The driver of a vehicle involved in a serious crash on Peninsula Expressway in Dundalk Wednesday night has died of his injuries.

Albert Joseph Hastings (92) of the 7500 block of Holabird Avenue in Dundalk, 21222 was pronounced deceased early yesterday morning after being transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center with life threatening injuries Wednesday evening.

Police were called to the scene around 6:26 p.m. when a 2016 Jeep Wrangler attempted to cross traffic from Peninsula Expressway onto Chesterwood Road and was struck by Mr. Hastings' 1996 GMC pickup truck, already traveling northbound on Peninsula Expressway. The 42-year-old driver of the Jeep was also transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Baltimore County Crash Investigation Team continues to investigate this crash.

UPDATE (May 13, 2017 6:09 a.m.):

Tyler has been located safe. BCoPD thanks all who assisted in our efforts to find him.

Original Release (May 12, 2017 10:54 p.m.):

Baltimore County Police are actively searching tonight for Tyler Johnathan Kratochvil (21) in the Dundalk area. Police are concerned for Tyler's wellbeing.

Tyler was last seen on Eastship Road in the Dundalk area of Baltimore County wearing a black baseball style hat, a grey and black sweatshirt, and grey and black pants. Tyler left the location on foot in an unknown direction.

Tyler is a white male, 5'10", 140 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 410-307-2020.

A DNA sample taken from the remains of former priest A. Joseph Maskell does not match DNA from the murder scene of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik.

The Baltimore County Police Department on Wednesday received results from an accredited laboratory excluding Maskell as a contributor to DNA preserved from the crime scene.

Baltimore County Police detectives, who have been trying to solve the nun’s murder for nearly 50 years, exhumed Maskell’s body on February 28, 2017 to compare Maskell’s DNA to evidence from the crime scene.

A sample of Maskell’s remains was sent to Bode Cellmark Forensics in Lorton, VA for development of a DNA profile. (External analysis of solid evidence for DNA profiling is standard procedure; BCoPD’s in-house laboratory is used only for biological fluids.) This profile was compared with the crime scene evidence.

Maskell is not the first suspect whose DNA has been compared to the crime scene sample. Over the years, BCoPD detectives have developed DNA profiles of about a half-dozen suspects and compared them against the crime scene evidence. None of these suspects’ profiles have matched.

Also, the DNA profile from the crime scene evidence was placed into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System as soon as it was developed. There have been no matches of the Cesnik crime scene DNA profile with any DNA profile from the national database.

The fact that the DNA profiles of the various suspects have not matched the crime scene evidence does not necessarily exonerate them; it means only that the DNA technology available at this time has not provided evidence of a physical link to the crime scene.

Police Still Seek Leads

Homicide detectives say the negative results from the Maskell DNA profile comparison mean that their best hope for solving the case now lies with people who are still alive and willing to come forward with conclusive information about the murder.

Sister Cesnik’s body was found in a Lansdowne dumping area in January 1970. She was last seen at her Baltimore City apartment just before leaving to run errands in the Edmondson Village area. A fact sheet about the case is available on our web site.

Reward Offered

Metro Crime Stoppers, an organization that is separate from the Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore County Government, offers rewards for information in connection with felony offenses.

Anonymous tips can be sent to Metro Crime Stoppers by phone, text message or online.

Phone: 1-866-7LOCKUP

Text message: Text "MCS" plus your message to "CRIMES" (274637)

Web tip:www.metrocrimestoppers.org

Update (May 18 12:35 p.m.): Nehemiah Davis has been found and is safe. The Baltimore County Police Department would like to thank everyone who made an effort to help us locate him.

Original Release (May 17 10:39 p.m.)

Baltimore County Police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating Nehemiah Davis, 14.

Nehemiah was last seen in the area of his school on Gwynn Oak Avenue, 21207 after running away during an argument with a school counselor. He has serious medical issues that require immediate attention.

He is described as a black male, 5’6”, 120 pounds and was last seen wearing a gray t-shirt which reads “take it to the bridge” and dark colored pants.

If anyone has information about Nehemiah Davis’ whereabouts, please call Baltimore County Police at (410) 307-2020.

Shortly after 10 p.m. last night, police were called to the area of Langrehr and Liberty roads in Precinct 4/Pikesville for a shooting.

The victim, a 22-year-old man, said he was walking down the street when he was shot by a suspect in a dark-colored vehicle. The victim believes he was accidentally shot when the suspect missed the intended target, who was in a vehicle.

The victim was taken to an area hospital with a gunshot wound to the lower body and is expected to survive his injuries.

The Baltimore County Violent Crimes Unit continues to investigate this shooting.

Reward Offered

Metro Crime Stoppers, an organization that is separate from the Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore County Government, offers rewards for information in connection with felony offenses.

Anonymous tips can be sent to Metro Crime Stoppers by phone, text message or online.

Phone: 1-866-7LOCKUP

Text message: Text "MCS" plus your message to "CRIMES" (274637)

Web tip:www.metrocrimestoppers.org

An off-duty Baltimore Police officer was shot last night at his home in Gwynn Oak.

Around 11:22 p.m. yesterday, police from the Woodlawn Precinct were dispatched to a the home after a man, later determined to be a 50-year-old off-duty city officer, was shot through his front door. 

The victim went to answer a knock at his front door but was shot through the door before opening it. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment and is expected to survive his injury.

This shooting continues to be investigated by the Baltimore County Violent Crimes Unit.

Detectives are exploring whether this was a targeted shooting. Detectives do not believe the shooting is connected to any criminal activity on the part of the victim.

Police are withholding the victim's address due to safety concerns.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

Reward Offered

Metro Crime Stoppers, an organization that is separate from the Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore County Government, offers rewards for information in connection with felony offenses.

Anonymous tips can be sent to Metro Crime Stoppers by phone, text message or online.

Phone: 1-866-7LOCKUP

Text message: Text "MCS" plus your message to "CRIMES" (274637)

Web tip:www.metrocrimestoppers.org

The Baltimore County Fire Service’s annual Ceremony of Remembrance, which honors those members who have lost their lives in the line of duty, is scheduled for Sunday, May 21.

The ceremony will be held, rain or shine, at 2 p.m. at the Fire Service Memorial Monument in Patriot Plaza in Towson.

The Baltimore County Fire Department and Baltimore County Volunteer Fireman’s Association jointly organize the event.

Honoring Fallen Heroes

Forty-five Baltimore County firefighters and emergency medical personnel have died in the line of duty. These include 21 career members and 24 volunteer members.

Fire Chief John Hohman and other career and volunteer fire service leaders will honor the fallen by placing a wreath on the memorial shrine during the ceremony.

The shrine was built entirely with funds by members of the Fire Service. The memorial was sculpted in Portugal of Portuguese red granite, and consists of a Maltese cross flanked by two columns.

Inscribed on the monument are the names of the fallen and the words of Saint John, 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

One person has died following a two-vehicle crash Thursday on Martin Boulevard at Kelso Drive.

Ronald Kevin Parris III, 23, was transported to Franklin Square Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Baltimore County Police Crash Team was called to the scene at 4:22 p.m. The preliminary investigation shows that the crash involved a collision between a Hyundai Sonata and Ford F-450 truck.

Parris was a passenger in the Hyundai. The 25 year-old driver of the car and a four- year-old child were transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital with serious injuries. The three people in the Ford truck at the time of the crash were uninjured and remained at the crash scene.

The Baltimore County Crash Team continues to investigate the crash.

Update 5/22/17  9:00 AM EDT

Deontay Jones and Dequail Johson have been located and returned unharmed. Thank you to those who shared their information. 

Original Release: 

Baltimore County Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating two missing boys. Deontay Jones, 11, and Dequail Johnson, 12, both left a facility in the 1600-block of Cromwell Bridge Road, 21234, just before 4:30 p.m. today. Jones is described as a black male, 4’8”, 112 pounds, black hair, and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a tan shirt and blue shorts. Johnson is described as a black male, 5’4”, 127 pounds, black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a grey sweater and blue pants. Both boys will be in need of their medication. If anyone has information about the whereabouts of Deontay Jones or Dequail Johnson, please call Baltimore County Police at (410) 307-2020. 

UPDATE (May 23, 2017 1:42 p.m.):

The second victim of a 1st degree assault - arson - stemming from an altercation in White Marsh on December 4, 2015, has died.

Shawn Michael Scarinzi (25) of the 900 block of Topview Drive in Edgewood, 21040 died early yesterday morning, 17 months after being inadvertently set on fire during an altercation between his friend, David Benjamin Campbell, and the suspect, Christopher Harrison Jr.

After running out of gas on Pulaski Highway near Allender Road that afternoon, Campbell and Scarinzi were returning with containers of gasoline when an altercation erupted between Campbell and Harrison, resulting in Campbell punching Harrison. Harrison doused Campbell with gasoline and lit him on fire. Scarinzi, who was standing near Campbell with a container of gasoline, also became engulfed in flames. Both victims remained hospitalized until the time of their deaths.  

David Benjamin Campbell (22) of the unit block of Runway Court in Middle River, 21220, died on January 7, 2017. His death is ruled a homicide by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. A warrant was issued to Harrison for homicide charges on May 16, 2017. The results of an autopsy performed on Scarinzi are pending.

Harrison was taken into custody at the time of the incident and held without bail, and remains confined to the Department of Corrections after entering a guilty plea on July 28, 2016 to charges of 1st Degree Assault and Reckless Endangerment, for which he was sentenced to 20 years and 5 years imprisonment, respectively, to be served consecutively.

Original release (December 7, 2015  12:51 p.m.):

At  4:42 p.m. on December 4, Baltimore County Police and Fire personnel responded to Pulaski Highway and Allender Road 21162 for a report of a vehicle fire. When Fire personnel arrived on the scene, they found that two people, not a vehicle, had been set on fire.
 
The initial investigation into this incident has indicated that the suspect’s vehicle had run out of gas at the location at Pulaski and Allender Road. The suspect had just returned to his vehicle with a container of gas when he encountered the first victim. The suspect and the first victim have been involved in an ongoing dispute at work and became involved in an altercation. During the altercation, the suspect threw gasoline on the first victim and lit it on fire, and the first victim punched the suspect in the face. During the confrontation, gasoline that had ignited splashed onto a second victim, injuring him. The suspect fled the scene but was apprehended nearby.
 
The victims were transported to an area hospital for treatment of serious burns. Their current conditions are unknown.
 
Detectives identified the suspect as 28-year-old Christopher Harrison Jr of the 900 block of Top View Drive 21040. He has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and related charges. He is held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.
 
This incident remains under investigation by the Baltimore County Police Violent Crimes Unit.

Booking Photograph of Christopher Harrison Jr

On May 25 at 1 p.m., six Baltimore County police officers will be promoted. The ceremony will take place in the Vista Room at Timonium Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium 21093.

Chief Terrence B. Sheridan will speak at the ceremony and present the certificates. The oath of office will be administered by the Honorable Julie Ensor, Clerk for Baltimore County. The invocation and benediction will be offered by the Reverend Darron D. McKinney Sr., a police chaplain.

The following is the list of the promoted officers and their new assignments.

• Sergeant Keith Fruhling is promoted to Lieutenant and is assigned to Precinct 11 Essex.
• Corporal Thomas Morehouse is promoted to Sergeant and is assigned to Precinct 9 White Marsh.
• Corporal James Gill is promoted to Sergeant and is assigned to Precinct 11 Essex.
• Officer Melinda Mori is promoted to Corporal and is assigned to Precinct 4 Pikesville.
• Officer Jessica Beale is promoted to Corporal and is assigned to Precinct 1 Wilkens.
• Officer Eric Brennan is promoted to Corporal and is assigned to Precinct 8 Parkville.

UPDATE (May 25, 2017 10:23 a.m.):

The man killed in a Windsor Mill shooting last night is identified as 24-year-old Kyle Jovan Fulton of the 8000 block of Euler Avenue in Baltimore, 21208.

Homicide detectives continue to investigate this crime.

Original Release (May 24, 2017 9:29 p.m.):

A man was found dead on a sidewalk in Windsor Mill this evening, the apparent victim of a shooting.

Police responded to the area of Liberty Road and Liberty Place around 6 p.m. this evening after a passerby called 9-1-1 to report a man appeared to have been assaulted and was lying unconscious on the sidewalk. When police arrived they discovered an adult man suffering from at least one gunshot wound to the upper body, who was pronounced deceased at Sinai Hospital.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen or heard anything, or anyone with additional information, to call 410-307-2020.

Baltimore County Police Homicide detectives continue to investigate this incident.

Reward Offered

Metro Crime Stoppers, an organization that is separate from the Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore County Government, offers rewards for information in connection with felony offenses.

Anonymous tips can be sent to Metro Crime Stoppers by phone, text message or online.

Phone: 1-866-7LOCKUP

Text message: Text "MCS" plus your message to "CRIMES" (274637)

Web tip:www.metrocrimestoppers.org

The Baltimore County Police Department needs men and women to serve as school crossing guards. There is an increase in the demand throughout the entire county, but due to road development and traffic concerns, the need is especially great in the central sections of Baltimore County. If you have been thinking of a way to become more involved in your community while getting paid to do so, this is the time to act.

Parents, grandparents, college students or anyone who wants to help insure the safety of children to and from school are encouraged to apply. The pay is $12.78 per hour and the time commitment is only two hours daily, Monday through Friday. When schools have off due to inclement weather, so do you, without loss of pay. Additionally, you incur paid leave as you gain years of experience. You may receive paid national and state holidays from September through June. You will be given your equipment and uniforms free of charge.

Those wishing to apply to the Baltimore County Police Department for the position of crossing guard need to be at least 18 years old. All applicants will undergo a background check, including fingerprinting.

Application Deadline is June 2

This is the perfect part-time job for stay-at-home parents, retirees and those with a little extra time in the morning and afternoon. The best part of the job is the satisfaction of knowing that you play a major role in keeping the children in your neighborhood safe in their travels. 

The deadline to apply is June 2. Additional information about the School Guard Team and how to apply to become a Baltimore County crossing guard are available online.

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), will arrive on June 4 to examine all aspects of the Baltimore County Police Department’s  policy and procedures, administration, operations, and support services.

Verification by the team that the Baltimore County Police Department meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation – a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence. The Department will undergo a gold standard accreditation assessment for the first time in its history.

Public Information Session

As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on June 5 at 6 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Baltimore County Public Safety Building located at 700 East Joppa Road, Towson, Maryland 21286.

If for some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would like to provide comments to the assessment team, he or she may do so by telephone. The public may call 410-887-4709 on June 5 between 2 and 4 p.m.

Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA Standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Baltimore County Police Department – Accreditation Team, 700 East Joppa Road, Towson, Maryland 21286. Local contact is Captain Matthew McElwee at 410-887-2260.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Baltimore County Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155.

Professional Excellence

The Baltimore County Police Department has to comply with 484 standards in order to gain accredited status. Maintaining these standards demonstrates the Department’s commitment to professional excellence in providing law enforcement services to all those who live, visit or work in Baltimore County.

The CALEA Assessment Program Manager for the Baltimore County Police Department is Ms. Karen Shepard. The assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other locations where compliance can be witnessed.

The assessors are Team Leader Chief John Letteney of the Apex Police Department in North Carolina and Team Member Captain Norman Mann of the St. Louis County Police Department in Missouri.

Once the CALEA Assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full Commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status.

Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155, or call (703) 352-4225, or email calea@calea.org.

Police have charged a suspect in the Saturday afternoon shooting of a man on Sugarwood Circle in Essex.

Police responded to the 1200 block of Sugarwood Circle around 1:57 p.m. last Saturday for a call of a shooting. They located the victim, 26, with a single gunshot wound to the upper body. He was transported to an area hospital for treatment. The suspect fled the area prior to the arrival of officers, but the investigation led detectives to identify Montez Deonta Harrell (25) of the Unit block of Kinwall Place in Nottingham, 21236 as the shooter.

Harrell is charged with the following:

•         Attempted 1^st Degree Murder
•         1^st Degree Assault
•         2^nd Degree Assault
•         Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony
•         Handgun on Person

Police are still uncertain as to what led to the shooting, but believe that the victim and Harrell are known associates. The victim continues to be treated at an area hospital.

This incident remains under investigation by the Baltimore County Violent Crimes Unit.

Montez Deonta Harrell

The 2nd Annual Sergeant Marvin T. Haw IV Boating Safety Day (PDF) is set for Saturday, June 3 at Wilson Point Park, 950 Beech Drive, Middle River 21220. The event is sponsored by the Baltimore County Police Marine Unit, the Essex Precinct, the Natural Resources Police, the United States Coast Guard and other agencies.

Families, boaters and non-boaters are invited to the event that begins at 11 a.m. and finishes at 5 p.m.

While this year’s “Sober Boater, Safe Boater” theme focuses on the dangers of mixing alcohol and operating a boat, we encourage everyone to think about safety in all aspects of boating. That includes wearing flotation devices while on the water.

Visitors are encouraged to participate in water safety demonstrations, enjoy food from local food vendors and meet with local marine businesses. There will be prizes and an opportunity to participate in the MR SUP (Middle River Stand Up Paddle) Family Fun Paddle.

Join us. It’s time to go boating!

Police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating the wanted subject who caused South North Point Road in Dundalk to be closed for more than 6 hours Wednesday morning.

Police, attempting to serve a warrant for attempted murder on Michael Anthony Staudt (26), closed South North Point Road between Eastern Avenue and Carson Avenue as a precautionary measure, as he is known to carry weapons. Police canvassed the area, unable to locate Staudt, and cleared the scene around 1:30 p.m.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of Staudt after he was identified as one of two suspects in the attempted murder of a man last Saturday, May 20. Around 11:20 p.m. police were called to the 800 block of Jaydee Avenue after Staudt and another unidentified suspect chased after the victim, shooting at his vehicle as the victim fled from them. The victim was not injured.

Anyone with information on Staudt’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Investigative Services Unit of the Dundalk Precinct at 410-887-7309 or call 9-1-1.

Police warn that Michael Staudt is considered armed and dangerous. If seen, do not approach him, and contact police immediately.

Michael Anthony Staudt

Police are actively searching the Rosedale area of White Marsh Precinct - 9 for a missing elderly woman who walked away from her home in the 8000 block of Old Philadelphia Road around 9:30 a.m. this morning, possibly headed towards MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center.

Francine Sturms (73) suffers from medical conditions that may cause her to become confused or disoriented. She left her home on foot, last seen wearing a black shirt, pink shorts, white socks and tennis shoes. She had previously made statements that she was going to walk to the hospital to see her husband, but he is not hospitalized, and he returned home to find her missing.

Francine is 5'3", 109 pounds, has brown eyes and long hair dyed dark red. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact police at the White Marsh precinct at 410-887-5000 or dial 9-1-1.

It’s every parent’s nightmare – the day your toddler learns to open the front door – and leaves.

For one mother that nightmare came true just before 7 p.m. Tuesday night. One minute 3-year-old Ian was playing with his older brother, the next minute the front door was open, and Ian was gone.

Every available officer from the Dundalk Precinct responded to the 8000 block of Park Haven Road when the call came out for a missing child. While other officers scoured the neighborhood, knocking on doors, checking every roadway, alley, driveway and yard, Ofc. S. Kramer responded to the home to gather valuable information and relay it to the other units. Ofc. Kramer stayed with Mom, keeping her calm, and searching all the unusual places where officers tend to find missing children who have hidden (and often fallen asleep) – wrapped up in bedding, under piles of laundry, in closets and cupboards, even in the dryer, to no avail.

It only took about ten minutes before Mom heard the words she was praying for come over the radio, “I got him.”

Ofc. T. Roberts spotted a tiny little figure matching the description of the wanted subject on a walkway between some townhomes, and after a brief foot pursuit, had the subject in custody. Mom was relayed to the location where mother and son were blissfully reunited.

Last night Ofc. Roberts, Ofc. Kramer, and the rest of the shift that came together, inundating a neighborhood to find a toddler safe, were reunited with little Ian and his grateful mother who brought enough food to feed an army (or at least a police precinct shift), including a cake with a heartfelt message, “Thank you.”