Grasso issues an apology

for posts about Muslims

Anne Arundel County Councilman John Grasso issued an apology Thursday for a string of Facebook posts he shared about Muslims. Rudwan Abu-Rumman, president of the Anne Arundel County Muslim Council, said Grasso sent him a text apologizing for posts criticized earlier this week. Grasso also deleted the posts he shared on his personal page and put a statement on the website for his state Senate campaign. On Tuesday, the Council on American Islamic Relations called for Grasso’s resignation and for Republicans to denounce him after three “hate-filled, Islamaphobic and xenophobic” posts he shared in September. Abu-Rumman provided a copy of the text, which misspelled his name and other words: “Rudwam, i want to apologize for sharing the post asking if we should ban islam relegion in pubilc schools. I thought that was going on however i understand noone has requested it. I didnt know this an just stated no religion should be taught in a public school. Your friend councilman johnny grasso.” Abu-Rumman said he will present the apology to the county Muslim council after he meets with Grasso today. Abu-Rumman said he was telling members of the Muslim community not to vote for Grasso in the District 32 Senate race after the posts, but that he might reconsider after their meeting. The council will discuss whether or not they support Grasso on Sunday.

— Selene San Felice

Judges suggest settlement talks in redistricting case

A federal court on Thursday suggested settlement discussions be pursued in a case in which Republican voters in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District want to toss out a map they say was unfairly crafted to benefit Democrats. The three-judge panel made the recommendation during a hearing on the case in Baltimore, according to the state attorney general’s office, which is defending the current district boundaries. An attorney general’s spokesperson said afterward that the office does not comment on ongoing litigation. Michael Kimberly, an attorney for the voters, did not immediately respond to an email inquiry. The voters contend that Democrats in Annapolis violated their First Amendment rights in the 2011 redistricting process by punishing them for their GOP voting history. In a June decision, the U.S. Supreme Court declined the voters’ request to reject the district map, returning the case to U.S. District Court in Baltimore. The options for U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Bredar and two other federal judges could include having a nonpartisan redistricting commission redraw the boundaries, asking lawmakers redo the map, or preserving the current district lines.

— Jeff Barker

Police spokesman: Drunk officer an embarrassment

A Baltimore police spokesman acknowledged Thursday that the discovery of an officer drunk in his patrol car is “something that embarrassed the agency, yet again.” Officer Aaron Heilman, working and in full uniform, was found slumped behind the wheel of his marked patrol vehicle near Pigtown on Tuesday afternoon, police said. A Breathalyzer revealed his blood alcohol level was 0.22. Heilman, who could not be reached for comment, was fired the following day and charged with a DUI. Police spokesman TJ Smith answered reporters’ questions about the incident towards the end of a news conference. “I saw officers walking around disgusted because they saw what happened,” Smith said, but added that the officer’s firing showed the department’s capacity to deal with such events. Smith said he didn’t know whether the officer was drunk when he showed up for his shift. Asked by a reporter whether Heilman would have had to check in with a supervisor before receiving the keys to his vehicle, Smith responded: “I’m not sniffing your breath when you come in.”

— Christina Tkacik

Police looking into report

of ‘squeegee kid’ incident

Baltimore police are looking into an incident in which a “squeegee kid” at a city intersection allegedly smashed a driver’s rear window, a spokesman for the department said. The driver posted photos and video of the incident in a Federal Hill Facebook group. He was driving at the intersection of Hamburg and Russell streets when he refused a windshield wash from a male washer, who then smashed his rear windshield, he said in the post. Contacted by The Baltimore Sun, the driver said he did not want to be publicly identified. “We’re not gonna tolerate violence from anyone,” police spokesman T.J. Smith said at a news conference Thursday. “That’s a violent act — destruction of property, potential assault — so it’s something that we’re looking into.” No charges are pending in the case, Smith said.

— Sarah Meehan