Someone clue the average citizen in on all of this so that we NO longer become victims!
SNOW HILL -- Police arrested a Pocomoke City man late Wednesday in the stabbing death of a teen, charging him with murder. James Edward Ballard, 29, of Pocomoke City was ordered to be held without bond by Judge Gerald Purnell in Worcester County District Court.
Police charged Ballard with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 18-year-old Russell Matthew Bailey III of Pocomoke City. Police also charged him with second-degree murder, manslaughter and first-degree assault.
The circumstances of the incident were not immediately clear. First-degree murder is a charge that implies premeditation; Ballard told police he was defending himself.
According to court documents, Pocomoke City Police and Maryland State Police responded at 2:30 p.m. to a reported stabbing in the 700 block of Eighth Street in Pocomoke City, across the street from the middle school.
Police found the victim lying on the ground, bleeding from a chest wound. In charging documents, police said "numerous witnesses" said they saw Ballard stab Bailey.
Investigators telephoned Ballard to come in for an interview. At the Pocomoke City Police station, he confessed to stabbing Bailey, calling it an act of self-defense. In charging documents, police allege Ballard killed Bailey with premeditation, based upon their investigation.
Bailey graduated from Pocomoke High School in June. Tyrone Mills, the school's principal, said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened to learn of Russell's death. It is a tragedy to lose a young man who had his whole life ahead of him."
In Snow Hill District Court on Thursday, Ballard sported a bushy beard and shiny white Air Jordan sneakers with his navy blue prisoner jumpsuit. He told the judge that he has "a lot of stuff going on" in his life; he needed a lawyer, he said, and asked for a preliminary hearing.
Ballard also told the judge he had barely been home two weeks after having spent time in jail for a probation violation.
In September 2008, a Worcester County Circuit Court judge sentenced Bailey to a year in jail and two years on probation on charges of second-degree assault.
Months later, authorities learned not only had Ballard moved from Pocomoke City to Philadelphia, but he had been arrested there in February 2009 on drug charges. They also learned of his July 2009 arrest in Hampton, Va., also on a drug charge.
His move and the arrests violated the terms of his probation. As a result, a judge sent him back to jail in November 2009.
Ballard's criminal record in Worcester and Wicomico counties dates to 1999 and includes other charges for burglary, drug possession, armed robbery, assault and escaping from police custody. No date has been set yet for Ballard's next court appearance.
This man is responsible for several thefts and burglaries and he graduated up to using a weapon..felony burglary, then he was an escapee from Wicomico and fugitive in VA. He tried to get a modification of his sentence and was denied. I do believe this is the guy who they had on tape few years ago holding up Duck In in Pocomoke. Catch a clue, Judges, this time he wasn't out 2 weeks! Self-defense from a little barely 18 year old who was thin.....yeah, right Ballard.
ReplyDeleteSing another tune!
He's singing the "self defense" tune now because he's been caught. If he were still free and running from the law he'd be bragging and probably looking for another victim.
ReplyDeleteHe's certainly been jailed for a host of crimes.......guess he thought murder was the "right" thing to do.
Jail time isn't serious enough. Neither is the punishment.
Do judges bother to look at complete criminal backgrounds?
I don't believe the article from delmarvanow implies that he has just been released. Check Maryland Case search and you will see that he is still being held at Worcester County Jail on no bond. HWOB means held without bond. And really he's claiming self-defense if it was really "Self-defense" then the young man would not have been stabbed out in the street and did the police find Bailey with a weapon.
ReplyDeleteThe article states that the police called him at home to come to the police station for questioning so they most likely didn't find him with a weapon. And since he stabbed this young man in the chest my guess the knife was still in his chest.
ReplyDeleteWitnesses say they saw Ballard stab Bailey. I can't imagine standing around watching something like that.
When they state that Ballard has just been released, they are speaking about the fact that he was just released from jail two weeks ago (9/15/2010 Maybe) from the Nov 2009 judgement. He is still at Worchester County Jail for stabbing Russell.
ReplyDeleteThank you for clearing that up. I failed to do so a few days ago. But that is exactly what I think it means. And I'm sure it does.
ReplyDelete