2019: A year in review
DELMARVA – 2019 started off with a shocking discovery at James M. Bennett high school in Salisbury. Former guidance counselor Allen Mitchell later pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor and pornography charges. The former principal and vice-principal at the school are still facing charges in the case.
“It’s just crazy because when you see a principal every day you don’t think that they do stuff like that,” said one student.
Down in Somerset County, former Crisfield High School nurse, Samantha Marsh was sentenced to three years after pleading guilty to having sexual relations with minors. In Delaware, Richard Ford, a former teacher at W.T. Chipman Middle School, also found himself facing several sex abuse charges after a parent claimed that Ford had inappropriately touched her daughter.
Authorities in Caroline County, Maryland were busy investigating the Death of 19-year-old Anton Black who died in police custody while getting arrested. Racial tensions running high after waiting for months to learn how their son died, Blacks’ family got an up-close look when the Greensboro Police Department released the bodycam footage of Black’s arrest. Just a day after the footage was shown, Blacks’ autopsy results were released stating that his death was accidental.
“What has happened to Anton has divided this community,” said one family member.
As trials continued in 2019 for inmates involved in the deadly James T Vaughn Prison Riot, another shocking announcement came out of the first state, when the Department Of Justice announced the remaining charges in the murder case of Lieutenant Steven Floyd would be dropped. This comes after only three inmates were convicted for the roles they played in the uprising.
Delmarva also saw a fair share of heartbreaking tragedies this year as well. Dozens of families in Delaware were left picking up the pieces after an EF 2 tornado touched down in Laurel in the spring.
Also in 2019, both Maryland and Delaware’s legislators were hard at work creating, changing, and passing bills that would have an impact on millions of residents. For Delaware, Governor John Carney signed into law the controversial gun storage bill, where a gun owner could face misdemeanor charges if a gun gets into the hands of someone who shouldn’t have it.
Maryland’s Legislation also had its fair share of triumphs this year with passing a bill that would raise the minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour, and the first African American woman, Adrian Jones, to be elected as speaker of the house. But with those triumphs also came losses as the entire state mourned the death of Former House Speaker Michael Busch and U.S. Congressman Elijah Cummings.
There were also several bright spots in 2019. Just to name a couple, Delmarva celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Delaware State Fair, and the completion of a new Harriet Tubman mural in Cambridge that’s been inspiring people around the world.
“You can’t help but to look around and say wow this is special we have a gift, you know, this thing life as hectic as it gets it just takes a moment to step back and look at the beauty of individuals, the beauty,” said Michael Rosato.
