The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
SNIPER VICTIM FAMILY TO WITNESS EXECUTION
The family of a Gaithersburg man killed in 2002 by Beltway sniper John Allen Muhammad at a Manassas, Va., service station plans to attend his execution, scheduled for Nov. 10. Relatives of Dean H. Meyers want to see Muhammad pay his "debt to society," said Bob Meyers, the shooting victim's brother. A Virginia judge set the execution date last week during a hearing with prosecution and defense attorneys. (Gazette)
SEX ASSAULT SUSPECT BEING SOUGHT
A man brandishing a knife attacked a high school student Tuesday morning as she walked to a bus stop on the city's west side, according to the Frederick Police Department. Officers responded at 6:52 a.m. to the 100 block of Key Parkway for a report of a sex offense involving a high school student. (Gazette)
NEW LAWS COMING TO MARYLAND
Beginning next week, law enforcement officials will be armed with four new laws designed to help get drunken drivers off Maryland roads. The changes are the result of a review by the state's Task Force to Combat Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol. This group sent more than 40 recommendations to Gov. Martin O'Malley last year, which eventually resulted in the General Assembly passing this group of laws. (The Capital)
SKATEBOARDER SUIT THROWN OUT
A lawsuit against a Baltimore police officer who was famously recorded on a YouTube video yelling at young skateboarders at the Inner Harbor for calling him "dude" has been thrown out by a city judge. Circuit Judge Evelyn Cannon granted a defense motion for summary judgment to dismiss the case on Sept. 14, according to electronic court records. The attorney for the family who brought the lawsuit said the case was dismissed after Cannon determined that it was filed outside the 180-day time frame to bring legal action, reversing an earlier decision by a different judge. (Baltimore Sun)
SPOTSYLVANIA SEX STING
Fifteen men, including two who work in public school systems, have been charged as the result of an Internet sting conducted by Spotsylvania detectives. All 15 got caught in online traps set by detectives who were searching for child predators, Sheriff Howard Smith said. Four had already been arrested, and the rest were indicted Monday by a Spotsylvania grand jury. "We're trying to send a clear message that if you prey on children here, we're going to go after you aggressively," Smith said. The investigation, dubbed "Operation Safe Summer," went on between June and August. Detective Clay Blankenship, assisted by Detective Robin Kocher and Deputy Megan Clay, spent hours online posing as various children ranging from 12 to 14 years old. (Free Lance Star)
CLEAN UP
Over the last two summers, the Prince William County Neighborhood Services Division has done an admirable job cleaning up the results of the foreclosure crisis that rocked many neighborhoods in the county. But thanks to a recent rash of complaints from Dale City residents, their work is not done. Prince William County Supervisor John D. Jenkins, D-Neabsco, recently requested the department “sweep” areas from Birchdale Avenue to Forestdale Avenue for potential property code violations. (Insidenova.com)
