Violent Crime

pepperb@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - When gunshots rang out Wednesday in an alley off Jonathan Street, Rochelle Jackson wasn't there to hear them. But she felt as if she were. "I'm worried about my daughter growing up in this," she said as her daughter, 2-year-old Malaysia, bit a sippy cup. Jackson, 22, was among some Hagerstown residents interviewed downtown Thursday who said they're afraid crime might be on the rise in their neighborhoods. But Hagerstown Police Department Chief Arthur Smith said that's not the case.

All eight major categories of crime declined in Washington County in 1998 but no one, from the state's lieutenant governor to local law enforcement officials, is resting easy. [cont. from front page ] The overall drop in Washington County was 6.4 percent, according to the Maryland Uniform Crime Report released Wednesday. "We're all trying to put more officers on the streets," said Washington County Sheriff Charles F. Mades. "They are already doing a good job and working hard.

laurae@herald-mail.com An effort to increase jail time for child molesters has failed in the Maryland General Assembly. Del. Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington, said he'll likely come back next year with a bill that's carefully crafted to address opponents' concerns. A group of Hagerstown-area mothers whose children were sexually abused testified in favor of legislation that would have forced child sexual offenders to serve more of their sentences. Right now, offenders are eligible for parole after serving one-quarter of their sentences and can get credits for time served to shorten their sentences.

By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Writer Throughout Washington County and across the county, police officers remembered fallen colleagues Thursday as National Police Week neared an end. Hagerstown Police Chief Dale J. Jones and several other officers attended memorial ceremonies in Washington, D.C. for the 116 officers killed in the line of duty in 1996. Their names were etched into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. In Hagerstown, city officials placed blue ribbons on parking meters downtown and some flags flew at half staff.

By MARLO BARNHART Staff Writer While Washington County's overall crime rate was virtually unchanged in 1997 compared with the previous year, there was a sharp increase in the number of homicides. Six homicides were committed in Washington County in 1997 compared to just one the year before, according to statistics from the Maryland State Police Uniform Crime Reporting System. While homicides in the county often have resulted from domestic violence, police said only one of the six could be characterized that way - the May 5 slaying of Suzanne Garde on Garis Shop Road near Funkstown.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - Cynthia Smailes-Rybak lost her daughter, Amanda Smailes, 21, to a drunken driver more than nine years ago. Margaret Walker lost her only son, Terry, 17, to an impaired driver more than three years ago. And Randy and Mary Stewart's only child, Miana, 14, was murdered two months ago in their home. They were some of the 15 or so people who attended a memorial service Monday night to remember those killed as the result of a violent crime, including drunken driving.

shappell@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Two Maryland jurisdictions have issued arrest warrants charging a Thurmont, Md., man with armed robberies, authorities in Frederick and Washington counties said. According to news releases issued Monday by the Hagerstown Police Department and Frederick County Sheriff's Department, Daniel S. Uppercue, 31, of 6415 Mountaindale Road, has been charged in armed robberies that occurred late last month in both counties. City police, in a warrant obtained on Feb. 28, charged Uppercue with armed robbery, robbery, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, theft less than $500, use of a handgun in the commission of a felony/violent crime and handgun on person, according to information released by Criminal Investigative Division Sgt. Paul Kifer.

A 54-year-old Hagerstown man was sentenced Thursday in Washington County Circuit Court for the 2011 murder of his roommate, whose decomposing body was found days later in the West Franklin Street apartment they shared. Darrell Hicks was given the maximum 30-year sentence for second-degree murder by Circuit Judge Daniel P. Dwyer, who gave Hicks another three years in prison for carrying a deadly weapon. Hicks will have to serve at least half of the 30-year sentence for the stabbing death of Darrin Pressman before he is eligible for parole, Assistant State's Attorney Brett Wilson said after the sentencing.

A Hagerstown man was being held Friday night at the Washington County Detention Center after he was charged Thursday with first-degree burglary and other crimes. Police allege in charging documents that Wilvon Eric Raleigh, 22, of 241 N. Locust St., on Wednesday forced his way into the rear basement of a home in the 400 block of East Washington Street. Three armed men broke into the home, police said. Police alleged that Raleigh, also known as FB, held a semiautomatic handgun to the temple of the victim in this case.

Hagerstown City Police got their first chance Wednesday to speak with the New Jersey man who was shot Monday night on Jonathan Street. "The information he gave us was helpful," said Detective George Knight. He wouldn't elaborate. Kurrian Tyshon Grasty, 18, was listed in fair condition Wednesday at Washington County Hospital, recovering from bullet wounds from the navel down, police said. Eight shots were fired, including four that struck Grasty, according to Capt. Robert Voytko.