Author: eastbaltco

Marks Reports Firework Damage to Perry Hall High Turf Field

Councilman David Marks reported that there was damaged to the new turf field at Perry Hall High School and said it was a result of fireworks.

“Last night, someone (or some group) thought it would be amusing to set off firecrackers at the new Perry Hall High School turf field,” Marks said. “The scorched area will be replaced, but if you know who trespassed onto school grounds to set off these fireworks, please call the White Marsh precinct at 410-887-5000.”

Marks explained the turf field at Perry Hall is currently open to the public but last night’s event could result in a change of accessible.

He added that his office and Baltimore County Police are overwhelmed with the complaints of fireworks during this time of year.

“Fourth of July fireworks displays are very tough for the police to enforce – there are just so many. I constantly get complaints about loud noise and the impact on pets. Here, public property was destroyed,” Marks said.

Golden Ring Road Reopens after Police Activity

Golden Ring Road was reopen in Rosedale after the road was shut down for police activity between Wilenoak Court & Akron Road on July 5 around 4 a.m. until the afternoon.

Baltimore County Police reported that a call to 911 was placed at 3:54 a.m. for a non-violent domestic situation. When officers arrived on the scene the occupants refused to communicate with the officers and called 911 back in an attempt to cancel the police response.

Police reported that situation had ended peacefully. There were no indication of any arrests in any social media reports.

State Police Arrest Man After I-695 Pursuit in Parkville

Maryland State Police arrested a man following a pursuit that started on Interstate 695 and ended in a nearby shopping center this morning in Baltimore County.

The suspect, Don Trey Busship Lee George, 23, of Baltimore, was arrested and is charged with providing a false name, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, driving on a suspended license and driving without a license. He was taken to the Maryland State Police Golden Ring Barrack for processing.

Shortly after 7:40 a.m., a trooper from the Maryland State Police Golden Ring Barrack initiated a traffic stop on a green Buick passenger car on the outer loop of I-695 at Perring Parkway in Parkville, Maryland. The suspect driver, later identified as George, provided the trooper a false name. As the trooper re-approached the vehicle, George drove off onto the ramp of Perring Parkway. Once on Perring Parkway the driver exited the vehicle and ran off to the rear of the Perring Plaza shopping center.

Troopers, an Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal unit and several Baltimore County units responded to the area. Investigators said the suspect was soon located on the rear roof of one of the buildings of the shopping center.

According to investigators, George jumped off the roof and began to flee. The suspect was apprehended a short time later. A deputy state fire marshal was transported by ambulance to GBMC for treatment of injuries suffered in the pursuit.

Local Officials Plan Strategy for Middle School Funding

Parents of Perry Hall Middle School have complained about the overcrowding of their middle school and were excited when Baltimore County announced plans to build a new middle school in Nottingham Park on King Avenue and to expand Pine Grove Middle School in Carney.

Those plans got delayed when Baltimore County announced a budget shortfall. There was a bill introduced in the General Assembly that would have given Baltimore County an additional $400 million in school construction but that bill never received a vote in the Maryland Senate.

Councilman David Marks and Baltimore County Board of Education Member Julie Henn held a town hall meeting on Tuesday to discuss the next steps in securing the funding for the new northeast area middle school.

They were joined by Delegates Joe Boteler, Harry Bhandari, and Kathy Szeliga. Marks was impressed with the dozens of residents that came out on a hot and stormy night.

“Despite anger at the delays to the proposed Nottingham Middle School – frustration that I share as a parent – people are engaged and ready to work,” Marks said.

Henn advised Perry Hall residents to attend BCPS school board meetings and to email school board members so they can prioritize the building of the new northeast middle school.

“The Board will receive the Superintendent’s proposed FY2021 State Capital Request in August. The Northeast Area Middle School must remain high on the Board’s list of priorities,” Henn said. “Show up! Be heard! Follow this page for updates and join our email list for more opportunities to help us advocate for our new northeast middle school. “

Marks added that this year’s school construction bill will be submitted early and should be SB 1. Szeliga said that the bill should receive an early bill hearing around mid to late January and advised parents to go down to Annapolis to testify on the bill.

After the new middle school is built, Henn explained that it will remove 300 students away from Perry Hall Middle. One parent said that is minimal and would still like to see a boundary study conducted and feels it is the only way to alleviate overcrowding.

Marks said some of the problems of today are from the past decisions to expand Perry Hall middle and high schools instead of rezoning but said the community needs to focus on the future.

“We came up with a plan to testify throughout the budget process. The handout is (below). Email me at dmarks@baltimorecountymd.gov to be added to the distribution list.

Perry Hall Resident Jim Ports Named MDTA Executive Director

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Board today named James F. Ports, Jr. as Executive Director of the 1,700-employee agency that oversees the state’s eight toll facilities and the E-ZPass Maryland system. Mr. Ports, who is a resident of Perry Hall and former state delegate in District 8, has served as Deputy Secretary of Operations for the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) since 2015. He also previously served as MDOT Deputy Secretary from 2004 to 2007 during the administration of Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. The new position is effective immediately.

“The MDOT family has benefitted tremendously from Jim’s breadth of experience and knowledge in transportation and operations, and I’m confident he will continue to deliver positive results and outstanding customer service at the MDTA,” said Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary and MDTA Chairman Pete K. Rahn.

Prior to being named Deputy Secretary of Operations for MDOT, Mr. Ports served as Administrator and Chief Executive Officer for the Harford County Transit system and as Deputy Administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1991 through 2002.

“I’m honored to have the trust of the Hogan Administration and the Chairman and Board members of the MDTA,” said Executive Director Ports. “Working side by side with the outstanding MDTA team, we’ll build on efforts to serve our citizens by constructing, operating and improving Maryland’s toll facilities. I thank Chief Operating Officer John O’Neill for his leadership as the MDTA’s Acting Executive Director since April.”

The new executive director will manage MDTA daily operations, including the nationally accredited MDTA Police, a $324.4 million annual operating budget and a $3.1 billion six-year capital program.  He also will work with the MDTA Board to establish policy and strategic direction for the agency.   

Executive Director Ports served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Sergeant (E5) and was Crew Chief on a CH-46 helicopter. He earned several military medals including the Marine Expeditionary Medal.  He is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and of the Marine Corps League. 


Essex Precinct school resource officer named an SRO of the Year

 During the annual Baltimore County Public Schools Safe Schools Conference, the school system announced that Officer Carlos Allen, the school resource officer (SRO) for the Essex Precinct, was named the elementary-level School Resource Officer of the Year.

While each BCPS middle and high school has a full-time SRO, at the elementary level, one officer from each precinct provides support to the elementary schools in that area. Officer Allen serves 16 BCPS elementary schools – more than any other SRO serves.

According to school leaders, in his first year in the role, Officer Allen has excelled at becoming an integral member of all the school communities he serves. In addition to monitoring the schools, mentoring students, and assisting when issues or crimes occur, he has handled child abuse cases, made home visits to deliver important documents to families, and participated in school activities. For example, at Sandalwood Elementary, he spoke during the school’s Career Day. At Mars Estates Elementary, he was a guest reader on Read Across America Day. And he participated in the holiday Shop with a Cop initiative with students from Deep Creek Elementary.

In recommending Officer Allen for the honor, Seneca Elementary Principal Jason Feiler wrote, “When entering the building, he always greets students with a smile and works to reinforce the positive role of police in the community. He establishes positive relationships with school staff and is always accessible to discuss situations or address concerns in the school building. When interacting with parents, Officer Allen is supportive and helps parents to better understand the role of the school and SRO in addressing issues.”

Sandalwood Elementary Assistant Principal Colleen Fitzmaurice wrote, “Officer Allen has an opportunity to meet with and interact with many of our families during arrival and dismissal. To help alleviate parent anxiety with the changes made to our response plan toward an intruder in the building and the addition of police presence within elementary schools, Officer Allen held a parent meet and greet at the beginning of the year.” She also noted that, “When he visits our school, he is often walking through the classrooms checking in on our students and providing encouragement. He knows students and calls them by name, often explaining his job to the younger students in our building who look up in awe at him, or using humor and conferencing to deescalate students.”

Officer Allen’s supervisor, Corporal German, wrote that all 16 principals Officer Allen serves “said they can see the positive influence that he has had on the students as a mentor and positive role model.” Corporal German describes Officer Allen as someone with “tenacity, compassion, and a sense of duty.”

Eastern Tech finishes second at National Engineering Design Competition

 Eastern Technical High School’s team finished second overall at the MESA USA National Engineering Design Competition, held June 19 – 21 at the University of Arizona in Tuscon.

The MESA (Math, Engineering & Science Achievement) team from Eastern Tech is comprised of Grade 12 student Aneisa Jangbahadur, 2019 graduate AJ Saquilayan, and Grade 12 student Christopher Tang. A fourth team member, 2019 graduate Hana Harwood, missed the event because of commitments as an incoming Naval Academy Midshipman. The team sponsor is Angela Waldrop, an Eastern Tech engineering teacher.

The competition required the students to use provided technology to develop a device that would help solve a challenge in the community, either for a specific group of people or the community in general.  The device produced by the Eastern Tech students is intended to aid people with vision challenges.  Taken from the students’ printed description, “The proposed device is a pod attached to the bottom of the mobility aid that would allow the user to obtain a better sense of their surroundings through audio and vibrating output. It would help the client to detect his or her proximity from obstacles and should eliminate the fear that exploring unfamiliar environments induces.”

During the national competition, the Eastern Tech students participated in a technical interview, a pitch presentation and a poster symposium for the device, competing against high school teams from at least eight other states. 

To represent Maryland MESA in Tucson, the team initially presented their NEDC device at the Regional MESA BCPS Day in March. Placing first in the NEDC competition at the Regionals meant that the Eastern Tech team represented MESA BCPS in the NEDC Challenge at Maryland MESA Day in May. Their first-place finish at Maryland MESA Day qualified them to compete in the USA NEDC.

Police Investigating Shooting in Essex

At 11:58 p.m. on June 24, 2019, Baltimore County Police responded to a convenience store in the 800-block of S. Marlyn Avenue in Essex for a man suffering from a gunshot wound. Subsequent investigation determined that the victim, a 26-year-old man, was shot by an unknown suspect in the area of S. Marlyn Avenue and Sandalwood Road. The circumstances that led up to the shooting remain under investigation at this time. 

The victim was transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the mid-body. He is expected to survive his injuries. 

The Violent Crimes Unit is handling this case. Please call 410-307-2020 with any information. 

Bevins Withdraws Ebenezer Road Housing Development Bill

Councilwoman Cathy Bevin (D-6) announced on social media that she is withdrawing County Council Bill 30-19 that would have “authoriz(ed) single-family detached dwellings, semi-detached or duplex dwellings and group houses” on Ebenezer Road in Middle River.

“After careful consideration I have decided to withdraw the bill at this time. The bill would have permitted a development as well as a site for a new school on Ebenezer Road,” Bevins wrote in a statement on Monday.

“The lack of adequate school seats has been a challenge for Baltimore County as a whole but particularly in Eastern Baltimore County.”

Ryan Nawrocki, a political rival of Bevins and a community advocate, thanked members of the Middle River community for fighting against this project and credited them for delaying the project

We did it! Thanks to everyone’s hard work and the media coverage we received regarding the community’s concerns, the bill to allow 200 townhouses on the McBride property on Ebenezer Road has been withdrawn,” Nawrocki said. “This is definitely a great victory for the community and shows that when the community works together our voices can’t be ignored.”

Police Investigating Fatal Motorcycle Crash in Essex

Just after 12:30 a.m. on June 22, 2019, Baltimore County Police responded to Windlass Road and Martin Boulevard in Middle River for a crash. A 2019 Harley Davidson Softail Street Bob was traveling southbound on Windlass Drive. The Harley Davidson slid off of the roadway, causing the driver to be ejected off of the motorcycle. The driver was transported to Franklin Square Hospital for medical treatment but was pronounced deceased at 1:23 a.m.

The driver of the motorcycle was identified as Nicholas Steven Green, 28, of the 2200-block of Coralthorn Road, 21220. Crash team officers are continuing their investigation at this time.