in annapolis, paul wagner. fox 5 news. >>> to wheaten, maryland, where an officer helped catch the man accused of robbing two banks. 47-year-old joseph from silver spring robbed a convenience store and a capitol hill bank on georgia avenue on monday. also accused on another armed robbery last week. an officer spott him yesterday at a hair salon after the first robbery. >> my backup lieutenant had his gun drawn since it was armed robbery with a handgun. i went hands on. put him in handcuffs. the red dye ends up being all over him. i'm sorry, and he is off the streets. >> the suspect is facing three counts of armed robbery. he's behind bars tonight being held on a $125,000 bond. >>> mayor gray announced today the district of columbia has $1.5 billion in the bank. but taxpayers shouldn't expect to get any of that money back, or even a future tax break. the mayor wants to keep it all in savings. that is leaving some residents upset. >> it doesn't get much better. $1.5billion in the bank. 55 construction cranes curr

in the fox 5 newsroom, i'm paul wagner. >>> when we come back, we'll talk about justin bieber. he is calling for action in the response to the death of a photographer killed just moments after trying to take pictures. of the superstar's car. >>> also ahead, brangelina finally makes it official maybe. there are reports that the two have tied the knot. we'll delve more into that story coming up. >> all right. it is cold out. temperatures in the 20s and low 30s. another chilly day with temperatures only in the 30s to about 40. i'll have the details on the weather forecast. julie wright is back and she has a look at your forecast. i think she was back yesterday. she's really back today. we'll have that after the break.  >>> welcome back on this thursday, friday eve. >> first friday of 2013. >> it will be. this is the first thursday of 2013. a live look over washington, d.c. right now. another cold start to your day. kind of an identical twin to yesterday, basically, right? >> the only change is we've got cooler terms temperatures early this morning. if you

paul wagner is following the trial for us in annapolis. >> reporter: the judge listened to the request for a second request for a acquittal and decided the four remaining charges would stand. there are three counts-of- misconduct in office and one count by a fidish rain shower i and that carries a penalty up to five years in prison if convicted. the defense called a total of three witnesses to the stand. two doctors and the personnel director for anne arundel county. they each testified about the two back surgeries and the excruciating pain he was experiencing before and after. the defense argued that he was in no condition to help himself and needed the police security detail and other workers to empty his catheter bag, run campaign-related errands and help him put up campaign steinsigns. a pattern of abusing county resources, according to the prosecution. the county personnel director said he paid back a $5,000 raise from the county and took a 5% pay cut at the same time that county workers had their pay reduced. the testimony is an effort by the defense to show h took county finance

fox 5s paul wagner starts off now. paul? >> reporter: the court affidavit connected to the search warrant said that the abuse began in 2004 when palmer was the director of the youth choir at a southeast washington church and the girl was a member of the choir. the woman told investigators palmer abused her for two years inside the church and other places in and around the district. the day after christmas, d.c. police executed a search warrant at this church on martin luther king jr. avenue

fox 5's paul wagner has the story. >> reporter: in his opening start to the judge the state prosecutor said john leopold abused -- statement to the judge the state prosecutor said john leopold abused and misused the public trust saying leopold is accountable for his conduct, misgrievous use of county employees for his own personal gain, but the defense attorney had a different take telling the judge dennis sweeney four of the five charges against his client do not violate the law under the state's criminal statutes and told the judge the charges defied logic because leopold's behavior was the worst kept secret in the world. as testimony got underway, the state's first witness was patricia medlin, john leopold's scheduler. well over an hour medlin repeatedly said she was nervous as the defense objected dozens of times to the questions she was asked. when medlin was allowed to answer, she told the court she was afraid to say no to john leopold. she was an at will employee and knew saying no to the man would be viewed as being disloyal. so medlin said she erected campaign signs for the co

in annapolis, paul wagner, fox 5 news. >>> maryland governor martin o'malley announced his -- [indiscernible] he named a bowie state university official and former state lawmaker dare ron swain. the appointment follows court battles over the vacancy caused when austin pleaded guilty to settle two misconduct cases and was automatically suspended from office. she later argued she should get her seat back because her conviction for misconduct in office was changed to probation before judgment. former c.i.a. officer john keriaki has been sentenced to two years in prison for leaking two covert agents to a journalist. he pleaded guilty last year to violating the protection act. the plea deal required the judge to impose a sentence of two years. he was a veteran agent who helped capture a terrorist but gave interviews regarding water boarding. >>> the supreme court decision legalizing abortion's an anniversary was today. demonstrators marched to the steps of the supreme court. their goal is to get the supreme court to overturn the historic decision in honor of what they call aborption's 5 -- aborti

in the fox 5 newsroom i'm paul wagner. >>> a news alert out of d.c. tonight, police are asking for your help tracking down four men in connection with a violent attack on a metrobus. these men are suspected of attacking two women on the known 93 bus in southeast. investigate -- no. 93 bus in southeast. the men got on the bus in adams morgan. the women got on at an cost why. one of the men touched one of the women inappropriately. -- at anacostia. one of the men touched one of the women inappropriely. there was a stab. >> we do recognize that we are a part of the overall society in the washington d.c. area and crime does happen. so we're putting our resources in place to make sure that we can limit these type of crimes from happening again. >> police don't believe the suspects and victims knew each other. metro transit police are asking you to call them if you know who those guys are. you can get a closer look on the our website www.myfoxdc.com. the two women were treated and released from the hospital. >>> funeral plans set for the prince william coun

>> paul wagner tonight. >>> another big story we're following. the maryland-virginia general assemblies are in session. some of the big issues maryland legislator will face, including gun control, a repeel of the death penalty, and transportation funding. reporter -- legislator of virginia considering gun control, transportation funding and possible changes to teacher tenure. fox 5 spent the day at both opening sessions. we have team coverage and start with john henrehan in annapolis. >> reporter: last year, maryland's legislature tackled several hot-button issues like gay marriage and the dream act. don't expect quite as many headlines this year. there will be fights over where to get more money for fixing maryland's roads, bridges and transit needs, some people think hike the gas tax and others say make it a county option so some georges -- counties can go one way and rural counties go can go another. the governor wants them to abolish the september death penalty and some think capitol punishment should be retained for those committing the most

at the federal courthouse in greenbelt paul wagner, fox 5 news. >>> still to come, a pilot arrested at an airport accused of trying to fly under the influence, what tipped off investigators and how the airline is responding next. (vo) sometimes the big plan doesn't work. and the perfect life turns out to be not so perfect. you start fresh. new city. new job. new everything. it's exciting, and scary, at the same time. and some days you think, "i can't do this on my own." but then...i went to suntrust. they helped me figure things out. and before you know it, i am doing it... (anncr) at suntrust, helping people shine is what we do. join the thousands who are switching to suntrust's award-winning service. >>> a pilot was removed from the cockpit of an american eagle flight taken into custody because i failed a blood alcohol test -- he failed a blood alcohol test right before getting ready to fly. >> reporter: a pilot arrested at minneapolis st. paul airport after failing an alcohol breath test. this american eagle pilot was preparing to fly to new york laguardia airport friday morning, po

all of them are volunteers. >> paul wagner reporting. we're told the 29-year-old firefighter who lost his arm had it reattached after several hours of surgery. three other injured firefighters were treated and released. >>> still to come tonight for the first time we're hearing from the man behind the manti te'o girl friend hoax. >> also ahead gabby giffords makes an emotional appeal on capitol hill tonight as the gun control debate takes center stage. a collection of innovations designed around a bed with dual-air technology that allows you to adjust to the support your body needs each of your bodies. our sleep professionals will help you find your sleep number setting. exclusively at a sleep number store. sleep number. comfort individualized. queen mattresses start at just $699. and save $500 on our special edition bed set. now at the sleep number white sale. [ female announcer ] at yoplait, we want you to feel even better about your favorite flavors. so when you call, tweet, and post, we listen. that's why yoplait light and yoplait or

the driver was not at fault and paul wagner has more. >> reporter: the driver had just left the scene of another accident on the inner loop between route 50 and 202 come he attempted to make a uturn through a gap that was reserved for emergency vehicle. as the driver made the turn, the tractor-trailer ran into it from behind. from sky fox, can you see the gap in the median where the driver of engine 28 was trying to turn. when the engine was hit by the tractor-trailer and that collision support both vehicles tumbling to their sides, injuring all four firefighters and the driver of the 18 wheeler. an suv was also struck and leave turned. the welcome forced police to close the beltway creating a massive traffic jam in both directions, which tied up traffic on the secondary roads leading into 495. >> the cause of the accident is still under investigation. it's a very complicated investigation involving many parts. the prince georges county police department special operations division collision mike newmans is and cotruction unit is heading that investigation and preliminarily, we believ

in annapolis, paul wagner, fox 5 news. >> on a daybreaking news from the top of the hour, southwest virginia, the lockdown has been lifted at uvay. the gunman is reported in one of the dorms. all students safe and that lockdown has been lifted. >>> a warning for local parents. why some could be sent to jail if their kids miss too many days of school. and it happens every week. find out the exact day and time that women look their oldest. coming up. >>> fox 5 news edge at 11:00. i got it when we could download an hd movie in like two minutes. [ male announcer ] once you've got verizon fios internet, you get it -- the difference 100% fiber optics makes. but don't take our word for it -- ask a real fios customer. ask me why fiber optics matters. ask me about the upload speeds -- they're sick! [ male announcer ] so go online and send a tweet to a real fios customer. last chance to get fios for just $89.99 a month for 2 years with a 2-year agreement. plus get $300 back. visit got2getfios.com for america's fastest, most reliable internet. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at

law enforcement says the investigation is ongoing paul wagner fox 5 news. >>> new at 10, dc police want to know if you can help them solve a carjacking happened in ken i don't know street area of northwest dc friday morning the man walking in the dark clothing is the suspect. video taken just before police believe he carjacked a cab driver. if you know anything call dc police. >>> another big story robert griffin the third recovering from knee surgery performed earlier today. scott what do you know? how did the surgery go? >> reporter: recovery will be a long road but the procedure was a success it began 7:00 a.m. this morning lasted 5 hours. dr. andrews, repaired his lcl and reconstruction to the acl the same operation he had in 2009. estimated recovery is 6 to 8 months. griffin hopes to return for the start of the next season. he tweeted today, when adversity strikes you, you step aside and give in or step up and fight. he went on to win thize man in 2011 after his last surgery. dr. andrews released this statement saying he had successful knee surgery direct repair of his lcl and redo

fox 5s paul wagner is in the newsroom tonight with more details. paul? >> reporter: will, prince georges county police say the driver of the fire engine was attempting to make a u-turn from the inner loop to the outer loop through a gap reserved for emergency vehicles when the engine was struck from behind. all five, all four firefighters, i should say, in the cab of the engine were hurt, including one who lost an arm. from sky fox, you can see the gap in the median where the driver of engine 28 was trying to turn. when the engine was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer. although no charge iss have been filed at this point -- charges have been filed, police say the driver of the tractor- trailer had the right-of-way. >> by this time, we believe in the early morning hours, approximately 2:40 a.m., a fire engine was dispatched to 495 southbound near route 50 to assist the maryland state police department with a minor vehicle accident. the fire engine arrived on scene of the accident and quickly determined that there were no injuries and cleared the scene.

. >> paul wagner tonight. >>> new at 5, a woman who served at the restin -- as the restin zoo director pleaded guilt net drowning of a wallaby. the 20-year-old was sentenced to one month in jail and barred from making decisions about the care or underneath neighborria of animals. morganton drowned the animal and prosecutors say he tried to cover it up by forcing -- forming a euthanasia reports. >>> preparations are underway for the president's second inauguration. how many people are expected to attend this year's event. >> plus, a historical document goes on display at the library of congress. we'll see where you can go check this out and when coming up. up. there is no mass-produced human. so we created the extraordinarily comfortable sleep number experience. a collection of innovations designed around a bed with dual-air technology that allows you to adjust to the support your body needs. each of your bodies. our sleep professionals will help you find your sleep number setting. exclusively at a sleep number store. sleep number. comfort individualized. queen mattresses start at just

paul wagner joins us, was this a coordinated sick-out? >> reporter: brian, the union b denies it, and risays the troubd new year's eve could have been voided if the department staffed up as it did in recent years. ed smith, the head of the union says the at the present time is choosing cost cutting overcu ttpublic safety a claim the fire chief denies. if you call for an ambulance ina the district of columbia new year's eve, you were likely left waiting for quite some time. multiple sources with internal department documents to back it up sa

fox5's paul wagner joining us live from greenbelt with the story. paul. >> reporter: investigators believe that anthony mcintosh found ronnie white in his cell and instead of calling for medical help he just walked away. and for 15 minutes he did other things, other duties inside the jail and let another jail guard come upon white's cell and see him in distress. today knee mcintosh walked into this federal courthouse today and admitted that he lied. a little while ago his attorney came out and made a statement on his behalf. >> mr. mcintosh's guilty plea is perhaps more significant for what it does nod say. it does not implicate mr. mcintosh in ronnie white's death. ronnie white's death was tragic, but anthony mcintosh did not kill or cause the death of him. mr. mcintosh has accepted responsibility for his false statement. the past four and a half years have been very painful for mr. mcintosh. he looks forward to rebuilding his life. >> reporter: two days after 19-year-old ronnie white was accused of killing prince george's police officer richard fi

in upper marlboro, paul wagner, fox 5 news. >>> before taking the first lady to dinner for her birthday in georgetown tonight president obama paid a surprise visit to the staff of the presidential inaugural committee headquarters today, just four days till his second term gets underway. what's going on tonight, fox 5's bob barnard with an inaugural preview. >> there's still a good deal of work being done getting all events ready for in the inaugural events. we stopped by one along the eighth street corridor, place for the young, site of the unofficial youth ball this weekend. they're calling this the millennial base camp. >> next 24 hours you will not recognize it. >> reporter: inside this nondescript warehouse at seventh and h streets northeast is headquarters for a weekend's worth of inaugural events for the gen y crowd, 18 to 25-year- olds. >> it's a place for forward looking people to come together, get inspired and celebrate this inauguration's official theme of faith in america's future. >> so often in inauguration we have balls, parties and celebrations, but we don't have any sub