Hustler Club

In Baltimore County Men rob bank, lob package over counter; no explosives found LUTHERVILLE -- After robbing a Lutherville bank yesterday morning, two men lobbed a package behind the counter and warned people, "You'd better get out of there," before fleeing with cash, county police said. Employees and customers safely left the First Mariner bank at York and Ridgely roads, police said. The county police bomb squad determined that the package was not an explosive device. A short time after the 9:15 a.m. robbery, police said, two men were arrested near Charles Street and Bellona Avenue.

Calling all Marylanders still looking for their 15 minutes of fame. Another movie is coming to the state, and there's a casting call for extras Saturday. Here's the scoop: Titled The Wedding Crashers, the New Line Cinema comedy stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as guys with a unique hobby. You got it -- crashing weddings and picking up women at the receptions. Filming will be going on in May on the Eastern Shore. Naturally, there are going to be a lot of wedding scenes in the flick. And they're going to need guests.

Sorry to break it to you, Baltimore. But you may have seen the last of Larry Flynt 's stripper-mobile. The converted U-Haul truck advertising Flynt's Hustler Club is outfitted with a Plexiglas box, sort of like the Popemobile. But this vehicle is outfitted with a stripper's pole and a bunch of itsy-bitsy-bikini-clad dancers doing – what else? – pole dancing. It was last seen rolling around Camden Yards as a game was letting out, treating fans to more action than the Orioles seem capable of providing.

Fending off criminal charges for his clients has been Nicholas Panteleakis' legal career in Baltimore. But the 34-year-old city public defender recently found himself playing the role of defendant after his arrest on a loitering charge on The Block, downtown's adult entertainment district. As he left the Hustler Club, Panteleakis said, he saw two young men fighting and city police officers rushing over to break it up. Panteleakis said he asked one of the officers to use less force -- an intervention that he said ultimately led to his arrest.

Police Blotter is a sampling of crimes from police reports in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Baltimore City Northeastern District Victim identified: A shooting victim whose decomposed body was found in an apartment in the 2400 block of Bridgehampton Drive at the Wellington Gate Apartments on July 31 has been identified as Derrell Mark Stanley, 46, a self-employed sports ticket broker who lived there. An autopsy determined that he had been dead several days before his body was found, said homicide Detective Arthur Brummer.

Duck mystery solved There isn't much to laugh about when parking in Baltimore, but at least the city Parking Authority has a sense of humor. Last week we reported the authority's automated phone line (443-573-2800) offers an odd option for callers: "To hear a duck quack," a recorded operator states, "please press seven." Pressing seven connects callers to, what else, the sound of a duck quacking. But why? Jeff Sparrow, the authority's executive director, said it's a way to learn if callers listen, as instructed, to all options rather than just lazily pressing zero to reach an operator.

ON THE DAY Official State Dirtball Joseph Steffen admitted spreading stories to humiliate Mayor Martin O'Malley and his family, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. appeared on WBAL-TV news, where he was asked by reporter Dave Collins, "Have you known about this rumor?" "No, absolutely not," said Ehrlich with a straight face. Imagine the effort that must have taken. Imagine the faith in people's sheer childlike naivete to stand in front of a TV camera and say such words in an effort to distance yourself from this disgrace.

GOOD THING Linda Lamone, the Maryland elections chief, wants a court fight over what looks -- and smells -- like a blatant attempt to oust her for political reasons from a independent position she has held since 1997. The whole thing carries a stench, and looks more and more like an effort by the Republican governor and his pals to boot a competent administrator based on trumped-up or minor complaints. (And, gosh darn it, I hope I'm wrong about that!) Lamone should be thankful for one small blessing -- she's in Annapolis 2004, not Salem 1692.

It's a quick nine-block walk from a $270-a-night hotel room overlooking the Inner Harbor to a $5 beer, a bar stool and a naked woman dancing on The Block. And if you're from out of town and don't quite know where to go or which club to choose, you can turn to the friendly concierge or bellhop. But about the only club on East Baltimore Street they'll mention is the upscale Hustler Club, which is at the end closest to downtown, which means you don't have to venture into the heart of the seedy strip.