Free Republic

Electrical equipment and jumper cables “consistent with devices used to execute dogs” were found in the home of a senior Pentagon administrator during a federal dog fighting raid. Frederick D. Moorefield, Jr., who worked as a Deputy Chief Information Officer in the Pentagon, was charged last week with promoting and furthering an animal fighting venture after federal agents raided his Arnold, Maryland home outside of Washington D.C on Sept. 6. Moorefield, 62, called his dogfighting operation “Geehad Kennels,” according to a Department of Justice release. He is accused of possessing, training, or transporting animals for participation in an animal fighting...

The heartbroken fiancée of a father who was murdered while protecting his 14-year-old son outside his home has recalled horrific details leading to his death. Tracy Karopchinsky, 44, described how Christopher Wright, 43, was killed on his doorstep by five bullies after being dragged into a fight that started at Brooklyn Park Middle School and moved to his house in Anne Arundel County. The attackers - comprising of three teenagers and two adults - continued to punch Wright, who was already unconscious and bleeding out, before they fled the scene. They told his 12-year-old son: 'I'm sorry, call 911.' Remnants...

In a news release, the police said its traffic safety division joined forces with its aviation unit for a speed control operation on Maryland Route 10, a 7-mile expressway that runs from Pasadena to near Glen Burnie. From the sky, the aviation unit managed to observe multiple speeders going over 100 mph, including a Ford Mustang going 169 mph, police said.

Maryland Democrats are considering a radical overhaul of congressional district lines that would give them a chance to win all eight of the state’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, putting the lone Republican representative at risk. Two of the four draft maps released by the General Assembly’s Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission spell trouble for Rep. Andy Harris (R), who represents a district that covers the Eastern Shore. Those proposals would add hundreds of thousands of voters from Anne Arundel County, home of Annapolis, in with voters from the less populous counties on the Eastern Shore. The two halves...

Police and fire crews are responding to “an incident” at the NSA campus at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County, fire and transportation officials said. The exact circumstances of the investigation were not clear. Anne Arundel County Police reported a “possible shooting near NSA” on Twitter, but said they are not the lead agency. Fort Meade public affairs confirmed an incident is being investigated and didn’t have any other information at this time. Maryland State Highway Administration has shut down MD 32 in both directions at Canine Road in response. Fort Meade officials urged motorists to take alternate routes and...

Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley is being investigated by the Anne Arundel County state’s attorney office for purchasing furniture from the state at a discount after serving two terms as governor, a spokeswoman with the state’s attorney’s office said. The investigation stems from the O’Malley family taking dozens of items with them when they moved out of the Annapolis mansion last January, pieces of furniture that O’Malley’s administration had deemed “excess property,” according to state records.

As voters across the state report voting machine irregularities this Election Day, ten machines have been taken out of service in Anne Arundel County. A handful of voters who contacted The Capital Tuesday said their votes were flipped from Republican candidates to Democrats. Another voter said his vote on a ballot question was switched. Donna Duncan, Maryland Board of Elections assistant deputy for election policy, said 34 reports of faulty voting machines had been filed statewide by early afternoon. Fifteen machines were taken out of service across the state, including the 10 in Anne Arundel County as of 4:40 p.m.

BALTIMORE -- The Anne Arundel County state's attorney said yesterday that after an "exhaustive review" he has decided not to prosecute the young white men charged in the beating death of a black Pasadena teenager. Six men originally were charged in the death last summer of Jamahl Jones, 17, outside a party at a home. On May 12, an all-white jury acquitted Jacob Fortney, the first of the men to be tried, of involuntary manslaughter, first- and second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment. Mr. Fortney, 19, had faced up to 50 years in prison.