Latest news with #HowardCounty
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Howard County placed on list of 'sanctuary' jurisdictions, officials says laws are in compliance
May 31—Howard County was placed on a list of "sanctuary" jurisdictions, but officials say county law doesn't impede the federal government's enforcement of federal laws. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To log in, click here.
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Convicted Honduran national arrested by federal immigration agents in Maryland
A Honduran national who was convicted of a crime in Maryland was taken into custody by U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on May 22. Alex Yonatan Flores-Arce, 20, entered the U.S. illegally, according to ICE. U.S. Border Patrol encountered him near El Paso, Texas, in March 2019, where he was served with a notice to appear. Howard County fails to honor ICE detainer In announcing Flores-Arce's arrest, ICE also accused Howard County of ignoring a request to keep him detained. Immigration officials said Flores-Arce was released back into the community twice. Flores-Arce was arrested in October 2024 and charged with rape in Howard County. He was found guilty in April and sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years of probation. ICE said they submitted an immigration detainer for Flores-Arce on January 13 to the Howard County Department of Corrections. An immigration detainer is a request that ICE submits to state or local law enforcement, asking them to hold a person for up to 48 hours and send a notification before releasing a suspect. It allows federal immigration officials time to take a person into custody. According to ICE, the department did not honor the detainer and instead released Flores-Arce from custody on May 5. On May 8, Flores-Arce was arrested for violating his probation. He was arrested by ICE as he left the detention center, officials said. "The decision by Howard County Detention Center to ignore our immigration detainer and release a removable individual with an egregious criminal history undermines public safety and put Maryland communities at risk," ICE Baltimore acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker said. Flores-Arce has a final administrative removal order and remains in ICE's custody. Howard County designated as sanctuary jurisdiction Howard County was among eight Maryland counties that the Trump administration recently designated as sanctuary jurisdictions. The designation came after an executive order from the President on April 28 required the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to share a list of states, cities and counties that "obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws." According to the administration, sanctuary jurisdictions are locations that "deliberately and shamefully" ignore federal immigration laws. "Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril," DHS said. According to ICE Baltimore officials, Flores-Arce's arrest was not the first time that Howard County failed to honor an immigration detainer. "This failure is not an isolated incident, but part of a concerning pattern we see all too often," Baker said in a statement. "...Working together with local jurisdictions is the only way to keep our neighborhoods safe and uphold the rule of law."
Fox News
2 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Maryland police frustrated after teen accused in more than 100 car break-ins released within hours of arrest
A Maryland teen who allegedly broke into 121 cars in a single night was released within five hours of his arrest and local authorities say they are furious because the state considers the crimes to be "lower level," so consequences are not expected. The unidentified 16-year-old boy was arrested last week by the Laurel Police Department after it received multiple reports of break-ins on May 4. The crimes took place in Laurel and nearby Howard County. Surveillance footage captured three teens roving around in a stolen car and smashing the windows of vehicles they came across, police said. "I have little hope there will be further accountability for him due to this broken system," Laurel Police Chief Russ Hamill told reporters. "Due to this gap in concern for his safety, and the public's safety." Fox News Digital has reached out to the police department. At the teen suspect's home, authorities found nearly 20 sets of car keys, credit cards, and other evidence that linked him to the car break-ins, Hamill said. Since the teen didn't have a criminal record, the state Department of Juvenile Services characterized the offenses as lower-level crimes and allowed him to be released, Hamill said. "I would offer well over 100 cases in one night, gives you a pretty good record," Hamill said. "These were not violent crimes, as if that lessens the impact on those 121 victims." "Yes, five hours after we were at his house, he was released back into the community, back into the environment that allowed him to be out roaming the streets in all of these counties, late at night and in the early morning, doing these crimes to begin with," he added. Two other teens have been identified as the suspect's accomplices, Hamill said, adding that they were expected to be arrested soon. "People need to be held accountable for this," he said. The night after the teen was released, there were reports of 17 car break-ins, Hamill said, though he stopped short of blaming them on the suspect. "We're not going to lay every theft from auto in the region on him and his group, but I will note we had 17 the next night," Hamill said.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Howard County's public schools look into staff cuts, class increases to balance budget
The Howard County Board of Education is working to balance the public schools' budget, after it was given less than what it requested from the county. The Howard County Council adopted the county's FY2026 operating and capital budgets last Wednesday. The final allocation for the Howard County Public School System ended up being $816 million. It's more than what was initially proposed by County Executive Calvin Ball, but it's millions less than what school district leaders, staff, and families wanted. The Howard County Board of Education can make final adjustments until its June 4 work session. The budget will be adopted on June 12. What will be cut? The seven-member Board of Education held its first work session Tuesday morning since the county budget was adopted. HCPSS Superintendent Bill Barnes started the work session off with a presentation, which showed the school district officially faces a shortfall of around $15.3 million. To fill the gap, Barnes recommended eliminating what's been deemed as other budget priorities, which include security assistants and some human resources positions. Barnes also advised potentially leveraging some school system funds, which, per his recommendations, would bring the shortfall to just under $9 million. To balance the budget, Barnes presented two scenarios, both of which eliminated more than 100 positions. One of the scenarios also increased class sizes in middle schools and high schools. Several board members expressed concerns about the recommendations. "I am really concerned about cutting special education service levels, knowing already are not meeting all the needs of students," said board chair Jolene Mosley. Board member Antonia Watts expressed frustration, feeling like Barnes and the central office were withholding information until Tuesday's work session. "I don't understand why we're having this work session when we don't have the information that board members have requested to show our priorities in a scenario being built out," Watts said. Cat Carter, a member of the PTA Council of Howard County and a mother of five, has advocated for more funding for years. She was disappointed with this year's budget season and plans to run for the Howard County Council next year. David Yungmann, who has represented District 5 on the county council since 2018, doesn't plan to run for re-election in 2026. "We wouldn't be in this situation if the county council did the right thing, because our county has a spending problem and a priority problem," Carter said. Educators' contract at risk During the work session, board member Jacky McCoy suggested cuts could be coming for teachers. "If we care about our children, if we care about their education, every single one of us is going to have to sacrifice," McCoy said. "Even our teachers." The Howard County Education Association, or HCEA, just recently ratified a multi-year agreement for salary. "It went out to a membership vote, it was passed off by the Board of Education before it went out to a membership vote," HCEA president Benjamin Schmitt said. "It's been passed."
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
A lifetime of gymnastics helped lead her to a track and field scholarship
Alicia Hall has no time to sit still. On a typical Monday, she goes from senior year classes at Oakland Mills High School in Howard County to track practice to club gymnastics and then finally back home around 9 p.m.. When she's at track and not actively practicing or competing, she can often be found in a handstand. In her own words, Hall loves to 'defy gravity.'
