October NewsBytes
By • October 7, 2024 0 9
‘Georgetown Cuddler’ Rapist Arrested
The Georgetown and College Park “Cuddler” — a man accused of sexually assaulting and raping women between 2006 and 2012 in Georgetown and Burleith, as well as in College Park, Maryland — has been arrested. New DNA evidence was used to catch Ernesto Ramon Mercado, 54, of Arlington, Virginia. Charged in five sexual assaults in D.C., Mercado is a suspect in others.
Ex-Prof Gray Pleads Guilty to Theft
Retired professor Lawrence Gray, who has been accused of stealing millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry and art from the homes of wealthy Georgetown and New York socialites, pleaded guilty to fraud in New York on Sept. 24. Gray maintained his innocence despite his plea, saying he only accepted a plea bargain to retain his passport to travel to the U.S. for his daughter’s wedding. In Gray’s current case, he is accused of stealing and auctioning off jewels from former U.S. Ambassador Frederick Vreeland. In 2022, he made headlines in Georgetown after the son of his deceased romantic partner, Georgetown socialite Jacqueline Quillen, accused Gray of stealing her jewelry, artwork and furniture.
Hoya, NBA Star Mutombo Dies at 58
Dikembe Mutombo, the seven-foot, two-inch GU and NBA center who became a philanthropist, died from a brain tumor on Sept. 30 at age 58. Mutombo — who came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Georgetown University in 1987 on an academic scholarship to play basketball — played for six NBA teams, retiring with the second-most blocked shots in the league. Known for warning players off with his signature finger wave, Mutombo was to donate millions of his earnings to fund hospitals, schools and vaccine promotion in the Congo, including a 300-bed hospital named for his mother and a 420-student, tuition-free school named for his father.
Will Medical Cannabis Come to Dixie?
Founded in 1934, Dixie Liquor — a Georgetown landmark at 3429 M St. NW, near the entrance to Georgetown University — may be transformed into a medical cannabis dispensary. JKEntity LLC has applied for a medical cannabis retailer license, with Rabbi James Kahn, executive director of Liberty Cannabis Cares, presenting the plan to Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E on Sept. 30. Residents can express their opinions until Oct. 15.
Final Runs for DC Circulator Routes, Drivers
The DC Circulator’s gradual phase-out began Oct. 1, with the elimination of the Rosslyn-Dupont route. During peak weekend hours, Metrobus Route 38B will temporarily run additional service to achieve 15-minute headways. Since the 270 Circulator drivers are at risk of being laid off, the District Council passed emergency legislation to put money received from the sale of Circulator buses and property toward helping those who lose their jobs.
More Free Speech at GU Than at Columbia, Harvard
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression ranked Georgetown 240th of 251 universities in its annual College Free Speech Ranking. This is the highest (low) ranking that FIRE, a controversial group committed to free speech on campus, has given Georgetown so far in its six years, placing GU well above perennial low-rankers Columbia, one from the bottom this year, and Harvard, dead last at 251. The foundation surveyed 58,000 total undergrads to create the rankings, including 102 Georgetown students.
