Eliminate Option Of A Death Sentence? Cruel?

ELKTON, Md. -- Attorneys for the Salisbury man charged in the murder of 11-year-old Sarah Foxwell have filed a request to eliminate the option of a death sentence.

The motion is one of several death penalty-related requests filed by defense counsel for 31-year-old Thomas James Leggs Jr. The requests will be heard in Cecil County Circuit Court during a three-day hearing scheduled to begin Wednesday.

Defense attorneys for Leggs argue the court should rule against the state's intent to seek the death penalty because execution methods authorized in Maryland "constitute cruel and unusual punishment and violates evolving standards of decency."

"There is a plethora of evidence to demonstrate that Maryland's lethal injection method, and the correctional policies and procedures governing it, present grave risk of needlessly inflicting a painful, torturous, lingering death," wrote Katy C. O'Donnell, division chief of the aggravated homicide division of the public defender's office, and Kay Beehler, an assistant public defender.

The motion also states that execution procedures used by the department of corrections violate state regulations. O'Donnell and Beehler state the Maryland Court of Appeals previously rejected the execution procedures and the state's continued use violates the Maryland Administrative Procedures Act.

Leggs, a registered sex offender in Maryland and Delaware, was taken into police custody and charged with burglary and kidnapping shortly after Foxwell's relatives reported her missing on Dec. 22, 2009.

More than 3,000 volunteers reported to Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on Christmas Day to help authorities search for the missing girl. Her burned remains were located in a wooded area later the same day.

At the time of his arrest, Leggs had been released from the Worcester County Detention Center on bond from burglary and malicious destruction of property charges. A woman reported he had allegedly broken into her home in September. He was convicted on the burglary charge and sentenced to three years in prison.

A Wicomico County grand jury indicted him on murder, burglary, sex offense and kidnapping charges in February 2010.

After the state filed a notice of its intent to seek the death penalty, the case was moved to Cecil County Circuit Court and Judge J. Frederick K. Price, a retired administrative judge for the 2nd Judicial Circuit, was assigned to the case

www.delawareonline.com

"Needlessly inflicting a painful, torturous, lingering death"????? HA!! Think about what that poor child had to endure for the remainder of her short life! Who cares how painful death may be for Thomas Leggs, Jr. I would certainly hope it would be a painful and torturous as possible!

Vehicle Found In Rehobeth Beach

DSP investigating a body found in a Silver Toyota Corolla with MD registration in the Rehoboth Beach Kmart.

The deceased male was found in the back seat of the car.

The car fits the same description as the car driven my a missing 21-year old Salisbury man.

www.wboc.com

Salisbury Cardiologist Indicted

BALTIMORE- A Salisbury cardiologist alleged to have implanted unnecessary cardiac stents in the arteries of his patients has been indicted on health care fraud charges, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Dr. John R. McLean, 58, is not charged with a crime for the actual surgeries he performed but for the alleged fraud that went along with them. Federal prosecutors say McLean submitted insurance claims for the unnecessary stents, ordered needless tests and falsely documented patients' medical records.

According to the indictment, McLean had a private medical practice known as John R. McLean M.D. and Associates, located at 1315 S. Division Street in Salisbury. He also had hospital privileges at Peninsula Regional Medical Center.

The indictment alleges that at least from 2003 to May 2007, McLean performed cardiac catheterizations on patients at PRMC and falsely recorded in the patients' medical records the existence or extent of any coronary artery blockage, known as lesions, observed during the procedures. Patients must have a 70 percent blockage before cardiac stents are considered medically necessary. The indictment alleges that in order to increase his profit, McLean allegedly implanted cardiac stents in patients who had neither a 70 percent or more blockage nor symptoms of blockage.

The indictment also alleges that McLean ordered that his cardiac patients have routine follow up visits and undergo unnecessary diagnostic testing such as Cardiolite Stress Tests, echocardiograms and electrocardiograms. McLean caused claims in the total amount of $519,063 for medically unnecessary procedures, services and testing to be submitted to health care benefit programs, including Medicare, according to the indictment.

The indictment also alleges that McLean shredded and attempted to shred documents that were subpoenaed by the Maryland Board of Physicians and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland during an investigation of his medical practice.

The indictment seeks forfeiture of $519,063 and two properties located in Ocean City and Salisbury.

McLean faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for health care fraud and five years in prison on each of six counts of making false statements relating to health care matters. No court proceedings have been scheduled yet.

McLean is also facing a lawsuit filed by more than a dozen of his patients. His attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment.

www.wboc.com

HELP! MISSING Kristen Shockely

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Pocomoke resident Teresa Shockley needs help finding her missing daughter Kristen Shockley missing since April 6^th.

This is a missing person case not unlike the Christine Sheddy case.

I have spoken to the mother and in her view of things she is not getting the cooperation and attention of the police agencies that a missing person case deserves so lets get her side of the story out in the ‘public eye’ and lets find this missing young lady.

Kirsten is a Worwic college student that would ride the transit bus everyday to get to Worwic. Kristen’s mother Teresa, would take Kristen to Wal*mart every Monday thru Thursday to catch the transit bus to Worwic, this was a daily routine that began in November of this year.

April 6^th 2010 Kristen’s mother Teresa dropped Kristen off at the transit bus stop as usual and Kristen got on the bus to travel to Worwic just like any other day but on the day April 6^th 2010 Kristen did not come home. We do not know if Kristen made it to the Worwic stop or got off the bus somewhere in-between Pocomoke and Worwic college but we do know Kristen did not go to class and did not come home, Kristen’s mother has not seen her daughter since that day, April 6^th 2010.

When Kristen did not return home the mother (Teresa) tried to contact Kristen with no luck at that point Teresa contacted the Pocomoke Police, Kristen’s mother Teresa Shockely says she got the run-around and the police acted as though they felt that Kristen was just off having fun and has simply run away. When Kristen’s mother reported Kristen missing she was told that Kristen had to be missing for 24 hours before she would be considered a missing person. 24 hours pass and Kristen’s mother Teresa makes the official missing persons report, the Pocomoke city police still will not right up the missing persons report and tells Kristen’s mother that Kristen is “just off playing and partying” and brushed it off as not being serious. After Teresa presses the issue the Pocomoke city police finally file a missing persons report after Kristen had been missing for 3 days. According to Kristen’s mother Teresa she was not even referred to a detective, the report was taken by a patrol officer.

Kristen has a boyfriend that has been abusing her, he has beat Kristen a number of times to the point that Kristen had to visit the ER. Kristen’s mother says that charges were pressed but each time Kristen dropped the charges.

Near the date that Kristen went missing her boyfriend beat her again, sending Kristen to the ER for the 4^th time, Kristen pressed charges, this time Kristen did not drop the charges and the boyfriend was arrested. Kristen’s boyfriend made bail after a few days in incarceration, 3 days later Kristen went missing.

Kristen’s mother received an anonymous phone call Thursday the 8^th saying that they saw Kristen walking the streets in Salisbury. Then on the 10^th Kristen’s mother received a call from the Baltimore police telling Kristen’s mother that they had Kristen in custody but they could not hold her because Kristen is an adult. At that time Kristen did speak to her mother Teresa and Teresa says Kristen begged to come home and that she does not know how she got to Baltimore, her purse and personal belongings are not with her and she does not know where or how her belongings disappeared.

At the police station Kristen told the Baltimoe police that she was going to go get a pack of cigarettes, there was a store almost in sight of the police station. The store and the police station are near the intersection of Windsor Mill Rd and Woodlawn Dr. Kristen has not been seen since.

Kristen’s mother Teresa and Kristen’s brother took off to Baltimore to search the area and covered the ground from April 10^th thru April 12^th with no luck.

Teresa has the tracking feature on Kristen’s cell phone and it’s showing up in Salisbury and is being used at a very unusually high rate, much more than Kristen would use it. Kristen’s mother has reported the whereabouts of the cell phone but Salisbury police tell Teresa that they cannot help as long as the phone is moving. The signal from the phone seams to be mainly in the Booth street area of Salisbury.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of Kristen Shockely please contact the Pocomoke city police @ (410) 957-1600 or email me at this blog. We need to bring Kristen home.

Wicomico mother charged with child's murder

SALISBURY — A 29-year-old mother of six was taken into custody by police on Thursday, after a grand jury indicted her on murder and manslaughter charges, according to the state's attorney office.



Debra Sanches is accused of leaving her 8-month- and 18-month-old children unattended in the bathtub. When she returned, the 8-month-old child was floating in the water and unresponsive, according to county officials.

As a result, Sanches was indicted on second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges earlier this week.


See continuing coverage in The Daily Times on Friday.

VIA DELMARVANOW.COM

Louise Smith, Salisbury City Council suppresses citizens freedom of speach

I don't post much about Salisbury, they have well enough blogs and sources but I feel as this needs as much attention as it can get.

It looks as though Pocomoke is not alone in it's mishandling of city politics and stifling citizens when they want to speak-out.

Here recently we see
Frank White using the Princess Anne credit card like it's raining Franklins, while he eats continually at Outback steak house and parties in OC then buys a WII fit to erm? work it off?

Watch the short clip on the Video below of Mondays Salisbury City council meeting, the lady that is about to speak is Ann Von Forthuber, about 1 year ago she was awoken in her home by an intruder holding a sharp object to her throat. As to date no one has been apprehended for the B&E and assault of Ann Von Forthuber and she has been relentless in trying to bring justice to her case.

I have been watching the Salisbury city council meetings on pac 14 for quite some time now and I have seen many, many people that did not give their physical address as you will learn by watching the video what transpired from there.

If you notice even the gentleman that spoke previously too Ann speaking didn't give his physical address, he simply said "Salisbury" and Ms Smith let the commentary continue.

Now I don't live in Salisbury so I don't "have a dog in this fight" either way, but what Ms Smith did was wrong, and what I believe may be illegal, on top of that it looks as though Ms Smith resigned herself from her chair as she just walked out of the meeting without do cause or a motion to adjourn with second and third motions.

Ms Smith should resign at this point as she is clearly a liability to the city. Our right to free speech is nothing to 'walk away' from as Ms Smith did at the Salisbury council meeting Monday.

It's obvious that Ms Smith has resentment against Ann Von Forthuber for whatever reason(s).. maybe because Von Forthuber is making noise about her case involving the B&E, regardless, Ms Smith's personal issues have no place at the City's table.

I do not know the reputation of any of these people and I do not have an agenda, but what I do see here is an abuse of political power that needs to be addressed.