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County Executive Urged To Resign, Drop Out Of Congressional Race

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County Executive Urged To Resign, Drop Out Of Congressional Race


BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — The Maryland Republican Party on Thursday urged Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski (D) to resign and drop out of his Congressional District 2 race.

The GOP cited reports of what they called “corruption allegations.”

“Johnny Olszewski has no business continuing to serve as Baltimore County Executive, let alone continue his campaign for Congress,” Maryland Republican Party Chair Nicole Beus Harris said in a press release. “Washington DC has enough corruption, the last thing we need is another crooked Democrat Congressman handing out government funds to his friends and supporters.”

Republicans pointed to Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Brew reports that Olszewski’s administration made significant payments to the county executive’s friend and real estate team.

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The Baltimore Sun reported that Olszewski’s administration secretly paid over $83,000 to former firefighter Philip Tirabassi, brother of the county executive’s friend John Tirabassi. Philip Tirabassi had requested to transfer retirement credits for his city service time to his county pension, The Sun said. Olszewski told The Sun they made the payment after Philip Tirabassi threatened to sue for breach of contract, though officials warned the payment could break state and local laws.

The Sun additionally reported that John Tirabassi sold the county $4 million worth of dump trucks through his employer, Peterbilt of Baltimore. Olszewski told The Sun he didn’t know about the purchases.

The Baltimore Brew reported that the Tirabassi family also handled Olszewski’s “purchase and sale of property in St. Helena and the acquisition of land for his new residence overlooking the Chesapeake Bay at Millers Island.”

The Brew first reported that a county attorney was terminated after questioning the retirement case payout to Philip Tirabassi.

“If he refuses to do the honorable thing and drop out, we will be working every day between now and November to expose his corruption to voters, and defeat him at the ballot box,” Harris said.

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Olszewski is running to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D). Olszewski was seen as the favorite to defeat challenger Kimberly Klacik (R) before these developments.

“Thank you for your leadership,” Klacik commented on the Facebook post with the Republicans’ press release.

Olszewski’s campaign manager, Asa Leventhal, said the GOP is trying to distract voters.

“The Maryland Republican Party continues to desperately grasp at straws to find any reason to distract voters from candidates like Kim Klacik, who back the extreme policies of Donald Trump — a convicted felon,” Leventhal told Patch in a Friday email. “County Executive Olszewski’s administration has been the most open and transparent in Baltimore County’s history. Johnny O will continue discussing the issues that matter most to Marylanders — defending reproductive freedom, lowering costs for middle class families, and protecting Medicare and Social Security for our senior citizens.”

Patch contacted the county executive’s government spokesperson to ask if he intends to resign. We haven’t received a reply. We will update this story if they respond.

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Maryland

Body-cam video of deadly Howard County police standoff released as Maryland AG investigates

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Body-cam video of deadly Howard County police standoff released as Maryland AG investigates


HOWARD COUNTY — The Maryland Office of the Attorney General (OAG) released body camera footage as they continue to investigate an officer-involved shooting that left a man dead after a two-hour standoff in Laurel.

On November 30, around 3:10 p.m., Howard County police responded to a home in the 1000 block of American Pharoah Lane for a domestic incident, according to the OAG.

The 911 caller reported that a man was banging on the front door and a preliminary investigation revealed he had fired several shotgun rounds at the door. He eventually made his way inside the home through a window.

The body cam footage begins as officers arrive on the scene. The video shows an officer walking toward the home as he reports on his radio that he sees a busted window and a case for a long gun outside.

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The man – later identified as 29-year-old Tyree Winslow of College Park – appeared in a second-floor window of the home as officers arrived, according to the OAG.

As the video continues, you can hear a woman cry for help, prompting the officer to move quickly toward the front door of the home. The officer then reports on the radio that he sees multiple shell casings.

The officer identifies himself as he moves close to the door and eventually reports that the door is barricaded, according to the video.

The cries for help get louder, and the officer indicates that he may have eyes on a woman in the home as he says, “Ma’am stay there…lay down.”

The video shows officers taking cover behind cars across the street from the home as the situation escalates and the officer gives verbal commands, asking to see Winslow’s hands. According to the OAG, Winslow did not comply and he and two officers exchanged gunfire.

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Another officer’s body camera captured him getting close to the home and helping a person down from an upstairs window of the home. The body camera falls off but captures the sounds of the officer helping another person down.

Police previously said three people were evacuated from the home and there were no other injuries.

The Howard County Police Tactical Team responded to the scene and established a barricade, according to the OAG. Officers were not able to contact Winslow and around 5:40 p.m., they entered the home.

Once inside, officers found Winslow suffering from gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead on the scene, the OAG said. Police said it was unclear if he was killed by officer gunfire or by his weapon.

Several loaded firearms and a knife were found near Winslow’s body.

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The OAG previously identified the involved officers as Police Officer First Class (PFC) Christopher Weir, a 14-year veteran, and PFC Joseph Debronzo, a 15-year veteran. Both officers have been put on administrative leave.

Neighbor shares video

During the standoff, the neighborhood was on lockdown for several hours.

A neighbor shared video with WJZ showing the moment that tactical officers entered the home. The neighbor also said officers were using a drone to locate Winslow while he was inside the house.

Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation

The OAG’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) investigates all police-involved shootings as standard protocol.

“The idea is if you have an attorney general who is coming in to investigate these incidents, it removes the opportunity for a local agency to seem biased either in favor or against a local police department,” said Eric Bacaj, an independent legal expert who is not involved in this case.

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The IID was created by the General Assembly in 2021 as part of a series of police accountability reform bills, the OAG said.

Since October 2021, the division has conducted 65 investigations into fatal or near-fatal officer-involved incidents in Maryland, including two in Howard County.

See a full list of IID investigations below: 



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Maryland Lawmakers Convene With $3B Deficit and Uncertainties Over Incoming Trump Administration

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Maryland Lawmakers Convene With B Deficit and Uncertainties Over Incoming Trump Administration


ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland lawmakers are bracing for a fiscally challenging legislative session, which begins Wednesday. They are facing a budget deficit of roughly $3 billion and uncertainties about reductions in the federal government under President-elect Donald Trump that could have a big …



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Maryland General Assembly 2025 session starts Wednesday

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Maryland General Assembly 2025 session starts Wednesday


The Maryland General Assembly’s 2025 session begins at noon on Wednesday, when lawmakers will begin to tackle a number of high-interest issues. Policy decisions will be framed around how much money is available and what additional new revenue sources are acceptable.



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