Maryland
Maryland man sentenced for supplying drugs to friend who overdosed and died
A Harford County man will spend 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to supplying drugs to a friend, who overdosed and died in 2023.
Kusan Hines, 43, from Havre De Grace, was handed a 30-year prison sentence with all but 12 suspended, followed by five years of probation, for second-degree murder and distribution of controlled substances.
Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healy said an autopsy performed on the 33-year-old victim showed he died of cocaine and fentanyl intoxication.
“Here in Harford County, we are taking a more aggressive approach to these fatal overdoses and the people who are distributing those drugs, in terms of sentencing,” Healy said.
Setting a precedence
State’s Attorney Healey said Hines’ sentence is one of the first in the state that a drug dealer has been sentenced for murder. She hopes this sends a message to future drug distributors.
“We actually don’t want to prosecute these cases,” Healey said. “Instead, we would like to see these convictions stop people from committing these crimes, to lessen the drug dealing on the streets.”
Residents agree with murder charge
Harford County residents agree that a murder charge was appropriate in this case.
“Certainly, if you’re a drug dealer and you’re selling drugs that are causing people to overdose, then you need to be held accountable,” said Harford County resident Stephanie Dietz.
“The poison, we have to get rid of it,” said Harford County resident Michael Murphy.” So he must pay the consequences. He’s the cause of it.”
Substance abuse help
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 108,000 people in the United States died from drug-related overdoses in 2022
The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics says the deadliest drugs in the United States are opioids, which includes fentanyl.
“I definitely think the person taking the drug has some accountability, but in today’s day, there are drugs mixed in that can cause fatalities that the person taking it may not even be aware of,” added Harford County resident Dawn Fisher.
“Most of the time, they have a problem,” Harford County resident Gary Clark said. “They have a disease they’re suffering from that they need help with.”
If you need help with addiction or substance abuse, call the National Drug Helpline at (844) 289-0879. If you live in Baltimore County, resources are available here or here in Baltimore City.
Maryland
Inseparable Maryland couple of 70 years died holding hands after tragic car crash: ‘They were simply quite the pair’
A beloved Maryland couple who were married for 70 years died holding hands in their hospital beds after being taken off life support following a horrifying car crash last week.
Kenneth and Marilyn Oland, high school sweethearts who wed in July 1955, died side-by-side Monday in a Baltimore hospital, six days after a car slammed into the side of their vehicle on Route 15 near their Thurmont home, according to their obituary and multiple reports.
Kenneth, 90, who was driving, and his 88-year-old wife were rushed to the hospital and placed on life support after suffering complications from the collision.
“I don’t think one could’ve lasted without the other,” their heartbroken friend, Nancy Echard, told Fox 5.
“That’s how tight they were. You always saw them together, no matter where you were.”
An employee at Thurmont Senior Center, where the couple were regulars who played bingo there twice a month, said they had just finished lunch and left about 15 minutes before the fatal crash.
The senior center posted a touching tribute to the late couple – parents of three, grandparents of five, and great-grandparents of six – hailing them as pillars of the community who were never seen without each other.
“To those of us here at the Senior Center, they were simply quite the pair,” Tuesday’s Facebook post said.
“You rarely saw one without the other, and that was no accident, they were two people who genuinely chose each other, every single day. In the end, even in their passing, they were not apart for long. They were a living reminder of what lasting love looks like, and we were blessed to witness it.”
The loving pair, devout churchgoers, regularly brought flowers to friends in nursing homes and were known for deeply cherishing their friends and large family, always uniting everyone for holidays, birthdays, and celebrations, their obituary said.
Marilyn devoted 25 years to chiropractic care before retiring in 2023, and Kenneth spent his life working in marketing.
Grief-stricken family members were comforted that the elderly couple died together and hope their love and legacy will live on.
“If there’s one thing we could share about my grandparents, it’s not only the 70 years they’ve had together and that they chose to be together every day and chose to go away together and leave this earth together,” their granddaughter Kristie Hopkins told the outlet.
“Their legacy is just how to be humans – be humble and kind and graceful to others and help strangers in need.”
Maryland
Power restored to University of Maryland after campuswide outage
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (7News) — A campuswide power outage at the University of Maryland prompted crews to respond overnight, including dispatching staff to assist people stuck in elevators.
In an advisory, the university said Facilities Management staff were on site assessing the situation and that crews were being dispatched to individuals in elevators.
Just after 1:30 a.m, the university said power was in the process of being restored across campus and that most residence halls had power. The university said steam and hot water would continue to improve as full campus power restoration continued.
SEE ALSO | Iranians rally in DC for democracy and Iranian leadership back home
Pepco said that around midnight, it began receiving calls about an outage impacting the university. Pepco crews responded and determined Pepco equipment was not the source of the outage.
As of publication, university officials have not responded to 7News’ request for a comment.
Maryland
Body pulled from river near Bladensburg Waterfront
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. (7News) — An investigation is underway after a body was spotted in the Anacostia River near the Bladensburg Waterfront in Maryland on Saturday.
The Prince George’s County Park Police confirmed on social media around 4:50 p.m. that officers responded to the area after reports of a dead person in the water.
Authorities said the investigation is in its early stages.
Officials have not released the identity of the person, and the cause of death has not yet been determined.
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This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
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