Police

The woman who says she represents North American Power is not telling the truth about the benefits of buying electricity from her company. "You can save up to 10, 15, 20 percent of your bill, depending on your usage," she says in a telemarketing call to my house. But the rate she eventually quotes is only about 7 percent less than the standard price offered by Baltimore Gas & Electric — something the average customer would have no way of knowing. And of course the percentage savings won't vary even if my "usage" goes up to that of a steel mill.

Baltimore police pulled over a 22-year-old man for driving the wrong way on a street early Saturday when the victim opened up the door and fell out of vehicle, telling police he had been shot. Lanell Ausby was taken to Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police spokesman Sgt. Anthony Smith said. He was one of two homicide victims in the city overnight. Ausby was shot multiple times in the torso around 1:30 a.m. in the 2500 block of Edgecombe Circle in Parklane, Smith said.

Who doesn't love a tree? Apparently, criminals. Researchers have found that leafier places in Baltimore tend to have lower crime rates than those with few or no trees. A new study looking across Baltimore City and Baltimore County has found that with few exceptions, the frequency of crimes reported in a particular block or neighborhood goes down as the tree cover gets thicker. Just a 10 percent increase in leaf canopy was associated with a 12 percent drop in crime, it concluded. The study, published online in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning, supports arguments by advocates that environmental factors, and not just more police, can fight crime.

Eight people were shot — including six in two triple shootings — Thursday night in Baltimore, an "intolerable" burst of violence that killed three and which police said would spur extra patrols going into Memorial Day weekend. Hoping to avoid a replay of the 2010 Memorial Day weekend, during which nine people were killed, police said they would move some officers into patrol from administrative assignments and specialized units to beef up their presence downtown and in neighborhoods where the shootings took place Thursday.

The Rev. Marion C. Bascom, a leading Baltimore civil rights activist remembered for his lifetime quest for social justice, died of a heart attack Thursday at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He was 87 and lived in Reservoir Hill. "A giant has fallen," said former Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, a close friend and a member of Douglas Memorial Community Church, where Mr. Bascom was pastor for 46 years. "He affected thousands of lives in our community and was a positive life force.

Eight people were shot — including six in two triple shootings — Thursday night in Baltimore, an "intolerable" burst of violence that killed three and which police said would spur extra patrols going into Memorial Day weekend. Hoping to avoid a replay of the 2010 Memorial Day weekend, during which nine people were killed, police said they would move some officers into patrol from administrative assignments and specialized units to beef up their presence downtown and in neighborhoods where the shootings took place Thursday.

A 34-year-old man died Sunday afternoon after he was stabbed in Northwest Baltimore, police said. The victim, whose identity was not released, was stabbed once in the torso at about 12:11 p.m. Sunday in the 2600 block of Park Heights Terrace, Baltimore Police Sgt. Anthony Smith said. The victim was taken to Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said Smith said police were interviewing a possible suspect, who was in custody. No additional information was available, Smith said.

Baltimore police announced Friday that detectives have arrested suspects in two killings last month, including a fatal shooting during a robbery that netted $18, according to police and court documents. In the robbery case, police said Abron Scott, 42, of the 4500 block of Manor View Road was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery and gun offenses in the shooting Sept. 9 of Shelton Elliott in a house in the 500 block of N. Carey St. in West Baltimore. Police said the suspect walked into a third-story apartment through an unlocked door about 7:40 p.m. and threatened four occupants with a pistol.

Baltimore police are investigating four homicides and a nonfatal shooting that occurred Sunday during a violent weekend that also left a 36-year-old woman in critical condition after her car was shot at as she sat at a stoplight. Police said they believe at least two of the incidents are connected and that they have "persons of interest" in at least three of the cases. "There's no question it was a violent weekend," said spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. "We're looking at the motives and connections, but we have to pause and look at the greater picture.

The owner of a downtown 7-Eleven that was attacked by a mob of youths drawn by a free Slurpee promotion says an envelope filled with the day's receipts — $6,600 in cash — went missing during the melee, according to Baltimore police. Salman Iqbal told police that the money was in his front right shirt pocket while he was being attacked Wednesday afternoon after he confronted up to 40 youths wearing yellow school shirts and khaki pants. He reported that some youths had stolen candy from the store on Light Street, near the Inner Harbor.

A man suspected in a rash of recent Craigslist robberies was taken into custody at a downtown library, where police say he was using a computer - possibly to set up more attacks. David E. Brown, 26, is accused of orchestrating at least four robberies that took place in the 3500 block of Callaway Avenue, a residential street in Northwest Baltimore. Two attacks occurred last year, in August and November, but two others were reported to police this month. Detectives were interviewing Brown to determine if he was involved in any other incidents, and charges were pending.

The Howard County Police Department is launching a new, volunteer mounted patrol unit, just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the department announced Friday. The unit, made up of 12 volunteers and their horses, will patrol parks, pathways and other locations in the Savage area, acting as a "high visibility deterrent to crime," according to a news release from the department. It is the county's first mounted patrol. The volunteers, who will ride in pairs, will watch for and report violations and concerns, and assist in investigative and administrative work.

Baltimore police are searching for a man who allegedly took a photograph of a 15-year-old girl in an Inner Harbor bathroom last month by sticking his camera phone underneath her stall. Police said on April 17, the girl noticed someone taking her picture from under the stall, and called out to the person, thinking it was a friend. After she did so, "an unknown male told her he was just messing with his phone," police said. The girl then ran out of the bathroom, police said.

Sgt. Richard Willard, who this week settled a lawsuit he filed against the city alleging he never got help after fatally shooting a man in 2005, sent me an email wanting to explain his situation further. I had talked to his attorney on Wednesday. The sergeant, who agreed to drop his litigation in exchange for the city dropping its bid to fire him, will retire July 1, giving him 20 years on the job and enough time to collect his pension, about half his $73,000 salary. His allegations raised questions about whether city officers who fire their guns suffer emotional distress and whether the department gives them enough help.

Baltimore police are seeking help in identifying a possible suspect in the April 24 shooting death of a 59-year-old man who was shot while sitting on the front porch of a home in West Baltimore. Police identified the victim as Floyd Dorsey, of the 4100 block of Norfolk Ave. He was shot about 10:45 p.m. that night in the 2500 block of Harlem Ave., and died at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Authorities have released few details on the shooting. They said a man approached Dorsey, shot him and ran away.

The owner of a downtown 7-Eleven that was attacked by a mob of youths drawn by a free Slurpee promotion says an envelope filled with the day's receipts — $6,600 in cash — went missing during the melee, according to Baltimore police. Salman Iqbal told police that the money was in his front right shirt pocket while he was being attacked Wednesday afternoon after he confronted up to 40 youths wearing yellow school shirts and khaki pants. He reported that some youths had stolen candy from the store on Light Street, near the Inner Harbor.

A man suspected in a rash of recent Craigslist robberies was taken into custody at a downtown library, where police say he was using a computer - possibly to set up more attacks. David E. Brown, 26, is accused of orchestrating at least four robberies that took place in the 3500 block of Callaway Avenue, a residential street in Northwest Baltimore. Two attacks occurred last year, in August and November, but two others were reported to police this month. Detectives were interviewing Brown to determine if he was involved in any other incidents, and charges were pending.

Baltimore police are searching for a man who allegedly took a photograph of a 15-year-old girl in an Inner Harbor bathroom last month by sticking his camera phone underneath her stall. Police said on April 17, the girl noticed someone taking her picture from under the stall, and called out to the person, thinking it was a friend. After she did so, "an unknown male told her he was just messing with his phone," police said. The girl then ran out of the bathroom, police said.

Although a Charlottesville, Va., jury found one man - athlete George Huguely V - criminally responsible for the beating death of Yeardley Love, his former girlfriend and fellow lacrosse player at the University of Virginia, the young woman's mother wants to hold his coaches culpable, too. Sharon Love, of Cockeysville, filed a $29.5 million civil suit this month against the state of Virginia, which operates the university; the school's athletic...

A Baltimore police sergeant who claimed he was never treated for post-traumatic stress disorder after he fatally shot a man in 2005 has settled a lawsuit against the city, in a deal that allows him to retire with his pension, according to court documents and his attorney. Under terms of the settlement, Richard A. Willard, 45, dropped the federal suit and a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Police Department canceled an administrative hearing that could have led to his termination.