Harford County Sheriff

The Harford County Sheriff's Office is investigating a melee outside an Aberdeen motel Tuesday night in which two people were shot and wounded and a third person was seriously injured when hit by a car. The confrontation erupted after a dispute over the sale of a pit bull puppy, said Lt. Edward Hopkins, a spokesman for the sheriff's office. "We have teams of officers interviewing dozens of witnesses, and we still are attempting to sort out all the stories," Hopkins said yesterday. Jack F. Varner, 42, a resident of the Keyser Motel in the 1300 block of S. Philadelphia Blvd.

Harford County Sheriff's deputies discovered the body of a 21-year-old man Thursday morning in a car parked in an Edgewood neighborhood. Christopher Curtis Alves appeared to have died from multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body, police said. He was found shortly before 9 a.m., seated at the steering wheel of a Dodge Magnum, registered to him, police said. The vehicle was parked in the 1300 block of Harford Square Drive, O Court, south of Route 40. Alves has lived at several addresses in the community and officers said they were unsure which was the most recent.

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. named the deputy commander of the Harford County Sheriff's Office yesterday to replace Sheriff Joseph P. Meadows, an appointment applauded by county officials. R. Thomas Golding, 51, will take over as sheriff Monday and complete Meadows' four-term. The next election is in November 2006. Meadows, in his third term, announced his resignation early this month amid a criminal investigation by the state prosecutor. Under state law, when the elected sheriff's position becomes vacant, the governor appoints a replacement, who is not subject to legislative confirmation.

In 2008, as one of Harford County Executive David R. Craig's Environmental Stewardship Initiatives, the Energy Management Steering Committee also known as the Green Team was formed; the goal of the team is to guide energy and resource efficiency practices within the county. In June 2010, the Green Team created the Green Star Program to foster a culture of sustainability and recognize actions by county employees that demonstrate a commitment to environmental stewardship and promote energy efficiency and resource management.

Two months after the state prosecutor launched a criminal misconduct investigation involving Harford County Sheriff Joseph P. Meadows, the county's embattled top law enforcement officer announced yesterday that he will resign. Meadows, 42, met with his command staff yesterday afternoon and afterward issued a five-paragraph statement that said, in part: "While I adamantly deny any civil or illegal misconduct, the publicity generated by such personal allegations and events has affected my family and me in a way that has compromised my ability to function in the role of sheriff."

Harford County sheriff's deputies are looking for the people who threw a large piece of concrete from the Vale Road Bridge and struck a car traveling on the U.S. 1 bypass in the Bel Air area, authorities said. The concrete damaged a 2004 Mazda 6 driver-side door and mirror at 12:45 a.m. yesterday, said Harford County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. David Betz. The driver, who pulled off to the side of the road after the impact, and a passenger were not injured, Betz said. The perpetrators had to heave the rock over the fence of the bridge, Betz said.

An article in yesterday's Maryland section incorrectly reported the means by which a Joppa woman was found for questioning in a hit-and-run accident in Baltimore on Sunday. Harford County sheriff's deputies used the license number to locate the woman and notified city police, who questioned her.The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 8/22/97

Because of erroneous information provided by the Harford County Sheriff's Office, the name of a man charged with 16 counts, including theft, forgery and credit card offenses, was misspelled in yesterday's editions. His name is Frank J. Scandaliato.The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 12/18/97

A recent string of robberies in the county has spurred law-enforcement agencies to form a robbery task force, a Harford County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said. The task force comprises members of the Harford County Sheriff's Office, Maryland State Police and the Aberdeen, Havre de Grace and Bel Air police departments, said spokeswoman Ginger Rigney. Police officials believe the incidents could be related and said working together can help the agencies better coordinate their investigation.

The Harford County sheriff's office is seeking a man in the armed robbery of an Edgewood convenience store.A man wearing a stocking mask entered the Shell Mini-Mart, at Hanson Road and Meadowood Drive in Edgewood, about 1 a.m. yesterday, displayed a handgun and demanded money from two clerks, the sheriff's office said.The man struck a female clerk in the head with his handgun, but she did not require medical treatment, the sheriff's office said.The sheriff's office also is looking for two teen-agers who were in the store and fled when the robbery was announced.

An Abingdon man faces drug and traffic charges after police say he tried to flee a crash along U.S. Route 40 Wednesday and Harford County Sheriff's deputies recovered several grams of crack cocaine nearby. A deputy on Route 40 westbound near Abingdon Road tried to pull over a black 1993 Lexus about 9:15 p.m., according to a release from the sheriff's office, when the vehicle crashed into a barrier, hit a traffic sign and "went airborne" onto the other side of the highway. The Lexus hit a 2006 Honda Accord traveling east with four occupants, police said.

Harford County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a shooting in Edgewood Monday night that left a 28-year-old man critically injured. Police were called about 8:30 p.m. to the 500 block of Meadowood Drive for reports of a shooting where they found John William Harris IV shot multiple times in the torso. Harris, of Hagerstown, was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was listed in critical but stable condition, police said. The shooting remains under investigation.

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.

Daniel V. Leftridge, a retired veteran Harford County police officer who was later a deputy sheriff, died of cancer June 24 at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air. The Street resident was 65. Born in Havre de Grace, he was raised on a Forest Hill farm and graduated from Bel Air High School in 1961. He initially worked on his family's farm. After the death of his parents, he joined the Bel Air Police Department. He also worked at times for his brother in a cinder block-laying business.

Deputy, 2nd driver injured in Balto. Co. crash 3 Two people, including a Harford County sheriff's deputy, were injured in a head-on collision early yesterday, said Sgt. David Betz with the Harford County Sheriff's Office. The crash occurred about 1:30 a.m at Belair Road and Ridgelys Choice Drive in Perry Hall. Baltimore County police are investigating the case but did not have immediate details. The sheriff's deputy, Al Dias, had just finished his work shift and was driving his police cruiser, Betz said, when the crash occurred.

The Harford County Sheriff's Department said yesterday that it will investigate a loitering incident in Aberdeen last week that sparked a confrontation between police and several residents and led to the arrest of four people. The president of the NAACP's Harford chapter alleged that the arrests were racially motivated. Police have charged Troy Maye, 29, and his sister, Praschel Maye, 26, as well as siblings Deon Brooks-Anderson, 18, and Jasmin Brooks, 19, who are cousins of the Mayes, with resisting arrest, second-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

Harford County sheriff's deputies were searching yesterday for a Bel Air teen-ager last seen more than two weeks ago, a spokeswoman said. Brittany Nicole Trabucco, 16, of the 200 block of Briarcliff Lane is a white female with fair skin, blue eyes and red shoulder-length hair. She is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs approximately 180 pounds, said Ginger Rigney, sheriff's office spokeswoman. Trabucco was last seen on Feb. 26 and was last heard from on March 5, when she telephoned a friend, possibly from a phone booth in Baltimore, Rigney said.

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.