Saturday, January 5, 2013
Cape St. Claire man agreed to pay $2,500 in restitution.
Cape St. Claire's so-called Scrap King pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary on Wednesday in a case that had been postponed since October. Michael Joseph Conti, 49, of the 800 block of Chestnut Tree Drive, pleaded guilty to burglary on Wednesday and agreed to provide a restitution check of $2,500 to the owners of stolen goods. Conti was arrested in June for burglarizing a home in Cape St. Claire that was undergoing renovation and an adjacent home, according to a police statement. A refrigerator, tools and lawn equipment had been taken from the homes. A second-degree burglary charge carries a sentence of between one to four years in jail, according to Maryland's sentencing guidelines. A sentencing hearing was set for Jan. 24 to allow …
Monday, December 31, 2012
Broadneck Olympians, the Scrap King's court battle, two new grills and more highlighted 2012's top stories in Broadneck.
Broadneck in 2012 provided no shortage of news—ranging from local glory at the Olympics to great new restaurants opening, and Broadneck High School's swim team making national headlines over shaving. This was my first full year as the editor of the Broadneck Patch, and over the weeks and months, I developed some great new relationships with readers and sources. I certainly couldn't keep this site alive without all the help from locals. So I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helps out with tips, leads and information about your lives on a daily basis. You know who you are. Here are a few of the top stories of the year, along with links to the original stories. Did you miss any of these? Broadneck High School graduates …
Monday, December 10, 2012
Conti's trial has been postponed to 2013 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.
A "for sale" sign has taken the place of scrap in a controversial yard in Cape St. Claire. Mike Conti, owner of a home on Chestnut Tree Drive, has placed his home for sale. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is listed at $299,900. For more information on the home's listing, visit AOL Real Estate. Conti's decision to sell his home comes after months of dispute with neighbors and the county over the condition of his front lawn, which has since been cleaned of scrap materials and now resembles other lawns on the street. In promotions for a yard sale at his home over the summer, Conti referred to himself in a large sign as "Mike the Scrap King." In August, a camera crew with Landmark Media Productions visited with Conti for the first episode…
Monday, October 15, 2012
A new documentary examines the tensions between neighbors, and the first trailer features Cape St. Claire.
The trailer for a new documentary called Neighbor Wars features Cape St. Claire and one of its most notorious residents. You can watch the trailer here, hosted on the online video-sharing site Vimeo. Be advised—it contains strong language. A camera crew with Landmark Media Productions were in Cape St. Claire in August interviewing residents for the first episode of their documentary series called Neighbor Wars. The trailer, released Wednesday, shows a day in the life of Mike Conti, who calls himself the "Scrap King" on his business cards. The show is about the tensions that arise between neighbors and how these issues get resolved. The crew introduce Conti to a real-estate attorney named Jason Oshins, who asks Conti what it'll take to get …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The Cape St. Claire resident also has a lawsuit filed against him by the area improvement association.
The case of the State of Maryland versus Michael Conti of Cape St. Claire will be decided by a jury in October. The state filed the suit against Conti in June, following a series of theft charges including two counts of fourth-degree burglary, one count of second-degree burglary, two counts of theft of under $10,000 and malicious destruction of property valued at more than $500. The criminal jury trial is set to begin on Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. The Cape St. Claire Improvement Association has a separate lawsuit against Conti, calling for injunctive relief after its members claim he has violated the community's bylaws in operating a scrap business in his yard. "Conti is violating the covenants that bind the …
Friday, July 13, 2012
Members of the local community association are fighting back by preparing a lawsuit.
One can't help but notice the front yard of Mike Conti's home when driving down Chestnut Tree Drive in Cape St. Claire, a tight-knit community at the edge of the Broadneck peninsula. Scrap metal, cars, grills, signs of all sorts, trash cans, a riding lawn mower, a boat, and a waving American flag all greet passersby in the community. If you've ever seen the A&E television show Hoarders, you have a good idea of what the place looks like. Conti said he’s been gearing up for a “mega yard sale” this weekend, which he said would clean up the yard and put some cash in his pocket. But neighbors said his lawn has been this way for months. On his business cards, Conti refers to himself as Mike the Scrap King, with the slogan—“Beautifying AACO one …
Nacho Mama
5:37 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
Yeah....decent guy, if that includes breaking into houses and stealing the appliances and then stealing the fence out of your neighbors' yards. more ›