NEWS
By Jonathan Pitts, The Baltimore Sun | September 4, 2014
Three men who were sexually abused by a church youth-ministry leader years ago experienced a measure of justice Wednesday as they confronted their abuser in court, read emotion-charged statements about how his crimes have damaged their lives, and heard a judge sentence him to 16 years in prison. Jediah Tanguay, 33; Benjamin Tanguay, 31; and Roger Robbins, 30, were minors in the 1990s when Raymond Fernandez, then a longtime youth leader at Greater Grace World Outreach Church in East Baltimore, has admitted he molested them.
NEWS
August 25, 2014
Let me see if I understand this: Marquel Gaffney, 15, murdered Albert Smith, 56, in 2007, was charged as an adult, but pleaded guilty of second-degree murder and was sentenced in juvenile court ( "Baltimore man, 21, charged in second murder in five years," Aug. 5). In 2012, he was convicted of drug crimes and last year he was charged with unauthorized removal of property. In March of this year he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison with all but six months suspended.
NEWS
By Xiaohui Wu | August 3, 2014
As a foreigner in the United States, one question I've often been asked by newly-met friends has been "What do you find special about America?" I always have a good answer for that question: "Education. " American children have colorful lives while their Chinese peers are locked up in studies. Surprisingly, many of my American friends are not as optimistic about the American system. In fact, they've told me it's the U.S. education system that's problematic and perhaps should learn from the Chinese system.
NEWS
By Jessica Anderson, The Baltimore Sun | August 1, 2014
A man who, with his fiance, stole $130,000 from a Dundalk bank where she had previously worked as a teller, was sentenced in federal court Friday, authorities said. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Darrius Roszario D. Washington, age 20, of Baltimore, to more than 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. His accomplice, Janaya B. Person-Robinson, 20, pleaded guilty will be sentenced on October 22. She had worked at the branch, was familiar with the bank's operating procedures and knew the employees, authorities say. The couple waited in the M&T Bank branch bank's parking lot on October 1, as employees were arriving to work when Washington stopped a bank employee walking from her car, authorities said.
NEWS
By Hal Riedl | July 20, 2014
Back when Robert Ehrlich was governor of Maryland, I was interviewing men newly committed to state prison and suspected of gang affiliations. After years in denial, Maryland was just beginning to realize that gangs were very active behind the walls. Among them was a "new" incarnation of BGF (Black Guerrilla Family) that had taken its name from, but was not otherwise beholden to, the BGF that dated from the 1960s. I got to know Lt. Santiago Morales, an astute gang investigator at Baltimore City Detention Center, and we shared information.
NEWS
July 17, 2014
Your editorial, "Breaking a vicious cycle" (July 14) hits the nail on the head. With U.S. youth incarceration rates the highest in the world - greater than the rates of the other 10 most developed countries combined - something is tragically wrong. It is disturbing that once incarcerated as a youth, even for less serious offenses, these individuals have an increased likelihood of returning to prison and a decreased chance of securing gainful employment later in life. As you point out, the Youth PROMISE Act offers a more effective approach to juvenile crime.