Undisclosed Sum

Spectera, a Woodlawn health benefits company, announced yesterday that it has sold its dental plans to PacificDental Benefits of California. The sale will help Spectera expand its eye-care plans and its business managing patient care, said David T. Hall, Spectera's chief executive officer. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.All dental plan employees, most of whom are in Texas, will be retained by PacificDental, said Sue Cox, Spectera vice president. She said the number of jobs at Spectera's headquarters, now 200, will not change.

Police Blotter is a sampling of crimes in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Baltimore City Eastern District Theft from vehicle: A laptop computer, a computer carrying bag, eyeglasses and a computer accessory, all valued at more than $3,000, were stolen Monday from a 1999 Honda Accord parked in the 100 block of Edgevale Road. Southern District Burglary: Four bicycles and lawn-care equipment, all valued at nearly $1,200, were stolen Monday from a shed in the 200 block of E. Jeffrey St. Theft: A generator and a grinder, both valued at more than $2,000, were stolen from Corrosion Repair & Services in the 3900 block of Curtis Ave. between Friday and Monday.

Two men wearing ski masks robbed a Crownsville lounge at gunpoint Monday night, county police said.According to a report, the men entered Sonny's Lounge in the 1300 block of Generals Highway about 9: 45 p.m. One of them put a silver revolver to a clerk's head and ordered him to give them money from the cash register.The clerk complied. The men left the store with an undisclosed amount of money and drove north on Generals Highway in a red Chevrolet Cavalier, police said.Man robs pizza shop with threatening noteA bandit robbed a Glen Burnie pizza shop of an undisclosed amount of money Monday night, county police said.

A fellow who needed money for an operation walked into the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) convention in Anaheim, Calif., last August with a couple of old campaign buttons to see what he could get for them. The convention was called to order over the public address system and, in keeping with an APIC tradition, the buttons were auctioned, right then and there. One was an extremely rare button picturing John W. Davis and his running mate, Charles Bryan, the 1924 Democratic candidates.

Howard County police are looking for a man who robbed the Crestar Bank on U.S. 40 in Ellicott City on Tuesday afternoon.Police said a man walked into the bank in the 9000 block of U.S. 40 at 1: 13 p.m. Tuesday and approached a teller station, pulled a handgun from his jacket and announced the robbery.After the teller gave the thief an undisclosed amount of money, the man fled.No one was hurt.The robber is described as black, 30 years old, with short hair, a goatee, crooked teeth and a small mouth.

Baltimore's only potato chip company has been bought by the owner of an Eastern Shore company that got its start in the mid-1980s by challenging the maker of Old Bay for its near monopoly of the steamed crab seasoning market.Mrs. Ihrie's Potato Chips Inc., an East Baltimore business born out of tragedy nearly 70 years ago, was bought by Joseph L. Bernard, owner and president of Wye River Inc. on Kent Island.Mr. Bernard, 38, declined to reveal the price other than to say, "It was in the millions of dollars."

MedStar Health has accepted Johns Hopkins Health System's offer to buy the nearby campus of Church Hospital for an undisclosed sum, the two health systems confirmed yesterday.The deal is scheduled to close 30 days after a due diligence period, during which Hopkins will evaluate any environmental or other risks associated with the property, said Gary Stephenson, a Hopkins spokesman.Church occupies two city blocks just south of Hopkins on Broadway in East Baltimore.Hopkins started using the campus' parking garage and parking lots this week.

Boeing Co. said yesterday that it would acquire Conquest Inc., an intelligence-gathering company in Annapolis Junction, as it works to better integrate the diverse functions of its business. Boeing did not disclose financial details of the deal, but said it expects the transaction to be completed by the end of this quarter. Under the agreement, Conquest will become a part of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. Conquest will be renamed Boeing Advanced Information Systems -Maryland Operations.

Ending a wrenching episode, the Johns Hopkins medical school has reached a financial settlement with the family of a young woman whose death during an experiment prompted a federal shutdown of research at the institution. Medical school officials and the family of Ellen Roche of Reisterstown would not disclose the amount of money the family will receive as part of the out-of-court settlement. But the agreement provides enough money to help the family set up a scholarship fund for aspiring scientists like Roche and eliminates the possibility of a lawsuit against the university or Dr. Alkis Togias, who conducted the experiment, said Craig Schoenfeld, attorney for the Roche family.

Baltimore County police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man sought in a robbery at the Bank of America in the 7900 block of Belair Road in the Parkville area this morning. According to police, the suspect entered the bank at 10:20 a.m. and gave a teller a note demanding money. After the teller gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of money, the suspect ran out of the bank and was last seen fleeing southbound on Belair Road, police said. Police described the suspect as white, in his early 20s, standing between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a slim build.