Man arrested in connection with large, for-profit pool parties held in Baltimore County
A man has been arrested in connection with for-profit pool parties held last summer in Baltimore County.
The parties angered neighbors in the quiet suburban community off Rolling Road in West Baltimore County. Community members said numerous commercial pool parties held in the area causing major disturbances in the area.
Police took into custody Norman Johnson in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 2, said a statement provided by the Baltimore County Police Department.
Johnson was charged in July in Baltimore County with maintaining a disorderly house for his part in holding the pool parties and an arrest warrant was issued.
The department said Johnson had initially agreed to surrender to officers in Baltimore County. But police said he then fled Maryland and failed to appear for a separate vehicle theft case in in Carroll County on September 29.
Johnson was located through the efforts of a joint operation involving local law enforcement, the Baltimore U.S. Marshals Task Force and the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, the statement said. He remains at the Wake County Detention Center in North Carolina pending extradition to Maryland.
The arrest comes amid legislative action recently enacted by Baltimore County officials to address commercial house parties in residential neighborhoods. The issue gained increased attention after multiple pool parties were held off Rolling Road in Catonsville.
Johnson spoke to WJZ Investigates in July. He identified himself as a representative of the homeowner who was holding the for-profit pool party gatherings. At the time, he said there were no plans to stop throwing the parties despite widespread complaints in the community.
What the parties were like
Danielle Singley lives in the neighborhood where the parties were held. She told WJZ that while loves her home, she is frustrated with the constant, large pool parties at her neighbor's house on Collinsway Road.
She said the parties have drawn hundreds of people -- sometimes two to three times a week -- since May.
"it's outrageous. These parties are beyond what a typical residential swimming pool should be used for. It is clear that he is operating a commercial business. We have hundreds of people who come to this neighborhood—a quiet neighborhood on any given day. Every event brings in hundreds of people," Singley told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "We can't get to our homes. There has been lewd behavior. We have literally caught people on camera using the bathroom on people's private properties, they jump up on top of cars."
One flyer for a party coming up this weekend said the home can accept up to 125 people for $20 a person.
Another neighbor, Mutahir Iftikhar, told WJZ, "Imagine 150 people, streets filled with people, with cars, after-parties at 8:30 or 9 o'clock, they're drinking over here. They have a big speaker. They're doing a party on the street. It looks like 1 a.m. in a club."
Johnson showed WJZ Investigates the backyard pool party setup, pointing out a portable toilet outside and several tables set up around the swimming pool.
He even played WJZ a song he made criticizing his neighbors for complaining. "Leave us alone. Stop sending people, calling police on us, messing with us," Johnson said. "We ain't doing nothing to nobody, man."
At the time, Johnson insisted there is nothing inappropriate going on. He said the homeowner is a retired veteran and minds her own business.