PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION BREXTON REALTY
Volume 121 No. 40
Brexton REXTON R B rEALTY ealty
SERVING & SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY
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MAY 11, 2013 - MAY 17, 2013
On Mother’s Day, a Grandmother Celebrates a New Relationship
By Andrea Crews Special to the AFRO
Charles Ramsey
Photo courtesy Cleveland Call and Post
‘Dead Giveaway’ By Alexis Taylor Special to the AFRO
Charles Ramsey never imagined he’d be thrust into the national spotlight from the yard of his Cleveland home much less called “hero” for, of all things, rescuing three women from who’d been kidnapped. However, that is exactly what happened on May 6. “I heard screaming. I was eating my McDonald’s. I went outside and saw this girl going nuts trying to get out of her house, “ Ramsey told ABC News affiliate WEWS. Clad in a plain white tee and flashing a less than perfect smile, Ramsey explained how he rescued Amanda Berry, 27, from the house in the 2200 block of Seymour Avenue. Georgina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32, were also rescued, according to Cleveland police. Each had been held about 10 years against her will. The suspects are brothers Pedro Castro, 54; Ariel Castro, 52; and Onil Castro, 50. They are held in police custody pending the filing of charges. Two words from a Ramsey television interview, “dead giveaway” have been used as the title of a music video featuring the erstwhile hero that has gone viral.
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The sweetest joy of my life has been getting to know my grandmother. I never knew her well growing up. Grandma Evelyn lived in Greensboro, N.C., so I only saw her on occasional visits. There were few chances to hug her, sitwith her or laugh with her. I learned from my limited contact with her that she was a woman who did not smile often, had the gnarled hands of someone who worked hard, had a commanding bearing and always kept her home pristine from the baseboards to the ceiling. I learned around Thanksgiving that she was coming to live with us because dementia had left her unable to care for herself. The day my grandmother, now 87, moved to Baltimore, I was unsure how to feel. Though I knew her face, I had a lot to learn about this woman who had gone from being a six-hour drive away to living right above my
Evelyn Crews admires a photo of herself and her late husband. Photo by Andrea Crews
basement bedroom. Her walk had become slower, her hair greyer, her back more curved. But she was still my grandmother. * Dementia is a cruel thing. It robs sufferers of the details that make them who they are.
That’s what it is doing to my grandmother. Grandma Evelyn had always been a woman in control. I remember how nice her house was when we visited—the elephant sculptures and other memorabilia she had placed
meticulously around the room. Her home was a time capsule of her family. The thing I valued most, though, were the details of my life she was able to fill in. Her stories about her children’s childhoods--including my Continued on A4
released April 24, the Governors Highway Safety Association projected that motorcycle deaths increased approximately 9 percent in 2012, to more than 5,000 lives lost. Authorities said car drivers are at fault more than half the time when getting involved in accidents with motorcyclists. “Drivers and riders both are responsible for sharing the road safely together by following the rules of the road, avoiding distractions and controlling their speeds,” said Maryland Motor Administrator John Kuo at a recent the “Share the Road” press event. Motorcyclists, who fewer defenses in a crash with cars, must take the proper safety precautions when riding,
officials said. “You have to be more cognizant of the road conditions, the weather conditions, the traffic patterns and your surroundings,” said Lowell Duckett, a former D.C. Police motorcycle officer trainer. John B. Townsend II, spokesman for AAA MidAtlantic, said that a lack of skill and experience are often
to blame. “People may think they can handle it and they can’t,” he said. May, June and July are the deadliest months for motorcyclists in Maryland, according to police. Most deaths occur between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends and the victims are usually males from 25 to 30-yearsold.
Prince George’s Police Work to Quell Motorcycle Deaths By Taryn Finley Special to the AFRO The wreck happened in the waning hours of May 2, a Thursday, at a well-traveled intersection in Brandywine. According to police, a blue Chrysler van traveling southbound on Route 301 at Shortcut Road failed to yield to oncoming traffic. Traveling in the northbound lanes were two motorcycles, one driven by Caleb Williams, the other by Herby Bolick, Jr. At 11:11 p.m., the motorcycles struck the side of the van. Both Williams and Bolick died at the scene. The driver of the van, Brian Kauten, was taken to a local hospital, according to a police report. The crash was the latest of several on Prince George’s
roads this year. Williams and Bolick were the third and fourth motorcycle fatalities of the year. Prince George’s County traditionally has had a serious problem with deadly motorcycle crashes, authorities said. Last year, 10 people died in motorcycle crashes. With the start of a new motorcycling season just kicking off, Prince George’s County police have initiated a program to promote motorcycle safety. According to the department’s blog, they implemented the “Share the Road” campaign in April with the Maryland State Police, the Motor Vehicle Administration and Maryland’s Highway Safety Office. In a new report
Stop the Music!
Police Seek Help in Laurel Double Homicide By Ariel Medley Special to the AFRO
Police continue their search for suspects and a motive in the May 2 slaying of a man and woman inside a South Laurel apartment, possibly as the woman’s disabled daughter slept nearby. The bodies were found in the Montpelier Crossing apartment complex in the 9600 block of Muirkirk Road in South Laure about 8:15 a.m. Police said they found James Vell Ferguson, 42, and Tina Towler, 45, dead inside the apartment. Also inside, but unharmed, was Towler’s 25-year-old daughter, a paraplegic who suffers from cerebral palsy. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, but had not been injured. The call to police came from a nurse who routinely cares for Towler’s daughter. After knocking several times, but getting no answer, the nurse entered the apartment through a
sliding door and found Ferguson and Towler lying in bed, unconscious, with what appeared to be severe trauma to the upper body. Police are asking anyone with information on the case to come forward. Neighbors reported hearing arguments coming from the apartment around 5 a.m. that morning. A police spokeswoman said officers have been called to the apartment three times this year: twice in February for a missing person’s report and again on March 30 when someone dialed 9-1-1 but abruptly hung up. Charles Collins, who lives in the same complex, remembered Ferguson and Towler as “friendly” people. “I just don’t understand why anyone would want to kill him,” said Collins of Ferguson. Police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of suspects in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call Prince George County police at 301-772-4925.
AP Photo/ Evan Agostini/Invision
Beyonce attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit celebrating “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” on May 6, in New York.
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