MARYLAND BRIEFING

One of the girls allegedly was raped twice -- once in a girls' restroom and once in an entrance to an auditorium -- in attacks April 23 and May 4.

Deputy State's Attorney J. Charles Smith, who is not related to the defendant, said the first attack occurred Jan. 20 and the last Oct. 17. Three of the girls came forward after the girl in the Oct. 17 case reported being assaulted.

Smith is charged with two counts of second-degree rape, one count of attempted second-degree rape, six counts of second-degree assault, one count of third-degree sex offense, four counts of fourth-degree sex offense and four counts of false imprisonment.

If convicted on all counts, he could face 134 years in prison.

-- Associated Press

EASTERN SHORE

State to Buy Land Developer Eyed

Most of the land for a large subdivision proposed on the Eastern Shore will be bought by the state, ending more than a year of tension over thousands of proposed houses that environmentalists warned would harm a nearby wildlife refuge.

The state will spend up to $10.4 million to buy 754 of about 1,080 acres of mostly farmland in Dorchester County, near Cambridge. A developer, Duane Zentgraf, had planned to build thousands of houses, a golf course and a hotel on the land.

The agreement, subject to an appraisal and final state approval, leaves room for 675 houses, most of them for older adults only. The golf course and hotel have been scrapped.

Negotiators hope the state purchase, made with funds designated to buy open space, will end more than a year of tension over the proposed Blackwater Resort Communities. Environmental groups and some neighbors expressed fears that the development would harm the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, an area of fragile wetlands.

The timing of the announcement -- less than 24 hours before polls opened -- raised questions. The development had become a top issue in local races, with Republican lawmakers from the area facing questions from some for their perceived support of the development.

-- Associated Press

U.S. DISTRICT COURT

Gang Member Given 10 Years

A member of the violent street gang MS-13 was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Greenbelt to 10 years in prison for using a firearm to further racketeering by the gang, Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said.