Thursday, March 27, 2008 • St. Mary’s County

Thursday, March 27, 2008 • St. Mary’s County, Maryland

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By Guy LeonardStaff Writer

Investigators with the St. Mary’s County Bureau of Criminal Investigations are search-ing for a juvenile they believe was an accom-plice to the armed robbery of a pizza delivery-man March 19.

“The search for the suspect is continu-ing,” said Deputy Cindy Allen, referring to 17-year-old Michael Anthony McCoy, Jr. of

Lexington Park. “He should be considered armed and dangerous.”

The other suspect in the armed robbery, Marquis Anthony Robinson, 18, of Mechan-icsville, has been arrested and charged with armed robbery. He remains incarcerated in

Police Seeking Juvenile In Armed Robbery Case


Authorities with the State Fire Mar-shal’s Office are still looking into details of the fire that destroyed a small, one-story house on Point Lookout Road the evening of March 21, but one thing is definitely known already.

“It’s obviously an incendiary fire,” said Howard Ewing, spokesman for the State Fire Marshal’s Office. “It was in-tentionally set.”

Ewing said investigators are un-sure if an accelerant was used to start the blaze, but he did say they were sure it was started from the interior of the structure and worked its way out.

The house, situated on Robinson Lane in Ridge, was deteriorating and vacant at the time of the blaze, Ewing said.

“It was in the process of falling down,” Ewing told The County Times.

No suspects have been named as of yet in the arson investigation.

The call reporting the blaze came out at about 7 p.m. last Friday, and when nearby firefighters arrived the house was reportedly completely engulfed in flames. Firefighters were able to control the blaze about a half-hour after coming on scene.

No one was injured as a result of the fire, and the loss was estimated to be about $5,000.

One man who lived close by and saw the fire said he originally thought another vacant house just across the street from the one that was destroyed was the one on fire.

He found out soon after it was the one on his side of the road.

“It’s a little too close to home,” the man said.

Ewing said vacant, deteriorating homes like the one on Robinson Lane could pose tempting targets for potential arsonists as well as be liabilities to the property owners when anyone who gains

House In Ridge Set AblazeSee Robbery page A-8

See Arson page A-7

Wildewood residents will have their chance to dis-cuss crime concerns with Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron April 2 when he meets with them during a communi-ty forum from 7p.m. to 9p.m. at the Wildewood Club House.

The Citizen Advisory Board will also meet there from 6p.m. to 7p.m. that evening.

Cameron plans to give citizens a briefing on crime trends in the community and will then host a question and answer session for residents or anyone who wants to address their concerns.

Sheriff To Meet With Wildewood Community

Andrea ShiellStaff Writer

“Did I bring the check? Is that all I’m good for?” laughed Congress-man Steny Hoyer, as students and teachers filtered into the media cen-ter at Spring Ridge Middle School on Tuesday afternoon.

The room was buzzing with dig-nitaries and educators alike when all congregated for a special presen-tation by Hoyer, who came to offi-cially announce his contribution of $487,000 in federal funding for the County’s specialized programming emphasizing the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math-ematics, commonly known as the STEM Academy.

“What a shining example of STEM student success we have here in St. Mary’s County – I am proud to represent a county and a constituency that has taken enormous leadership in preparing young people to excel in science, technology, engineering, and math,” said Hoyer. “I am sure that we can expect great things as a result of the STEM Academy pro-gramming, and I am pleased that the federal government has partnered with you in your quest to educate and prepare tomorrow’s leaders.”

During the presentation, Hoyer also referred to the work of the 110th Congress to advance an Innovation Agenda in an effort to maintain

STEM Program Given Extra Funding

See STEM page A-6

Due to declining seasonal groundwater levels, St. Mary’s County Health Department Environmental Health Services division has suspended wet season perc testing for all soil types. Health department staff conducted the last perc tests for the season on Friday, March 21st. Officials at the health department are citing declining groundwater levels as the reason, made clear by observing conditions within a network of monitor-ing wells in the county. Perc test applications received this season, which have not been scheduled, will be placed on hold and scheduled first when ground water levels are adequate for the next “wet season,” expected in 2009. Applicants may also request a refund, but they must reapply when the “wet season” returns, and they will lose their place in line for scheduling. For more information, contact Environmental Health Services at 301-475-4321.

Health Department Suspends PERC Testing (Courtesy of Leslie Payne of St. Mary’s County Health Department)

Naval officers, family members, county commission-ers, and others were present at the change of command ceremony for Rear Admiral Timothy L. Heely. whose 33 year career with the United States Navy had culminated with his post as the Executive Officer for Unmanned Avi-ation at Patuxent Naval Air Station. Heely was relieved by Rear Admiral William E. Shannon, who will be taking over the position. All members of the St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners were present, as well as Congress-man Steny Hoyer, who delivered a speech for the crowd.

Change of Command Ceremony Draws Local and National Dignitaries

Defence Wins Championships.” – Raider Senior Mike Hebb.

Raiders Boys’ Lacrosse Looks For SMAC Four-Peat

Michael Anthony McCoyPhoto Courtesy of St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Dept.

Photo by Guy LeonardInvestigators with the State Fire Marshal’s Office say that the fire that destroyed this small abandoned house was set intentionally.

Photo by Andrea ShiellCongressmen Stenny Hoyer and Superintendent Michael Martirano

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,March�7,�008

ByGuyLeonardStaffWriter

It’s now the public’s turn to tell the St.Mary’sCountyBoardofCountyCommission-ers what they think of the fiscal 2009 budget theyapprovedbya4-to-1voteTuesday.Resi-dents will get their chance at a public hearing April 22 at Leonardtown High School.

The total budget approved March 25 was $327.5 million, with $194.2 million of that coming from strictly county revenues.

Thetotalcapitalimprovementplanforcon-struction of buildings came to $55.6 million.

Theremainderofthefundsarecomprisedof state and federal monies that go to the Board of Education, Board of Library Trustees and the College of Southern Maryland.

Commissioners approved the budget after weeks of paring down several million dollars tocompensateforexpectedrevenueshortfallsfrom the state; they also chose to keep $2.5 million, what they have termed as a budget stabilization reserve, held back to compensate

foranyofthoseshortfalls.Last week the county commissioners re-

moved about $2.2 million from the budget, with $1.7 million of that coming out of Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron’s budget request.

Commissionersalsohaveheldoffonanyreclassification of pay grades for county em-ployees who have been working at higher re-sponsibilitylevelsthannormalaswellascon-verting long-serving part time employees to fulltimestatusinordertosavemoney.

The sheriff’s office budget allocation in the new budget came out to $30.3 million for a 12.1 percent increase over last year’s budget; but was still short of the original request of $31.5 million.

The Board of Education received just atwo-tenthsofapercentincreaseintheircountyallocation for a total of $76.1 million, but that amount made up part of their total $175.9 mil-lion budget allocation with state and federal funds.

“Itcostsalotofmoneyjusttomaintainthelevel of service,” said Commissioner Thomas Mattingly (D-Leonardtown). “There’ve been a lot of requests turned down in this budget.”

Thetotalmoneyrecommendedinthebud-get for the county commissioners and county administrator’s office totaled $1.26 mil-lion, an 11.5 percent increase over last year’s allocation.

The newly approved Department of Hu-man Services was also included in the budget for a total of about $6.25 million, with about $5.5 million of that coming from grants, ac-cording to the new adopted budget.

The Department of Parks and Recreation receiveda4.4percentincreaseoverlastyear’sbudget to put them at about $3.8 million to op-erated; the Department of Public Works and

Transportation received a budget allocation of $17.5 million for a 5.8 percent increase.

Commissioner Lawrence Jarboe (R-Gold-en Beach) was the lone voice of dissention on approving the budget for public comment. He citedseveralallocationsthatheviewedasun-necessaryexpenditures.

One was the $850,000 budgeted to pay a contractor to take photographs of county homes to aid in better identifying the source of 911calls for emergency responders. Jarboe said that the commissioners have received lettersfrom county residents protesting the project andthatthemoneycouldbeputtobetteruse.

“Now they have the money for taking these photos but it might be better spent towards fire and rescue equipment or giving it back to tax payers.”

Jarboe was also concerned that the com-missioners did not reduce their budget to com-pensate for three fire and rescue tax increases requested by the Hollywood and Lexington Park rescue squads and the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department.

Those increases, which were included in the newly adopted budget, will cause people to pay higher taxes in their districts without any taxreliefelsewhere.

“Traditionally we’ve reduced our budget to compensate for that,” Jarboe said.

He also disapproved of a portable sound stage included in the capital budget that would cost about $130,000 and be used by the commissioners.

“If the commissioners need a stage we’ve got God’s green earth to stand on,” he said.

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Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Stamm sentenced a 20-year-old Mechanicsville man to five years in prison March 21 for his part in beating another man last year while the incident was being taped.

Justin Suite was originally charged with first-degree assault inhisattackonShaneCorcoranandajuvenilenearCopsey’sSeafood Restaurant last June, but took a plea deal to second-degree assault.

Another man charged in the beating, Richard Faxon, 20, of Brandywine, had already pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in the county detention facility.

Prosecutors argued that Suite and other of his confederates

lured Corcoran and the juvenile into a brutal beating that led to serious damage to Corcoran’s left eye.

Public Defender John Getz and a witness for Suite, Amber Cantrell, said Corcoran was not lured into the beating and that he had allegedly touched Suite’s female relative in an unwanted manner, prompting the fight.

Corcoran testified at the sentencing hearing that Cantrell had called him and asked him to hang out with her the day he wasassaultedbySuite.

Despite this, Getz said, the beating Corcoran received at Suite’s hands was not justifiable.

“Myclientadmitsitwasanassault…thatitwasexcessiveforce,” Getz said.

According to court testimony, Corcoran was knocked down andrepeatedlykickedintheheadbyhisassailant.

Moreover, after the assault, the victim and his mother claimedtheywerethevictimsofharassmentandintimidationbySuite’sfriends.

Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel White said those involved in the melee had aspirations of becoming something like a local gang through their actions and associations.

“They wanted to be a gang but they weren’t very good at it,” White said. “That doesn’t mean someone won’t get hurt… they’re involved in very dangerous behavior.”

Getz said his client denied any type of gang activity.For his part Suite attempted an apology to the court for his

actions saying: “I don’t know what to say… I messed up.”StammtoldSuitehewasdisappointedinhisremarksbe-

cause he did not hear “one word of apology” to the victims in thecase.

“Youpermanentlyinjuredsomeone…fortunatelythatper-son did not die,” Judge Stamm told Suite, who had been warned by the judge earlier in court for jeering and acting impatient during the hearing. “You could’ve killed this young man, you could’vefracturedhisskullandyoucould’vekilledhim.

“You go up there [to the Department of Corrections] and you’ll only have one result, and that’s the infirmary.”

Part of Suite’s sentence included four years of supervised probation once he completed his five-year prison sentence.

ManSentencedToFiveYearsForVideoTapedAssault

CommissionersApproveBudgetForPublicHearing

ByAndreaShiellStaffWriter

When first walking in to Shelly Wilson’s home, which doubles as her studio, it was hard not to feel humbled.“It’s takenus twoand ahalfyears to build this home,” she said, adding that there are still plenty of things to do. She walked through her large log cabin, pointing out the details of her design with a passion rivaling that of a professional architect.

And as amember of theBaltimore Videographers As-sociation, Wilson is not only passionate about her home, but about her business as well, providing photography and videography services for cli-ents in Southern Maryland,

Northern Virginia, and D.C., andithasbecomealucrativebusiness. “I’m a Jackie of all trades,” she laughed, pointing to her watercolors, her portrait equipment, and her editing software while juggling an SD video camera. “I like to tell stories, and whatever I can do to tell the story, that’s what I’ll do.”

Wilson was recently honored by the BaltimoreVideographers Association at their annual film festival. taking home four awards. Wilson ended up winning Best of Show for a memo-rial video she had done, and took home first place prizes for unscripted wedding and scripted non-wedding videos, aswell as secondprize forateen safe driving public ser-

vice announcement she haddone.Sheservedaschairmanof the film festival, “but that’s not why I won,” she laughed. There were five people on the board that chose from over 30 entries in categories including unscripted wedding, scripted pieces, unscripted non-wed-dings, and commercials and PSAs.

Wilson explained that the division of wedding and non-wedding categories was crucial, since there are many videographers who only cover weddings. She also explained that the association had tolimitthenumberofentriestothis year’s festival. “Last year we had so many entries wecould barely get through them all,” she said.

“It was a great honor for

me to be awarded with fourawards,” she said. “I actually, unofficially, won five awards. The very first video shown of the night is sort of an un-lucky one. No one wants tobe first. I volunteered to put in a “dummy” video as the very first video. It would have won3rdplaceifithadn’tbeena “dummy” video.”

Wilson described her honor as a surprise, com-menting that she has only been working in videography for four years, but adding, “I can’t imagine doing anything else…I think I’ll die with acamera in my hand.” While reflecting on the videography businessinSt.Mary’sCoun-ty, Wilson noted that she had been all over the world, but shehadfoundhernichetobemost fitting here. “I’m a Hol-lywoodwannabethatlivesina wannabe Hollywood…go figure.”

PortraitoftheArtistLocal Resident Wins Best Of Show at Film Festival

Shelly Wilson took home four awards at the Baltimore Videographers As-sociation film festival, including Best of Show.

Thursday, March 27, 2008 The County Times Section A - �

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SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,March27,2008

Editorial&Opinion

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The County Times

In two related stories on Friday, March 14, The Associated Press reported the options House and Senate members are debating regarding the tax cuts set to expire at the end of 2010. “House Democrats would allow all of the tax cuts to expire, effectively rais-ing taxes by $683 Billion from 2011 through 2013.” “The Democratic-written plan ... passed the House on a 212-207 vote with Republicans unanimously opposing it.” House and Senate Democrats are divided on the issue. However, under both Democratic plans, tax rates would increase by 3 percent for each of the 25 percent, 28 percent and 33 percent brackets. At present, the 25 percent bracket begins at $31,850 for individuals and $63,700 for married couples. Here’s an example of how this plan will affect American taxpayers. For a family in the 25 percent bracket, a jump of 3 percent results in a $1,800 to $2,400 a year increase in taxes. Taxes in 1999 before deductions Taxes in 2008 before deductions Single making 30K - tax $ 5,053 Single making 30K - tax $ 4,099 Single making 50K - tax $10,653 Single making 50K - tax $ 8,844 Single making 75K - tax $18,029 Single making 75K - tax $15,094 Married making 60K - tax $11,204 Married making 60K - tax $ 8,218 Married making 75K - tax $15,404 Married making 75K - tax $11,458 Married making 125K - tax $30,342 Married making 125K - tax $25,958

Iwonderhowmanypeoplewillhavetotakeaparttimejoborworkovertimetopaythisad-ditionaltaxburden?ThisplancomesafterMarylandersrecentlysufferedthebiggesttaxincreasein Maryland history. It’s time to bring the out of control government spending to a halt! The problem is not that Americans pay too little in taxes, it is that Congress spends too much. We need a fiscally responsible leader serving us in the US Congress. That leader is Collins Bailey. Mr. Bailey’swebsitesayshewillopposeanyunbalancedbudget,opposeanycongressionalpayraise,notparticipateinanygovernment-paidjunketoranyotherjunketthathedidnotpayforhimself,opposeanyincreaseinthepoweroftheexecutivebranchorthesizeofthefederalgovernment,op-posegovernmentregulationoftheInternet,opposeincreasedgovernmentregulationsthatwouldmake health care: cost more, be less available or rationed, or decrease quality, not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program. seek to be the taxpayers’ best friend in Congress.Iencourageyoutovisithiswebsite-http://www.baileyforuscongress.com

Cynthia L. Jones Valley Lee

TaxCutstoExpire

St. Mary’s College (SMC) is reveling at the near completion of the 7,000 sq ft – $6.7 millionwaterfrontplayground50feetoff therivers edge. President O’Brien is gloating at hercrushingoftheoppositiontotheboathouse25 feet off the river’s edge. She is selling piec-es of the old boathouse at $300.00 each – seed money for the next project to benefit the rich, powerful and privileged. The board of trust-eeswill likelygiveheran increase fromhercurrent$400,000basesalaryplushertensofthousands of perks.

One only has to drive through St. Mary’s City to see the huge river park project built on fill dirt and wet lands (why else do you pour 20-30 feet concrete footers for the building?). Governor O’Malley said last month “we are going to stop encroachment on our precious

shoreline.” Oh yes, you refused a request to look into St. Mary’s College building on the river’s edge. Now the Governor plans to spend $50,000,000 to preserve the Chesapeake Bay shoreline. Rest assured, St. Mary’s College, St. Mary’s River Watershed Association and the illustrious Professor Bob Paul have their eyesonsomeofthesefundsformoreprojectslike the $2 Million Bridge across Route 5 and shoreline erosion project. Boy, is that an oxy-moron-SMC trying to preserve the river shore-line after they built almost on the rivers edge. Manycountycitizenswhotrytobuildadoghouse within 1,000 feet of the shoreline (18% of St. Mary’s County land is involved) will go throughhellintheapprovalprocessandlikelybe denied. DOUBLE STANDARDS??? Now Maryland wants to add a State Level of Re-

TaxPayersDeserveAnswerson“MoneyTrailatSt.Mary’sCollege”

view to the policy. Too bad Maryland State property onthewaterisnotsubjecttoanylocal review.

Much flap was generated over the original boathouseproject and the loss of thescenicviewoftheriverinour

beautiful first capital of the State of Maryland. ThecollegenowwantstomovetheTolerancestatuefromit’snowscenicviewofthe“sideofthe boathouse”. However, the real key point is how the SMC and its Board of Trustees was very “stealthy” in the approval process with littleornoinputfromthecommunitynorcon-siderationfor themillionscomingoutof taxpayers pockets.

However,therealcrimeistheautonomythecollegehasinitsconstructionandspend-ing. In the mid 1970’s Governor Mandell got approval for SMC to bypass the Mary-land Board of Regents Process. He told then President, Renwick Jackson, to spend, increase staffing, and do what is necessary to meet mid-Atlantic standards and gain ac-creditation. Little did anyone envision that 30 plus years later that SMC is still not subject to oversight from the State on spending. In President O’Brien’s regime the spending and construction has gone through the roofwithonlyacasualapprovalfromtherich,power-fulandpoliticallyconnectedBoardofTrust-ees. No wonder, St. Mary’s College tuition is the highest of Maryland State schools. Would ourtaxpayersapproveofsatellitecampusesinItaly, Africa, Oxford, Costa Rica and Chile? How many tens of thousands of tax payers’money are spent on SMC trips under the guise of “overseas studies”? Think we used to call those “boondoggles” in the Navy?

Morgan State University was granted the sameautonomyfromMaryland in2006andalready there is a scandal and question regard-ing $3 Million in construction projects. The originaldelegatewhosponsored theMorganState exemption is now siding with the Chair-man of the Maryland Appropriations Commit-teewhowarned“autonomyisgrantedanditcan be taken away”. The Baltimore Sun Re-porter, Gadi Dechler, gave a great overviewofthismajorpotentialscandalintheFeb28thBaltimore Sun. Interestingly enough, our own St. Mary’s local delegate, John Bohanon, is chairing the committee investigating thispotential criminal activity at Morgan Stateover construction projects. John – maybe you should chair an investigation into SMC spend-ing and projects over the last 20 years. Where have the Enterprise and Washington reporters been? They were quick to spread the false ar-son threat on the boathouse. Likely this will never happen with the retired editor of the

Washington Post on the Board of Trustees. TheremusthavebeenagreatpipelinetotheMaryland State Legislative funds. Maggie brags“wehavegottenover$100Millionfromthe Maryland State Legislature in the last 10 years”. The pipeline must still be “wide open” as a big sign (with all the politicians names) that says: Coming Soon – SMC Academic Building - $25,399,100. Have you heard it is abureaucratsbuildingwithzeroclassrooms?Maggiehascarefullymanipulated theBoardto include many key players. Congressman, Steny Hoyer gets “earmarks” - (ala pork funds) for SMC waterfront palace and other projects.” DidyouknowthatStenyHoyerisamemberoftheBoardofTrusteeswhodecideshowthesefundsarespent?Doesn’tthatcertainlyappearto be a direct conflict of interest???

Another trustee has been pushing for St. Mary’s Yacht Club and pier extension for years. The Board of Trustees President has a relativeon the rowingclub sohowcouldhereally be impartial when citizens for preser-vation of Historic St. Mary’s City wanted the boathousemovedofftheriversedgeandoutofthe Tolerance Statue (built in 1934 by citizens of Maryland) direct line of sight of the river. Somebody needs to ask the question why $100 milliongetsspentatacollegewith1900stu-dentswhileinstitutionswith5to10timesthenumber of students get fewer Maryland andFederal dollars.

Where there is smoke there is fire!! The Maryland State Legislature needs to investigate how their $100 million was spent at SMC and if all expenditures were necessary and legal. In this day of deficits and the slowing economy, it ishightimetomakepeopleaccountforeverytax payer dollar. Maryland State Senator, Roy Dyson, is the only official who has had the courage to try to stop SMC grandiose projects, buildingontherivershorelineandprudentuseof tax payer’s dollars. He has introduced a bill to strip SMC of their autonomy and put them back under the Maryland Board of Regents so theyhavetoanswerforthetaxpayer’sdollarslike other Maryland colleges and universities. Maybe we have a “Morgan State” scandal in our own back yard?? Let’s have a fair, detailed and independent (not SMC directed) of the collegepast fundingandspendingpresentedopenly to the citizen tax payers of Maryland. It is the RIGHT THING TO DO!!

DonaldBeck

St. Mary’s City, MD

Two recent issuesthat seem to be going in thewrong direction have manyin our community concerned. The decisions and actionsrelative to gaming machinesin St. Mary’s and the annual Sheriff’s Office budget re-quest have suddenly put the new Sheriff on the hot seat.

Cameron seemed to have a real good handle onthe job of Sheriff after hisfirst year in office. A long time veteran of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department, hewasabletohitthegroundrunning. He brought a much-needed moral boost to a de-partment that suffered fromyears of weak leadership.

Cameron’s efforts so far to rid the community ofillegaldrugsandgangrelatedactivitieshavebeenatthefore-front of his first year. While it is a long way from beingcalled a successful strategy,we applaud his efforts so far. It is very important that Cam-eron continue to show large

gains in this effort. While showing good

law enforcement and lead-ership skills, Cameron now faces difficult challenges that will test his political skills. Cameron’s dream was to be-come a Chief of Police, he now finds himself in a politi-calpositionasSheriff,wherethe job requires more than po-lice training.

After four years of seeing spending in the St. Mary’s County Office of the Sheriffincreaseeachyearbydouble digits, the citizens ofSt. Mary’s decided to change its Sheriff.

Tim Cameron easily defeatedformerSheriffDaveZylakonthepromiseofmoreaccountability, fiscal disci-pline, and amore productiveworkforce.

Cameron certainly seemed to understand thatSt. Mary’s County taxpayers couldnotaffordthespiralingincreasesinspendingthattheZylak years had produced,

and seemed to offer voters acommitmenttochangedirec-tioninawaythepubliccouldafford.

With the average citi-zenrealizinglessthana5per-cent increase in incomeeachyear, having the cost of run-ningtheSheriff’sDepartmentincreaseataratetwotothreetimesthatamountfor5yearsinarowislikegaspricesin-crease50centsagalloneveryyear for 5 years in a row.

And that is exactly what has happened to theSheriff’s budget. This year, the Sheriff is expecting tomake it 6 years of spendingincreasesthatfaroutpacetheabilityoftaxpayerstopaythebill.

With nearly one third of the deputies having basesalaries of more than $70,000 per year, and almost all ofthem enjoying healthy over-time salaries, it will be diffi-cult to draw the line. But if Cameron expects to lead this organization for many years

to come, he will have to ex-ercise more fiscal discipline than he has so far.

When the St. Mary’s County States Attorney of-feredhisopinionthatgamingmachines were permissibleunder the law, provided theprofits go to non-profits, Sher-iff Cameron agreed.

Many local busi-nessesinstalledthemachinesthat have been in operationaroundtheStateofMarylandfor years, including Calvert County. Numerous local non-profits were enlisted to receive the proceeds and to-day, many organizations thatprovidemuchneededservicestoourcommunityarerelyinguponthisnewfoundsourceoffunds.

Senator Roy Dy-son,a long timeopponentofslot machines wanted thesemachines removed from St. Mary’s County, so not to up-set the many non-profit or-ganizations benefiting from these machines, asked the

Senator’s from Charles and Calvert Counties to do the job for him.

Senator’s Miller andMiddleton first asked the At-torney General of Marylandto give his interpretation ofthe law. The Attorney Gen-eral’sopinionwasissuedandseemed to suggest that thegaming machines are illegal. On the basis of this opinion, theSheriffdecidedtoinspectthe establishments which of-feredthesemachinesandhasnowdeterminedallestablish-ments have illegal machinesthat must be removed.

TheSheriffhascom-pletely jumped the gun, andwould be wise to think thisthroughmorecarefullybeforetaking any action.

First the Sheriffshould recognize that the At-torney General’s opinion isbased more in politics thanin fact. Attorney General Gansler, in his first term as the Democratic A.G. has aspira-tionsofbeingthenextDemo-cratic Governor of Maryland. His opinion bodes well inmaintaining good relationswithSenatorMikeMillerwhoisprobablythemostpowerfulperson inMaryland’sDemo-cratic Party.

In no other County in

theStateofMarylanddidthelocal Sheriff threaten to re-movethesemachinesaftertheAttorney General’s opinion. Only more specific legislation tothepoint,orajudge’sordershould give the Sheriff thecause to take this radical re-versal of his previous opinion. Hewouldbewisetorelyjustasheavilyonthelegalopinionof his own State’s Attorney as that of the politicians inAnnapolis.

The Maryland Sen-atehasnowpassedlegislationthatwouldessentiallyoutlawthe machines in St. Mary’s County while allowing the samemachinesinothercoun-ties to continue to operate. It seemsthatMillerhasfoundaway to protect the non-profits in Calvert County while tak-ing the revenues away fromthe non-profits in St. Mary’s. While the Senator from St. Mary’s supports this unfairand unequal treatment of non-profits, the Sheriff should wait toseeifthelegislationmakesit’swaythroughtheMarylandHouse of Delegates and issigned into law.

AfterGoodFirstYear,SheriffCameronStumblingInYearTwo


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Terri Bartz Bowles

We are a blessed proud people, those of us who are

able to live in a place with so much history. It’s pretty inter-esting stuff, too, not the some-time boring history some of

you may have slept through in high school. For instance, did you know that the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office was

the first in this new settlement that would become the United States of America? Pretty good, huh?

Now, what is a sheriff and why do we elect one? Some people think electing some-one to a law enforcement po-sition is odd, but it’s rooted in English history and the best part of it is this: the sheriff is responsible to the public, the public elects the sheriff and the sheriff serves the public at their pleasure. Pretty cool, huh? So, here’s the history lesson: there have been ‘sher-iffs’ since the time of Saxon England, 990ish A.D.. but the office, if not the name sheriff, dates back earlier to the reign of Alfred the Great. That’s more than a thousand years! It was Alfred who divided England into geographic units called “shires”; today we call them counties. The shire was led by a chief, who was called a “reeve”. This chief was called a shire-reeve, which

was shortened to shireeve and eventually became sheriff.

When the colonists left England and settled in their New World, they instituted the same government forms they were familiar with, including the Office of Sheriff. Where people settled on plantations and farms, the county system of government worked well and was strong and the Office of Sheriff was an important one. The first sheriffs were appointed but some coun-ties soon began electing their sheriff. The process of elect-ing the sheriff was the one that stuck and centuries later, we’re still electing our sheriff, the guardian of the county, ac-countable to the people of the county.

The first elected sheriff may have been in Virginia in 1651 but most historians agree that America’s first sheriff was James Baldridge, ap-pointed in 1637 as Sheriff of St. Mary’s County. There are

some reports of Lord William Baldridge being appointed in 1634 but I was unable to find data supporting that claim. Thus, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department can proudly call itself “America’s First”.

Interesting stuff, isn’t it? Did you have any idea of the history you’re surrounded by every day? St. Mary’s County is rich in history and you should take advantage of visiting the many historic sites and places of interest. Spring is upon us, seize a warm and sunny day to explore the beauty and history of this lovely county.

Here’s a trivia question for you: Which court is different than you normally think of court, is the last court you’ll need and is a court everyone will use at least once? Answer next week.

You can email the Coun-try Girl at [email protected]

St. Mary’s CitySt. Mary's City

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Circuit Court Judge Karen Abrams has denied a man convicted of a grisly murder that occurred here nearly 13 years ago a new trial, finding no evidence for his claims that he never intended to kill the victim and that the evidence used to convict him has been repeatedly tampered with.

Abrams’ opinion, handed down in late February, is the latest in a long line of at-tempts by Dana Russell Collins, who was assigned as an ensign to Patuxent River Naval Air Station in 1995, to repeal his life sentence for the killing of U.S. Navy Petty Officer Jerry Culbreath.

The killing was apparently provoked by Culbreath having a relationship with Collins’ estranged wife. According to the prosecution, this led Collins to lay in wait for the victim and shoot him in the neck with a crossbow bolt.

In Abrams’ opinion, she wrote that Collins’ claims that bowstrings admit-ted as evidence against him were repeat-edly switched, resulting in prosecutorial misconduct, had no evidence to support them.

Collins did not raise objections about the bowstrings at previous proceedings, her opinion stated, and thus he was not eli-gible for post conviction relief.

Collins claimed that the real bowstrings he purchased had never been used to fire a bolt from the crossbow, her opinion stated, instead Collins asserted that Culbreath died as a result of mutual combat between them when he stabbed Culbreath with a bolt as a defensive weapon.

Abrams said other evidence heard by the jury in Collins most recent trial was enough to find that he had planned to car-ry out Culbreath’s murder, no matter how it actually occurred.

“In this case, [Collins] purchased the crossbow with the intention of killing his

wife’s lover,” Abrams wrote in her opin-ion. “Whether he shot the victim with the crossbow or stabbed him with the bolt is immaterial; he still committed premedi-tated murder.”

A “how-to-kill” note detailing the plot and a chainsaw found in Collins’ truck were pieces to the puzzle that showed Col-lins had premeditated the act, Abrams said in her opinion.

Collins dismembered Culbreath’s corpse after he had killed him, court testi-mony showed.

“All of this evidence was more than sufficient for the jury to find premedita-tion,” Abrams said in her decision. “Thus, any error made was harmless, not prejudi-cial, and did not affect the outcome of the trial.”

Collins’ claims of ineffective counsel also fell short with Abrams’ decision, ac-cording to court documents, because he provided no proof the bowstrings had been switched or tampered with.

Collins’ attorney, then, was not in er-ror for not objecting to their being admit-ted as evidence against him at trial.

Collins originally pleaded guilty to the charge of first-degree murder in 1996, but then argued he was hindered by ineffec-tive counsel and was granted a re-trial in 2003 at the behest of a favorable ruling by the Court of Special Appeals.

Collins was again convicted by a jury of first-degree and second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Several appeals from Collins followed to ameliorate his sentence, which failed and his conviction was upheld.

Collins’ appeared Jan. 11 before Abrams again claiming he was the victim of prosecutorial misconduct and ineffec-tive counsel.

Murderer Serving Life Sentence Denied New Trial


Letters went out the beginning of this

week to all the local business that have been operating electronic gaming ma-chines telling them whether the machines on their premises were legal but those

Business Owners Want Answers On Gambling Machine Mandate

business owners are still confused about the next step they’ll take.

“It was like a form letter,” said Dana Spicuzza owner of Petruzzi’s Italian Bis-tro in California. “It told us we weren’t in compliance but didn’t give us any reasons why.”

Spicuzza said that the letters did not detail whether all the machines in her es-tablishment were legal or whether the non-compliance was based on how proceeds from the machines were dolled out to local charities.

Nor was there a time line given for disposing of the machines that may not be compliant with a recent opinion from the state Attorney General’s office stating that some machines operating here may be against the law.

Spicuzza said she had tried to contact the sheriff’s office for answers to her ques-tions but had not received any answers.

“We’re trying to find out what we’re supposed to be doing… whether we have a time line or not,” Spicuzza said. “If they tell us how to come into compliance we’ll be happy to.”

Two weeks ago, after the opinion from the Attorney General’s office went public, Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron, some of his deputies, along with state troopers and of-ficials from the state Comptroller’s Office checked all the establishments in the coun-ty reputed to operate the electronic gaming machines that resemble slot machines.

Afterwards some business owners went into a holding pattern to see what the compliance checks would reveal, while others decided to do away with their ma-chines completely.

Some sent the machines back to the manufacturers in order to avoid any fur-ther hassles.

Friendly Tavern owner Arthur Pilker-ton was one of them.

“We didn’t want to deal with the head-aches,” Pilkerton said of the five ma-chines he used to operate in his establish-ment. “They were gone before the sheriff came.”

Proceeds from the machines opera-tions were used to benefit the American Legion post in Ridge, Pilkerton said.

But the machines also helped with his business, too.

“They brought business in for me, peo-ple would get lunch, come over and play,”

Pilkerton said. “I wish we still had them.”Deputy Cindy Allen, spokeswoman for

the sheriff’s office, said, in affect, that all the businesses would have their work cut out for them if they wanted to come into compliance with the law.

“There was not one [business] on that list that was 100 percent compliant,” Allen said.

Bob Sorrell’s, owner of Fred’s Liquors in Charlotte Hall, was just as confused about what to do with his gaming ma-chines as Spicuzza.

“My frustration is we don’t know what part’s [of the gaming machine operation] not in compliance so we don’t know what to fix,” Sorrells told The County Times Tuesday. “If it’s just one area of the law maybe it can be fixed, or maybe eve if it’s all five areas of we can fix it.”

Sorrell’s read from the letter that his operation was “not compliant with one or more areas of the law,” but he said, like Spicuzza, that the letter did not say which areas of the law.

Sorrells expressed his frustration at what he called the unfair treatment of St. Mary’s County when it came to gaming machines.

The same gaming machines have been allowed to operate for several years in Calvert and Anne Arundel counties, he argued, and should be shut down if the machines here are not compliant with the law.

A bill strongly supported by State Sen-ate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller (D-Chesapeake Beach) would eliminate such machines throughout the state but would allow places that have operated them for at least a year to remain in operation until January of 2009.

All other machines would have to be shut down by July 1 of this year.

That meant that the machines in Cal-vert and Anne Arundel could be allowed more time to operate while the machines here would be forced to go.

That bill passed the state senate last week by a 45-to-2 vote and is set for a hear-ing in the House of Delegates Thursday.

Lt. Daniel Alioto, commander of the Vice/Narcotics Unit of the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, which has taken over the investigation, would not comment on the matter, but did say that he would answer the questions of business owners to assist them further.

“It’s an open investigation,” Alioto said.

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,March27,2008

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CrimeDoesn’tPay–ButBadWritingDoes!

AcclaimednovelistJoanBradyannouncedrecentlythatshewona$200,000settlementfromashoemanufacturerinBritainafterclaimingthatthefumesfromitsfactoryinthetownofTotneshadsappedhercreativity,forcingher towriteviolentsecond-ratecrimethrillersratherthanliteraryworks.Shesaidthenumbnessinherhandsandlegs,causedbypollutionfromthefactory,hadmadehersettleonmoresimplistic,violentplotlinesasshefocusedheraggressiononthefactoryowners.

HowNottoAvoidaProbationViolation

TwoCalifornians,24year-oldDeniseMcClureand26year-oldKrystalEvans,wereprobably under the influence of drugs when they flagged down a DHL delivery van in an attempttostealtheirurinesamplesfromthedriver.

Bothwomenwereonprobationandrequiredtohaveregulardrugscreenings,andtheybelievedthattheirmostrecentsampleswouldtestpositivefordrugs.

Thewomenhadattemptedtostoponeothervanearlierthatday,andthenightbefore,itwas believed that they had also tried to break into the county probation department.Evanstoldthedrivershehadforgottentopacksomethingandaskedhimtoopenupthebackofthevan,atwhichpointthewomenjumpedinandstartedsearchingfortheirtests.Afterthedriverheardthemlamentingthattheymightgobacktojailifthesamplesweresubmitted, he threatened to call police, at which point the women fled, leaving the samples behind.

Asitturnsout,Evans’sampletestedclean,thoughacheekswabtakenwhenshewasarrestedforherattemptedheisttestedpositiveformethamphetamines.

Gross-OutJellyBeansUnveiled

Customerswhohavesplurgedonextrasweetsthisyearmaybesurprised(ordisgust-ed) by a few new jellybean flavors on the market, including earwax, vomit, moldy cheese, skunkspray,andpencilshavings,tonameafew.

Though savory flavors like garlic or buttered popcorn have been gaining popularity in recentyears,JellyBelly’snewlineof“BeanBoozled”jellybeanshavetakenthesavorytrend to new levels, introducing packages of gross-out flavors that may pack a bit more punchthanexpected.

They come in boxes that include 20 eccentric flavors, each with their own color, and twosharingthesamecolor.Describedasaninteractivetastinggame,JellyBellyspokes-woman Tomi Holt explained that the sharing of colors was meant to trick the tongue. “(It’s) so you don’t know what flavor you are tasting when you taste a white one – coconut or baby wipe.”

St.Patty’sCrackSpecial

Undercover agents in Marrietta, Ohio arrested five suspects from their home and crack-dealingheadquartersafterpurchasing4.37gramsofgreencrack-cocainefromthemoverSt. Patrick’s Day. Washington County Sheriff Larry R. Mincks said the discovery may havebeenacoincidencesincepeoplehadbeenknowntocolorcrackinthehopesthatau-thoritieswouldthinkitwascandy.Butsimilararrestshavebeenmadeovertheholidays.

One deputy had arrested someone carrying purple crack rocks one Spring, aroundEaster time, and another deputy had confiscated red crack around Christmas.

“I don’t know if they’re Irish or not,” said Mincks of the suspects. “Maybe they just wantedtocelebratetheholiday.”

CruelandUnusualPunishment…OrDinner?

Whatmaysoundlikehealthyprisonfoodisnowbeingcalledcruelandunusualpun-ishmentbyprisoners.

Amixtureofcubedwholewheatbread,nondairycheese,rawcarrots,spinach,seed-less raisins, beans, vegetable oil, tomato paste, powdered milk, and dehydrated potatoflakes commonly called “nutriloaf” is now the subject of a class action lawsuit being waged by the National Prison Project of the ACLU against prisons that serve the concoction.

Prison officials call it a complete meal, which is served very rarely to prisoners who have misbehaved and are put into solitary confinement, but prisoners claim that the recipe issoawfulthattheywouldrathergohungry.

Similarrecipeshavebeenusedinprisonsfordecades,servedaspunishmentforpris-onerswhothrowurine,feces,trays,orutensilsatguards,anditseemstohavethedesiredeffect.

This is not the first time that courts have been asked to weigh in on the food. In 1978, theUnitedStatesSupremeCourtruledthat“gruel,”arecipeusedinArkansas,may“betolerableforafewdaysandintolerablycruelforweeksormonths.”

In 1988, a federal court ruled that serving nutriloaf counted as punishment. Prison of-ficials defend the concoction, however, saying that prisoners are given due process before beingputontheunsavorydiet.

CulturesDifferentFromOurs

In an effort to harness the power of popular culture in diplomacy, Japan has recently createdanunusualgovernmentpost;an“animeambassador.”

ApopularcartoonrobotcatnamedDoraemonwasappointedtothepositionbyFor-eignMinisterMasahikoKomura“todeepenpeople’sunderstandingofJapansotheywillbecomefriendswithJapan.”

CreatedbycartoonistFujikoF.Fujio,Doraemonhasbecomeapopularculturalicon,especiallyinAsia.Theroboticcattravelsbackintimeusingdeviceslikeatimemachineandan“anywheredoor”tohelphisfriendstimetravel.

Atthecat’sinduction,actressWasabiMizuta,speakingDoraemon’spartfrombehinda paper screen, said, “I hope to convey to people abroad what ordinary Japanese people think,ourlifestyleandwhatkindoffuturewewanttobuild.”

One of your neighbors has a new car – one of those high-mileage vehicles – and it’s pretty impressive.You’rethinkingyoumightgocar-shoppingsoon.

Last week, you bought a new cell phone on the advice of a co-worker. Hers has all these features and you could see the benefits of owning one yourself. In fact, you told your brother aboutitandhe’sgettingone,too.

You think you’re being smart. In the new book “TheMiddle-ClassMillionaire”byRussAlanPrinceandLewisSchiff,you’llseethatyou’reverysmart,butyou’realsobeingswayedbyanewclassofJonesesyoucan’twaittokeepupwith.

In places all over, suburbs are planned and built to cater to people who want to live in a Leave-It-to-Beaver-like neighborhood. If the suburb already exists, perfectly good houses are being torndownandreplacedwith“McMansions”. Peopleare joiningeliteclubs thatofferluxury “cabins” to members for family vacations. Parents are sending their kids to Ivy-League colleges,notjustfortheeducation,butalsoforthe“contacts”they’llgain.

What’sgoingon?PrinceandSchiffsaythatarecentstudydoneonbehalfofamagazineyieldedsomeintrigu-

ing information: people with extremely high net worth ($10 million or more) rarely influence the buyingdecisionsofothers.Theydon’traveabouttheirpurchases,andtheydon’tinteractwithpeopleenoughtoswayshoppinghabits.

Surprisingly, those with less money are the ones with influence. People with net worth between $1 million and $10 million dollars – a sociological group the authors call Middle-Class Millionaires – are the ones we watch.

MostMiddle-ClassMillionaires,theauthorssay,arebabyboomerswhomadetheirmoneyratherthaninheritedit.They’retechnology-minded,withanentrepreneurialstreak.They’refamily-focused, but work hard. Hobbies are great, but they’d rather make money than tinker. “Experiences” are better than possessions. And quitting? It’s not an option for them.

Butdoes it reallymatterwhereanybody fallson thescale?According to theauthors, itdoes.Middle-ClassMillionairesarechangingthewaygovernmentisrun,purchasesaremade,productsaremanufactured,andcitiesareplanned.Smartentrepreneursarestartingbusinessesto make the MCM’s life easier. Savvy corporations recognize their influence. Educators are guidingthenextgenerationofMCMstothefuture.

I’m a ways away from the minimum net-worth, but I was intrigued by this book. I have many of the traits. Am I a Middle-Class Millionaire in the works?

Authors Russ Alan Prince and Lewis Schiff indicate that it’s possible. There’s a short ques-tionnaireinherethatwillhelpyoudecideifyouhavewhatittakes,andadviceonchangingyourself if you don’t. This book fascinated me, and I think it’s important information in today’s economy,nomatterwhereyoufallinline.

If you’ve been influenced by a member of this shrewdly-affecting group – and the authors say we all have – then pick up this book. “The Middle-Class Millionaire” gives you hundreds oflittlereasonstowatchtheJonesesclosely.

“TheMiddle-ClassMillionaire”byRussAlanPrinceandLewisSchiffc.2008, Currency Doubleday $23.95 / $27.95 Canada 228 pages, includes index

America’s leadership in theglobalmarket-place.“Somuchofthenewglobaleconomyisgoingtobefocusedonscience,technolo-gy,engineering,andmathematics,”hesaid,adding that it is the responsibility of edu-cators to get their students enthused aboutlearning.

Board of Education members were nodoubt enthusiastic about the presentation.School Superintendent Michael Martiranodescribed himself as “elated.” “It shows thattheybelieveinwhatwe’redoing,”saidboardmemberBillMattingly.

Chief Academic Officer Linda Dudder-ar said that because the fundswouldmostlikelynotberecurring, themajorityof thefundingwouldbeusedfortextbooks,inter-active technology, lab equipment, comput-ers, professional development, and train-ing. Martiranoechoed thisby saying that

thefundingwouldnotbeusedforstaff,butratherfor“bigticket”itemsthattheschoolsystemmightnototherwisebeabletobuy.

Hoyer did forecast an increase in spend-ingforsimilarSTEMprograms,sayingthatCongressis tryingtoallocate$43.3billionforSTEMresearchandeducationprogramsacrossthecountry.

Hoyer had a few comments on his al-location of what he called a “good pieceof change” for St. Mary’s County PublicSchools. “Whenyouhear the controversyon capital hill about pork,” said Hoyer, “un-derstand that there is good pork and badpork…andthisisgoodpork.”

County Commissioner Daniel Raley echoed that sentiment, calling Hoyer’s re-marksappropriate.“Thisisgoodpork,”heagreed.“Abridgetonowhereisbadpork.”

Dudderarhadsimilarcommentsasshelistedoffsomeoftheitemsthatthefundingwouldbeused for, saying, “wearealwaysgrateful for, and ever hopeful for, positivepork.”

STEMContinued from page A-�

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A 45-year-old Lexington Park man will spend the next three years in the county deten-tion center for having sex with a 14-year-old girl that resulted in her becoming pregnant and his pouring gasoline throughout his house in an apparent attempt to burn it down with it.

Keith Leonard Mackall received his sen-tence from Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Stamm March 21, as well as authorization to get work release to help pay child support for the child he fathered from the relationship with the then juvenile.

Mackall entered an Alford plea to the third degree-sex offense with the juvenile, which apparently occurred back in 2005. The Alford

plea meant that Mackall claimed his innocence of the charge but admitted there was enough evidence to convict him of the crime.

Mackall said in court he was suffering from a great deal of stress around the time of the attempted arson in August of last year but was on medication now to deal with his mental problems.

During the time of the attempted arson, Mackall had become embroiled in a domes-tic dispute with his girlfriend at the time that had spanned several days, according to court testimony.

At the end of those several days, court tes-timony showed, he had called his girlfriend, threatened to kill her if she left him and also threatened to burn down their house on Spit-fire Court in Lexington Park.

Investigators found that Mackall had poured about five gallons of gasoline in differ-ent areas in the house in preparation to burn it down but revealed that he had also started to clean up the accelerant by the time they ar-rived, apparently eschewing any thoughts of setting himself ablaze.

“I think you have some mental health is-sues,” Judge Stamm said to Mackall. “You put yourself in a tough time.

“It’s fortunate that you didn’t burn your-self up.”

According to Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Stanalonis, Mackall will have to reg-ister as a convicted sex offender as part of his two consecutive 18-month sentences in the county detention center.

Man Sentenced For Sex Offense, Attempted Arson

access to the homes gets in-jured on the premises.

“That’s always a con-cern when there are vacant houses around,” Ewing said. “The logical thing to do is to tear it down; there’s a liability there.”

Francis J. Raley, chief of the Ridge Volunteer Fire De-partment, said the old build-ing was used yeas ago by the department as a training house when he first became a member. He added that it was especially susceptible to fire because of its age.

He could see a large col-umn of smoke from his van-tage point at home rising from the site of the blaze, he said.

There are a significant number of such buildings in the Ridge area, Raley said, and property owners often do not tear down old structures because they want to wait to get permits from the county first to build anew.

Raley said he believed the arson was an isolated, though disturbing, incident. The main danger to these old, abandoned structures and houses would likely be more from accidental fire and not from arson.

“This is the first incident [of arson] we’ve had down here in a while,” Raley said. “Hopefully, it won’t turn into anything more.”

ArsonContinued from page A-�

Andrea ShiellStaff Writer

As students and dignitar-ies crowded into the media center at Spring Ridge Middle School to welcome Congress-man Steny Hoyer for his pre-sentation of funding for the Science Technology Engineer-ing and Math (STEM) pro-gram, an impromptu celebra-tion broke out as eighth grade math teacher Bonnie Beavan entered the room. Beavan has been named St. Mary’s Coun-ty Public Schools 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year.

“Doctor Weiland came to the school and asked me if Id like to represent the county as teacher of the year,” Beavan said. “This was at the end of February…so I knew, but I wasn’t expecting this…they caught me off guard.”

Hoyer greeted Beavan at the podium and took the op-portunity to speak to her stu-dents, who had amassed in the media center to watch her be-ing honored. “I came here just to talk about a few dollars,” he said, shaking Beavan’s hand. “But this is more important.”

“Ms. Beavan is an ex-traordinary teacher who has changed the lives of many

students,” said superintendent Michael Martirano. “She ex-udes care and compassion, is fully committed to the success of each one of her students, and finds a way to reach each one of them regardless of their academic level.”

Beavan earned her Bach-elor of Arts degree in human studies from St. Mary’s Col-lege of Maryland in 2003, and her Master of Arts degree in leadership in teaching from the College of Notre Dame in 2007. She has served as a mathematics teacher at Spring Ridge Middle School since joining the school system in 2003. In conjunction with her teaching responsibilities, Beavan serves as a statisti-cian and a gym supervisor for St. Mary’s County Recre-ation and Parks, and she also has experience serving as a teaching intern and a leader for Young Life, a nonprofit Christian organization that mentors children. She has also been a basketball coach, a camp counselor, a Sunday school teacher, and a child-care provider.

With enough activity in her scant five years of teach-ing to make the most seasoned educator’s head spin, Beavan

exclaims, “I like to be busy…plus everything I do, I get to work with kids, and that’s the best part.”

“While her efforts are exceptional, Ms. Beavan’s results with students are phenomenal,” wrote Kathy Norton, assistant principal of Spring Ridge Middle School, in her letter of recommenda-tion. “Her students’ quarterly assessments exceed all other math teachers in the county.

Some of her students who be-gan this year with basic (below average) scores are achieving advanced scores consistent-ly. She not only has closed the achievement gap for our students, but outperformed all others on the Adequately Yearly Growth Charts.”

All county Teacher of the Year representatives will be honored by the Maryland State Department of Education dur-ing a meeting and luncheon in Baltimore on May 29th.

Beavan will represent St. Mary’s County Public Schools as a candidate for Maryland Teacher of the Year, the award for which will be announced at a banquet held in Baltimore on October 3rd.

When asked about her am-bitions for the coveted state or national honor, Beavan said, “it would be really cool…but given a choice I’d rather that we make AYP (Annual Year-ly Progress)…last year we al-most made it. We missed it by one category.”

So for Beavan, it truly has been all about the stu-dents, who she described as “students of the year” during her speech, and who wrote glowing descriptions of their teacher, some of which were read at the ceremony. “I feel like I was the only teacher on Spring Break that missed school and wanted to come back,” she said, smiling as she held a box of tissues.

Bonnie Beavan Named Teacher Of The Year

Photo by Andrea ShiellSuperintendent Michael Martirano, Bonnie Beavan, and Congressman Steny Hoyer.

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,March27,200�

theSt.Mary’sCountyDetentionCenteronanobondstatus.

According to District Court chargingdocumentsagainstRobinson,thepizzadeliv-erymanwhowasallegedlyrobbedbythetwosuspectsmadecontactwithoneofthem,Mc-Coy,betweentheapartmentbuildingtowhichhehadjustmadeadeliveryandhisvehicle.

Charging documents are not clear, butseemtoindicateMcCoy,notedasthe“co-de-fendant,”asthesuspectwhoproducedashot-gunanddemandedmoneyofthevictim.

“We believe McCoy is the one whoactually had the weapon,” said BCI com-manderLt.RickBurris,whoaddedthatthiswas probably the first armed robbery of the year.

“Definitely armed robberies have been down,wemadealotof[armedrobbery]ar-restslastyear.

“Thisisanisolatedincident;wehavenootherincidentslinkedtothesesuspects.”

Chargingdocumentsallegethatafterthetwosuspectstookanundisclosedamountofmoney from thevictim, theyproceeded tosearchhiscar.Andstolehiscellularphone.

Both suspects fled the scene after the alleged robbery, information from BCIindicated.

Accordingtochargingdocuments,twofemale witnesses, who were also the sus-pects’ girlfriends, claimed that both Rob-inson andMcCoy told them that they had“robbedthepizzaguy.”

They also confirmed to their girlfriends, chargingdocumentsalleged,thattheyhadsto-lenthevictim’scellphone.

Robinson is scheduled for a preliminaryhearinginDistrictCourtApril17.

McCoy is described as a black male,standing6feet,1inchtall,andweighing150pounds.

Anyone with information on McCoy’swhereabouts is asked to call BCI detectivesat301-475-4200ext.9058orCrimeSolversat301-475-3333.

RobberyContinued from page A-�


TheSt.Mary’sCountyPlanningCom-missionvotedMondaynighttorecommenddenyingapprovalforaproposedhigh-den-sity development on St.AndrewsChurchRoad thatcouldnet thecountyadonatedsiteforanewelementaryschool.

ShelbyGuazzo,thecommissionmem-ber who made the motion to recommenddenyingapproval forSt.Mary’sCrossingto the Board of County Commissionerscitedtrafficcongestionandenvironmentalhealthamongthechiefconcerns.

She said that St. Andrews ChurchRoadisalreadyacommutercorridor thatfunnels traffic to Patuxent River NavalAirStation,and868dwellingunitsplusanelementaryschoolfor535childrenwouldgeneratetoomuchtraffictof lowfreelyontheroad.

The section of Route 4 had enoughproblems as it is, she told The CountyTimes.

“Whileit’shighlyusedtrafficcorridorit’snotbuilt thatway,”Guazzosaid.“Wejust cannot take the chance [of jammingtraffic further] not for 868 houses plus aschoolfor535children.”

Guazzo said the development, whichwouldtakeplaceonalittlemorethan100acres,would alsopresent a danger to thehealthoftheSt.Mary’sRiverasitwas“attheupperreaches”ofthewaterway.

Shesaidshewasconcernedthatsedi-ment erosion from thedevelopmentbuildoutcouldfoulstreamsandcreeksnearby.

Thedebatebetweenthedeveloper,St.Mary’s Crossing LLC, and the planningcommission has been going on for the

past eight months with both sides unabletoreachagreementontermsforapprovingtheplannedunitdevelopment,whichmustbeapprovedbythecountycommissionersbecauseitdoesnotfallstrictlywithinthecounty’szoningordinance.

JohnNorris,attorneyforthedevelop-er,saidthatthedecisionofthecommissionwas puzzling and that their decision wasmade on technical aspects of the project,liketrafficf low,thatcouldbemitigated.

“What they said is in direct conflictwith the zoning ordinance,” Norris said.“Itwasreallyonodddecision;itwaskindofoutofleftfield.”

Norrissaidthatthecommissionjeopar-dizednotonlythepossibilityofthecountygetting a donated school site, which washighlyprizedbythecountypublicschoolsystem,butalsotheextensionofwaterandsewer to that portion of the developmentdistrict.

Thecountycouldalsostandtoloseouton150unitsofworkforcehousing,whichareingreatdemandandshortsupply,Nor-rissaid.

Norris said he had hopes the countycommissioners would override the plan-ning commission’s recommendationwhen the development came up for finalapproval.

Guazzo said that while the developermighthave“dottedallthe‘i’s’andcrossedallthe‘t’s’”theystilldidn’tmeetthecon-cerns that the commissionhad, even if itmeant possibly turning down a site for anewschool.

“They have to offer something extraand above ordinary for the benefit of thecounty,”Guazzosaid.

PlanningCommissionRecommendsDenialOfSt.Mary’sCrossing

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Marquis Anthony RobinsonPhoto Courtesy of St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Dept.


Mildred “Millie” Camile Carter, 48

Mildred “Millie” Camile Carter, 48, of Lex-ington Park died March 19 in the University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore

Born May 11, 1959 in Hollywood, Calif., she was the daughter of the late Walter B. Johnson and Do-ris F. Healy.

Millie graduated from Chopticon High School and attended the Commu-nity College for two years where she received her Nursing License. Millie worked at the St. Mary’s Nursing Center in Leon-ardtown for twenty-three years. She also worked at the Charlotte Hall Veter-ans Home, for temporary agencies, and was last em-ployed at the Bayside Nurs-ing Center. Millie married Stewart M. Carter, Sr. Sept. 1, 1999. She was a member of the Mechanicsville Wor-ship Center in Mechanics-ville. Millie loved to sing, dance, read, knit and play scrabble. She was also an avid Redskins fan.

Millie is survived by her husband, Stewart M. Carter, Sr. of Lexington Park, four children; Ronald D. Campbell (Kirby) of Ha-waii, Larissa A. Campbell of Atlanta, Ga., Stewart M. Carter, Jr. and Steven S. Carter both of Lexington Park, two grandchildren; Jaron Campbell, and Jay-len Campbell both of Ha-waii, seven siblings; Walter Johnson (Cindy) of Panama City, Fla., Emory Johnson (Debbie) of Bushwood, Martha Lamb (Douglas) of Mechanicsville, Mary Gail Peterson (Robert) of Cali-fornia, Michael Healy of Mechanicsville, John Healy of California, and Andrew Johnson of Mechanicsville, mother in law, Catherine Carter of St. Inigoes, seven brothers-in-law, five sis-ters-in-law, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her father, Walter B. Johnson and followed by her mother, Doris F. Healy March 21, 2008.

The family received friends Wednesday, March 26 from 9 – 11 a.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home Chapel, Leonard-town. A funeral service was conducted by Pas-tor John Smith, Jr. at 11 a.m. Interment followed in Charles Memorial Gardens, Leonardtown.

Condolences may be made to the family at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown

Barbara “Jean” Hayden, 6�

Barbara “Jean” Hayden, 69, of Hollywood, died March 17 in her residence.

Born June 26, 1938 in Hollywood she was the daughter of the late George Willard and Julia Christine Newton Clarke, Sr.

She was preceded in death by her husband Rob-ert W. “Toots” Hayden April 14, 1990. She was the lov-ing mother of Joseph Her-bert and his wife Cheryll of Mechanicsville, Brenda Galiton and her husband Spencer of St. George’s Is-land, Donna Walls and her husband Kevin of Quaker-town, Pa., Donald B. Gray of Hollywood, and son-in-law Daniel Larkin of Holly-wood; seven grandchildren and her sister Nita Herbert of Hollywood. She was also preceded in death by her siblings Ruth Bostic, Ruby Conway, Ann Hope Abell, George Willard Clarke, Jr. and Lambert Clarke.

The family received friends in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home Wednesday, March 19 from 5 – 8 p.m. with prayers be-ing said at 7 p.m. A Fu-neral Service was held in the Mattingley-Gar-diner Funeral Home Cha-pel Thursday, March 20 at noon with Fr. Raymond Schmidt officiating. Inter-ment followed in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, Hol-lywood. Pallbearers were Robert Clarke Abell, J. B. Abell, Jr., James W. Abell, Sr., Michael Clarke, John Samuel and Randy Abell. Honorary Pallbearers were Richard Larkin, Andrew Walls, Jessica Herbert, Donald M. Gray, Robert Herbert, Megan Walls and Andrew Mills.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Alice Louise Lyon, �1

Alice Louise Lyon, 91, of Clements, died March 19, 2008 in St. Mary’s Hospital.

Born Oct. 29, 1916 in St. Mary’s County she was the daughter of the late Herbert Lumbly and Sara Anna Rice Higgs.

She was preceded in death by her husband Hence Lyon in May of 1994, whom she married Feb. 14, 1930 in Leonardtown.

She is survived by her children: Roberta Keen-an of Hollywood, Shirley Morgan of Maddox, Md., Thummy Lyon and his wife Brenda of North Beach, Teenie Lacey and her hus-band Bernard of Abell, Ma-rie K. Pilkerton of Avenue and Saunders Ed Lyon of Clements; sister Marie Bowling of Accokeek; 19 grandchildren; 31 great grandchildren and 32 great-great grandchildren. She was also preceded in death by her children Kate Emma Harris, Truman Lyon and Roselie Lee Russell; sib-lings: Mamie Koller, Gor-man Higgs, Herman Higgs and Robert Lee Higgs.

Mrs. Lyon was a life-long St. Mary’s County resident where she was a homemaker. She loved her grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and her little dog pepper. She made good homemade biscuits, and en-joyed going to thrift stores, collecting dolls, shopping for rings and watching old movies.

A Funeral Service was held Tuesday, March 25 at 10 a.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Jessie Neat officiating. Interment followed in Charles Memo-rial Gardens, Leonardtown. Pallbearers will be Cindy Pilkerton, Jim Morgan, Jo-seph Lee Russell, Jr., Re-becca Russell, Harry Far-rell, Jr. and Pat Lyon.


John “JoJo” Andrew Mattingly, Sr., 60

John “JoJo” Andrew Mattingly, Sr., 60 of Leon-ardtown, died March 23 in his home in Leonardtown.

Born May 15, 1947 in Leonardtown, he was the son of the late James “Book-er” Virgil and Fayrene Hall-mark Mattingly. He was the loving husband of Sara (Sally) Farr Mattingly.

He is survived by son, John A. Mattingly, Jr., and his wife Heather of Leon-ardtown and his daughter Danielle S. Edwards and her husband George of Roanoke, Va. as well as his grandchildren; Timothy J. Corley, Lauren E. Mat-tingly, Cole J. Mattingly and Julia C. Mattingly. He is also survived by his brother James V. Mat-tingly, Jr., of Arlington, Va. and his sisters Kather-ine Frazier, Rosemary Cox and Patricia Robrecht and her husband Jimmy, all of Leonardtown.

Mr. Mattingly was in the first graduating class of Chopticon High School – 1966. He completed an electronics apprenticeship and was a technician for the U.S. Navy at Patuxent Riv-er Naval Air Station where he installed and maintained instrumentation devices in attack and fighter aircraft from which he retired in 1982.

He was a life-long Washington Redskins fan. He also enjoyed his Indian motorcycle and restoring older model cars.

The family received friends Tuesday, March 25 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Mat-tingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, with Prayers being said at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial was cel-ebrated Wednesday, March 26 at 10 a.m. in St. Joseph Catholic Church, Morgan-za, with Fr. Keith Woods officiating. Interment fol-lowed in the Queen of Peace Cemetery, Helen. Pallbear-ers were Jeffrey Frazier, Jim Robrecht, Christopher Cox, King Norris, Frank Fenwick and Bryan Bar-thelme. Honorary pallbear-ers were his grandchildren.

Contributions may be made to the Leonardtown Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 299, Leonard-town, MD 20650.


Ersel Virginia Melton, 86

Ersel Virginia Melton, 86, of Lexington Park died

March 17 in St. Mary’s Hospital, Leonardtown.

Born Nov. 22, 1921 in Winston Salem, N.C., she was the daughter of the late Eustis Holder and Matilda Welch Holder.

Mrs. Melton is survived by a son, Rohn Melton of Lexington Park, a daughter, Brenda Bentely of Rich-mond, Va., three grand-children, and three great grandchildren. In addition to her parents, she is prede-ceased by her husband Cul-len Lewis Melton.

The family received relatives and friends Thurs-day, March 20 from 9 – 11 a.m. in the Brinsfield Fu-neral Home Chapel. A fu-neral service was conduct-ed at 11 a.m. Interment fol-lowed in Charles Memorial Gardens, Leonardtown.

Condolences to the fam-ily may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown.

Roselie “Rose” Lee Russell, 55

Roselie “Rose” Lee Russell, 55, of Abell, Md. died March 20 in her home.

Born Oct. 17, 1952 in Baltimore, Md. she was the daughter of Roberta Lyon Keenan of Hollywood, Md. and the late Freddy Gray and raised by the late Hen-son and Alice Lyon.

She was the loving wife of Joseph Lee Russell, Sr. whom she married Dec. 17, 1971 in Holy Angels Catho-lic Church, Avenue.

She is survived by her son Joseph Lee Russell, Jr. of Abell; siblings: Ma-rie K. Pilkerton of Avenue and Saunders “Sambo” Ed Lyon of Clements; and six grandchildren: Rebecca Russell, Courtney Russell, Cody Russell, Tiffani Rus-sell, Destiny Russell and Anthony Russell.

Rose was a lifelong St. Mary’s County resident where she was a water-woman for 36 years. She enjoyed taking care of her grandchildren, spending time on the water, doing crafts and cooking.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Mon-day, March 24 at 10 a.m. in Holy Angels Catholic Church, Avenue, with Fr. William Gurnee officiat-ing. Interment followed in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Bushwood. Pallbearers were Joseph Lee Russell, Jr., Timmy Goldsborough, Cindy Pilkerton, Kenny Ryce, Jim Morgan and Re-becca Russell. Honorary Pallbearers were Joseph Bubba Pilkerton, Bill Ow-ens, Jim Russell, Harry V. Pilkerton, Jr., Thomas Goldsborough and Bernard Lacey.


James Clark Williams, Sr. 8�

James Clark Williams, Sr. 89, of Callaway died March 14 in St. Mary’s Hospital.

Born April 7, 1918, in Mechanicsville, he was

the son of the late John Chun and Ada Mae Drury Williams.

He was the loving hus-band of Ellen Dora (Bean) Williams who preceded him in death Feb. 10, 2003. They were married April 26, 1943 at Holy Face Church in Great Mills.

He is survived by his fourteen children; Eliza-beth Norris and her hus-band Chally of Leonard-town, Jimmy Williams and his wife Tina of California, Ellen Ball and her late hus-band Charles of Leonar-dtown, Janice Hammett and her husband Wayne of Great Mills, Gary Williams and his wife Cathy of Hol-lywood, Johnny Williams and his wife Jenny of Cali-fornia, Susan Redmond and her husband Johnny of Leonardtown, (Twins) Joe Williams and his wife Rebecca of Leonardtown, and Mary Garner and her husband Boots of Holly-wood, (Twins) Jack Wil-liams and his wife June of Leonardtown, and Jackie Mays and her husband Mike of Callaway, Patricia Howes and her husband Randy of Edgewater, Ron-nie Williams and his wife Kathy of Leonardtown, and Karen Bailey and her hus-band John of Clements; as well as 29 grandchildren; Wally, Joey, Brenda, Jim, Andy, Vicki, Wayne, Kim, Brian, Melissa, Gary Jr., J.F., Jennifer, Tony, Veron-ica, Valerie, Steve, Chris, Michelle, Darrell, Jessica, Justin, Julie, Amanda, Da-vid, Matthew, Maria, Rob-ert and Brittani; and 21 great-grandchildren; Jake, Madison, Mariah, Eric, Taylor, Shoneta, Charlotte, Ashley, Madeline, Olivia, Blake, Sabrina, Tyler, Ken-dall, Jackson, Lilly, Casey, Cory, Kaleb, Cadence, Pay-ton. He is also survived by his sister Mary Dyson of Leonardtown, and one brother Jack Williams of Brookville, Md.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved wife Ella, his in-fant daughter, his grand-daughter Samantha Bailey, his son-in-law Charles Ball, and three brothers, Stanley Williams, Thomas Wil-liams and Guy Williams.

Mr. Williams was a lifelong farmer and loved working the land with his tractors. He supplemented his farm income with the following jobs: He worked for Bell Motor Company, Inc. where he transported farm equipment from fac-tories all over the country to Bell Motor Company for them to be sold; he worked at McKay’s Implement on farm equipment; he drove a cement mixer and dump trucks for Charles County Concrete; he delivered the Washington Star Newspa-per in St. Mary’s County; he drove school buses for St. Mary’s County public and parochial schools; and he was a landfill atten-dant for St. Mary’s County Government.

He enjoyed garden-ing; loved bluegrass music; playing cards, especially pitch and poker; watching NASCAR races hoping for a Dale Sr. or Dale Jr. win; he enjoyed watching base-ball; watching his family play softball; going fish-ing and hunting, especially foxhunting; and in his later years caring for his beloved cat “Rabbit”.

The family received friends Tuesday, March 18 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Fu-neral Home, Leonardtown where prayers were said at 7 p.m. A Mass of Chris-tian Burial was celebrated Wednesday, March 19 at 10 a.m. at Holy Face Catholic Church in Great Mills, with Fr. Joseph Sileo officiating. Interment followed in the church cemetery.

Pallbearers were his six sons James C. Williams, Jr., Gary B. Williams, Sr., John F. Williams Sr., Jo-seph S. Williams, Sr., Jack E. Williams and Ronald P. Williams.

Honorary pallbearers were his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Second District Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 1, Valley Lee, MD 20692.


Edward George Win-nicki, 8�

Edward George Win-nicki, 89, of Leonardtown, and formerly of Watertown, Mass., died March 11 in St. Mary’s Hospital.

Born Jan. 16, 1919 in Detroit, Mich. he was the son of the late Juzef and Lucyja Jarkoska Winnicki.

He was the loving hus-band of Carmena Winnicki who preceded him in death Jan. 11, 2000. He is sur-vived by his daughter Luci Koranek and her husband Rick of Chaptico as well as five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and his sister Helen Chwastek of Kalkaska, Mich.

He was preceded in death by his siblings; Joe, Walter and Steven Winnicki and Zigmund Gutowski.

Mr. Winnicki served in the United States Navy for four years during WWII. He moved to St. Mary’s County in 1997 from Wa-tertown, Mass. where he was employed as a caretak-er for the Archdiocese of Boston. He loved baseball and working in the yard.

The family received friends Saturday, March 15 from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. in the Mattingley-Gardin-er Funeral Home Chapel, Leonardtown, where a fu-neral service followed at 11:30 a.m. with Fr. Timothy Baer officiating. Interment was private.

Contributions may be made to the Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650.


Obituaries

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SectionA-10 The County Times Thursday,March27,2008

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St. Mary’s County Republican Central

Committee’sAnnual

Lincoln/Reagan Dinner

Principal SpeakerGovernor Bob Ehrlich

Thursday, 10 April 2008Crystal Room,

21030 Pt. Lookout Rd, Callaway, MD

Cocktails 6:00 p.m. (Cash Bar), Dinner 7:00 p.m.

By Authority: Vernon R. Osburn, Treasurer

Ingredients:2 pounds of boneless lamb or beef stew meat (lamb works best, but beef also works fine)1-2 cups of all-purpose flour2TBSvegetableoil1largeonion,chopped11/2cupsofchoppedcarrots4or5smallredpotatoes,chopped1TBSdriedthyme1TBScrushedrosemary½TBSrubbedsageChoppedfreshparsley1-2 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)4cupsofGuinnessExtraStout2-? cups of water (more for thinner stew)Saltandpeppertotaste(Note:Allmeasurementsareapproximations.Youmayprefermoreorlessseasoning,so

start small and add as you go.)

Preparation:Cutmeatinto1-2inchcubes,trimmingoffexcessfat,placeinalargeTupperwarecontainer

andpourGuinnessovertop.Coverandletsitinrefrigeratorfor1-2hours.

Drainmeatthoroughly,keepingbeermarinadeinacontainertotheside.

In a large bowl, season flour with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge meat in flour mixture, shakingoffexcess,andsetonaplatetotheside.

InaDutchoven,heatoilovermediumheat.Workinginbatches,brownmeatonallsides,about5minutesperbatch,addingmoreoilifnecessary.Transferbacktoaplate.

Pour1/4cupofwaterintothepot,scrapingupbrownedbitsfromthebottomwithawoodenspoon.Addonionandgarlic,stirringoccasionallyuntilliquidhasreducedandonionsarebe-ginningtosoften,about5minutes.Returnmeattopot.Addthyme,rosemary,andsagetotaste.Pourinleftoverbeerfrommarinade,andtherestofyourwater.

Lowerheatandcover,simmeringfor45minutestoanhouruntilmeatistender.

Addpotatoes,carrots,andmorewaterorifneeded.Cookcovered until vegetables are tender and stew has thickened,about30minutes.Stirinparsleybeforeserving.

Letstewcoolcompletelybeforestoring.

ExtraStoutIrishStew

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Rear Admiral Timothy L. Heely, USN at his Change of Command Ceremony

Photo by Andrea Shiell

Thursday, March 27, 2008 • St. Mary’s County

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Transcript of Thursday, March 27, 2008 • St. Mary’s County