In The News

Bates to cut ties with mayor’s public safety office, citing ‘cloak of secrecy’

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Bates outlined numerous complaints about the office, known as MONSE, and programs it funds, which he said operate behind a “veil of secrecy,” according to a seven-page letter sent to Mayor Brandon Scott Tuesday and obtained by The Banner. Bates wrote that, in light of “recent events and reports,” it was clear MONSE does not share his values of integrity and transparency. Read more.

Joint Statement from Mayor Brandon M. Scott, State's Attorney Ivan J. Bates, Police Commissioner Richard Worley, and Department of Transportation Director Veronica McBeth

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"We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Gregory Turnipseed, an employee of the Baltimore City Department of Transportation. Last month, while on duty, Mr. Turnipseed suffered significant injuries as a result of a physical assault. A suspect involved in the assault has been arrested, and an investigation is underway. Read more.

9 indicted in Texas-to-Maryland cocaine trafficking ring

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Authorities on Tuesday said they arrested nine people in connection with a drug trafficking network that transported a large amount of cocaine from Texas to Maryland, with drugs stashed in homes across the region, including in Southeast Baltimore City and in Baltimore County. Read more.

Twelfth graduation ceremony of DCREP | PHOTOS

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Nicole Pastore, associate judge of the district court of Maryland for Baltimore City gestures toward Myles Hutton, now a traffic roads marker with Mullen’s Markings after Ivan Bates, Baltimore City state’s attorney suggested that Hutton petition the court for probation before judgment during the twelfth graduation ceremony of DCREP, or Baltimore City District Court Re-Entry Project held at Eastside District Court. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Read more. 

Man charged in 2022 Stricker Street blaze that killed 3 Baltimore firefighters

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The suspect, 57-year-old James Barnett, was charged in June 2023 with a series of burglaries in the Carrollton Ridge neighborhood, including the morning of the fatal fire on Jan. 24, 2022. But authorities at that time stopped short of linking him to the blaze, and that burglary case fell apart, with Barnett being acquitted. Read more.

‘This is a serial killer’: Baltimore man sentenced to life in third murder conviction

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Lively’s conviction in the killing of John Hall III, 68, marked his third murder conviction. Prior to this case, Lively pleaded guilty in a couple of domestic violence killings. He served eight years of a 20-year prison sentence for killing a woman in 1985, and he pleaded guilty to the death of another woman in North Carolina in 2000, for which he received a 30-year sentence and got paroled after serving about 12 years. Read more.

Baltimore Police officer indicted after viral video shows him chasing person with vehicle

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A Baltimore Police officer was indicted after he was seen in a viral video chasing a person with a police cruiser in late October, State's Attorney Ivan Bates announced Wednesday. Read more.

Veterans help one another through the Veteran's Treatment Court

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Many of the judges and lawyers who are a part of the system are former military, like Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates, who is an Army veteran. Read more.

Maryland prosecutors push back on plan to end automatic adult charges for youth offenders

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In a new report, the Commission on Juvenile Justice Reform and Emerging and Best Practices argued the policy fails to improve public safety and instead harms young people — but many of the state’s top prosecutors said they strongly disagree. Read more.

Clearing corners? Ivan Bates asks judges to ban drug dealers from certain blocks

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In a statement, the Waverly Improvement Association Board of Directors said it wholeheartedly supports the state’s attorney with his promise to ask for stay-away orders for people outside the neighborhood who are arrested for drug activity. Read more.