Teacher accused of sex abuse taught in Howard

A substitute teacher arrested Friday and accused of inappropriately touching a Montgomery County student worked as a substitute in 43 Howard County schools during the past two years, interim Superintendent Michael J. Martirano announced Monday. Steven Katz, 59, of Columbia, worked in the Howard County Public School System for six years and may have taught at more schools, Martirano said. Officials are reviewing his employment history to determine an exact number. “Understand very clearly that when it comes to the safety of our young people that I take that very serious, and that we’re doing everything that we can, every day, to protect our young people,” Martirano said at a news conference outside the school system’s Ellicott City headquarters. Katz turned himself in to Montgomery County police on Friday night after a student at Cloverly Elementary School in Silver Spring told his parents that Katz had touched him in a way that made him feel uncomfortable, authorities said. The child’s parents notified school administrators, whocontacted police. Katz is charged with sexual abuse of a minor and a fourth-degree sexual offense, according to police. No complaints have been filed against Katz in Howard County, Martirano said. tion and shelter, prosecutor Adam Lippe, who heads the Baltimore County state’s attorney’s Animal Abuse Unit, said in an interview Monday. Gnanakkan is also charged with making two false reports to police officers during the investigation into Oscar’s death. The date of the chow chow mix’s death is not definitive because Gnanakkan, his owner, said in January that he was not home between Dec. 30 and Jan. 1. The dog’s death sparked viral outrage on social media after a neighbor posted a photo of the dog lying in the yard in sub-freezing temperatures. The three animal abuse charges are misdemeanors, each with a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The charges of false statements, also misdemeanors, could each result in up to six months in jail and a $500 fine. No attorney was listed in court records for Gnanakkan, whodeclined to comment.

Mercy opens expanded office in Baltimore

Mercy Medical Center has moved its pediatric and primary care physicians’ office to a larger space in hopes of increasing patient access to medical services. Health Centers of Baltimore has also changed its name to Mercy Family Care Physicians and undergone $4 million in upgrades. The center has moved from Calvert Street to a 14,675-square-foot building at the hospital’s Tower Building on St. Paul Place. The new office includes 33 exam rooms, a blood draw lab, an EKGlab, a play area for children and a large waiting area. Mercy Family Care Physicians is also now part of the hospital’s primary care network. The facility will be staffed by six Mercy pediatricians, two adult medicine specialists and other clinical support staff. “The new facility provides additional space for growth, so we expect to add providers over time,” Thomas R. Mullen, Mercy Health Services CEO, said in a statement.