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Update: The video of this meeting is now online. Also, if you haven’t already you may want to read Cathy Drzyzgula’s comment, which summarizes last night’s meeting.

Finally, note that there will be one more budget work session tomorrow night, to discuss the capital budget.

I was not able to attend or watch tonight’s work session, but I’m hearing that it did not go perfectly smoothly — that there were multiple disagreements among the Council members concerning priorities and how they were reflected in the budget line items. One topic that I understand to have been particularly contentious was the new emergency management coordinator position, for which the City receives federal funding. The draft FY08 budget places this position in City Hall — reporting directly to Mr. Humpton — but several people believe that this position should be located in the Police Department.

I will attempt to find time tomorrow to watch the video once it is available on the City’s website, but in the mean time, if any readers did watch or attend the meeting, I encourage you to add your thoughts in the comments to this post. Thanks.

From the most recent District 6 Crime report; in summary there were six robberies, two commercial and fourteen residential burglaries, thirty-four thefts from vehicles, seven stolen vehicles and three sexual offenses.

• Gang-related graffiti was discovered at Archstone Incorporated, 9806 Mahogany Drive, sometime between Saturday 5/5 and Sunday 5/6. A black marker was used to write identical tags on several locations, but the report did not indicate what the tags were.

  This is actually a fairly fascinating report. In the first place, Mahogany Drive, which is near the Washingtonian Tower, does not seem like it would be a hotbed of gang activity (not that I’m any expert). Secondly, this is the second recent report of some sort of incident at this precise address; a couple of weeks ago there was an attempted burglary at that location. And third, Archstone Smith is the developer that is hoping to redevelop a stretch of East Diamond Ave; this project will require the demolition of a few existing, “affordable” apartment buildings, and the relocation of several tenants.

• An armed robbery occurred in the 18200 block of Flower Hill Way on Sunday 5/6 at 1700 hours. The suspects approached the victim and his friend in the parking lot. One suspect lifted his shirt to show a gun handle in his waistband and told the victim to “kick out the money”. The victim gave up cash and the suspects left. The victim called his mother to pick him up and saw the suspects waiting at the bus stop. Officers stopped the bus in the 5th District and the suspects were arrested. The gun turned out to be black air pistol and was found on the bus where the suspects had been sitting.

  Defendant: Juvenile, B/M, 17 yrs. old, 6’/165 lbs. , of Shady Spring Drive

  Defendant: Alphonzo Clark, B/M, 19 yrs. old, has priors for theft, possession of gun, CDS, of 12925 Pickering Drive (5D)

  Defendant: Antoine Ambush, B/M, 20 yrs. old, 5’8”/160 lbs., has priors for armed robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, & CDS, of 8202 Shady Spring Drive

• A strong-armed robbery occurred in the 400 block of Christopher Avenue on Sunday 5/6 at 1632 hours. The suspect is the victim’s ex-boyfriend. He has been following the victim around for the last few months and has threatened to kill the victim if she didn’t get back with him. The suspect was arrested on the scene.

  Defendant: Mustapha Mboob, AKA Kabba Roberts, B/M, 23 yrs. old, 5’4”/130 lbs., has prior for assault, of 24 S. Frederick Avenue

• An adult female patient was the victim of a sexual assault at Shady Grove Hospital on Sunday 5/6 at 0115 hours. The suspect is a respiration therapist and came into the victim’s room to do “a breast examination”. He asked her if that was how the doctors did it and then left the room. He came back a few minutes later and fondled her pubic area on top of her nightgown. The suspect was arrested a few days later.

  Defendant: George Gravesande, B/M, 39 yrs. old, 5’11”/175 lbs. of 404 King Farm Boulevard

  Update: I just noticed that the police have issued a press release on this incident, with a picture of the attacker.

• A sex assault occurred on W. Deer Park Road on Wednesday 5/9 at 0811 hours. The victim was walking when the suspect came from behind, grabbed her buttocks and then fled on foot. He was last seen running towards Brighton Drive.

  Suspect: B/M, 18-20 yrs. old, 6’, thin build, black T-shirt, jeans, carrying a black backpack

• A sex assault occurred near the Olde Towne train station, 9 S. Summit Avenue on Saturday 5/5 at 2135 hours. A Gaithersburg City officer saw the suspect and the victim sitting on the bench and saw the suspect with his hand up the victim’s shirt while he was trying to kiss her. The victim did not look like a willing participant and the officer walked over to check her welfare. The victim said the suspect just sat down and started fondling her without her permission. The suspect claimed he was comforting the victim and was arrested on the scene.

  Defendant: Luchcristobal Castillo, H/M, 24 yrs. old, 5’5”/130 lbs., homeless

• A strong-armed robbery occurred at Watkins Mill Road and Stedwick Road on Friday 5/4 at 1440 hours. The suspects approached the victim, knocked him down and took the victim’s wallet. One suspect threw the victim’s cell phone in the grass nearby and threatened to “kick your face” if he called the police. The suspects fled on foot. The victim said he may recognize the first suspect from Watkins Mill HS. Investigation is being handled by the EFO at Watkins Mill High School.

  Suspect: B/M, 15 -16 yrs. old, 5’9”/140 lbs., black short-sleeved shirt, black pants

  Suspect: W/M, 15-16 yrs. old, NFD

  Suspect: B/M, 15-16 yrs. old, NFD

• The CVS at 9140 Rothbury Drive had an attempted robbery on Sunday 5/6 at 1654 hours. The suspect went to the counter and asked for cigarettes. He showed his ID to the employee to prove his age and then displayed a black semi-automatic gun in his waistband and ordered the employee to give him all of the $20’s. The employee refused and the suspect took the cigarettes and left. He left his cell phone and backpack behind and was quickly identified. He was arrested nearby in Stewartown Park.

  Defendant: Kenneth Bowen-Bah, B/M, 19 yrs. old, 5’7”/145 lbs., black hooded jacket, jeans, white sneakers

  Rothbury Drive is off Goshen Road, just south of Wightman/Snouffer’s School.

• An attempted robbery occurred on Muddy Branch Road on Sunday 5/6 at 1717 hours. The victim was walking when the suspect came from behind, pushed her and attempted to grab her purse. He fled, empty-handed, towards W. Deer Park Road.

  Suspect: B/M, 22 yrs. old, 6’/180 lbs., black T-shirt, black jeans

• A strong-armed robbery occurred outside the Chevy Chase Bank, 19610 Club House Road on Monday 5/7 at 1455 hours. The suspects surrounded the victim and demanded money. One suspect fled on the back of a bicycle towards Centerway. The other suspects fled on foot towards McDonalds.

  Suspects: five B/M’s, one in a black T-shirt, NFD

• A residential burglary occurred on Duvall Lane on Monday 5/7 between 0700 and 2030 hours. Entry was gained by breaking a rear window with a rock. The suspects are former residents and were seen in the area just prior to the victim leaving at 0700

  Suspect: Juan, H/M, 26 yr. old, 5’7”/150 lbs., possibly lives on W. Deer Park Road

  Suspect: Wilson, H/M, 21 yrs. old, 5’5”/175 lbs., possibly lives in Frederick, MD

  Duvall Lane is off W Deer Park, near I-270.

• For the second time in five days, a handgun was recovered on Lost Knife Road, following a traffic stop. Officers stopped the suspects at 9639 Lost Knife Road on Friday 5/4 for a seatbelt violation. Officers saw loose marijuana in plain view and arrested the suspects. A.45 revolver with a 6” barrel was found under the first suspect’s seat.

  Defendant: Antwan Beckwith, B/M, 20 yrs. old, 5’7”/145 lbs., has priors for robbery, aggravated assault, CDS, resisting arrest, of 13037 Clarksburg Square Road

  Defendant: Rico Johnson, B/M, 19 yrs. old, 5’7”/140 lbs., has priors for CDS, of Frederick, MD

  Vehicle: black ’96 Chevrolet Impala, MD/tags

• There were six thefts from vehicles the night of Thursday 5/3 to Friday 5/4. Four victims had the window broken, one had left the T-top open and one was ‘unknown entry’. Only loose property in the vehicles was targeted. See the map [below] for the thefts.

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• Two businesses on Oakmont Avenue were broken into on Sunday 5/6. The representative for 16624 Oakmont Avenue, Continental Restaurant Equipment, showed up after the alarm company called him, and found the front window broken and a previously locked office door was open. While checking the area, officers found the second victim, Mark Supply, 16628 Oakmont Avenue.

• There were several thefts from vehicles this week with at least four of them occurring the night of Monday 5/7 to Tuesday 5/8, and three of those occurred on Bayswater Road. The method of entry was either by an unlocked door or “unknown method of entry”. Only loose items in the vehicle were taken.

  Bayswater Road is on the south side of Great Seneca Highway, just west of Quince Orchard Road.

• The Abandoned Auto lot has had several thefts from vehicles recently. On Friday 5/4 at 0321 hours, an anonymous caller reported seeing a suspect in the lot, looking at vehicles. Officers found him hiding in a van and he fled on foot, before being arrested nearby. He had bolts in his pocket and numerous vehicle parts were found in his backpack in the van where he had been hiding. Property had been taken from at least six vehicles.

  Defendant: Douglas Parada, W/M, 19 yrs. old, 5’11”/175 lbs., homeless

• The burglary in the 9802 Walker House Road on Friday 5/4 between 0700 and 1850 hours is related to a vehicle theft in the 3rd District (see CR # S07-023869). The suspect is a former contractor for the victim. The victim contacted the suspect’s boss, who brought him up to the 6th District station on the pretext of a new job. The suspect confessed to the theft and some of the property has been recovered.

  Defendant: Rodney Santizo, H/M, 20 yrs. old, 5’4”/180 lbs., has priors for burglary, vehicle theft, CDS, and rogue & vagabond, of Woodbridge, VA

  Walker House Road is near Montgomery Village Ave, just north of Mid-County Highway.

• There were three thefts of Honda airbags on the night of Wednesday 5/2 to Thursday 5/3 on Lost Knife Circle. All of them had the window broken. Two of the victims had both airbags taken; one had only one airbag taken.

• There were ten thefts from vehicles the night of Wednesday 5/2 to Thursday 5/3. The thefts all occurred sometime after 1900 and were discovered by 0600 the next morning. Two victims admitted leaving the doors unlocked; the rest were ‘unknown method’. Only loose items were taken. See the map [below].

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