A 22-year-old West Virginia man was arrested Aug. 15 and charged with vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol after a car crash in Lisbon a day earlier killed a Mount Airy man.

Joel Nathaniel Wareham, of Martinsburg, W.Va., was arrested in West Virginia by deputies from the Berkeley County Sheriff's office, according to Howard County police. Wareham was still being held in West Virginia on Aug. 18, a police spokeswoman said. He also is charged with manslaughter by motor vehicle and a series of driving under the influence of alcohol offenses, according to police.

Wareham was charged in the death of Milton Stanley Bowens Sr., 64, of the 1100 block of Shaffersville Road in Mount Airy. Police said Wareham, driving eastbound in a BMW, crossed the double yellow line into the westbound lane several times to pass other cars before his struck the Ford Explorer driven by Bowens at about 7:30 p.m., Aug. 14 on Frederick Road east of Daisy Road.

Bowens was pronounced dead at the scene. Five other people involved in the crash were hospitalized, police said.

Neither Wareham nor his passenger, Joshua Booth, 20, of Laytonsville, were wearing seat belts, and both were thrown from the BMW, police said.

Wareham and Booth were transported to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where they were treated and released Aug. 15, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Passengers injured in the Ford Explorer were: Adrian Jones, of Mount Airy, who was listed in serious but stable condition at Shock Trauma; Corin Disney, 16, of Mount Airy, who was discharged from Shock Trauma on Aug. 15; and Jasmin Disney, 13, of Mount Airy, who was discharged from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center on Aug. 19.

-- Mike Santa Rita

Fast runners to slow Ellicott City traffic

Drivers can expect delays on several roads in the county Aug. 24 because of a triathlon, according to Howard County police.

The Aflac Iron Girl Columbia Women's Triathlon will take place at Centennial Park in Ellicott City and along area roadways.

Residents might experience delays of 20 to 30 minutes between 6 a.m. and noon on the following roads: Rt. 108, Homewood Road, Folly Quarter Road, Carroll Mill Road, Mount Albert Road, Cantor Lane, Jumpers Hill Road and Triadelphia Road.

Event organizers are anticipating about 1,500 participants, according to police.

-- Derek Simmonsen

Pipeline work to close Marriottsville Rd. lane

Traffic will be down to one lane for several days on a section of Marriottsville Road starting this weekend because of work on a natural gas pipeline, according to the Department of Public Works.

Crews will be upgrading a section of the Transco pipeline, a 10,500-mile system owned by the Williams corporation that transports natural gas between Texas and New York City.

Starting Saturday, Aug. 23, southbound traffic between Warwick Way and Old Frederick Road will shift to the northbound lane. Lane closure signs and message boards will warn drivers of the work and road crews will alternate use of the single open lane between drivers heading north and south.

The southbound lane is expected to re-open by midday Tuesday, Aug. 26. If work to upgrade the pipeline is delayed, signs will be posted alerting drivers.

Residents can get details and updates on the work by calling a recorded message at 410-313-3638. For additional questions and concerns about the project, call Lisa Brightwell with Public Works Customer Service at 410-313-3440.

-- Derek Simmonsen

Police to get tough on drivers in school zones

In conjunction with the start of a new school year Aug. 25, Howard County police plan to crack down on drivers who speed, fail to stop for school buses or break other traffic laws in school zones.

Through a program called H.A.S.T.E., which stands for Helping Arriving Students Through Enforcement, police hope to raise awareness of traffic safety around schools. Police will be stationed at elementary, middle and high schools for the first two weeks of the school year, according to a news release from the police department.

In addition to ticketing speeders, officers in unmarked cars will follow some school buses to make sure drivers stop when a bus turns on its red flashing lights, according to the release. Failing to stop for a school bus carries a $570 fine.

Officers also will be checking cars to make sure children are placed properly in safety seats or are wearing seat belts, according to police.

As in the past, students applying for school parking permits will have to attend a police-run traffic safety seminar with their parents. Other traffic safety programs aimed at students are planned throughout the school year.

-- Derek Simmonsen

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