Hundreds of cell doors simultaneously unlock at Maryland jail, but no escapees

Published April 28, 2013

FoxNews.com

A computer glitch at a Maryland prison made hundreds of jail cell doors simultaneously unlock – but not a single inmate escaped.

In two incidents on Saturday and Tuesday, a computer-controlled system in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, which allows officers to unlock all cells in case of a fire, malfunctioned, Fox 5 reports.

None of the 650 inmates at the jail ran out of their cells and there was no disturbance, authorities said.

However, police officers in the region were called to surround the building in case of any emergency.

Arthur Wallenstein, the county's director of corrections, told Fox 5 that all the jail cells were later manually locked within an hour of the Saturday incident, but technicians have not been able to figure out the source of the computer glitch.

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Maryland landlord pleads guilty to spying on tenants

Published April 16, 2013

Associated Press

ROCKVILLE, Md. –  A Montgomery County landlord has pleaded guilty to using a hidden surveillance camera to spy on female tenants engaged in sexual acts.

Dennis Van Dusen, of Chevy Chase, faces up to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Circuit Court on Tuesday.

Sentencing was scheduled for July 2. Van Dusen admitted to three counts of using a camera in a private home with a prurient intent.

A tenant reported the 54-year-old Van Dusen to police last fall, saying she had found a hidden surveillance camera inside a smoke detector in a room that she was renting.

Police say they later confiscated Van Dusen's laptop and found nude or sexual videos of current and past female renters who lived in his home.

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