Maryland
Silver Spring man charged with assault of male victims he met on dating app
Police seek public’s help in locating additional victims
Police in Montgomery County, Md., announced on April 6 that they have arrested a 27-year-old Silver Spring man on assault and robbery charges after they identified him as the suspect who targeted two men he met on a dating app last October in separate incidents.
Police identified the suspect as Brandon Darryl Kane, who has been charged with two counts of robbery and one count of first-degree assault for allegedly targeting the two men he met on a dating app for robbery.
A statement released by Montgomery County police says the first of the two incidents occurred on Oct. 10, 2022, and the second incident occurred on Oct. 22, 2022.
“Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Third District Investigative Section – believe that there may be more victims and are asking for them to come forward,” the statement says.
The announcement by Montgomery County police of Kane’s arrest came one day before police in Takoma Park, Md., announced yet another similar incident took place on April 7. According to Takoma Park police, an unidentified male suspect who the victim met on social media “lured the victim to an isolated location where additional suspects were waiting to commit the robbery.”
One of the suspects was “armed with what appeared to be a white rifle with a scope and another suspect armed with a baseball bat,” the statement says. “The suspects demanded property from the victim to which he complied,” it says. “The suspects put the victim on the ground, tied his hands and told him to remain there until they were gone,” the statement continues. “The suspects fled on foot in an unknown direction.”
It says the victim, who freed himself and called police, was not physically injured during the armed robbery incident.
“The suspects are described as Hispanic males, one approximately 5’9, thin, curly hair, clean shaven and last seen wearing a black sweater and black pants,” the Takoma Park police statement says, adding, “nothing further on the other two suspects.”
It calls on anyone with information about the incident or who may know the identity of one or more of the three suspects to call Takoma Park police at 301-270-1100.
The statement released by Montgomery County police says the first of the two victims in that jurisdiction reported meeting a man known to him as “Tommy” on a dating app. It says the two men spoke by phone and the victim paid for an Uber to pick up Kane and bring him to the victim’s residence.
“Following a disagreement, Kane physically assaulted and stole money from the victim,” the statement says.
It says the second male victim, who also met the man later identified as Kane on a dating app, told police he agreed to meet the man at an address given to him by that person.
“Shortly after arriving at the address given to him, the victim was physically assaulted by Kane, who then stole the victim’s wallet and forced the victim out of the apartment,” the police statement says.
The police statement does not disclose how police identified the attacker in both cases in Montgomery County as Kane to enable them to arrest Kane about six months after the two incidents occurred. The statement also does not disclose the name of the dating app that Kane used to target his two victims.
Online Maryland court records show that Montgomery County police arrested Kane on or around Dec. 28, 2022, in what appears to be two unrelated incidents that occurred on Oct. 9, 2022, and Oct. 22, 2022. He was charged with robbery and first-degree assault in each of the two incidents.
Montgomery County police are urging anyone else who may have been a victim of Brandon Darryl Kane or who knows something about his attempts to target male victims through a dating app to call police at 240-773-6870.
Sean Hickman, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., said the department’s Special Liaison Branch, which includes the police LGBT Liaison Unit, is not aware of any similar incidents occurring in D.C. recently.
Maryland
Anne Arundel schools updates gender identity regulation following Trump administration threats
District facing federal lawsuit, White House threats over guidelines
By JESSICA CALEFATI | Under pressure from the Trump-Vance administration, Anne Arundel County Public Schools Supt. Mark Bedell announced Wednesday the district had updated a regulation intended to protect transgender students’ right to be called by their chosen name.
The revised language makes clear that district rules on gender identity do not block parents’ rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act as the federal government alleged last month, and that a student’s gender identity will not be treated as confidential medical information.
“No policy, guideline, or practice may limit or otherwise interfere with parental rights under FERPA,” Bedell wrote in a Wednesday letter to the community. “This includes any information maintained in education records that relates to gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, preferred name, or preferred pronouns.”
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Advocates for trans students urge Md. to fight White House threats
Four school districts under federal investigation
By JESSICA CALEFATI | Allies of transgender children are urging state education officials to fight back against the Trump-Vance administration, which has threatened to punish a growing number of Maryland school districts over local policies that affirm students’ gender identities.
The advocates testified Tuesday morning before the Maryland State Board of Education — one day after the U.S. Education and Justice departments alleged that Anne Arundel County’s school system violated federal student privacy law by withholding a student’s gender identity from their parents. A spokesperson for the district said Monday legal counsel had not yet reviewed the claims and that the district had no further comment.
School districts in Prince George’s, Montgomery, and Frederick Counties were already under investigation for allegedly violating Title IX, the civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination. The federal government last month threatened to revoke funding from the districts because they allow trans students to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their identities.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
White House threatens Anne Arundel schools over gender identity policy
District faces possible legal action or loss of federal funding
By JESSICA CALEFATI | The Trump-Vance administration on Monday threatened to punish Anne Arundel County’s school system with legal action or the loss of federal funding for allegedly withholding information about a student’s gender identity and transition from the child’s parents.
The U.S. Education and Justice Departments together determined that the suburban Maryland district treats students’ gender identities as confidential medical information that cannot be shared with parents, in violation of federal student privacy law, according to a news release. A federal lawsuit filed against the district earlier this month made similar claims.
“As a mother and a grandmother, it is unconscionable that any school district would hide the most sensitive information about children in their care from their own parents,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “This is not only an affront to basic moral principles, but also to parents’ rights under federal law.”
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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