Annapolis man arrested

in fight with girlfriend, fatal stabbing of family dog

An Annapolis man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly attacked his girlfriend and then stabbed the family dog to death when the animal got between them, police said. Jesus Hernandez Garcia, 24, of Annapolis grabbed the woman’s hair and started punching her about 6 p.m. at a house they share on Silopanna Road, the woman told Annapolis police officers called to the scene. As the assault progressed, police said, Hernandez Garcia allegedly grabbed a glass bottle of Corona and tried to hit the woman’s head. At that point, the couple’s pit bull got between them. Hernandez Garcia said he stabbed the dog several times in the neck in self-defense. The woman suffered a cut to her hand as she tried to pull the dog away. “The dog had come after him in an aggressive manner, and that’s when he attacked it,” said Sgt. Amy Miquez, police spokeswoman. “He did not mention assaulting the victim at all.” She said it was unclear if the dog was trying to defend the woman or if the animal was just startled by the violence and got in the way. Although Hernandez Garcia said the animal bit him, he did not have any obvious injuries. The woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment. The dog was cared for by Anne Arundel County Animal Care and Control but died from its injuries. Hernandez Garcia was charged Saturday with first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, aggravated cruelty to an animal and animal cruelty. Initially ordered held without bail, he was released on his own recognizance Monday, court records show. No attorney was listed as representing him. Miquez said officers recommended the woman seek a protective order against Hernandez Garcia, but there was no court record Monday showing that such an order had been issued.

—?Rick Hutzell, Baltimore Sun Media Group

Noose found in bathroom

at Arundel middle school

A noose was found hanging in a boys’ bathroom stall at Chesapeake Bay Middle School on Thursday, according to a letter the school’s principal sent to families. The noose, made of toilet paper, was tied to a metal beam inside the stall at the Pasadena school. The bathroom was located on a side of the building that is under construction and only used for lunch periods, according to Principal Michael Dunn. A staff member removed the noose from the bathroom after the incident. County police are investigating the incident. “While I cannot discuss more specifics, we are confident that the individual has been identified,” Dunn said in the letter. “We will continue to investigate to make sure that no one else was involved. In addition to any actions by police, I will seek disciplinary action in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct.” The incident comes a little more than a week after the words “Kill all Blacks” were found scrawled on a piece of paper students use to sign in and out of counseling sessions at Chesapeake High School. Dunn said he stands with Chesapeake High Principal Stephen Gorski in asking parents to have conversations with their children about “hate, bigotry and intolerance.” Dunn said the incident overshadows the school district’s focus on inclusion and unity. “I am completely and utterly disgusted that this happened,” the principal said in the letter. “Too many times in our community we have had to address messages and acts that speak against all that our school stands for. It needs to stop.” The county pursued hate crime charges against two men who hung a noose from a light fixture outside Crofton Middle School in May 2017. John Havermann brought his case to trial and was found not guilty of two hate crime charges. He was convicted of misdemeanor trespassing and disturbance charges. Conner Prout pleaded guilty to one hate crime charge.

—?Lauren Lumpkin, Baltimore Sun Media Group

11 injured as school bus, garbage truck collide

A Montgomery County school bus and a garbage truck collided around 7:50 a.m. Monday, injuring nine students and two drivers. A bus full of students was heading toward Farquhar Middle School Monday morning when it collided with a garbage truck in the 2400 block of Norbeck Road, said Lucille Baur, a Montgomery County police spokeswoman. The driver of the garbage truck lost control of the vehicle while going around a curve, causing the vehicle to fishtail and collide with the front driver’s side of the school bus, investigators found. Nine passengers on the bus, the driver of the bus and the driver of the garbage truck were taken to an area hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Baur said. Norbeck Road was closed following the crash between Barn Ridge Drive and Layhill Road but was later reopened to traffic.

—?Lillian Reed