Undisclosed Sum

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.

Police Blotter is a sampling of crimes from police reports in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Baltimore City Eastern District Escaper caught: A handcuffed inmate being returned to Central Booking and Intake Center after questioning by homicide detectives escaped from a city housing authority police car about 6:15 p.m. yesterday at Monument and Constitution streets. Andre Adams, 21, was caught minutes later - hiding under a car - two blocks away and was charged with escape. Western District Robberies/arrest: One man was arrested and at least one other was being sought in the robberies of three people early Sunday and Monday in Northwest Baltimore by men flashing badges and wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Bounty Hunter and Special Police.

iPhotonics Inc., a privately held Glen Burnie start-up that builds and tests fiber-optic networking gear for other companies, has agreed to be acquired by a California electronics manufacturing giant. The acquisition by publicly traded Solectron Corp. of Milpitas, Calif., is expected to be completed by the end of October. Financial terms were not disclosed in the announcement of the deal Tuesday. "When we started the company 2 1/2 years ago, we really looked to provide optical manufacturing solutions," said Susan L. Trumbule, iPhotonics' president and chief executive officer.

Baltimore City Western District Shooting: A man in his early 20s was standing in the 1800 block of W. Lafayette Ave. about 3 p.m. yesterday when an unknown gunman approached and shot him several times in the upper torso. The gunmen fled. The victim was taken to Bon Secours Hospital, where last night he was in critical condition. No arrest had been made. Southern District Robbery: A man, 19, was in the 200 block of S. Heath St. about 11 p.m. Saturday when two men, one with a handgun, robbed him of a pager valued at $80. Theft from vehicle: Someone entered the trunk of a 1996 Cadillac parked in the 400 block of W. Pratt St. and stole a briefcase, two coolers and a wallet containing an undisclosed sum of money Saturday.

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.

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.

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.