DISTRICT
Officer injured in NE motel fire
A police officer received minor injuries Sunday while trying to rescue guests from a burning Northeast motel, according to the D.C. fire department.
A department spokesman said the midday fire started in a second-floor room of the Downtown Motel, in the 1300 block of Fourth Street. He also said that the officer was in the area and that he was taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation.
Two rooms were damaged, but the motel reopened. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Man arrested in armed robbery
A D.C. man has been arrested over the weekend in connection with an armed robbery in the U Street corridor and possible others in Northwest, the Metropolitan Police Department said Sunday.
Curtis Lee, 25, of Northeast, was arrested Friday night after two men reported that a man demanded money from them at gunpoint in the 2200 block of 12th Street Northwest.
Mr. Lee was found attempting to hide in the restroom of a business at the 1100 block of U Street Northwest.
The arrest came as the police department increased patrols in nearby Adams Morgan, after a recent string of robberies.
Chief Cathy L. Lanier and other city leaders say that in the past month, there have been nearly a dozen street robberies in the area, known for its nightlife. They said groups of young people are attacking victims who walk alone at night.
Chief Lanier also said people who leave bars at 2 or 3 a.m. and who’ve had too much to drink create opportunities for criminals.
She said drunken rowdiness, which can spill onto streets, diverts police from protecting people against robberies.
Some residents and businesses are concerned that the beefed-up police presence will be short term and fail to prevent crime from seeping back into the area.
Shooting leaves woman dead
A women was killed and another is in stable condition after being shot in Southeast over the weekend, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Officers found Denise Phillips, 27, of Northeast, early Saturday in the 1700 block of R Street Southeast, with multiple gunshot wounds. They then found another woman with gunshot wounds at the 1600 block of 16th Street Southeast.
Miss Phillips died from injuries Sunday morning. The other victim, whose name is being withheld, remains hospitalized.
Council considers regulating CareFirst
The D.C. Council is considering a proposal that would require CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to meet its obligations as a charitable institution.
Under the Medical Insurance Empowerment Act, the council would grant the mayor authority to set a cap on CareFirst’s surplus and set the amount or revenue that the company would give to the city for community-health benefits. If CareFirst went beyond that range without good reason, it would be barred from raising premiums for a year.
The measure follows a lawsuit the city filed in June against the insurer. City officials contend that CareFirst’s $754 million surplus at the end of last year exceeds the level required for legitimate charitable or nonprofit purposes.
CareFirst President and Chief Executive Officer Chet Burrell said the company does not have a surplus. He said it has “reserves” that must be kept for making capital improvements, paying claims and meeting legal requirements. He also said CareFirst has given more than $100 million to at least 300 community groups in the past few years.
MARYLAND
ELKRIDGE
Motorcyclist killed in I-95 crash
A motorcyclist was killed over the weekend when he was thrown from his vehicle, then hit by at least two cars on Interstate 95.
The accident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday on southbound I-95 north, of Maryland Route 100. Troopers say a group of six to eight motorcycles was speeding recklessly when one operator lost control. The motorcycle veered off the roadway, struck the center median guardrail and ejected the operator in the southbound lane, where he was struck by vehicles. Those drivers remained at the scene.
As the victim’s motorcycle traveled back onto the highway, it was struck by a 2005 Suzuki GSXR750, ejecting its driver. Witnesses told state police that the driver fled on the back of one of the motorcycles in the group.
Troopers are searching for the driver of the second motorcycle.
Union objects to inmate labor
Union officials are opposing a suggestion by a state corrections official to use inmate labor to demolish blighted properties in Cumberland.
Gary Maynard, secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, suggested that the use of inmate labor at a meeting Friday attended by Gov. Martin O’Malley, Democrat.
Cumberland Mayor Lee Fiedler told Mr. O’Malley that 18 percent of Cumberland properties are blighted and 14 percent of them are vacant. Mr. Maynard said the use of inmates would cut demolition costs.
After the meeting, Western Maryland Central Labor Council President Jim Bestpitch said the idea lacked common sense and would eliminate much-needed jobs.
DALE CITY
Officer assaulted; Taser stolen
A Prince William County police officer was assaulted and a Taser was stolen early Sunday morning while officials made an arrest in Dale City, authorities said.
Police arrived at Mapledale Plaza at about 1 a.m. to find a large crowd and a fight. While an officer was trying to arrest two people, he was assaulted and a Taser was taken from his holster.
Officials said the Taser is fully loaded and poses a danger to others.
Ebony Miller ,28, of Woodbridge, has been charged with assault and battery of a police officer an disorderly conduct. Monique Charlton, 33, of Dumfries, faces disorderly conduct charges. No other details have been released.
LURAY
Searchers find body of missing man
The body of a Virginia man looking for ginseng in the Shenandoah National Park was found over the weekend.
The 12-day search concluded Saturday after the body of Earl Funk, 49, of Staunton, was found in the Browns Cove area of Albemarle County. Mr. Funk had been missing since Sept. 29.
His death is under investigation by the Albemarle County Police Department.
Mr. Funk’s family described him as an outdoorsman who entered the park to dig up ginseng, which has medicinal properties.
Some of his possessions, including a machete, were found last week. More than 150 people were involved in the search.
LANCASTER
Virginia fugitive captured in Phoenix
Authorities have arrested a man sought in Virginia on charges that he gave steroids to a high-school wrestler, then molested him.
A U.S. Marshals Service spokesman said a child-predator task force Friday arrested Ben Hunter, 41.
The spokesman said Mr. Hunter was wanted by Virginia State Police and authorities in Lancaster County on charges ranging from child abuse to distribution of a controlled substance. He’s accused of giving steroids to the boy, then assaulting him on overnight trips while he was a volunteer coach.
Mr. Hunter was arrested in 2004, but posted bail and fled. The case was featured several times on the TV show “America’s Most Wanted.”
From staff reports and wire dispatches.
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