Thursday, May 24, 2007

Examiner editor arrested on gun charges

The editor of billionaire Phil Anschutz's Baltimore Examiner was arrested last night (May 23) and charged with pointing a shotgun at his neighor's family during a dispute over cigarette smoking, according to a police report quoted by the rival Baltimore Sun. The Sun said Frank J. Keegan (pictured), 58, is charged with three counts of second-degree assault and two gun violations and was being held at a police department facility awaiting a bail hearing.

Police said Keegan has been involved in a long-running dispute with a neighbor, who has complained about smoke coming from Keegan's row house. Last night at 11, the neighbor called a paramedic, saying his 3-year-old daughter was having trouble breathing because of the smoke. The neighbor said he then pounded on Keegan's front door and heard Keegan say, "You [expletive] lunatics, get away from my door." Then the neighbor claims he saw Keegan pointing a shotgun at his family, and the non-smokers backed off. Police seized a 12-gauge shotgun and a 9 mm pistol from Keegan's house as he was being arrested.

So far there's been no comment from Keegan's bosses at the Examiner. Keegan came to the Examiner in January 2006 after he had been fired by the Connecticut Post in Bridgeport, Conn., where he had worked for three years.