Slayings suspect's kin charged as accessory
The brother of a suspect in two Howard County killings has been charged with helping his sibling elude police and cover up one of the slayings, police said yesterday.
William Richardson, 22, of Peacock Drive in Landover, is accused of renting a hotel room for his brother, Charles David Richardson IV, after the death of Trae Allen, 21, in their mother's townhouse on Brook Way in Columbia, police said. William Richardson is charged with being an accessory after the fact, police said.
William Richardson and a friend, Kenneth W. Sledd, 19, of the 6800 block of Pyramid Way in Columbia, also are accused of picking up Charles Richardson, 21, from the hotel and driving him to an Ellicott City sediment pond, where he is alleged to have disposed of a gun used in the killing, according to police.
Charles Richardson of the 5200 block of Brook Way has been charged with first-degree murder in the May 21 killing of Allen and the April 26 slaying of Alevtina Zhilina, 40, a clerk at a 7-Eleven store across Columbia Road from the townhouse, authorities said.
William Richardson was being held at the Howard County Detention Center on $250,000 bail.
Melissa Harris
Bel Air
Harford schools building renamed
Harford County's school administration building in downtown Bel Air will shed its generic name and become the A. A. Roberty Building, in honor of the man who led the school system for 18 years.
Intense lobbying from the County Council, Harford's legislative delegation and the public prompted the school board to vote unanimously last night to adopt the name change. The $11 million, four-story brick building opened 18 months ago. Roberty, who had sought its construction during his tenure, retired in 1988.
Roberty, 81, devoted 37 years to public education in Harford. He oversaw the construction of a dozen new schools as superintendent, but, despite persistent efforts, could not persuade officials to fund an administration building.
Harford schools are traditionally named for a nearby location or function, not for living people. Officials have made a few exceptions, such as the school named for William S. James, a state treasurer and longtime legislator, while he was alive. His daughter, Del. Mary-Dulany James, and County Executive David R. Craig, who began his career as a teacher working for Roberty, back the name change.
"There was overwhelming support from every possible corner of this county," said Mark M. Wolkow, past president of the board. "That really says something about his character."
During a 60-day review, the board accepted public comment before making its decision.
"Only one name was put forth from multiple sources, and that was Dr. A.A. Roberty," said Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas.
Mary Gail Hare
Annapolis
Sting nets 33 arrests, cash, drugs
A three-month undercover drug sting in Annapolis has netted 33 arrests and the seizure of more than $10,000 in cash, eight vehicles and a cache of street drugs, city police said yesterday.
The operation included more than 30 drug transactions, and culminated Friday with the arrest of nine people on charges of possession of, intent to distribute, and distribution of drugs.
Four others were previously arrested on drug charges, and the remainder were arrested on other violations.
Most of the purchases took place in public housing communities, and several suspects listed public housing addresses, according to police.
Eric Brown, executive director of the Annapolis Housing Authority, blamed much of the drug activity on people who don't legally live in the city's 10 public housing communities.
He called the recent bust a "good positive step."
Nia-Malika Henderson
Elkton
ACLU challenges anti-loitering law
The ACLU is challenging Elkton's anti-loitering law after the ordinance was used last year to destroy property belonging to homeless people living in the woods.
A lawsuit filed yesterday accuses the town of harassment, intimidation and property destruction in the August raid during which items belonging to homeless people were cleared away. The lawsuit calls the raid unconstitutional and seeks to invalidate the town's anti-loitering law.
"The town's senseless seizure and destruction of the clothing, blankets, medications and irreplaceable personal mementos of its poorest residents was cruel and indefensible," said Deborah Jeon, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland.
An attorney for the town, Norman Wilson, could not immediately be reached to comment.
Associated Press
Hagerstown
Coal company cited in fatal collapse
Federal mining regulators cited a Western Maryland coal operator yesterday for the collapse of an open-pit wall that killed two workers in April.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration said Tri-Star Mining Inc. of Barton failed to establish a safe ground-control plan in the area, which had been weakened by previous underground mining.
The agency also said the company's examinations of the area were inadequate and that miners were not made aware of the hazards related to previous underground mining.
"The fatalities occurred because the ground-control plan did not adequately address highwall conditions, and obvious hazards were allowed to exist," the report stated.
The amount of any fine will be determined by the agency's Office of Assessments. Miners Dale F. Jones, 51, of Lonaconing and Michael R. Wilt, 38, of Frostburg died April 17 when the side of the hill they were mining collapsed on them, filling the pit with 93,000 tons of rock and dirt, the report said.
Associated Press