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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
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SPATE OF DEADLY STABBINGS RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS, TREATMENT AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
GAITHERSBURG
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
GAITHERSBURG
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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 believe King suffers from schizophrenia and asked that he be King 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 killed 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
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.
Change could be similar to Bethesda arrangement BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
As Montgomery County digs out from its largest snowfall of the winter, a county councilman is pondering ways to improve snow removal from sidewalks, bus stops and other places in the county’s urban areas.
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
Newton envisions facility as anchor to Town Center 2
n
BY
ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton sits in her office at City Hall.
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Mayor tries to restart conversation about rebuilding City Hall
During snow or ice storms, people on foot still need to be able to negotiate bus stops, Metro stations and other common pedestrian areas, said Councilman Hans Riemer (DAt Large) of Takoma Park. Generally, the responsibility for clearing sidewalks falls on the business owner or the property owner, Riemer said. Riemer said he would like to see a program in the
See SNOW, Page A-7
6,000
See MENTAL, Page A-10
Councilman proposes look at snow removal in Silver Spring, Wheaton n
Suicides include attempts
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RECYCLE
Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton said officials should look into constructing a new City Hall a short distance north of where it is now.
Newton, who took office in November, said she has long thought redevelopment in the area north of Town Center needed an anchor. Moving City Hall there and building a public parking garage is one idea for the area, sometimes referred to as Town Center 2. The city’s master plan sees Town Center 2 as an extension
See CITY HALL, Page A-7
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