Harford County Sheriff

A teen-age boy was fatally shot last night in the bedroom of his home in Level, said a spokesman for the Harford County Sheriff's Office.Lt. Edward Hopkins said James Irwin Ashby, 13, and his brother, 14, were in a second-floor bedroom of their home in the 700 block of Craigs Corner Road about 6: 30 p.m. when a firearm that the older boy was allegedly handling discharged, fatally striking James in the head.The brother, whose name was not released, dialed 911 and reported the shooting, telling a dispatcher it was an accident, Hopkins said.

A 25-year-old Joppatowne woman was charged yesterday with attempted murder after three teen-agers apparently overdosed on prescription drugs, the Harford County Sheriff's Office said.Deputies found more than 200 prescription drugs, including muscle relaxants and morphine, inside a Joppatowne townhouse where two of the teens were found, said Detective Tom Walsh, a spokesman for the Harford County Sheriff's Office. The other teen was found outside the dwelling.A boy who went into cardiac arrest was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he was in critical condition, Walsh said.

A convicted killer who eluded Harford County sheriff's deputies for weeks was fatally shot yesterday by two officers investigating a robbery.Richard Vito Genna, 35, of no known address died after leading police on a foot chase that ended at the intersection of Gateshead Drive and Gateshead Court in Edgewood, police said. Genna -- who was being sought on warrants for nonsupport, violation of probation and failure to appear in court -- had been the subject of a three-day manhunt in Joppatowne last month after he fled police and vowed to "shoot a cop first" if officers tried to arrest him.In 1983, Genna was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to seven years in prison for shooting his brother.

The state medical examiner ruled yesterday that an Aberdeen man found dead near his home was a homicide victim.Charles R. Scherer, 31, of the 1400 block of S. Philadelphia Blvd. was found shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday near U.S. 40, the Harford County sheriff's office said.Sgt. Edward Hopkins, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, said Scherer died of injuries to his upper body but was not shot or stabbed.Anyone with information is asked to call 410-836-5432.Pub Date: 2/26/98

EDGEWOOD -- An Edgewood man was in police custody yesterday, suspected of shooting and killing his brother, the Harford County sheriff's office said.Michael Alan Bennett, 42, was charged with first-degree murder and was held in the county Detention Center without bail. He is charged with shooting Wayne Charles Bennett, 47, with a shotgun at their home in the 2200 block of Snow Road. Police believe Michael Bennett called 911 shortly after the incident about 12: 30 a.m. yesterday.The sheriff's office is investigating the cause of the shooting.

Harford County sheriff's deputies still are investigating the fatal shooting of a woman who allegedly struggled with her husband.Diane Kay Brookhart, 53, of the 1800 block of Philadelphia Road died Wednesday from a gunshot wound. Her husband, George William Brookhart, 55, told police he was trying to wrestle the gun from his wife. An autopsy is pending.Pub Date: 2/27/98

Harford County sheriff's deputies were searching last night for a 2-year-old girl whose mother reported that she was taken from their home in the 1600 block of Candlewood Court in Edgewood early yesterday.Tonyal Lawson, 22, told the Sheriff's Department that she left her daughter, Kirbrea Carmichael, at home with the girl's grandfather, Gregory Lawson, at 2 a.m. When she returned about 90 minutes later, she told deputies, her child and her father were gone.Detective Thomas Walsh of the Sheriff's Department said authorities are treating the case as an abduction, based on the mother's report.

A 55-year-old Joppa man was questioned by investigators last night after his wife was shot and killed while the couple struggled with a handgun during an argument in their home, the Harford County sheriff's office said.Sgt. Edward Hopkins, a sheriff's office spokesman, said the 53-year-old woman was shot once in the neck just after 5: 30 p.m. during an argument in the living room of the home in the 1800 block of Philadelphia Road. She was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.Police said the husband, who called 911 after the shooting, was FTC released last night, pending further investigation.

A 55-year-old Joppa man was questioned by investigators last night after his wife was shot and killed while the couple struggled with a handgun during an argument in their home, the Harford County sheriff's office said.Sgt. Edward Hopkins, a sheriff's office spokesman, said the 53-year-old woman was shot once in the neck just after 5: 30 p.m. during an argument in the living room of the home in the 1800 block of Philadelphia Road. She was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.Police said the husband called 911 after the shooting.

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

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.

Police in two counties were investigating attempted abductions of boys about the same time Friday, authorities said yesterday. Law enforcement officials in Howard and Harford counties said they had no indication that the incidents were related. An 11-year-old student of Howard County's Glenwood Middle School reported that he was approached by a maroon GMC sport utility vehicle shortly after getting off a school bus on Hipsley Mill Road in Woodbine about 2:50 p.m., county police said. The boy told police he heard a man ask for help finding a lost puppy.

A Harford County sheriff's deputy who was named Sunday as The Baltimore Sun's Police Officer of the Year in community service had been arrested a month earlier and charged with assault after a woman alleged she was lured to a bachelor party and shoved down a flight of stairs. A Baltimore Sun spokeswoman said in a statement that Deputy Jeffrey Gerres was chosen for the recognition and $500 award by a committee of employees - none of whom work in the news department - in early September.

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.

At least four people were injured in a brawl involving golf clubs and baseball bats at an Abingdon elementary school Wednesday night, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening and no one had been charged as of yesterday afternoon, said Sgt. Dave Betz, spokesman for the Harford County Sheriff's Office. About 20 to 30 people, a majority of them between 16 and 20 years old, gathered by the basketball court at the William S. James Elementary School in the first block of Laurentum Parkway.

Baltimore Trial Glen Burnie man convicted of murder A jury has convicted a Glen Burnie man of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and deadly weapons charges in the fatal stabbing of a man whose body was found in a burning car in June, the Baltimore state's attorney said. Sentencing was set for Aug. 14 for Michael P. Martin, 28, of the 200 block of Allwood Drive, who was convicted Friday of killing Phillip Calvin Airey Jr., 36, of the 6600 block of Rapid Water Way in Glen Burnie.

Third man involved in shooting A man who was shot and killed Wednesday night in Southeast Baltimore's Perkins Homes neighborhood was seen firing his gun at another man who was wounded in the shooting, city police said yesterday. A third man was shot in the left leg, police said. Police said they recovered a .40-caliber handgun from the man who died, identified yesterday as Marvin Lucas, 21, of the 3800 block of Belair Road. Officer Nicole Monroe, a police spokeswoman, said a patrol officer heard the gunfire and rushed to the 300 block of S. Dallas Court, where Lucas was seen firing a gun at a 20-year-old man. That man left the scene after a woman put him into a car and drove him to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was treated for a gunshot wound to his right leg, Monroe said.

Harford deputy assaulted An off-duty Harford County sheriff's deputy was assaulted and robbed by two men while walking on a bike trail in Belcamp this week, authorities said. The Sheriff's Office is not identifying the deputy, who is assigned to the detention center, because of safety concerns, said spokeswoman Monica A. Worrell. The deputy was walking to a gas station about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 1300 block of Riverside Parkway when he was assaulted, officials said. There were no weapons involved in the attack and the deputy was not taken to the hospital, Worrell said.