Matthew Cella

House panel to investigate claims of Gray race payoffs

A Republican congressman with oversight of D.C. affairs said Thursday that he was "deeply concerned" about recent allegations against Mayor Vincent C. Gray and his committee will investigate. Published March 17, 2011

P.G. County resolution at heart of Johnson indictment

A seemingly inconsequential resolution introduced before the Prince George's County Council last March is now a prominent part of an eight-count indictment announced Monday against former County Executive Jack B. Johnson that charges him with conspiracy, extortion and bribery. Published February 16, 2011

Suspect in AU killing back in D.C. custody

An 18-year-old D.C. man identified as a suspect in the October killing of an American University professor is back in custody in the District after he broke the conditions of his release and went missing last month, his attorney said. Published February 16, 2011

Justice Department cites lack of use of response team

A highly trained team of federal investigators created to assist in complicated arson and explosives cases has been used in recent years in only about 10 percent of the high-priority cases it was designed to investigate, the Justice Department said. Published January 5, 2011

Burglary spike spurs more cops in D.C.’s Ward 3 area

Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier says her department has flooded Upper Northwest neighborhoods with officers in response to a string of burglaries that has alarmed residents in recent weeks. Published January 4, 2011

D.C. homicides fall 9% in 2010 to 131, lowest toll since ‘63

The District finished 2010 with 131 homicides — a 9 percent reduction from 2009 and the lowest number of killings in the nation's capital since 1963. Published January 1, 2011

Burglary suspects tied to DYRS

Two youths arrested in connection with a burglary in Upper Northwest Washington last week are wanted for a string of similar crimes in Montgomery County, police said Monday. Published December 27, 2010

Wards of city held in burglary in tony NW neighborhood

Packed suitcases sat on the enclosed porch of a two-story, white-painted brick home in the affluent Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest Washington, the scene of a brazen burglary attempt early last week by D.C. youths. Published December 26, 2010

Gray taps Ellerbe as D.C. fire chief

A former deputy chief who left the city under unusual circumstances was named to lead the District's fire department on Thursday, the same day Mayor-elect Vincent C. Gray announced he would retain Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier. Published December 16, 2010

Director of DYRS plans to step down

Robert Hildum, the interim head of the District's troubled juvenile justice agency, announced his resignation Wednesday, clearing the way for Mayor-elect Vincent C. Gray to appoint the agency's fourth director this year. Published December 15, 2010

Violent crimes of all kinds are on the rise in D.C.

A violent weekend in Washington, D.C., in which five people were shot, one fatally, in one incident and another person was killed in a separate shooting capped off a 30-day period in which all categories of violent crime in the nation's capital increased over the past year. Published December 13, 2010

D.C. Homicide suspect was ward of DYRS

A 20-year-old D.C. man arrested Friday in connection with the killing of a 16-year-old was a ward of the city's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, The Washington Times has learned. Published December 12, 2010

Baltimore man charged in car-bomb plot

Federal authorities on Wednesday charged a 21-year-old Baltimore man with participating in what he believed was a plot to detonate a car bomb outside a military recruiting center in Catonsville, Md. Published December 8, 2010

Boy tied to youth agency killed in shooting

A 16-year-old boy in the care of the city's juvenile-justice agency was fatally shot in Northwest Washington on Tuesday - part of a vicious spurt of youth crime and violence in the District this week. Published December 1, 2010

Stolen puppy recovered; young wards of city caught on tape

A pit bull puppy stolen from the Washington Humane Society shelter on Monday has been recovered, officials say. Published December 1, 2010

D.C. ward named as suspect in AU murder

An 18-year-old ward of the District identified as a suspect in the October killing of an American University professor was ordered held on $1 million bond Tuesday after being charged with stealing her car. Published November 30, 2010

D.C. man held on $1M bond on theft of dead professor’s car

An 18-year-old D.C. man identified as a suspect in the October killing of an American University professor was ordered held on $1 million bond Tuesday after being charged with stealing her car. Published November 30, 2010

Part 4: Violent crime of DYRS wards knows no bounds

A university student was attacked as he bicycled home after working the evening shift at a waterfront restaurant. A school principal was fatally shot in his bedroom in a Maryland suburb. Published November 28, 2010

D.C. ward held in two killings days apart

Of the 10 current and former city wards arrested on murder charges since The Washington Times concluded an analysis of a year's worth of killings connected to this population of youths, the case of 19-year-old Kwan Kearney, charged in two homicides a week apart, is perhaps the most chilling. Published November 28, 2010

D.C. driver of slain professor’s auto to be extradited

An 18-year-old D.C. man arrested after Metropolitan Police officers caught him in a Jeep belonging to a slain American University professor will be extradited to Montgomery County to face charges there. Published November 24, 2010