Crime Victims

Four-year-old Emma Maphis lie curled up on her sidein the front pew at Hagerstown Seventh-Day Adventist Church on Sunday afternoon when she reached her right hand over the back of the pew. Hagerstown Police Detective Casey Yonkers, sitting behind Emma, reached out and held Emma's hand, holding it off and on for several minutes through a memorial service for crime victims and their families. Yonkers has gotten to know Emma and her family over the years, since Carol Brown was killed in 2008 in her Mitchell Avenue home.

It's been four years since Marian Grace Starliper Susik was stabbed to death by her husband on the corner of East Antietam and South Mulberry streets in Hagerstown. Memories of Susik and the events of the Jan. 24, 1994, stabbing of the 21-year-old Maugansville woman surged back to her family Sunday afternoon, only this time they didn't have to bear the pain alone. "When you have a loved one taken away by violent crime, there's one question you always ask yourself - why me?"

Vernon and Vivian Davis have regularly attended the annual Maryland Statewide Memorial Service for Crime Victims and Their Families since his parents were murdered 18 years ago in their Hagerstown home. For Brenda Cole, Sunday's event will be her first since her daughter, Heather Harris, was murdered in 2011. The 23rd annual memorial service will be at 2 p.m. at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church at 11507 Robinwood Drive. The service is for victims and survivors from the Western Region, which includes Montgomery, Frederick, Carroll, Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties, said Jill Ritter, director of the Washington County State's Attorney's Office's Witness/Victim Unit.

Citizens who took action when they witnessed a crime, an officer investigating incidents on his own time and a deputy who reached out to a child at Christmas were just a few people the state's attorney's office recognized this week for their dedication to helping crime victims. They were recognized as part of National Victims' Rights Week activities. "It's a simple thank you," said Jill Ritter of the Victim Witness Unit for the state's attorney's office. Sgt. Robert Whittington of the Washington County Sheriff's Department went "above and beyond" when he worked on an assault case during his personal time, Ritter said.

'to find a tomorrow' Knoxville parents form network to help crime victims By Teri Johnson Staff Writer Losing a loved one always is difficult, but losing that person at the hands of a murderer or drunken driver is inconceivable. A network founded by Jerry and Yong Pilkington of Knoxville aims to help crime victims see through their despair. The Hope Foundation Associates Inc. offers services to family members and friends of persons killed by homicide or by someone driving while intoxicated.

Nonprofits request to be added to county list Three nonprofit organizations have asked to be added to the county list in 2008. The Washington County Commissioners held a public hearing during its weekly meeting Tuesday to consider adding The Exchange Club Parent-Child Center Inc., Antietam Healthcare Foundation Inc., and Washington County Leadership Development Program Inc. to its list of nonprofit organizations. In a memo sent to the board, County Attorney John Martirano said adding an organization to the list does not "assure that the organization will receive funding from the board.

Imagine one night you are at home watching television. Your teenage daughter left the house hours earlier to see a movie with several friends. The phone rings. You are slightly irritated because you assume it is your daughter calling to ask to have her curfew extended. Instead it is a police officer calling from county hospital to tell you that your daughter was shot at point blank range while someone was attempting to steal her car. He calmly requests that you drive to the hospital as quickly as possible because your daughter is in critical condition and is not expected to survive.

· Experience: 25 years of prosecutorial experience and leadership. · Emphasis on victims: Focuses his office's efforts on rights and needs of crime victims. · Teamwork: Leads a team of experienced prosecutors and staff who work closely with law enforcement. · Efficiency: Has cut the number of Washington County Circuit Court filings and time from filing a case to closing it in half. · Innovation: Continues to innovate prosecution through the development of a juvenile drug court, a prison violence initiative and other initiatives.

Waiting to testify during a trial can be a distressing experience for victims and witnesses of crime, but the room where they wait before taking the stand is getting a soothing makeover. During this National Victims Rights Week, North Hagerstown High School art teacher Brandy Merchant and senior Alicia Lamarche donated their time to paint a mural in the room. The waterscape of Annapolis was nearing completion earlier this week. “I think victims need a place to go and think about other things.

Waiting to testify during a trial can be a distressing experience for victims and witnesses of crime, but the room where they wait before taking the stand is getting a soothing makeover. During this National Victims Rights Week, North Hagerstown High School art teacher Brandy Merchant and senior Alicia Lamarche donated their time to paint a mural in the room. The waterscape of Annapolis was nearing completion earlier this week. “I think victims need a place to go and think about other things.

Four-year-old Emma Maphis lie curled up on her sidein the front pew at Hagerstown Seventh-Day Adventist Church on Sunday afternoon when she reached her right hand over the back of the pew. Hagerstown Police Detective Casey Yonkers, sitting behind Emma, reached out and held Emma's hand, holding it off and on for several minutes through a memorial service for crime victims and their families. Yonkers has gotten to know Emma and her family over the years, since Carol Brown was killed in 2008 in her Mitchell Avenue home.

Vernon and Vivian Davis have regularly attended the annual Maryland Statewide Memorial Service for Crime Victims and Their Families since his parents were murdered 18 years ago in their Hagerstown home. For Brenda Cole, Sunday's event will be her first since her daughter, Heather Harris, was murdered in 2011. The 23rd annual memorial service will be at 2 p.m. at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church at 11507 Robinwood Drive. The service is for victims and survivors from the Western Region, which includes Montgomery, Frederick, Carroll, Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties, said Jill Ritter, director of the Washington County State's Attorney's Office's Witness/Victim Unit.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Angie Daley's family is planning a benefit motorcycle ride to help them bury the girl they last saw in 1995 before she went missing. In April, law enforcement found Angie's remains on a farm between Waynesboro and Greencastle, Pa. Her mother hasn't definitively heard when her remains will be returned from the crime lab for burial, but she's making early plans for a memorial service. The family hosted a spaghetti lunch June 19 and raised $1,700. It hopes a motorcycle poker run scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 22, will generate enough contributions to cover remaining funeral costs.

HAGERSTOWN -- Six men planted a tree Wednesday. The small tree blooming with pink flowers now stands in the center of a field outside a prison south of Hagerstown. It's there for all to see as a reminder, planted in memory of the victims of crimes, by those who have perpetrated the worst of crimes. The tree is meant to show the power of redemption and transformation. Six inmates, all members of the Maryland Correctional Institution's Lifer's Group planted the tree. "The tree represents life.

Mayoral candidate Ann Holtzman will square off against incumbent Robert E. Bruchey II and Jonathan R. Burrs in the Republican primary on March 10. The top vote-getter will advance to the general election on May 19. Holtzman said she fell in love with Hagerstown after she moved here in 1974 from Montgomery County, Md. "I began my career in Hagerstown as the first female Allstate Insurance agent in the country," she said. Holtzman said she opened her own Allstate branch on Edgewood Drive in 1986 and, by the time she retired in 2001, was in the top 3 percent in growth accounts among 1,500 agents across the United States.

Editor's note: The Herald-Mail last month published two stories highlighting some of the views of all but two of the 18 candidates who are vying for mayor or a seat on the city council in Hagerstown. Ann Holtzman, a Republican candidate for mayor, was out of town and could not be reached for comment. Unaffiliated candidate Ashley C. Haywood, who is seeking a seat on the city council, was not interviewed because she was in the process of gathering signatures for a petition to qualify her to run. HAGERSTOWN -- Ann Holtzman, 65 1076 Lindsay Lane Mayoral candidate Ann Holtzman will square off against incumbent Robert E. Bruchey II and Jonathan R. Burrs in the Republican primary on March 10. The top vote-getter will advance to the general election on May 19. Holtzman said she fell in love with Hagerstown after she moved here in 1974 from Montgomery County, Md. "I began my career in Hagerstown as the first female Allstate Insurance agent in the country," she said.

Citizens who took action when they witnessed a crime, an officer investigating incidents on his own time and a deputy who reached out to a child at Christmas were just a few people the state's attorney's office recognized this week for their dedication to helping crime victims. They were recognized as part of National Victims' Rights Week activities. "It's a simple thank you," said Jill Ritter of the Victim Witness Unit for the state's attorney's office. Sgt. Robert Whittington of the Washington County Sheriff's Department went "above and beyond" when he worked on an assault case during his personal time, Ritter said.

Citizens who took action when they witnessed a crime, an officer investigating incidents on his own time and a deputy who reached out to a child at Christmas were just a few people the state's attorney's office recognized this week for their dedication to helping crime victims. They were recognized as part of National Victims' Rights Week activities. "It's a simple thank you," said Jill Ritter of the Victim Witness Unit for the state's attorney's office. Sgt. Robert Whittington of the Washington County Sheriff's Department went "above and beyond" when he worked on an assault case during his personal time, Ritter said.