Bowie Briefs #9

Former Bowie High School Principal Dies
Former Bowie High School Principal John M. Hagan passed away Monday. According to a posting on Facebook, a memorial service will be held on Saturday March 20, 2010 from 1:00pm to 3:00 at the Beall Funeral Home, 6512 Crain Highway, Bowie, MD 20715. Click this link to see the Beall Funeral Home listing for Principal Hagan. Additional details can be found in a Bowie Star/Gazette article


Reality Show Over for Bowie Woman
Shawne Morgan of Bowie joined with her friend Monique Pryor to compete in this season of the CBS reality TV show The Amazing Race, but the pair was eliminated from the competition after three weeks when they were unable to master a mock polo competition in Argentina. More details can be found in a Bowie Star/Gazette article.


$2 Million in Damages from Old Bowie Fire
The cause of an early morning fire at a construction site in Old Bowie on Sunday is still under investigation. A Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department press release described the incident as follows.

The first fire occurred just before 4:00 AM, Sunday, March 7, 2010, in Bowie. Firefighters were alerted to a fire on a construction site in the 12900 block of 11th Street. Fire/EMS units encountered a fire involving a small structure, 3 cement trucks and large amounts of debris. About 30 firefighters worked for about 45 minutes to knock down the bulk of the fire. AMTRAK officials worked with firefighters as the site was adjacent to the tracks. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation and fire loss is estimated at $2,000,000.

Some area residents heard explosions early Sunday morning near Old Bowie. The following comments were posted on the Bowie Crofton Community of Blessings group page on Yahoo.

Member 1: Last night I awoke about 2 or 3 am to what sounded like an explosion. I'm in Old Bowie on 9th St. Then there were a series of explosions and one time I even saw a flash of light over the trees by the railroad followed by another explosion. Half hour later fire departments from all over were coming. Does anyone know what happened near the railroad by the antique district? I can't find anything on the news.

Member 2: Intersting, I heard an explosion and thought the clock said 4:32 (maybe it was earlier). I am off Hillmeade and 450 in Glenn Dale so it must have been big! I hope everyone is ok.

Additional details can be found in a Bowie Star/Gazette article.


Firefighters/Medics Install Carbon Monoxide Detector in Bowie Home
Firefighters and medics returned to a home on Maycheck Lane in Bowie to install a carbon monoxide detector two weeks after treating Naila Ferkic in the same home for carbon monoxide poisoning. Ferkic originally thought she had the flu, but rescuers detected carbon monoxide samples in her home that were more than ten times acceptable levels. Additional details can be found in a blog post on the Prince George's County Fire/EMS blog site.


Bowie Police Officer Shoots Dog
A Bowie police officer shot a dog after being attacked twice Monday night. The following text appeared in a Bowie Police Department unusual occurrence report (PDF).

On 3/8/10 at 1945 hrs, the Bowie Police responded to the 14800 block of London Lane for a lost property report. As the Officer was approaching the dwelling the Officer noticed a large dog attempting to get out of the door as the owner was exiting the dwelling. The Officer advised the owner to secure his extremely large dog (weighing approximally (sic) 100 lbs) at which time the dog ran past the owner, lunged at the Officer latching onto her left leg. The Officer freed herself from the dog and attempted to retreat at which time the dog attacked her a second time, biting her in the right leg. The Officer again attempted to retreat at which time the dog charged her again, fearing for her personal safety, the Officer drew her duty weapon and fired one shot, striking the dog. The Officer was transported to Bowie Health Center where she received treatment for a dog bite and released.

The homeowner transported the injured dog to 6700 Laurel Bowie Road for emergency treatment. The dog is in stable condition at this time.

Bowie Man Indicted for Mortgage Fraud Scheme
Rolando Alonzo Cousins was indicted for his part in a scheme that took advantage of homeowners who were behind in their mortgage payments. Some victims were left homeless. More details can be found in a UPI.com article.


World War II Pilot Back in the Cockpit
Ninety-one year old World War II pilot Wayne Fogelman of Riva was given the opportunity to fly again after Bowie car salesman Lew Gilinsky and Freeway Airport owner Stanely Rodenhouser arranged to have Fogelman pilot a 30 minute trip with flight instructor Matt Linquist. Click this link to read the story in the Bowie Blade.