Investigation

A cabal of corrupt corrections officers and members of the Black Guerrilla Family gang enjoyed nearly free rein inside the Baltimore City Detention Center, federal authorities allege, smuggling drugs and cellphones into the jail and having sexual relationships that left four guards pregnant. An indictment unsealed Tuesday names 25 people - including 13 women working as corrections officers - who face racketeering and drug charges. Twenty of the accused also face money-laundering charges.

Bel Air Police say they are investigating an abduction and attempted sexual assault that began on the town's southwest side late the evening of May 14. At approximately 11 p.m., the victim, a woman in her mid-20s, reported stopping in the area of Marketplace Drive and Route 24 to help a man who was waving for help along the roadside, the Bel Air Police Department said in a news release issued Friday morning. According to the release, the man forced his way into the victim's car and drove to a location in Abingdon or Edgewood "where he attempted to sexually assault the victim.

Ellicott City's historic center braced for a difficult, days-long cleanup of coal, overturned train cars and smashed vehicles after a Tuesday train derailment that crushed two 19-year-old women to death on a bridge. Investigators said the town's uneven topography along the Patapsco River in Howard County added obstacles to an already complex recovery. In addition to the cleanup efforts, local state and federal officials began an investigation into the deaths, the derailment, and the potential impact of thousands of pounds of coal on local waterways.

Baltimore County health officials are investigating why about 200 students at Pot Spring Elementary in Timonium - a third of the children there - got sick with gastrointestinal symptoms last week. The school's principal alerted school health officials after an "unusually high" number of students were absent Friday and a large number of students went to the nurse's office complaining of vomiting, said Debbie Somerville, coordinator of health services for the county schools. Nine staff members also got sick.

Baltimore County police are investigating a non-fatal shooting early Thursday in Pikesville. The victim, who police said is in his late 20s, remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Officers had responded to reports of shots fired at 1:19 a.m. to the unit block of Amleht Court, near Milbrook Park Drive. The investigation is continuing with no suspect at this time, police said. Mary.gail.hare@baltsun.com Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on Monday requested a meeting with Wal-Mart officials in response to allegations that the retailer covered up a bribery scheme to expand its business in Mexico. In a letter to Wal-Mart CEO Michael Duke, the Baltimore Democrat says he is opening an investigation into allegations raised in a story over the weekend by The New York Times and asked the company to schedule a meeting with lawmakers to discuss the issue by Friday.

Hall-of-Famer Eddie Murray declined all comment when asked Saturday about being investigated by the federal government as part of an insider trading operation that involved Murray's former Orioles teammate Doug DeCinces. Murray has not been charged in the investigation, but DeCinces was fined $2.5 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission last August. Murray has been directed by his attorneys not to comment on the investigation and continued that stand Saturday. “You know I can't say nothing, right?

A Baltimore County police officer who was injured in a three-vehicle accident that shut down part of the inner loop of the Baltimore Beltway on Wednesday has been released from the hospital, a department spokeswoman said. The officer, a 25-year veteran, had been at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Police had no details on conditions of several other people who were hurt, but said they did not suffer life-threatening injuries. The accident remains under investigation. Det. Cathy Batton, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore County Police Department, said the accident occurred shortly before noon as the police officer was merging onto the highway from Providence Road.

A probe of alleged anti-competitive agreements between Blue Cross Blue Shield companies and hospitals has been expanded by the U.S. Justice Department beyond Michigan, where an antitrust lawsuit that alleged the agreements raised hospital prices was filed last year. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Maryland's largest insurer, confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that it received a civil investigative demand from the Justice Department but declined to comment further. Federal and state investigators also have sent civil subpoenas to Blue Cross Blue Shield units in Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and the District of Columbia, a person familiar with the matter said.

As sure as its nude dancers and drink specials drew steady customers, the Ritz Cabaret on South Broadway in Baltimore attracted trouble. A money-laundering scheme launched at the Fells Point nightclub landed three men, including owner Francis Lee, in federal court. A bar brawl cost two Drug Enforcement Administration officers their badges. Illegally hired Hungarian dancers faced deportation. Even the producers of an HBO drama filmed part of the series at the Ritz, only to learn that it was about to be seized by the government.

Police are investigating an overnight shooting that left one man wounded, while detectives continue to search for suspects in the separate beating of a man Thursday evening that left him in critical condition. Police responded to Harbor Hospital at 12:50 a.m. after a gunshot victim had walked in for treatment. The man told investigators he had pulled into a lot between the 2400 block of Maisel Court and the 2400 block of Wilgrey Court in the Westport neighborhood to say hello to a friend of his cousin when an unknown suspect shot at him numerous times.

An 18-year-old man was arrested and accused of making a false bomb threat on Thursday that targeted the Old Mill school campus in Millersville, Anne Arundel County police said. Matthew Permenter, 18, of Baltimore, was charged with disturbing school operations, threatening to detonate a destructive device and giving a false statement. It could not be immediately determined whether he had obtained a lawyer. Police spokesman Justin Mulcahy said police received a call from the school at around 8:46 a.m. A current student at the school had said a former student posted an item online that a bomb would be placed near the school and target a "Relay for Life" cancer walk event scheduled to take place on Friday evening.

Rutgers reinstated men's lacrosse coach   Brian Brecht on Tuesday, almost a month after having suspended him with pay over allegations of verbal abuse. While the university investigation found that the former Loyola University assistant did use inappropriate language and exhibited unprofessional behavior on occasion, the instances were infrequent and not directed at individual players. Accordingly the university found no criminal or university policy violations. “I regret my behavior and am determined to set a better example in the future,” said Brecht, who missed the last two games of the season.

President Barack Obama justified targeted drone assassinations outside of U.S. war zones; where was his nerve when the American consulate in Libya was under attack last year on Sept. 11 ("U.S. diplomat details attack in Benghazi," May 9)? President Obama was inexplicably MIA. No one in the press is demanding answers to that bizarre episode. Apparently, President Obama essentially abandoned our ambassador and soldiers. To add insult to injury, President Obama failed to send troops or investigators into Benghazi immediately to recover the bodies.

The recent study estimating that there may have been 26,000 cases of sexual assault in the military last year stirred a lot of tough talk from the Pentagon and the White House over the past 24 hours. But the question is whether that outrage will translate into much-needed reforms within the armed forces. On that front, we have our doubts. The U.S. military's failure to adequately address sex crimes within its ranks is hardly a new problem, but the rise of such incidents - up from 19,000 in 2010 - is shocking.

Baltimore County police are investigating an assault outside of Woodlawn High School Friday after a video was posted on YouTube. The incident took place sometime after school but does not appear to have been reported to police, according to a statement from the department. The victim and a 17-year old suspect have been identified, police said, but it is unclear if the teen will be charged as an adult or a juvenile. Police spokeswoman Cpl. Cathy Batton said investigators are still trying to determine if Woodlawn students were involved in the incident.

Fire investigators are looking into two suspicious fires involving an automobile and a motorcycle in the same Havre de Grace neighborhood, both at about the same time early Sunday morning. One fire occurred around 2 a.m. in the passenger compartment of a 2006 Mazda 3 in the 700 block of North Adams Street, according to a notice of investigation from the State Fire Marshal's Office. Firefighters from the Susquehanna Hose Company of Havre de Grace controlled the fire within 10 minutes.

Baltimore County police are investigating an assault outside of Woodlawn High School Friday after a video was posted on YouTube. The incident took place sometime after school but does not appear to have been reported to police, according to a statement from the department. The victim and a 17-year old suspect have been identified, police said, but it is unclear if the teen will be charged as an adult or a juvenile. Police spokeswoman Cpl. Cathy Batton said investigators are still trying to determine if Woodlawn students were involved in the incident.

Anne Arundel County police are investigating sexual abuse allegations by a former student at Monsignor Slade Catholic School in Glen Burnie, officials of the Archdiocese of Baltimore said Wednesday. In a letter posted on the archdiocese website and sent to parents via email Wednesday, Barbara McGraw Edmondson, the superintendent of schools within the archdiocese, said county police searched the school Tuesday afternoon and that those being investigated have been suspended until "a determination is made concerning the veracity of the allegations.

After less than a year on the job, Larry Tolliver is calling it quits as chief of the troubled Anne Arundel County Police Department. Tolliver, 67, said his resignation — or "return to retirement," as he called it — will take effect May 21. "I am resigning today because the department needs a chief who can focus solely on the department's mission, something that is challenging to do in the current environment," Tolliver wrote in a statement...