Two drivers were indicted on more than 50 charges Monday in connection with a horrific March crash that took the lives of six construction workers on a Maryland highway, the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
Maryland
Two drivers charged in crash that killed six construction workers
![Two drivers charged in crash that killed six construction workers Two drivers charged in crash that killed six construction workers](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VIIAQGWI7QI63HGFUWFE63MEZU_size-normalized.jpg&w=1440)
Video recorded by a Maryland Department of Transportation traffic camera and obtained by The Washington Post showed that the crash began as both cars were traveling in the far-left lane, while a construction crew was working in the median of the Baltimore Beltway.
Lea tried to change lanes around 12:40 p.m. when her car struck the front corner panel of a Volkswagen Jetta driven by Brown, Maryland State Police said. The impact caused the Acura to go through a gap in a highway barrier and plow into the construction workers, police said.
Ron Snyder, a spokesman for the Maryland State Police, said authorities were still searching for Lea but that Brown was arrested.
“He was taken into custody on Monday and had an initial bail appearance on Tuesday,” Snyder said. “He was placed on house arrest.”
WBAL-TV reported that Brown’s car hit speeds of up to 122 mph shortly before the crash and was seen darting in and out of traffic, according to testimony at Tuesday’s hearing. Lea’s vehicle was traveling up to 111 mph, WBAL-TV reported court testimony revealed.
The National Transportation Safety Board had previously concluded that both drivers were speeding, according to a preliminary investigation. The board said previously that it would examine speeding, work-zone protection for construction workers and collision avoidance technology. The probe would probably take a year.
Lea and Brown were not listed in court records, so it is unclear if either had retained an attorney.
Maryland State Police identified the dead workers as Rolando Ruiz, 46, of Laurel; Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar, 43, of Frederick; Jose Armando Escobar, 52, of Frederick; Mahlon Simmons III, 31, of Union Bridge; Mahlon Simmons II, 52, of Union Bridge; and Sybil Lee DiMaggio, 46, of Glen Burnie.
The victims included two brothers, Villatoro Escobar and Armando Escobar. Maritza Guzman de Villatoro, Villatoro Escobar’s wife, told The Post in March that her husband had been her childhood sweetheart and that they had been married more than two decades. Both brothers were from El Salvador.
“There are no words,” she said in a phone interview in Spanish. “What can I tell you? Drivers need to be more careful when they’re on the road. Innocent people pay later for their mistakes.”
The Maryland State Highway Administration said the construction workers were part of a project that is supposed to ease congestion on the Baltimore Beltway. The crash highlighted the dangers that road workers face during a period when highway construction has increased.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Maryland
Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland
![Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland](https://on3static.com/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/09/06191517/tunnel.jpg)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Michigan State has an excellent chance to make a strong statement this weekend that the rebuilding job under new head coach Jonathan Smith is ahead of schedule, if the Spartans can take down 8-point favorite Maryland on Saturday.
A Michigan State victory would be a strong statement within the football industry, but maybe not as strong from a fan perspective. I’m not sure Maryland’s football brand is as respected in the state of Michigan and regionally as it should be, for a program that has gone 8-5 in the past two seasons and defeated Auburn and North Carolina State in bowl games the past two years.
Maryland is good. The Terrapins are coming off a 50-7 victory over a weak UConn team last week. Maryland’s offense looked very good against a weak, soft, conservative UConn defense.
Michigan State’s defense was ahead of schedule last week against a mediocre Florida Atlantic offense. Michigan State’s offense was behind schedule, experiencing inconsistent accuracy and decision-making at the quarterback position, which was somewhat understandable considering it was sophomore Aidan Chiles’ first start as a college player. MSU’s running game also lacked consistency, especially in short yardage and in the red zone.
The big news from Maryland last week in my opinion was the excellent play of new starting quarterback Billy Edwards. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound redshirt-junior had waited behind the outgoing, record-breaking Taulia Tagovailoa for three years. Tagovailoa left Maryland as the Big Ten’s all-time passing leader. He went undrafted and is now playing in the CFL.
Edwards looked good last week. He’s strong in the pocket, is a physical ball carrier on designed runs or scrambles. He was accurate over the middle on intermediate routes, and seemed to do a good job processing coverages, although UConn’s coverages were simple, slow and soft.
I saw this Michigan State vs Maryland game as a swing game on the schedule prior to the season. But considering how well Edwards and his receivers looked last week, and Michigan State’s sputtering start on offense, this game goes from being a swing game to uphill slog for the Spartans.
Maryland
Student shot in Joppatowne, Maryland high school
![Student shot in Joppatowne, Maryland high school Student shot in Joppatowne, Maryland high school](https://media.nbcwashington.com/2024/09/image-50-1.png?resize=1200%2C675&quality=85&strip=all)
One teen shot another during a dispute in a Maryland high school bathroom Friday in what authorities called an isolated incident.
The victim, a 15-year-old student at Joppatowne High School, was in serious condition after being airlifted to a hospital, the Harford County Public Schools said in a news release, citing information it received from the county sheriff’s department.
A 16-year-old student whom police identified as the shooter fled shortly afterward but was caught minutes later nearby, according to the news release. Officials said no information would be released immediately about the weapon, which had not been recovered.
The state’s attorney has said the suspect will be charged, the release said, citing Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler.
Shortly after the shooting, the sheriff’s office asked people to avoid the area, but emphasized that the confrontation was an “isolated incident, not an active shooter.” A parent-student reunification center was established at a nearby church. More than 100 personnel responded to the high school about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore, Gahler said.
The fight happened two days after a shooter whom authorities identified as a 14-year-old student killed four people at a high school outside Atlanta. Wednesday’s attack renewed debate about safe storage laws for guns and had parents wondering how to talk to their children about school shootings and trauma.
Maryland
How to watch, listen and stream Michigan State football at Maryland on Saturday
![How to watch, listen and stream Michigan State football at Maryland on Saturday How to watch, listen and stream Michigan State football at Maryland on Saturday](https://spartanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/08/USATSI_24116620.jpg?w=1024&h=576&crop=1)
Michigan State football heads out east looking to open Big Ten play with a big-time victory.
The Spartans will play at Maryland on Saturday afternoon in their first conference game of the year. Michigan State enters this matchup with a 1-0 record on the year following last week’s win over Florida Atlantic. Maryland is also 1-0 thus far on the season, picking up a blowout non-conference win over UConn last week.
Maryland enters this game as a more than touchdown favorite depending on the sports book. The Terps have won the last two meetings between these two schools.
Below are the details for Saturday’s matchup between the Spartans and Terps:
Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET on September 7
Location: SECU Stadium (College Park, Md.)
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
Listen: Spartan Media Network or MSUSpartans.com
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.
-
World1 week ago
Swiss court convicts two executives of embezzling $1.8bn from 1MDB
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Slingshot (2024) – Movie Review
-
News1 week ago
After months on the run, a murder suspect falls through the ceiling and into custody
-
World1 week ago
Economic portfolios are key in talks to chose new EU commissioners
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Saripodhaa Sanivaaram Movie Review Rating
-
News1 week ago
Harris kicks off Georgia tour as Trump posts grievances on social media
-
Politics1 week ago
Tim Walz attempts to court firefighters during speech at Boston convention: 'We'll have your back'
-
World1 week ago
Brussels, my love? Is France becoming the sick man of Europe?