Predator

A 53-year-old Westminster man was labeled a "sexual predator" yesterday in Carroll Circuit Court and sentenced to 20 years in prison for a sexual attack upon a homeless woman last year. Joseph A. Hamm was convicted in July by a Carroll County jury of second-degree assault and a third-degree sex offense upon the 37--year-old woman, whom the prosecutor described as psychologically vulnerable. The two met at a Westminster homeless shelter and Hamm took the victim to his sister's house, then sexually assaulted her during the night, said Deputy State's Attorney Tracy A. Gilmore, who called Hamm a predator who singles out women with mental or physical disabilities.

In response to Quinton D. Thompson's letter ("Obama's decision to leave Iraq led to catastrophe," April 5), I must remind your readers that the underlying catastrophe was perpetrated by then-President George W. Bush's illegal attack on Iraq. President Bush led this attack on the false pretenses that Saddam Hussein was harboring weapons of mass destruction that posed an imminent threat to our nation. It was Mr. Bush's irresponsible decision to take this action that led to thousands of U.S. soldiers dead or wounded (not to mention the innumerable Iraqi civilian casualties)

With their streamlined bodies, keen sensory abilities and resilient immune systems, sharks are built to last: over 400 million years, at last count.Leave it to Man, the world's scariest predator, to spoil their fun.Vilified as evil killers good only for soup fixings, crab bait and deep sea "monster fishing," it appears that certain large and small shark species are vanishing from coastal waters worldwide.The 1975 thriller "Jaws" was not the cause, but "the ultimate focus of this 'death fish from hell' phenomenon," says Samuel H. Gruber, a shark expert at the University of Miami.

I have been reading a lot of anti-cat rhetoric in The Sun for some time now ("The destructive invasive species purring on your lap," Feb. 26). If cats are dangerous to birds and other creatures - mice, rats, toads and the like - why are so many of them still running and flying around my house? My cat has eradicated dozens of mice and other rodents from my basement, laundry room and yard. He does occasionally get a bird or two, but so what? It hasn't stopped them from destroying the paint on my car with their excrement, or jamming up my chimney and vents with their nests There may be ecologically sensitive areas in this country where feral and domestic cats are destroying vital wildlife habitats.

For more than a decade, filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson felt compelled to write and direct Alien vs. Predator. It took 20th Century Fox and the film's many producers almost as long to share his passion. After several false starts, a studio management shakeup, years of negotiations between feuding producers, a near derailment by a proposed fifth Alien movie and a last-minute assist from another studio's hit slasher film, Anderson finally got his wish, and his Alien vs. Predator movie debuted last week.

Calling him "a monster child predator," a Carroll County judge sentenced longtime Taneytown Elementary School teacher Harold W. Fair Jr. to 10 years in prison yesterday for having sex with a 13-year-old male pupil and inappropriately touching another pupil who was 10 years old at the time. In sentencing the 50-year-old former math teacher, Circuit Judge Luke K. Burns Jr. pointed out contradictory depictions of Fair by those who know and support him and six former pupils who say Fair abused them over 22 years.

Annapolis native Andy Dehart has always had a thing for sharks, in a good way. That makes him a perfect match with the Discovery Channel, which celebrates its 22nd annual Shark Week this week with seven days of afternoon and prime-time programming dedicated to everyone's favorite ocean predator. As Discovery's official "shark expert," the Severn School graduate has been spending a lot of time lately talking up the big fish. We caught up with Dehart, whose day job is director of biological programs for the National Aquarium in Washington, as he was headed for a TV appearance in New York.

Glenn, Jessup: Do you think the gentleman that caught the fish is pulling a hoax? I do. O'Brien: I don't think so. Keep in mind the fisherman was with a friend at the time, and that at least one other person apparently saw the snakehead lakeside on the ground before it was turned in. baltimoresun.com staff: Should we expect to see snakeheads pop up in another Maryland community in the near future? O'Brien: I hope not, but it's a possibility. While federal officials banned importing snakeheads in 2002, someone could still have one, purchased from either a fish market or a pet store.

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, another sci-fi monster death match, was not screened for critics.

ANNAPOLIS - No one knows how many coyotes have come to Maryland in recent decades, but Lee McDaniel is afraid they're here to stay."There's a considerable group of them around" his Harford County farm, where he said coyotes have killed at least two sheep and chased a steer to exhaustion."

A 65-year-old Baltimore man was infected with hepatitis C by a traveling medical technician at the Baltimore VA Medical Center in 2008, he and his attorney said — making him the first Marylander to come forward in a sweeping investigation into the technician's interactions with thousands of patients in several states. "I'm hopeful I'll be able to continue my busy life, but I'm also worried about the ones I care for," said Linwood Nelson, a Vietnam War veteran from Edmondson Village who cares for a sister with Alzheimer's disease, among others.

Police are searching for a man suspected in a string of attempted sexual assaults this summer in Ocean City. Ocean City Police said the suspect is a white male, approximately 5'10", about 170 pounds, and in his mid-20s to early 30s. The alleged assaults have taken place in dimly lit, semi-secluded areas near local bars. In each incident, a woman was under the influence of alcohol and walking home alone when the suspect started up a conversation, police said. Once he begins talking to the victim, the man then forces her to the ground and attempts to sexually assault her. The most recent attempt occurred July 28. Police are warning visitors and residents to avoid excessive alcohol use and to be aware of their surroundings.

When Augustus Schwatka launched his blacksmithing shop on West Saratoga Street in 1810, the War of 1812 was on the horizon, locomotives were not yet a transportation option and slavery was thriving. Two centuries have passed since then, but you can still find blacksmiths at G. Krug & Son crafting steel and iron with a hammer and anvil, shaping metal heated inside an 1,800-degree forge. G. Krug & Son is one of a few remaining Maryland businesses that existed when Arunah S. Abell founded The Sun in 1837.

When do I put down grub killer in the spring? Spring grubs are big, but they are barely eating now and not damaging your lawn. Don't waste your money on these grubs. Also, applying grub killer in spring sickens wasps that are predators of grubs. You've probably seen these beneficial wasps hovering over your lawn, looking for grubs to attack. Natural controls usually keep grub populations under control. A few grubs are normal and keep the predators around. Rarely is lawn damage caused by grubs.

I am writing concerning the letter by Dr. Camay Woodall in the April 18 edition of the Towson Times ("Deer problem around Towson is threat to property, and safety"), concerning the number of deer in the Towson area. I fully agree with Dr. Woodall that the deer population is too large and presents hazards to people's health and the environment. While allowing a limited hunting season in order to cull the population is a good idea, I think there is better, more environmentally-friendly alternative to bring the deer population to a manageable level.

The outcome wasn't what fans had hoped for, but Baltimore rocked the red Tuesday night. On the night when professional ice hockey returned to Baltimore for the first time since 1997, a sellout crowd of an announced 11,082 fans packed 1st Mariner Arena and watched the Nashville Predators beat the Washington Capitals, 2-0, in the inaugural Baltimore Hockey Classic. There were a number of empty seats, but both curious Charm City sports fans and die-hard puck lovers crowded the concourse before the event.

Called a "sexual predator" who merited "no mercy" by an Anne Arundel County judge, a 61-year-old man was sentenced yesterday to the maximum 20-year term for a second-degree sex offense for molesting a friend's adolescent grandson in January 2004. Michael A. Damasiewicz, a mechanic who previously had been imprisoned for molesting an adolescent girl, told Circuit Judge Joseph P. Manck that "I just had no willpower" and blamed his actions on prescription drugs he took for several health problems and manic depression.

Kevin Peter Hall, 35, the 7-foot-2-inch star of the movie and the television series "Harry and the Hendersons," died Wednesday of pneumonia in Los Angeles. Mr. Hall played the lovable "Bigfoot" character in the 1987 feature film "Harry," as well as the alien in "Predator" and its sequel. Mr. Hall also appeared in the television series "Misfits of Science," "Shannon's Deal" and "227."

On a recent skate down memory lane, Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau stopped for a few seconds to think of the perfect adjectives to describe the die hard hockey fans who wore out their vocal cords and rattled the Plexiglas at the Baltimore Arena during the spring of 1985. "There weren't a lot of them, but they were … boisterous and fabulous," said Boudreau, who was then a 30-year-old forward who helped the Baltimore Skipjacks advance to the 1984-85 American Hockey League finals.

"Sexual predator"? ("Weiner should be treated like a sexual predator" June 20) I think not. I agree that Rep. Anthony Weiner's actions do not warrant defense. Sexting is generally in poor taste, and when done by someone who is married, it is certainly cause for marriage counseling (at the least). That said, I don't think he should have been pressured out of his job. So far, there is no evidence that he either broke the law or the public trust. So let's not pretend that his misbehavior is morally equivalent to the crimes of serial rapists and child molesters.