County Sheriff S Office

Gary R. Barton clutched a picture of his missing 7-year-old daughter, Dakota Rae, yesterday as he stood outside the Harford County Sheriff's Office.The Frederick County second-grader disappeared Dec. 22, and investigators believe that she has been abducted by her mother, Nola Rae Barton, 37. The Frederick woman is wanted by Harford County and federal authorities on a felony warrant charging her with detaining a child out of state.Yesterday, Gary Barton -- the woman's ex-husband -- said he was worried about the welfare of his daughter.

A 7-year-old girl allegedly abducted by her mother was found yesterday in Salem, N.H., along with the woman, who was arrested on a felony warrant charging her with detaining a child out of state, the Harford County Sheriff's Office said.The Frederick County second-grader, Dakota Rae Barton, was last seen on Dec. 22 and had been the subject of a search by Harford County authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.Detective Tom Walsh, a spokesman for the Harford County Sheriff's Office, said the child and her mother, Nola Rae Barton, 37, were found about 3 p.m. yesterday after the mother used her credit card to check into a Red Roof Inn. Walsh said an extradition hearing for Barton is expected today.

Police arrested the owner of a southern Anne Arundel County auction business that sells cars police seize in drug arrests and charged him yesterday with 56 counts of theft in the theft of $18,800 from Charles County government.Investigators also took files and computers from the offices of Melvin Edward Richards' Colonial Auction Services Inc. as part of an investigation into whether he stole from Anne Arundel County as well, authorities said.From 1990 to 1996, Richards was under contract with Charles County to auction seized and surplus county vehicles and to return almost all of the money to the county, keeping 2 1/4 percent as profit, said Detective Sgt. Ed Godwin of the Charles County Sheriff's Office.

"THAT'S OUR JOB," says the Frederick County sheriff's office, defending two excessive attacks by deputies on two traffic violators last month.Restraint and professional conduct, unfortunately, do not appear to be part of that job. The FBI is investigating the deputies' actions.A Frederick deputy repeatedly beat a motorist who was in diabetic shock, ordered a K-9 dog to attack and sprayed the man with chemicals.Later, other deputies stopped a teacher driving to a religious retreat, pulled her out and slammed her against the vehicle, handcuffing her for a trip to the station, where she was put in leg shackles.

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.

Maryland Natural Resources Police called off their search yesterday afternoon for a 31-year-old Cockeysville man who has been missing in Susquehanna State Park since Thanksgiving morning.About 60 divers, firefighters and search dogs have combed the 1,100-acre park in Harford County since Richard Frederick Carey was reported missing Friday. Harford County sheriff's deputies found his car at the park.John Surrick, a spokesman for Maryland's Department of Natural Resources, said search teams walked the banks of the Susquehanna River yesterday morning, and additional divers searched the waters.

An Edgewood man has been charged with first-degree rape after a 14-year-old girl was assaulted in a wooded area Sunday morning, the Harford County sheriff's office said.Brian M. Billings, 28, of the 2000 block of Armstrong St. was arrested after the Edgewood girl was chased from a home about 2 a.m. Sunday and raped at knifepoint near Trimble Road, deputies said.Billings surrendered to deputies searching the area. He was being held without bail yesterday at the county Detention Center.Pub Date: 4/15/97

ANNAPOLIS -- An Anne Arundel County Circuit judge said yesterday he will decide later this month whether to bar the Carroll County sheriff from transferring four deputies who say they were given new assignments because of their union activity.After listening to six hours of testimony from Sheriff John H. Brown, three of the four deputies and other witnesses, Judge Eugene M. Lerner asked lawyers to submit written summations by Tuesday and said he would issue a decision April 23.By agreement, Deputy 1st Class Edward Smith, Sgt. Thomas Bader Jr., Sgt. Kevin O'Leary and Cpl. Neil Wuethrich will remain in their original assignments until Judge Lerner renders a decision.

Complete with bulletproof glass and video security system, Harford County's first shelter for victims of domestic violence and rape was dedicated yesterday in Bel Air.The facility, which officials expect will serve more than 300 adults and children in the first year of operation, will meet a demand for such a shelter in one of Maryland's fastest growing areas.The formal opening is several weeks away, officials said."This has been a long time coming," said Stephanie K. Sites, executive director of the Sexual Assault and Spouse Abuse Resource Center (SARC)

Harford County Councilman Mark Decker has been charged with battery and a fourth-degree sexual offense against a former county employee.The criminal charges were filed Thursday in Harford County Circuit Court by a specially appointed prosecutor after an investigation by the Harford County Sheriff's Office.The charges stem from an incident Feb. 7 when a courthouse custodian alleged that Mr. Decker approached her in the hallway outside County Council chambers in the courthouse and touched her breast.

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.

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.

Clothing catches fire, woman, 85, dies Fire officials say an 85-year-old woman died yesterday after her clothing caught fire at her house in Jarrettsville. Deputy State Fire Marshal Joseph Zurolo said the fire was first reported at 9:41 a.m. He said Dorothy Marie Beall was in her basement apartment in the 3200 block of Seiter Lane when the fire broke out. Investigators believe she decided to add more pellets to a stove in the apartment. While she was doing this, her clothing apparently caught fire.

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)

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.

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.