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BALANCING ACT
The Gazette
Musical lays bare the transition from adolescence to adulthood. B-5
GAITHERSBURG | MONTGOMERY VILLAGE
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
On the edge
GERMANTOWN
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SPATE OF DEADLY STABBINGS RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS, TREATMENT AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
GAITHERSBURG
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
GAITHERSBURG
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
JANUARY 29 7400 BLOCK OF LAKE KATRINE TERRACE
JANUARY 17 19000 BLOCK OF CHERRY BEND DRIVE
JANUARY 23 9051 SNOUFFER SCHOOL ROAD
Zakieya Avery, 28, and Monifa Sanford, 21, each face two counts of first-degree murder, accused of stabbing to death two of Avery’s children — 2-year-old Avery Sanford Zyana Harris and 1-year-old Norell N. Harris — in an attempted “exorcism.”
Shaun D. King, 36, of Bladensburg faces one count of first-degree murder, accused of fatally slashing and stabbing Abdul Ghaffar, 63, of Gaithersburg 75 times at the 7-Eleven store where Ghaffar worked. Prosecutors say they believe King suffers from schizophrenia and King asked that he be evaluated to determine if he is competent to stand trial.
Police say Christopher Stirkens, 25, stabbed his mother, Denise Stirkens, 53, to death at their Gaithersburg home. In an effort to save her, his father, James Stirkens, an off-duty police officer, shot and killled their son.
Stirkens
POLICE CALLS RELATING TO MENTAL ILLNESS
BY
ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH
A
STAFF WRITER
mid a spate of unusual and violent killings in Montgomery County last month, authorities are investigating what they say is a common thread: mental illness. • In Germantown, two women were accused of stabbing two young children to death in an attempted exorcism. • In Gaithersburg, police said, a man stabbed a 7-Eleven clerk to death less than a week later.
• Police said an off-duty sergeant shot his adult son to death as the son was stabbing his mother to death. The two women and the 7-Eleven defendant were transferred to a psychiatric hospital in Jessup for mental evaluation and treatment. The slayings prompted Montgomery County State’s Attorney John J. McCarthy to highlight local law enforcement’s role in dealing with and caring for the mentally ill. He talked about the lack of funding for treatment and the need for more resources and funding. “The larger issue for us in the community is: How do we deal with people who
A home for horses
have persistent mental health issues and intersect with the criminal justice system?” McCarthy said in a press conference last month. He said it’s an “open secret” that jails are one of the largest providers of mental health care and treatment nationwide. Statistics show a growing problem. According to data from the county prosecutor’s office, the number of “intakes” — people who were arrested — at the Montgomery County correctional facilities decreased from 9,256 in 2010 to 7,879 in 2013.
See MENTAL, Page A-10
Downtown Crown lands five new retailers Bank, restaurant and hair salon among new additions to development n
BY JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Kenny Chen of Potomac lets out a horse to play in the snow Sunday at the HorseNet Horse Rescue Farm in Mount Airy. HorseNet is seeking homes for 16 horses under its care. For more, see Page A-2.
SPORTS
DOUBLE DRIBBLE Twin sisters help Wootton girls basketball team get hot right before playoffs begin.
B-1
Downtown Crown, a mixed-use neighborhood within the 182-acre Crown community in Gaithersburg, has landed five new tenants to fill up space in its commercial district. The new retailers will bring Downtown Crown’s 259,000
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B-13 A-11 A-2 A-13 B-10 B-5 A-14 A-12 B-1
RECYCLE
Suicides include attempts 6,000
2010
2011
2012
2013
4,323 4,440 4,697 5,256 5,000
4,000
SUICIDES:
264
240
121
176
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
Lawmakers: Loophole lets school sex abusers walk House, Senate bills differ; supporters consider compromise n
square feet of commercial space to about 66 percent occupancy, according to a news release from the developer. Zagg, a mobile device accessory company, has signed a lease for an 1,100-squarefoot store on Crown Park Avenue, according to a recent news release. Nearby, a Wells Fargo bank will set up shop in a 2,500-square-foot corner storefront at the intersection of Crown Park Avenue and Copley Street. A dry cleaner, Crown
Two groups of Maryland legislators want to close a statutory loophole regarding which adults can and should be punished for engaging in sexual conduct with a student. One bill would apply to adults who work with children in either a school system or a county recreation program. A second bill adds to that list volunteers at schools and employees and volunteers at private recreation facilities. Both bills agree that coaches should be written into the law. Maryland law criminalizes sexual contact between
See CROWN, Page A-9
See WSSC, Page A-8
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER AND LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITERS
SPECIAL SECTION
OUR CHILDREN 12 cool places for birthday parties; teaching kids and pets to get along; how to teach your children about money; teen rebellion: what’s normal and what’s not
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