Arundel Digest

Four face charges in GB slaying

GLEN BURNIE - Three minors and a 21-year-old have been charged in connection with Thursday's slaying of a man in Glen Burnie.

Antonio Eric Lashley-Finch, 16, of Harvey Avenue in Severn, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Damion Andre McCrary, a 28 year-old from Meade Village Circle Road in Severn, court records show.

At 11:58 p.m. Thursday, police went to the parking lot at 7800 Woodside Terrace in Glen Burnie after residents called with reports of hearing gunshots. When they arrived, they found Mr. McCrary dead on the ground.

Witnesses told detectives that they saw a vehicle with four people inside speed away from the scene. Shortly thereafter, a car matching the description was stopped and the occupants were questioned by police.

As a result, Mr. Lashley-Finch was charged with murder, police said.

Additionally, Raheem Brown, 16, of Fairbrook Court in Severn and Sadiq Aziz Varone, 17, of Jacobs Meadow in Severn were charged as adults with possession of a handgun in a vehicle and as minors for possession of a handgun.

Also, Reginald DeJohn Thomas II, 21, of Pioneer Drive in Severn, was charged with possession of a handgun in a vehicle and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In December, Thomas was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 10 years in prison. All but 202 days were suspended and he was placed on supervised probation for five years, court records show.

Obama office damaged by vandals

ANNAPOLIS - Early yesterday morning, vandals threw a terra-cotta planter through the front window of the downtown offices for Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

But it wasn't quite like the Watergate break-in.

At 3:12 a.m., police went to 110 Cathedral St. after they received a report of the vandalism. While there was around $600 in damage to the window and door, nothing in the office was touched nor was it entered, police reports said.

"Alcohol gives some cowards great courage," David Simison, an attorney who had donated the office space, said in an e-mail.

Mr. Simison said that eyewitnesses said three people were involved in the incident but they drove away before they could be identified.

The office has had daily walk-in visitors who were interested in helping with the campaign or in receiving materials. Additionally, the campaign office was set to close this weekend as another one opens on Westgate Circle, he said.

Another 5,000 fish float in county river

WEST RIVER - Another fish kill was reported in south county last week, this time off the West River.

West/Rhode Riverkeeper Chris Trumbauer estimated the Friday kill at about 5,000 menhaden, concentrated in a cove of South Creek, just off of Cherry Point.

The kill was not nearly as large as the 100,000 fish, also menhaden, that died earlier in the week in Aberdeen Creek off the South River. But the culprit was likely the same - lethally low oxygen levels.

Mr. Trumbauer got an early morning call from a West River resident and at about 8 a.m. Friday, he was on site.

"I saw what was happening on the scene and called MDE," said Mr. Trumbauer, a former Department of Natural Resources water quality biologist.

- From staff reports