Kitchen Knife

A man robbed the Family Dollar Store, at 921 Pennsylvania Ave., of an undisclosed amount of money after showing a store clerk a large kitchen knife, according to a news release from the Hagerstown Police Department. The incident occurred at about 8:40 p.m. Saturday, police said. The man fled north on foot, but a K-9 track ended after a few blocks with no results, police said. Anyone with information about the incident may contact the police department's Criminal Investigation Division.

A Hagerstown man has been arrested and charged in connection to a recent armed robbery of a store on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Hagerstown Police Department said Friday. Police on Wednesday identified and later arrested Alfred Conrad Teabout Jr., 47, of 428 Jonathan St., as the man responsible for the March 9 robbery of Family Dollar at 921 Pennsylvania Ave., according to a news release. Teabout is charged with armed robbery, robbery, reckless endangerment and theft, police said.

HAGERSTOWN - A 44-year-old Halfway man was ordered Tuesday in Washington County Circuit Court to serve five years in prison for stabbing his disabled mother with a kitchen knife in February. Daniel Eugene Harp, of 11234 Scarlet Oak Drive, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in July in the Feb. 6 stabbing. Sentencing guidelines, which are discretionary, called for a sentence of four to nine years in Harp's case, said Robert Veil, county assistant state's attorney. Circuit Judge Frederick C. Wright III ordered Harp to serve five years and gave him credit for the nearly 10 months he has spent in jail since the assault.

Girl admits to assaulting mother A 16-year-old girl admitted to second-degree assault Wednesday morning in Washington County Circuit Court. The girl, who is not enrolled in school but completed ninth grade, assaulted her mother in January, Assistant State's Attorney Michelle Flores said. The girl, who bit her mother and threatened her with a kitchen knife, described her relationship with her mother as an ongoing power struggle, Flores said. Assistant Public Defender Michael Wilson said the girl meant to threaten to kill herself, not her mother, with the kitchen knife.

A Hagerstown man was charged Saturday with breaking into an apartment on Haven Road and assaulting its resident, City Police said. The resident, Dwayne Lionel Stones, told police that he thwarted the attack by stabbing his assailant with a kitchen knife after the attacker kicked down his door. David Marvin Williams Jr., 30, of 639 Pennsylvania Ave., went to Washington County Hospital to seek treatment for a stab wound to his left shoulder, police said. After he was treated, officers charged him with first-degree burglary, first- and second-degree assault and malicious destruction of property.

Musselman High School is mourning the death of a recent graduate who police say was stabbed to death by her boyfriend in Lawndale, Calif. Eileen Elizabeth Garnreiter, 22, was found Saturday after a domestic dispute, according to reports by The San Jose Mercury News and The Los Angeles Times. She had been stabbed to death with a kitchen knife, according to the published accounts. The couple's 3-week old daughter was not harmed, according to reports. Musselman High School Principal Ron Stephens shared the news of Garnreiter's death Tuesday with fellow principals at their regular meeting, Berkeley County Schools spokesperson Jaimee Borger said.

Birdsall indicted in fatal stabbing of wife MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - An Inwood, W.Va., man has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the death of his wheelchair-bound wife, who was stabbed 17 times and her body stuffed in a couch A Berkeley County grand jury on Tuesday indicted Clyde Lee Birdsall, 54, in the death of Ericka Elfriede Stark Birdsall, 58. Prosecutors believe Ericka Birdsall was killed on March 6, 1997, and...

A man convicted in December of sexually assaulting his estranged wife at knifepoint was ordered by a judge to serve not less than 15 nor more than 35 years in prison Thursday. Ruben Castillo, 37, of Martinsburg, also was sentenced Thursday by 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge John C. Yoder to 12-month and one-year sentences and fined a total of $750 for two related misdemeanor convictions, but was credited for time already served since the Jan. 30, 2012, incident. Castillo was found guilty of one felony count of first-degree sexual assault and misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and violation of a protective order at the culmination of a three-day jury trial on Dec. 13, according to court documents and Berkeley County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Gregory K. Jones.  Upon being released from prison, Castillo will be placed on supervised release for 15 years, Yoder ordered.

By MARLO BARNHART Staff Writer Maryland's highest court has ruled that Timothy Ray Sucik must have a new sentencing for the 1994 murder of his estranged wife. The ruling, announced earlier this week, says Sucik must have a pre-sentence investigation despite the fact that he didn't ask for one at his sentencing. Sucik, 30, was given a sentence of life without parole in Washington County Circuit Court in January, 1995, almost a year after he stabbed Marian Sucik to death on the corner of East Antietam and South Mulberry streets in Hagerstown.

A convicted murderer was in Washington County Circuit Court on Monday, this time pleading guilty to charges that he stabbed a teenage girl whom he had previously sexually abused. Assistant State's Attorney Brett Wilson told Circuit Judge John H. McDowell that the state is recommending a sentence of 30 years for Jenerette Dixon, who pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree assault and sex abuse of a minor. Dixon, 38, formerly of 340 N. Jonathan St., will have a mental health evaluation and a presentence report before sentencing.

A Hagerstown man has been arrested and charged in connection to a recent armed robbery of a store on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Hagerstown Police Department said Friday. Police on Wednesday identified and later arrested Alfred Conrad Teabout Jr., 47, of 428 Jonathan St., as the man responsible for the March 9 robbery of Family Dollar at 921 Pennsylvania Ave., according to a news release. Teabout is charged with armed robbery, robbery, reckless endangerment and theft, police said.

A man robbed the Family Dollar Store, at 921 Pennsylvania Ave., of an undisclosed amount of money after showing a store clerk a large kitchen knife, according to a news release from the Hagerstown Police Department. The incident occurred at about 8:40 p.m. Saturday, police said. The man fled north on foot, but a K-9 track ended after a few blocks with no results, police said. Anyone with information about the incident may contact the police department's Criminal Investigation Division.

A man convicted in December of sexually assaulting his estranged wife at knifepoint was ordered by a judge to serve not less than 15 nor more than 35 years in prison Thursday. Ruben Castillo, 37, of Martinsburg, also was sentenced Thursday by 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge John C. Yoder to 12-month and one-year sentences and fined a total of $750 for two related misdemeanor convictions, but was credited for time already served since the Jan. 30, 2012, incident. Castillo was found guilty of one felony count of first-degree sexual assault and misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and violation of a protective order at the culmination of a three-day jury trial on Dec. 13, according to court documents and Berkeley County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Gregory K. Jones.  Upon being released from prison, Castillo will be placed on supervised release for 15 years, Yoder ordered.

A man charged with stabbing a teenage girl in the chest at a Hagerstown home Saturday will continue to be held without bond at the Washington County Detention Center. Washington County District Court Judge Mark D. Thomas said Tuesday during a bond review hearing that Jenerette B. Dixon, 38, of 340 N. Jonathan St. in Hagerstown, was too dangerous to risk setting free. Dixon appeared for the hearing through a closed-circuit television feed between the detention center and the courthouse.

Musselman High School is mourning the death of a recent graduate who police say was stabbed to death by her boyfriend in Lawndale, Calif. Eileen Elizabeth Garnreiter, 22, was found Saturday after a domestic dispute, according to reports by The San Jose Mercury News and The Los Angeles Times. She had been stabbed to death with a kitchen knife, according to the published accounts. The couple's 3-week old daughter was not harmed, according to reports. Musselman High School Principal Ron Stephens shared the news of Garnreiter's death Tuesday with fellow principals at their regular meeting, Berkeley County Schools spokesperson Jaimee Borger said.

Man to serve six years for assault A 20-year-old man will serve six years in prison for a first-degree assault conviction in a Jan. 13 home invasion in the 16000 block of Broadfording Road. Ronald Dwayne Brackett pleaded guilty to the assault charge June 18 in Washington County Circuit Court and was sentenced Monday, according to court documents. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with all but six years suspended. A group of people beat up a man at a Broadfording Road residence after they showed up at the house claiming someone there had stolen money from an acquaintance, according to reports.

HAGERSTOWN - A 44-year-old Halfway man was ordered Tuesday in Washington County Circuit Court to serve five years in prison for stabbing his disabled mother with a kitchen knife in February. Daniel Eugene Harp, of 11234 Scarlet Oak Drive, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in July in the Feb. 6 stabbing. Sentencing guidelines, which are discretionary, called for a sentence of four to nine years in Harp's case, said Robert Veil, county assistant state's attorney. Circuit Judge Frederick C. Wright III ordered Harp to serve five years and gave him credit for the nearly 10 months he has spent in jail since the assault.

A District Court judge found probable cause Tuesday to forward to Circuit Court all charges against a man accused of stabbing his mother Feb. 6 in their Halfway home. Daniel Harp, 43, is charged with attempted first-degree and attempted second-degree murder. He is accused of stabbing Nancy Harp, 68, two or three times at the 11234 Scarlet Oak Drive home they shared. Nancy Harp, who has multiple sclerosis and was under her son's care at the time of the stabbing, was released about 10 days after the assault from Washington County Hospital, according to her daughter, Deena Harp, 45. At the hearing, Daniel Harp, an amputee whose orange jail jumpsuit was knotted below his right knee, slumped in his chair, clutched his crutches with one hand and showed little expression as Washington County Sheriff's Department Deputy Jon Witmer explained the investigation.