Maryland
Speaker Jones: ‘We aren’t going to deny children their constitutional rights’ – Maryland Matters
As Maryland lawmakers take on criticism for a proposed juvenile justice reform bill, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) testified Thursday in its support.
Jones, who rarely appears at bill hearings, spoke first before a packed Judiciary Committee room on House Bill 814 – Juvenile Law Reform. She expressed some frustration at how the legislation has been characterized by critics.
“I brought this bill forward because our juvenile system is clearly failing a small set of children who are repeat offenders. They are not monsters or teen villains,” she said. “They’re children and they are increasingly calling out for our help because they are not getting the services they need.”
Jones continued: “I know this bill is going to disappoint both sides of the debate, and I’m comfortable with that reality. What I’m not comfortable with is the way the debate around this bill…has been framed. In fact, I’m incredibly disappointed. We aren’t going to deny children their constitutional rights.”
Jones’ presence at Thursday’s marathon hearing represents lawmakers’ willingness to tweak the current juvenile justice system to combine rehabilitation with accountability. While she possesses plenty of political clout within the General Assembly, the question is how much weight she carries with the general public, many of whom call crime their top worry and are seeking tougher penalties for juvenile offenders.
The speaker has said the legislature won’t roll back juvenile justice reform measures that the legislature passed in 2022, but instead would work this year to improve the overall system.
The state Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), which oversees programs for troubled youth, has been criticized by some state’s attorneys, law enforcement officials and residents for not doing enough to help those young people and their families.
Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City), chair of the Judiciary Committee, which reviewed the legislation for slightly more than five hours Thursday, said the proposed juvenile bill would require a review of data relating to arrests, completion of programs and recidivism from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center.
The legislation would also require the Commission on Juvenile Justice Reform and Emerging and Best Practices to complete several tasks such as reviewing the department’s education and diversionary programs, researching evidence-based programs and reviewing fatalities that involve children under the supervision of DJS. That commission was established by the 2022 legislation but hasn’t been fully seated.
The bill would more than double the number of members on the commission to include representatives with the state Department of Health, a private child welfare agency, the state Department of Education and Department of State Police.
“I believe this is sorely needed,” Clippinger said about the commission.
Alice Wilkerson, executive director of Advance Maryland, a nonprofit organization that assists other groups with advocacy efforts, praised the bill for including a commission.
But that’s where the compliments on the bill ended.
Wilkerson, who appeared on behalf of the Maryland Youth Justice Coalition, joined at least two dozen criminal justice advocates, lawyers and residents who testified against the legislation. A committee’s speaker list showed a total of 80 people who offered written or oral testimony opposing the measure.
“This bill will exacerbate racial disparities,” Wilkerson told the committee. “How will this improve safety? Will this lead to positive behavioral change? This legislation will grow the juvenile justice system, placing further personnel and budget strain on DJS that will lead to more cuts to services and programs.”
‘Fear, rather than evidence’
Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue led those who opposed the bill who raised one central question: Where’s the data?
They were criticizing a part of the bill that would allow the Department of Juvenile Services to send to juvenile court children as young as 10 who have been arrested for serious offenses, including those involving a firearm, motor vehicle theft, animal abuse, or a third-degree sexual offense.
Alycia Capozello, deputy district public defender in Baltimore, speaks against juvenile justice legislation before the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 8, 2024. Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue, center, listens. Photo by William J. Ford.
According to the Department of Juvenile Services, complaints for youth under age 13 decreased by nearly 1,100 in fiscal year 2022 to 301 last fiscal year. Those complaints include crimes of violence, misdemeanors and Children in Need of Supervision referrals, which involve youths who need guidance, treatment, or rehabilitation.
“Proponents of the bill have alluded that the intent is to improve public safety. The impact of the bill is it that will impact it will incarcerate more Black children in marginalized communities,” Dartigue said. “We must base our discussions on facts, data and the evidence-based information. Despite the intent of public safety, House Bill 814 raises concerns about the perpetuation of systemic biases and the potential for decisions based on fear, rather than evidence.”
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy (D), who spoke in support of the legislation, cited some figures from the county’s police department.
Larceny arrests of juveniles decreased from 387 in 2019 to 128 last year; arrests for disorderly conduct went down from 32 in 2019 to five last year.
McCarthy said the numbers of more serious crimes by juveniles in his jurisdiction increased, such as shootings from 16 in 2019 to 40 last year, and auto thefts from 44 to 364. He also discussed those figures at a Jan. 17 briefing before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
“There have been declines in crime, but when it comes to violent crime and the crime that people care about, the numbers are exploding,” McCarthy said.
Some of the same people who testified Thursday may return to Annapolis on Friday because the Senate version legislation will be discussed before the Judicial Proceedings Committee.
The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
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Maryland
Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’
Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.
The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.
“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.
Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.
A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.
“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”
Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.
Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.
Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.
According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.
That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”
“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”
Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.
Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.
The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.
Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.
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