Neuman Brings Outside Task Force to Investigate Police Department

The county executive is assembling a team of investigators from Montgomery and Harford counties to look into allegations about the Anne Arundel County Police Department.

Police: Man Tossed $1,000 Bag of Marijuana

The suspect is charged with drug possession with intent to distribute.

During a traffic stop in Arnold on Sunday, police said a man threw a bag with an estimated $1,116 in marijuana out the window. Darnell Michael Branch, 23, of Hickory Nut Court in Pasadena, was charged with drug possession with intent to distribute.  On Sunday at 5:30 p.m., an Anne Arundel County police officer pulled Branch's Chevrolet Tahoe over at the intersection of College Parkway and Peninsula Farm Road in Arnold for a minor traffic violation. Officers later learned from a witness that Branch reportedly discarded a large quantity of suspected marijuana from his vehicle before the traffic stop. The suspected marijuana was later found in the area of Jones Station Road and Mago Vista Road. Police said the marijuana was determined to …

• Photos (1)

UPDATE: Felony Charge Dropped Against Broadneck Teacher

Police say the student was a minor at the time, but is now an adult.

UPDATE (12:30 p.m. April 22)—A felony charge against Erin Thorne, a former English teacher at Broadneck High School has been dropped, according to Maryland court records. A misdemeanor charge of displaying obscene material to a minor remains. Kristen Fleckenstein, spokesperson for the State's Attorney's Office, said the felony charge was dropped during the course of the state's investigation. According to court records, the charge was formally dropped Friday. "Count number 2 (solicitation) only was dropped," Fleckenstein said. "This was done in the continuing course of the investigation as we prepared the case further." Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) spokesman Bob Mosier said Thorne resigned her position with the school on …

•  27 Comments
• Photos (1)

Jack Mayoffer

1:31 pm on Thursday, April 25, 2013

I wonder if Ms. Thorne was on paid Administrative Leave. Somewhere in all this mess the taxpayers are most likely footing the bill. Odds are the so called "victim' will lawyer up and sue Thorne for emotional distress.   more ›

Editor Charged With Soliciting Minor in Police Sting

George “Nick” Lundskow faces up to 71 years in prison and $120,000 in fines.

An Arnold resident was charged with solicitation of a minor, after he was caught requesting sexual favors from an officer posing as a 14-year-old girl online, ABC2 News reports. George “Nick” Lundskow, 55, of South Viking Drive in Arnold, is charged by Pennsylvania authorities with unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, statutory sexual assault and other related charges. ABC2 News reported that Lundskow was caught by the Child Protector Unit from the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, after trying to get in touch with a girl, who turned out to be an officer. Court documents show Lundskow having contacted who he thought was a 14-year-old girl several times on online chat rooms between August and December 2012…

• Photos (1)

Police Announce Seven Promotions for Veteran Officers, Employees

Police Chief Larry Tolliver said in a release that these employees were vital to the success of the department.

Delay in Delivery of Mental Health Services 'Embarassing,' Expert Says

A gap in addressing adolescent needs is becoming a growing concern, several panelists said at a forum Tuesday.

Opening the doors of access for those seeking mental health care is the single greatest challenge facing the industry today, a panel of experts said Tuesday. Representatives of Anne Arundel County government, schools, police and area hospitals met Tuesday at Anne Arundel Community College to discuss ongoing problems facing the mental health industry. The group meets annually at the community college to revisit the discussion. Many panelists said there is a growing population who are unable to readily access the services they need, because the existing workforce is unable to meet that demand. “It’s extremely difficult to get people immediate access, and I mean within 24 to 48 hours, to a trained mental health professional who can diagnose…

•  4 Comments
• Photos (2)

Janet Norman

9:43 pm on Thursday, February 14, 2013

Yes, I would like to know Dr. Cicero's thoughts and proposed solutions. We did have one of the leading pediatric sleep researchers in the country, Dr. Judith Owens of Childrens National Medical Center in DC, come address Dr. Maxwell and the AACPS School Board to tell them the decades of research findings on these mental health issues and sleep deprivation from early high school start times. We …   more ›

Anne Arundel Mug Shots Gallery: Nov. 24-30

Check out a selection of mug shots from around the region, and note that an arrest does not indicate a conviction.

Patch presents a selection of booking photos provided by police in Anne Arundel County and the city of Annapolis during Nov. 24-30. Want to read the full story? Check out the links below. Editor's note: This article was published on all the Patch sites in Anne Arundel County.

• Photos (5)

Police Identify Contractor Killed by Tree

Santiago Lopez, 50, of Annapolis, died Wednesday while clearing trees from a home in Broadneck after Sandy.

The contractor killed by a falling tree after Hurricane Sandy has been identified by authorities as Santiago Lopez, 50, of Annapolis. Anne Arundel County police said Lopez's family confirmed his identity. A native of Mexico, Lopez workd as a contractor for W.D. Olsen Tree Care, an Annapolis-based tree removal service.   Lopez was killed while working at a home in the 1600 block of Homewood Road in Broadneck on Wednesday, clearing debris from Sandy's aftermath. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident before emergency workers could arrive, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. ABC 2 News in Baltimore reported that Lopez was working with his son at the time, who witnessed the accident.

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Assault on Boy Was Not an Abduction Attempt, Detectives Say

A spokesman says detectives are working to verify the facts as they were reported to police.

Detectives of the Anne Arundel County Police Department said they do not consider the assault on a boy near a playground on Shore Acres Road on Friday to be part of an attempted abduction. For all the latest updates, follow Broadneck Patch on Facebook and Twitter. Police spokesman Justin Mulcahy said the most recent information from detectives indicates nothing to substantiate claims of an attempted abduction or kidnapping. Initial information contained in the official police report called the incident "a possible attempted abduction/kidnapping." "Detectives are treating this as an assault, and we're attempting to verify the facts," Mulcahy said. "Detectives are conducting follow-up interviews to verify what was said in the initial patrol …

• Photos (1)

PHOTOS: County Police Officers Honored at Promotion Ceremony

The county's newest Deputy Chief Pamela Davis officially received her promotion along with several other high-ranking officers.

Newly appointed Deputy Chief Pamela Davis and several high-ranking officers officially received their promotions Thursday morning at the Southern District Police Station in Edgewater. Political leaders, community activists and a crowd of county police officers attended the ceremony to support of those being promoted. Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold and Police Chief Larry W. Tolliver offered congratulations as each officer was highlighted for his or her service and experience over the years. The unofficial mayor of Shady Side, Mohan Grover, also addressed the room and personally thanked Capt. William Krampf and Lt. Timothy Altomare for their service in south county and welcomed the district's newest captain, Capt. Michelle …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (16)