Ovelea Motorcyclist Dies in Manor Rd Crash


Baltimore County Police are continuing their investigation into a fatal motorcycle crash Wednesday night.

Steven Eugene Bailey (55) of the 5000 block of Terrace Drive of Overlea died after being transported to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma by Maryland State Police Medevac.

Bailey was operating a motorcycle on Manor Road around 7:30 p.m. when a 2018 Honda Civic traveling in the opposite direction turned left onto Stansbury Mill Road in front of him. Bailey’s motorcycle struck the right rear corner of the Honda, causing it to leave the roadway and strike several large rocks on a resident’s lawn, leaving him with critical injuries.

The Baltimore County Police Crash Investigation Team is continuing to investigate all of the factors involved in this fatal crash.

Firefighters Battle Fire in Middle River


photo courtesy of Baltimore County Fire Department Twitter page-

Baltimore County Fire Department reported a three-alarm apartment fire on Dehavilland Way in Middle River on Sunday afternoon.

There were initial reports that fire crews arriving on the scene had bystanders threw rocks at firefighters but now Baltimore County Fire Department can not confirm those reports.

“[Baltimore County Fire Department] cannot confirm earlier reports that objects were thrown at firefighters on the scene of this call. No firefighters were injured as a result of being struck with any objects,” said a statement from the fire department’s Twitter page.

The fire department reported a call for smoke coming from building.

Crews arrived to heavy fire conditions and extinguished the fire.

Officer’s Body Camera Shown in Essex Shooting


Baltimore County Police Department is releasing the body-worn camera (BWC) video, redacted 911 call audio, and radio transmissions from the May 16 officer-involved shooting death of Robert Johnson Jr in the unit block of Skipjack Court in Essex.

The department reviewed the video with the family and attorneys for Mr. Johnson, as well as several community stakeholders on Tuesday June 23. On Wednesday,the department held a preview conference with members of the media to allow for contextual explanations of what was seen in the video.

Officer Knight has been cleared of any criminal charges by the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office. As with similar cases, the administrative investigation is ongoing.

You can view the contextual video.

Police Release Name of Man Who Threatening Protesters


Police have formally charged the suspect arrested after threatening demonstrators in front of Vince’s Crabhouse on Saturday.

Keith Francis Duvall (52) of the 700 block of 5th Avenue of Lansdowne is charged with second degree assault, disorderly conduct, and driving under the influence of alcohol after an officer in the area observed him park near the demonstrators and engage them in a verbal exchange. Duvall then returned to his car to retrieve a bat and was stopped by the officer as he approached the demonstrators with the bat in hand. After detecting the odor of an alcoholic beverage on Duvall’s breath, he was administered sobriety tests and placed under arrest.

Duvall was transported to an area hospital for treatment of an undisclosed medical condition and released on his own recognizance yesterday following a bail review hearing.

Fire Spotted at Perry Hall Dollar Tree


Firefighters from the White Marsh Volunteer Fire Company were on the scene of a fire at the Dollar Tree in Perry Hall. The fire was reported on Tuesday night around 7:30 p.m.

Eastbaltco.com was also on the scene. Smoke could be spotted on the inside of the store and there was smoke visible from the top of the store’s roof.

The Dollar Tree is located in the 4300 block of Ebenezer Road.

No injuries were reported at this time.

Essex Resident Charged with Child Pornography


A Corporal in the Towson University Police Department, Peter Publico (53) of the unit block of Lindsey Court of Essex was arrested today and charged with two counts of distributing/promoting child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

The investigation began after police discovered that in February, Publico electronically distributed child pornography to others. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Publico on June 18 and he turned himself into police this morning. Publico is currently held at the Baltimore County Detention Center on a no bail status pending a bail review hearing.

Detectives from the Baltimore County Crimes Against Children Unit are investigating this incident. Anyone who may have additional information on this incident is asked to contact detectives by calling 410-307-2020. Callers may remain anonymous.

Four New Yorkers Arrested During Fraud Case in Essex


Four suspects were arrested on June 17 after police set up and searched a perimeter area around Earhart Road in Essex during a call of a fraud in progress.

Three of the suspects fled the TD Bank in the 1800 block of Eastern Boulevard in Essex when police responded around 11:30 a.m. Officers were given information that one of the suspects may have been armed with a gun, so roadways were closed around Earhart Road as police set up and searched for the suspects. A female suspect, identified as Danielle Guzzetti (52) of the 1400 block of McBride Street in Queens, New York, was arrested on the parking lot of the bank.

The investigation determined that Guzzetti and the three male suspects recently traveled from New York to Baltimore with the intentions of using fake identification cards to defraud various TD Bank facilitates and customers. Wednesday, the suspects drove together to TD Bank on Eastern Boulevard. Guzzetti used a fraudulent identification card at the drive-through teller, asking to be given a debit card associated with an account that did not belong to her. A bank employee recognized the woman’s fraudulent actions and called police.

The three male suspects are identified as Denzil Bailey (22) of the 800 block of Van Siclen Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, Sha-lee Felder (20) of the 300 block of Vernon Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, and Lenny Smalls (19) of the 300 block of Bristol Street in Brooklyn, New York. They were located during the search hiding together in the 1700 block of Earhart Road in Essex

All four suspects are charged with possession/use of a false government identification and displaying the government identification of another. They were all released on their own recognizance.

Olszewski Outlines Police Reform Initiatives for County


Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced a series of steps to improve accountability in the County’s Police Department (BCoPD) and promote more equitable policing.

These steps are the latest efforts by Olszewski’s administration to address systemic challenges and improve relationships between communities and the Police Department.

“The protests we’ve seen in Baltimore County and around the country are shining a bright light on what we already knew—that we have a long way to go to achieve equal justice for African American communities and that local leaders have a responsibility to take action,” Olszewski said. “We are listening to those in our community who have been marginalized, and we are recommitting to making real change.”

Taken together, the steps announced today aim to improve transparency and accountability in the Baltimore County Police Department, create a more diverse police force and improve relations between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.

The steps announced by Olszewski and Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt are:

  • Update Use of Force policy. The Department has previously made a number of improvements to its use of force trainings that are in alignment with police best practices. The trainings include de-escalation training, Integrating Communications, Assessment and Tactics (ICAT), and implicit bias training. Additionally, Chief Hyatt has incorporated into the Department’s Use of Force policy the concept of Sanctity of Life, the Duty to Intervene and Report excessive or unnecessary use of force, and the importance of Constitutional Policing. The County will now sign the Obama Foundation Pledge to review and update its use of force policy with community input.
  • Implement Fair and Impartial Police Training Curriculum for all BCoPD members. The Department will bring in a nationally-recognized police training program on Fair and Impartial Policing to be provided to all BCoPD commanders, officers and employees in the coming year.
  • Increased transparency of complaint, use of force and traffic stop data. In accordance with Olszewski’s commitment to a more transparent, accountable government, the County will build public dashboards displaying data on the number and disposition of complaints against police officers, instances of uses of force and traffic stop data broken down by race.
  • Support state legislation to amend the MPIA to increase transparency related to discipline cases. County leaders will support legislation in Annapolis to amend the Maryland Public Information Act to increase transparency related to the disposition of police disciplinary actions.
  • Conduct independent analysis and review of BCoPD hiring and recruitment practices. The County will hire an independent third-party organization to conduct a comprehensive review of our hiring and recruitment practices, including a review of data for discriminatory impacts or practices in our testing and background investigations.
  • Expand scope and duration of Equitable Policing Workgroup. Olszewski has issued an Executive Order to expand the scope of the Workgroup on Equitable Policing, originally formed to examine traffic stop data. Going forward, the Workgroup will be a permanent advisory group and will focus more broadly on disparities in policing.

“I’m grateful to the men and women of the Baltimore County Police Department who serve honorably and put their lives on the line every day to serve our communities and I believe that these steps will make the Department even stronger,” Olszewski said.

About the Equitable Policing Workgroup

In November 2019, after reviewing traffic stop data showing that African American individuals were issued citations at a higher rate than other individuals, Olszewski created the Workgroup on Equitable Policing to examine policing policies and practices.

Chaired by the County’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Troy Williams, the group has met six times, including two community listening sessions, and will issue a report later this year. Going forward, the group will continue to examine traffic stop data and will also:

  • Review community policing training policies and practices
  • Review oversight systems, seeking community input and identifying best practices
  • Review the internal and external officer complaint and disciplinary process

Williams is the County’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, a position created by Olszewski to help address disparities and promote equity and inclusion countywide.

In addition to the Workgroup on Equitable Policing, Olszewski created a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Community Advisory Council and Employee Advisory Council, both aimed at advancing equity and inclusion in Baltimore County and changing the culture of County government to focus consistently on equity in decision-making.