, Fla., was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Samantha MacQuilliam, 19, law enforcement officials in Florida said. MacQuilliam, who is also from Gambrills, was a student at the University of Tampa.