BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A Baltimore mother faces multiple child neglect charges after police say her six children were found alone inside their rented home in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.A judge denied her bond on Wednesday. ALSO READ | Investigators say City DHCD helped place 6 kids in child neglect case, Mayor reactsThe case is also raising questions about the city’s housing department after officials discovered the family had received assistance from the Department of Housing and Community Development, which helped place the family in the home just five months ago.Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called the situation unacceptable and said anyone who had an opportunity to intervene but failed to do so will face consequences.Everybody that had the opportunity to do something that did not will feel the full wrath of me and city government,” Scott said.Scott said the family was receiving crisis assistance through the housing department, which he said should have provided an additional layer of oversight.“We did discover that the family was receiving some assistance through crisis assistance from the housing department, which should have meant that it added an extra layer of oversight that clearly did not happen,” Scott said.Scott also described the situation as “a horrific situation” and said it made him “about as angry as I can get.”Teonna Brown was arrested Tuesday after Baltimore Police said officers found her six children — ages 9, 7, 6, 5, 3 and 1 — alone inside the rented home along East Monument Street.According to court documents, the Department of Housing and Community Development assisted in placing Brown and her children at the home in April and provided money for supplies.Two weeks later, DHCD returned to help with electricity, according to the court documents. The documents do not mention another DHCD visit after that.FOX45 News reached out to acting DHCD Commissioner Timothy Keane with questions about what protocols are used during the placement process to check conditions at potential placement homes, whether those protocols were followed in this case, whether DHCD was aware of any red flags involving the property or its landlord before the family was placed there, how long Ms. Brown’s family has been living at this address, and if Mayor Scott has had any conversation with DHCD leaders about this placement. The department had not responded as of publication.Police said they learned about the children from a city employee who had been working nearby.Court documents said the children were partially clothed, with some found nude and wearing soiled diapers. Investigators also said the children were seen outside the home, where broken glass was on the floor.The residence had no electricity, no beds, no readily available food or water and no functioning air conditioning, according to court documents. Investigators also reported dog feces throughout the home.Investigators reported that a building inspector later condemned the residence.All six children were taken to the hospital, according to police. One child was released to a family member, while the other five are in the care of Child Protective Services.Scott also said the city will question the landlord about whether they were aware of the conditions inside the home and whether further action should be taken.

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — Six former Baltimore County Council members are calling for more transparency over the $6.6 million renovation of the Rocky Point Golf Course clubhouse in Essex, renewing scrutiny of a project that moved forward even after the County Council rejected funding for it.The former council members sent a letter to the current secretary and the council demanding the release of an unredacted auditor’s report about the $6.6 million in public funds spent on the project. Former Councilman Tom Quirk, a three-term Democratic councilman who left office in 2022, is among the six who signed the letter and spoke publicly Wednesday about their demands.“I would like to see the unredacted version because I think if we saw that, that the acting county auditor gave the county council the right advice, which was not to allow this to happen and that the county counsel chose to ignore that,” Quirk said.Quirk also argued the project should not have proceeded after the council rejected the funding.“Well, it’s unlawful. If the county council doesn’t approve an appropriation for Rocky Point, the county executive cannot go back and just make it happen anyway,” Quirk said.The dispute centers on what happened after the Baltimore County Council rejected $6.6 million in funding for the planned golf course clubhouse renovation about one year ago, calling the expenditure inappropriate.Despite that vote, the money for the Rocky Point project was never eliminated from the budget, even though the council at the time unanimously agreed it should be, according to the former council members’ concerns.The project, sought by then-County Executive Johnny Olszewski and supported by his successor, Kathy Klausmeier, ultimately received funding.County Council Chair Mike Ertel said the council could seek guidance on what can be made public from the report.Councilman Julian Jones said there is a process for seeking records.“People have a right to request what they want, and certainly there’s a process in terms of a Freedom of Information Act request. There’s a process,” Jones said. “I don’t know all the things that’s in the document. I remember reading it, but I’ll tell you the truth. I don’t remember anything that was in there that was so bad that it needed to be redacted.”Quirk also pointed to the absence of an inspector general in Baltimore County, an office tasked with investigating waste, fraud and corruption in county government.“It should be an issue that should be looked into. It’s in the public’s best interest, transparency and accountability,” Quirk said.Jones said the prior effort to select an inspector general became “so politicized” that “it turned into a mess,” adding that “at some point, the prior Inspector General left and here we are without an Inspector General.”Ertel said the county has qualified staff in that office and can continue operating without a formally appointed inspector general for now.“We have highly qualified people that are in that office currently,” Ertel said.“I think they can do their jobs without an official IG right now until the voters decide whether we want an independent commission and we heard loud and clear from the voters, that that’s what they wanted,” Ertel said. “But we have to put it on the ballot for the voters to actually approve it.”

MARYLAND (WBFF) — Out-of-state drivers owe Maryland $818 million in unpaid tolls and penalties, and a new state audit found the Maryland Transportation Authority did not take all available action to collect the money.The balance includes $230.9 million in unpaid tolls and $587.2 million in penalties. More than $386 million has been outstanding for over three years.ALSO READ | New group’s scorecard targets state policies for rising electric billsVirginia drivers account for about $234.7 million of the balance, followed by Pennsylvania at $97.5 million and New Jersey at $80.7 million.David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, said the amount is significant for the state.This is a lot of money. This is money that the state absolutely needs. The Transportation Trust Fund needs it. The state needs it,” Williams said.Maryland has additional tools to collect unpaid tolls from its own residents, including intercepting state tax refunds. MDTA said those efforts have helped collect about $119 million from Maryland residents since fiscal year 2023.The state could have hired a private collection agency, or refer the debt to the central collection unit. The audit also found Maryland does not have reciprocal agreements with other states that could provide similar leverage over out-of-state drivers.The audit also included a cybersecurity finding, though details were redacted from the public report because of security concerns.With hundreds of millions of dollars already outstanding, the findings raise questions about how much Maryland will ultimately be able to recover.

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