Sheriff S Department

Harford County sheriff's deputies were searching last night for a 2-year-old girl whose mother reported that she was taken from their home in the 1600 block of Candlewood Court in Edgewood early yesterday.Tonyal Lawson, 22, told the Sheriff's Department that she left her daughter, Kirbrea Carmichael, at home with the girl's grandfather, Gregory Lawson, at 2 a.m. When she returned about 90 minutes later, she told deputies, her child and her father were gone.Detective Thomas Walsh of the Sheriff's Department said authorities are treating the case as an abduction, based on the mother's report.

The sheriff of Frederick County said yesterday he welcomes an FBI investigation into allegations his officers violated the civil rights of a diabetic man they mistook for a drunken driver and of a school teacher who was arrested and shackled for driving too slowly.In Baltimore, FBI Special Agent Larry Foust called the agency's involvement a "preliminary inquiry" prompted by news accounts of the incidents.Foust said that after an initial investigation, agents will consult with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office to decide whether to proceed with a full-fledged investigation.

Four years after the Michelangelo computer virus wreaked havoc on personal computer users, the old nemesis or something similar to it has bedeviled hard drives at the Howard County Sheriff's Department.The department and county computer technicians worked feverishly this week to restore files gobbled by the virus, which struck two computers on the system's network March 6, the birthday of the legendary Italian Renaissance artist for which it is named.Sheriff Michael A. Chiuchiolo said the virus caused only a temporary headache.

A man posing as a Baltimore County sheriff's deputy cashed a bogus check Monday at a Severna Park supermarket, county police said yesterday.The man, who was wearing a gray, short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, walked into the Valu Food store in the 400 block of Ritchie Highway about 7: 30 p.m. and told the manager he had an expense check for $350 from the Sheriff's Department that he would like to cash to buy formula for his triplets.He was carrying a gold badge with a Baltimore County Sheriff's Department insignia, a black semiautomatic handgun and a pair of handcuffs.

Four years after the Michelangelo computer virus wreaked havoc on personal computer users, the old nemesis or something similar to it has bedeviled hard drives at the Howard County Sheriff's Department.The department and county computer technicians worked feverishly this week to restore files gobbled by the virus, which struck two computers on the system's network March 6, the birthday of the legendary Italian Renaissance artist for which it is named.Sheriff Michael A. Chiuchiolo said the virus caused only a temporary headache.

A former communications officer with the Harford County Sheriff's Department says her complaints about sexually offensive remarks by a supervisor led to her dismissal from the department in 1992.Debra Schindler of Abingdon is suing the department in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, seeking $750,000 in damages.A finding by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year concluded that there was cause to believe supervisors had retaliated against Ms. Schindler because of her complaints.

Thank goodness Anne Arundel County voters had the good sense last November to send former Sheriff Robert G. Pepersack packing. Mr. Pepersack overspent his budget three years in 88TC row and now his successor, George Johnson, has inherited a fiscal fiasco.When Mr. Johnson entered office on Dec. 5, the sheriff's department had a projected budget shortfall of $569,000. Mr. Johnson whittled the deficit to $300,000 by reducing overtime pay, cutting the number of part-time deputies, and ending a $50,000-a-year program that paid deputies two hours of overtime once every two weeks to wash their squad cars and clean their guns.

Fight with the sheriff over budget realitiesWhen elected public officials such as Sheriff John Brown and myself have disagreements that hold significant consequences for the public, it is important that the issues be clearly perceived.The sheriff is currently utilizing four deputies as members of an "anti-drug strike force." This is of concern to me for two reasons.* The Maryland State Police have deployed a five-man unit in Carroll for the same anti-drug purpose.* In May, the sheriff asked for seven additional officers to handle operations within Carroll's courts and the detention center -- duties which he is mandated to fulfill.

The Navy and the St. Mary's County sheriff's department are investigating the death and dismemberment of an enlisted man stationed at the Patuxent River Naval and Air Warfare Center in Lexington Park.The man's torso, arms, legs and head were found in the St. Mary's County landfill last week after a three-day search by investigators using dogs, county Sheriff Richard J. Voorhaar said.He identified the victim as Petty Officer 2nd Class Jerry Lee Culbreath, 37, of Greenwood, S.C.A suspect in the homicide, described only as another Navy man stationed at the base whose identity was withheld yesterday by authorities, was detained last week.

Thank goodness Anne Arundel County voters had the good sense last autumn to send former Sheriff Robert G. Pepersack packing. Mr. Pepersack overspent his budget three years in 44TC row and now his successor, George Johnson, has inherited a fiscal fiasco.When Mr. Johnson entered office on Dec. 5, the sheriff's department had a projected budget shortfall of $569,000. Mr. Johnson whittled the deficit to $300,000 by reducing overtime pay, cutting the number of part-time deputies, and ending a $50,000-a-year program that paid deputies two hours of overtime once every two weeks to wash their squad cars and clean their guns.

Michael James Cortezi, a World War II veteran and retired member of the Baltimore sheriff's department who had been assigned to the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse, died Thursday of complications from Alzheimer's disease at Lifespring Hampton Meadows, a Towson assisted-living facility. He was 86. Mr. Cortezi was born in Baltimore and raised on West 23rd Street. He attended Polytechnic Institute and later earned his General Educational Development certificate. Mr. Cortezi enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942 and served with an anti-aircraft battery in the Pacific.

Miguel Martinez knows what to look for in dangerous situations. At age 17, he knows how to perform a building search, clear a room and handle a weapon. On a recent afternoon, he rattled off the warning signs that someone may be using drugs. "When you think a person is on drugs, you look for eye dilation and heavy breathing," Martinez said. "They also tense up their muscles to try to make them look bigger." Martinez's knowledge comes from experience gained through a program that gets students interested in careers in law enforcement.

Harford County is renting more office space than it owns and paying more in leases every year, county officials said. Rather than operating under one roof, agencies have spread into several buildings throughout downtown Bel Air and beyond. The county office building on South Main Street has reached maximum occupancy and cannot add another employee, even though the positions have been budgeted and filled, officials said. In a county seat with little land left to develop and office space renting at a premium, county government needs workplaces that are accessible to the public, energy efficient, operationally effective and economically feasible, said Harford County administration director Lorraine T. Costello.

BEAUFORT, Mo. -- A 13-year-old boy who vanished near his home five days ago was found alive about 60 miles away in a suburban St. Louis home, along with a 15-year-old boy who had been missing since 2002, authorities said yesterday. The boys were found in a Kirkwood home belonging to Michael Devlin, 41, who has been charged with kidnapping, Sheriff Gary Toelke said. The sheriff said both boys appeared unharmed. William Ownby, who goes by Ben, appeared dazed as he walked into the sheriff's department, where he was reunited with his family last night.

Police Blotter is a sampling of crimes from state and local police and sheriff's reports in Carroll County. Eldersburg Assault and robbery: A resident walking a dog in the 1200 block of Liberty Road at 12:15 a.m. Sept. 6 told the Carroll County sheriff's department that a man approached and asked the whereabouts of a man named Jimmy, then produced a stun gun and shocked him twice, taking about $600. The assailant reportedly was driving a dark blue Buick Regal with Maryland registration.

The Carroll County Sheriff's Department asked the county commissioners yesterday to fund its effort to become a nationally accredited law enforcement agency within a year. The department won recognition 15 months ago from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, the first step in the process that traditionally leads to stronger crime prevention and control as well as improvements in management practices, confidence among residents and interagency cooperation, according to the commission.

The Carroll County Sheriff's Department asked the county commissioners yesterday to fund its effort to become a nationally accredited law enforcement agency within a year. The department won recognition 15 months ago from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, the first step in the process that traditionally leads to stronger crime prevention and control as well as improvements in management practices, confidence among residents and interagency cooperation, according to the commission.

A former Anne Arundel County Sheriff's Office clerk pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing more than $10,000 from the department over several years and received a suspended jail sentence. Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Joseph P. Manck sentenced Debra Ellen Johnson, 37, of Glen Burnie to six months in jail but suspended that sentence in favor of three years of supervised probation. Johnson must also complete 50 hours of community service and repay the money to the county, the judge said. A married mother of two school-age children, Johnson faced up to 15 years in jail and a $25,000 fine, the maximum penalty for a felony theft conviction.

Physicians honor Aberdeen doctor Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was the keynote speaker at last week's Maryland Academy of Family Physicians conference in Annapolis. Besides its four-day scientific program and trade show, the group honored its departing president, Dr. Ben E. Oteyza of Bel Air, and presented the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Rose Mary Hatem Bonsack of Aberdeen. With headquarters in Baltimore County, the group is the largest medical specialty society in Maryland.

In an unlikely reunion, the two Baltimore sheriff's deputies fired for an incident in Lexington Market in which a Hispanic man was mistaken for a bank robber and brutalized, met with the victim over sandwiches and sodas yesterday. The first thing they did was hug. All three felt like victims. "I put myself in your shoes, and I feel your actual pain," said Anthony Spence, who believes he was unfairly fired from the Sheriff's Department. Through an interpreter, Spence and Clyde Boatwright apologized to Rolando Sanchez, who speaks little English, for the incident in September.