Sweeney

The day after a man with a history of escape attempts tried to flee a courtroom as his murder trial was getting under way, a Howard County Circuit Court judge dismissed the entire jury pool and asked the lawyers whether he should recuse himself from the case. Brandon T. Morris, 21, tried to escape from Judge Dennis M. Sweeney's courtroom during jury selection Thursday. Two sheriff's deputies and two potential jurors received minor injuries during the ruckus, which resulted in Morris being wrestled to the floor by security officers.

Quote: "If it were up to me, I'd be in the lineup in 10 or 11 days. But I only work here."-- Devil Rays DH Jose Canseco, recuperating ahead of schedule from a herniated disc It's a fact: Cleveland is 56-51 against Chicago in the 1990s. It is the Indians' first winning mark against the White Sox in a decade since the 1940s (114-103).Who's hot: The Royals' Mike Sweeney has an 18-game hitting streak.Who's not: Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel committed his 11th error of the year last night. He had five all of last season.

FOR the first quarter-century of its existence, Maryland's District Court system and Robert F. Sweeney were synonymous. He gave birth to it, nurtured it and watched it grow into a highly competent and efficient judiciary handling 2.4 million cases annually with 99 judges, 1,300 employees, 35 courthouses and a budget of $90 million.It is a professional and well-run operation, thanks to Mr. Sweeney, who was chief judge of the District Court from its inception in 1971 until his retirement in 1996.

Blue Jays: Outfielder Shannon Stewart missed his sixth straight game with a right ankle injury and may not play again this season. Tony Fernandez returned to the lineup after missing Sunday's game with a sore right knee.Devil Rays: Jose Canseco has three homers and 23 RBIs in 28 games since his return from back surgery. Infielder Tony Graffanino missed the game with a mild hamstring injury.Royals: Carlos Beltran needs nine hits in his final five games to become the fourth rookie in history to collect 200 hits, 100 RBIs and 100 runs.

Orange and yellow electrical cords trailed across a street in Perry Hall yesterday, part of a neighborly attempt to cope with the continuing scattered power outages caused when Hurricane Floyd blew through Maryland last week.Power was restored to the folks who live on the odd side of the 4300 block of Piney Park Road on Thursday evening, but their neighbors with even-numbered addresses are reading by candlelight. Frank Sweeney, a retired construction supervisor with a stash of 100-foot extension cords in his basement but no power, and Tom Rohrs, who lives on the odd-numbered side of the street, got together.

Elaine Sweeney hit the cobbled streets of Fells Point yesterday morning for a fund-raising endeavor that inspired strangers to not only drop money in her cloth satchel, but also share stories about friends and family and shed the occasional tear.Sweeney, widow of Baltimore police Lt. Owen E. Sweeney Jr., who was fatally shot in 1997, joined more than 70 volunteers yesterday canvassing the city to raise money for a $2 million memorial honoring more than 100 officers killed in the line of duty.

Player of the YearHolly Noga, Severna Park, Sr., S: Last season, Noga built a reputation as the county's most explosive scorer. This fall, amid defensive game plans geared to stop her, the Falcons' four-year standout further enhanced it. Each game attracted the other team's best defender with help always close by, but Noga once again ran past everyone, finishing the season with 18 goals and eight assists to earn Player of the Year honors a second consecutive season....

Baltimore lawyers for out-of-state victims of alleged asbestos-related illnesses are trying to bring their court cases here, a move that defense attorneys say would open the door for a flood of litigation that could further overwhelm the city's crippled courts.Scores of plaintiffs from Virginia and North Carolina, allegedly exposed to asbestos at Virginia shipyards, have filed suit in Baltimore Circuit Court, according to court records. Two of those cases landed in Maryland's Court of Appeals yesterday.

Michael W. Lasky got a judge's approval yesterday to regain control of the Psychic Friends Network, a once fabulously lucrative telephone advice line that he lost last year after the company fell on hard times and landed in Bankruptcy Court owing millions.Under the deal approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul Mannes, Lasky will pay $1.85 million and get Psychic Friends' name, phone lines and a roster of soothsayers working long-distance at $3.99 a minute. Lasky said he has the cash in hand and could sew up the sale in four days.

Retired Maryland Judge Robert F. Sweeney, who oversaw the creation of the state's highly regarded District Court system to replace a corruption-riddled patchwork of local courts, died of leukemia yesterday at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.Judge Sweeney, who was 72, was the first and only chief judge of the District Court system from its creation in 1971 until his mandatory retirement three years ago.A politically adept jurist who succeeded with a combination of charm and determination, he has been credited with leading the modernization of a court system that had been overseen by politically minded, and at times corrupt, judges, magistrates and justices of the peace.

On August 5, 2009, VERONICA K. SWEENEY; loving wife of the late Dr. John Albert Sweeney; mother of Peitra Donovan, Dereck Donovan and his wife Dawn, Mohammed Khan "Allan Donovan" and his wife Alter Khan; dear sister of Joseph Khan, Stanley Khan, Vibert Khan, Jean Hamilton, and the late Clarise Nunes, Enid Edwards, and Carmin Khan; cherished grandmother of Patrick, Kristen, Brittney, Christopher, Dylan, and Jenaya; and great-grandmother of Aspyn Beck The...

The state prosecutor's office filed papers Wednesday signaling its intention to appeal the dismissal of bribery and misconduct charges brought against Baltimore City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton. Circuit Judge Dennis M. Sweeney ruled last month that prosecutors presented tainted evidence to a city grand jury and tossed out four charges that were brought against Holton. He also threw out five of the 12 charges that were brought against Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon for the same reason. In dismissing the charges, Sweeney wrote that local lawmakers are protected by legislative immunity, and votes or bills they introduce cannot be used as evidence of wrongdoing against them in a criminal proceeding.

T he following are selected comments about the dismissal of some charges against Mayor Sheila Dixon and all charges against Councilwoman Helen Holton from The Baltimore Sun's talkboards and the blog baltimoresun.com/secondopinion. Dennis Sweeney is a colossal idiot. Why was this retired nicompoop allowed to hear this case? JohnHard to say the judge is an idiot for basically being the only one in the process to do his job properly. The prosecutor is the one who dropped the ball and should know the laws he's supposed to be enforcing here.

Fur coats - gone. Jimmy Choos - gone. Lavish hotel stays. Shopping sprees. Mysterious cash deposits coming just in time to cover the AmEx bill. Gone. Gone. Gone. Does anybody else feel like they've just been dumped, not by a sugar-daddy/developer, but by Circuit Court Judge Dennis Sweeney, who just took all the fun out of the corruption case against Mayor Sheila Dixon? Yes, Her Honor still faces charges that she took gift cards meant for needy families and spent them on herself. Still scummy, if true, and the mayor says it's not. But Circuit City, Target and Best Buy are decidedly lacking in sex appeal.

Judge won't dismiss Lipscomb charges Judge Dennis M. Sweeney denied Thursday Ronald H. Lipscomb's request to dismiss bribery charges that have been brought against him, meaning that his trial will likely go forward as planned in late June. Lipscomb, a prominent Baltimore developer, has been charged with bribing City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton by paying for a $12,500 poll for her re-election in exchange for favorable votes on tax credits that came before her committee. He was one of three indicted in January by the state prosecutor's office.

In one corner, defense lawyers explaining away a developer's expensive gifts to two city officials with showstopping legal gymnastics. In the other, a prosecutor who had courtroom spectators on the edge of their seats, but only because she shouldn't have been working without a net. Retired Howard County Circuit Judge Dennis Sweeney held a hearing Thursday on motions to dismiss the criminal cases against Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Councilwoman Helen Holton...

On March 24, 2009, MARY ELIZABETH "Betty" SWEENEY. Beloved sister of John J. Sweeney Jr., Patricia A. Wolfe, William B. Sweeney and the late Margaret S. Ryan, Robert F., and James A. Sweeney. Also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews and one great-grand niece. Friends may call at the family owned MITCHELL-WIEDEFELD FUNERAL HOME INC., 6500 York Road (at Overbrook) on Wednesday 7 to 9 P.M and Thursday 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 P.M. A Funeral Mass will be offered Friday 10 A.M at the Chapel of Villa Assumpta, 6401 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21212.

Retired Howard County Judge Dennis M. Sweeney will hear the corruption cases against Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton and developer Ronald H. Lipscomb, according to a ruling yesterday from a Baltimore Circuit Court judge. Sweeney is a visiting judge for Baltimore City and regularly hears city cases. The ruling from Circuit Judge John P. Miller does not affect where the trials would be held; a Baltimore City jury would hear testimony and issue verdicts, if proceedings reach that stage.

THE PROBLEM - Bus passengers were tripping over studs from a missing pedestrian signal pole. THE BACKSTORY -- Darschell Washington knows from experience that the remnants of a light pole were a tripping hazard. Four large studs and bolts stuck up from the sidewalk at the southwest corner of Wilkens Avenue and Brunswick Street. That's where Washington regularly waits for the No. 35 bus to her downtown office. She first spotted the offending hardware nearly a year ago. "I noticed it when I was walking to get the bus, and I tripped over it," Washington said.

In April 2003, William Vincent Brown pleaded guilty to dealing 30 gel caps of heroin to an undercover Howard County detective, but a judge kept him free on bail as he awaited sentencing. Six days later, Baltimore police say, he raped and nearly killed a prostitute, leaving her for dead in a city park after severing her ears. The judge's decision not to hold Brown was the first of many breaks the defendant received in a drug case that moved through Howard County's court system at a time when city police say they now believe he carried out three violent attacks on women.