The primary election is quickly approaching and for current City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, it could be an uphill battle to victor given the latest barrage of criticism coming in from all angles about how he’s handled the office.
Joseph Black is facing attempted first-degree murder he took off during a traffic stop in Baltimore on June 28, dragging Baltimore Police Sgt. Kenneth Ramberg for two blocks. Sgt. Ramberg is recovering in the hospital and his wife, Luana Ramberg, spoke exclusively to FOX45 News about his recovery.
“It’s definitely going to be a long road. We can’t say whether he’s going to have any permanent damage yet but he’s going to have a long road to recovery,” she said.
While her husband continues to recover in a hospital bed, Ramberg told FOX45 News that one of her biggest concerns is Black getting a plea deal from Mosby’s office.
“It’s election time and this is a high-profile case. Sure, charging attempted murder of a police officer makes her look good,” she said. “But what’s concerning to me is that once the dust settles and everything calms down, no one is really talking about this case any longer is that a plea deal could come for him.”
Court records show in 2006 Black received a five-year sentence with four years suspended for armed robbery.
Six years later he plead guilty to second-degree assault and handgun charges and received a suspended sentence again.
More recently in October 2019, court records show Black was involved in a confrontation over a woman which led to a shooting between him and another man. He was charged with possession of a firearm with a felony conviction.
Two months later, black was charged with the same crime.
In 2021, Black had spent about 19 months behind bars, when records show he pled guilty and received a suspended sentence in connection with the two separate gun arrests.
The plea was not objected to by the state in either case.
“Let it be known that you support my brother. Let it be known that you don’t support this criminal and that the only justice that should be served is no parole, lifetime in prison,” Sgt. Ramberg’s sister Cindy Queen said. “I can’t comment on her actions in the past, but all I can do, is urge her to do the right thing.”
Black’s plea deal is back in the spotlight during a tumultuous time for Mosby and her office. Admitted arsonist Luther Trent also received a plea deal from Mosby’s Office in 2021; Trent told FOX45 News in an exclusive interview how he set his ex-girlfriend’s house on fire and why.
Trent was released from jail after serving less than six months on a plea deal. Since he was released, his plea deal was withdrawn and overturned; now facing three attempted homicide charges once again. Trent also just pled guilty to federal charges related to the fire; charges that were filed after he spoke with FOX45 News.
The plea deals are a trend, according to former prosecutor turned defense attorney Kurt Nachtman, and could be related to the staffing crisis that’s been ongoing.
“I think there’s a significant issue in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office when it comes to staffing and the prosecution of these cases,” Nachtman said.
Mosby told members of the Baltimore City Council during budget hearings that her office was down some 40 prosecutors, however, FOX45 News obtained information that indicates the number of vacancies is much higher. Either way, Nachtman said Mosby needs to hire and train upwards of 100 prosecutors to handle the caseload in an effective and efficient manner.
When asked if that task can be accomplished with Mosby at the helm of the office, Nachtman wasn’t exactly offering a ringing endorsement.
“I think that’s something that the voters will have to answer in a couple of weeks,” he said, noting the primary election is scheduled for July 19. “If you want people held accountable, you’ve gotta look closely at who’s running in the race.”
The staffing woes were also thrusted back into the spotlight when Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Geller issued a blistering opinion of Mosby’s office. Judge Geller wrote that the staffing challenges in Mosby’s Office resulted in “egregious failures” relating to a case involving 26 correctional officers in city jails.
Yuripzy Morgan, a legal analyst and Republican U.S. Congressional candidate in Maryland’s third district, said the opinion was “an SOS from the bench.”
“Saying, look, we are telling you that this needs to get fixed,” she said, noting the criticisms should be taken seriously not only by Mosby and her staff, but by voters.
“Baltimore City voters need to step back and realize this isn’t about Mosbythis is about the job she is able and clearly not able to run this office,” Morgan said.
Mosby is facing two Democratic challengers in the primary race: Defense attorney Ivan Bates and former state and federal prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah. In 2018, the three faced off in a similar primary; Mosby won with just over 49% of the vote; Bates and Vignarjah split the remaining votes.
Independent candidate Roya Hanna is also running; Hanna served as a prosecutor in the state’s attorney’s office but now works as a defense attorney.
“[Voters] are going to have to ask themselves what they want in a top law enforcement officer,” Nachtman said.
Early voting begins Thursday, July 7 and runs through Thursday, July 14. Election day is July 19