shooting death investigation. it is still not clear if or when the men -- the man at the center of the controversy could be taken into custody. >> the killer is unaccounted for. we are concerned he is a flight risk. >> former attorneys say they are certain he will not run. >> he is staying in touch with the prosecutor in law enforcement. >> while waiting on official word of the charges, his father says an arrest is long overdue. >> 44 days later, george zimmerman is still walking free. is in a later my son and mausoleum. >> conditions that soon could be changing. pain that will never go away. >> even with major developments this afternoon, there is still a lot to work through.

and wbal-tv 11 news. >> we are awaiting a press conference from the florida special prosecutor's office that is scheduled to begin around 6:00. we will bring it to you live at 6:00. dacy whonow to kim has the latest at a church. ruled five-year wre was just arson about an hour ago. the damage to the building is clear. more damage towards the back of the building. church members are vowing to rebuild. >> when i heard about it last night, i almost cried. >> members a pleasant sight and gathered to support each other

and look at the damage caused by a three-alarm fire tuesday night. -- pleasant zion. firefighters got the call around 7:30 tuesday night. when they arrived they found the church involved in flames and smoke. fire officials determined it started outside and spread to the church, likely because of the weather conditions. to go there has been a red flag warning in effect because of the low humidity and high winds. these are conditions that make it very easy for a fire to spread. >> fire investigators ruled it an arson and are looking for the culprit. pastor have to cancel a wednesday night bible study and a church denied that they provide wednesday afternoon. >> i feel sorry for the people that come and depend on the

food. >> the pastor and congregation remain upbeat and hopeful. they will rebuild as a strong church community. >> god is with us, and he will take care of us. >> police are looking for any suspects for this arson. if you know anything, contact metro crime stoppers. >> more breaking news tonight. this time in the retrial of twin brothers accused of setting up fire.it bull on the jury has handed down a verdict of not guilty. we understand deliberations were not long. >> they certainly were not. what a difference a year can

make. it took the jury less than an hour to find them not guilty on a number of animal cruelty charges. last february it took them a little more than four days before a hung jury was declared. at that time the jury had declared an 11-1 vote of a guilty verdict. only one juror was being stubborn. >> [inaudible] they went wrong. they lied and lied. they wasted all of the tax people money. >> they are overjoyed after a jury of 12 on the not guilty on a number of animal cruelty charges. >> there was nothing proven today or any other days that matter. their testimony from any witnesses. no professional testimony. nothing that proved they were guilty of aggravated assault on a dog.

nothing. >> these people, the prosecutors are not right. they are not right, the things that they do. >> prosecutors said back in late may of 2009, the 17-year- old set a two-year-old pit bull on fire. ultimately the dog would die several days later. prosecutors told the court that the evidence was overwhelming, that surveillance video shows the twins running from the crime scene. the shirt, one of the johnson brothers was wearing was the same one he was wearing when he got arrested. defense attorneys for the johnson brothers told a much different story. they claim their clients are innocent, that they were arrested because of public outrage, and that police had to arrest someone, so it was convenient to arrest the johnson brothers. they also told the court that

the video never shows them lighting phoenix on fire. jurors say for them the evidence was just not there. >> you can only go by what you see. you cannot go by what someone says. >> animal welfare advocates of are obviously disappointed. >> there has been a circus atmosphere for this court room for 2.5 weeks. that does not lend itself to justice. >> they were found not guilty on a number of animal cruelty charges. baltimore city state attorney released a statement on this verdict, saying while i respect the jury's decision, i am disappointed that we did not

receive the outcome that we fought for into trials. tremaine should be released within the next several hours. traverse remains in jail facing attempted murder chargers. >> happening right now, two of four lanes on northbound 95 are blocked. that is because of a four- vehicle crash. sky team of levin was over the scene as crews worked to free one person trapped in the vehicle. one person is being treated at bayview medical center. we're being told injuries are not like-threatening. apart bill man has been arrested and charged for a fatal hit and run accident. -- a parkville man has been arrested and charged for a fatal hit-and-run accident.

he tried to go around another vehicle. he then struck more before fleeing the scene. he is being held on $500,000 bond. take of the man who tried to sexually assault a student in the middle school bathroom during a snowstorm will head to prison for the next 20 years. he will also serve five years' probation in the sentence that was handed down prothis morning. he walked in during a chaotic snowstorm and force themselves on a boy in a back room. his trial was set to begin on tuesday, but he instead took an offered plea. >> an interesting day today. chilly temperatures. still a bit of a breeze. in and out of the clouds literally. those clouds are producing some spotty showers purita.

there is quite cold, below freezing up a few thousand feet. some folks may see as snowflake or two. we have had reports of a sleep- like thing coming down. -- sleet-like thing. howard county is under rain activity right now. it is all very minor. we will talk more about a dry but warmer forecast coming up. stick around people. >> the woman behind of rare bleach attack has been banned from entering any walmart location for the next five years. she pled guilty this morning to second-degree assault. it was back in october when she followed another woman into the supercenter, pouring bleach and ammonia on her. during the attack, other customers were exposed to chemicals. the store was shut down for a

brief time. that woman also faces charges. >> the search is on for a bank robber. we have obtained photographs from the cecil bang. investigators tell us the suspect walked in yesterday afternoon and demanded money. he is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall. we're told he ran off in an unknown direction with cash. anyone with any information is urged to contact detectives. investigators are offering a $2,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. >> 2012 sailing season is officially under way. sky team 11 is over a festive scene in annapolis. the pride is a world renowned reproduction of a vessel used during the war of 1812. she actually captured or some 35 british vessels. we will be seeing a lot of her

in the coming months. >> very nice. we're learning more tonight about a new warning involving dental x-rays. >> research indicates the could double the risk of the most common brain tumor. >> you can take your pick. >> usually a community staple. and ice cream man was selling more than sweet treats out of the back of his vehicle. we will have details on the back-door drugs came when we come back. >> if you think traffic is that on the j effects right now, wait until next week. it w i found a powerful new way to cut out arthritis pain. [ male announcer ] new icy hot arthritis lotion. powerful encapsulated menthol gets icy to dull pain, hot to relax it away. power past pain.

>> >> police arrested a 20-year- old war growth -- will the workman and arrested him for selling drugs out of his band. >> it was here at the score in sheffield circle a 20-year-old man was operating an ice-cream truck, but police say he had a side business going, too. selling pot. >> i scream or marijuana. take your pick with this guy. -- ice cream or marijuana.

>> at some point police conducted a search on this ice cream truck operator. they say they found marijuana in cash, of all places, in his underwear. >> it appears he had been dealing from the truck for some time. >> we wish we had got the call a bit sooner so we could find more drugs. what we did find it significant enough to show he had been doing it. for us we are removing a drug dealer of the street. >> police say he was a link to teenagers and young adults through word of mouth. >> i have never heard of it in charles county. this is new to me. now it is going to make me more aware in looking out for things like that. >> it makes me wonder someone

that is that clever, and it is a shame. >> police said the suspect is out on bond, and they also say he is out of business and will not be selling ice cream again anytime soon. alert,onight's medical getting an x-ray while you are at the dentist may seem like the most routine thing in the world, but but new research is raising questions about how safe that really is. new numbers are giving reason for concern white x rays may double the risk for a non- malignant brain troopetumor. researchers compared 50,000 people. since there are few records, people's memories can be unreliable. >> do not panic.

do not stop going to the dentist. have a conversation with your dentist about whether you may be able to reduce the number of dental x-rays. >> the message is that dental x- rays and should be used only when necessary. >> parkinson's patients may be able to use an antitrust present without worsening their disease. -- anti-depressant without worsening their disease. researchers found the drug and decreased symptoms of depression without worsening motor problems associated with parkinson's. the number of adults suffering from dementia is expected to triple by 2015 according to a new report from the world health organization which finds a

number of patients with dementia should reach 108 million by 2015. right now 35 million people worldwide have it. part of the reason for this by, people will live longer in lower and middle-income countries. the report calls for more programs to address and dementia and increase support for care givers. >> now, your 11 insta-weather- plus forecast with tom collins. >> a little check of the radar. spotty showers moving across the area. the clouds are the same. this may produce a brief shower, and 2 miles later in sunshine. right now the more significant shower is moving over howard county hitting i-95. we will continue to see this through the evening hours, this instability. it will diminish as soon as the sun sets.

this will disappear. it was our only shot at rain. nothing compared to what really need across the area. more on rain in the forecast and as a minute. -- in a minute. pollen count total high of 423. sport count is low at 81. temperatures in the areas where you see the blue, possibility a couple of the rain showers may allow a few snowflakes to make it into the ground. the air is below freezing up a few thousand feet. off to the northwest temperatures are cooler. 45 at hagerstown. a couple of the place may worked their way to the ground. 50 degrees at easton. 49 in annapolis. 30 at oakland right now. of their art spotty shower activity may produce actual

snowfall. sun and clouds. it has been an interesting day. all of this will dissipate this evening. there is a storm off the new england coast that is spinning around. it is adding to the unsettled nature of the atmosphere, along with the heating of the sun. all of that starts to move out of the picture by tomorrow. on the cool side of a high- pressure. we will stay cool for another day. then we start to warm up a little bit and the weather changes. overnight tonight you will still be chilly. mostly cloudy skies with a shower early and clearing late. 34-40 the overnight low. northwest winds at 5-10 miles per hour. a freeze warning in effect for north of us. that will be in the early morning hours on thursday. partly cloudy during the day

tomorrow. breezy and cool. 67-72 the high. boaters can expect northwest wind at 10-50 knots. -- 10-15 knots. dry conditions wednesday and thursday. friday the 70's. maybe a shower to the north. next week up to 80 but a better chance for rain. >> two massive earthquake sent a wave of panic across indonesia is coast. take of the final word on just how strong those earthquakes work. >> a hectic scene in howard county. county. when we come back, why there i we love gardening...

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but we started using miracle-gro garden soil. you just mix it with your backyard soil... and it feeds your plants for up to 3 months. my plants grew bigger... more beautiful... with more flowers and vegetables. guaranteed. everything changed with miracle-gro. for you are these flowers, like soap is for showers. everyone grows with miracle-gro.

>> one lane of route 32 in

howard county was closed for four hours today. .t was actually a training >> a cargoes over bridge in the person is trapped. >> training for the unusual were in incident were only special equipment and special training can do the job. that is why the special operations team members were periling down this bridge. we package the paymen and = patient bring them back to safety. >> the scenario today was to send a team that number down 120 feet and bring them back up safely. take of these types of incidents are what we determined to be

very high risk, but very low frequency in nature, a meeting we did not run a lot of these types of calls. when we do, it is important that we are trained to be proficient at the skills. >> it is one thing to be the guy in control when you are being pulled up, but a little bit different when you are on the gurney. captain david o'neill was at the mercy of his men. >> how was the right? >> excellent. -- the ride? >> this training continued into the afternoon. this is the kind of rescue that when it is needed, saves lives. >> practice of practice. that is what we do. we take the time in the firehouse to get these things down to perfection. >> incredible.

>> 120 feet is a long way down. >> game on. the general election campaign has begun. >> mitt romney is virtually certain to be the gop nominee. why political atlantic -- analysts expect it to be a brutal fight. >> big delays are coming. it might be enough to force you to take an alternate route. details straight ahead.

>> live, local, late breaking, you are watching wbal-tv 11 news in hd.

insta-weather-plus forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmire. 11 news at 5:00 in hd continues now. >> right now, if you use the expressway to get to and from work, you will want to change your route. you better do it soon. officials have started work that will drastically change the expressway, taking out an entire lane of traffic north and southbound. jfx, here use the day effect this. like as you know which is about to change. city deputy of director of transportation is not kidding. one lane in each direction will close so that crews can make emergency repairs to drain pipes that are more than 20 feet of leased the surface. -- beneath the surface.

>> coming south on a cell of 40 first-rate. to go that is going to mean that big trouble for commuters, especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours. it handles 6000 cars and our work in each direction. taking out one lane will leave thousands of drivers with basically no room at the end. >> 2000 cars an hour will have to find another way or they will be stuck in traffic. >> in this situation taking an alternate route could prevent ta major hassle. >> we have a map showing all of them on our website. we have detailed driving instructions for those that may not be familiar with another route. >> the work will not actually began for about two weeks. officials say the closures are

going into effect early for safety reasons and repairs could take up to two months. why not wait until summer when traffic will be lighter? >> because we do not want there to be a sinkhole. >> make your plans now, because that's gonna jfx it's not where you want to be. -- because stuck on the jfx is not where you want to become monday. >> it is came time for the 2012 general election. it is now mitt romney vs president barack obama. 11 news washington reporter, sally kid come and joins us with the 2012 commitment update. >> is essentially a two-man race

now. we're likely in four months of attacks and counterattacks as the president and mitt romney zero in on one another. the 2012 general election campaign is now firmly under way, and political analysts say expect things to get pretty ugly. >> they want to go in opposite direction. they want to double down. >> with rick santorum out of the race in newt gingrich and ron paul too far behind to catch up, mitt romney has the role of presumptive nominee. >> the real war on women is being waged by the president's economic notions. let's hammer day in and day out what has happened under his policies and recognize those things he believes do not work. >> we need some of the republican politicians here in

washington to get on board. >> president obama invited them to come to the white house to talk about the proper role. -- the buffet rule. >> political analysts say while the president should set to attack mode, the task for mitt romney is to unite the party. >> he needs to go out after conservatives. >> the latest polling gives the president edge. he is averaging up by point lead over mitt romney. that is up for rick santorum let the race. -- before rick santorum left the race. >> the prosecutor to the tra yvone martin case will hold a

press conference. george zimmerman admitted to shooting unarmed 17-year-old, said he was acting in self- defense. you can watch this good will news conference starting at 6:00. not guilty is the verdict handed down in the trial of travers and jermaitrimming johnson. this afternoon after almost two weeks of testimony in several delays, a jury of 12 found the two 20-year-olds not guilty. tonight investigators said the fire that all but destroyed a church was intentionally set. they said the fire was set outside of the church after 7:30 last night. police have no suspect description. metro crime stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information in this case. >> a powerful set of earthquakes

all of the indonesian islands. tsunami warnings were issued after the earthquake shook the nation to its core. remarkably, no reports of major damage or casualties, and tsunami alerts have been cancelled. >> the u.s. specific -- pacific early warning center has canceled the alert for the indian ocean. that is being greeted with the enormous release. -- relief. today's earthquake was felt right across the region. the ground shaking in india. 300 miles from the epicenter, the city devastated several years ago, terrified people ran into the streets. it was followed by a massive aftershock, almost as strong as the original earthquake, just

two hours later. no reports of widespread casualties or damage. experts say the earthquake was so powerful it was called a lateral quake. the earthquake was the most serious test yet of the early warning system set up after the 2004 disaster. even though today's earthquake generated mostly fear, rather than destruction. back to you. >> emergency responders in a debate -- in indonesia were able to spread the message quickly by mobil text messaging. >> and oregon store clerk left power was in a violent robbery. >> it is all caught on camera. what police say they cannot seem to identify the suspects. >> i am the cotillon in

washington with the parents of trayvone martin speed out. details coming up.

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>> breaking news right now. the associated press is reporting george a. zimmerman is in custody and will be charged with second-degree murder. still awaiting a news conference from the special prosecutor in the case that is scheduled to start at 6:00. >> covering the nation tonight, two people are recovering following an explosion at a general motors' research facility. the explosion at the dietrich facility installed a lithium battery in a laboratory. officials said one person was taken to a local hospital. five other employees are being evaluated by medical personnel. the cause is still under investigation. >> a terrifying robbery for a

convenience store clerk in portland, oregon. take a look at this. a group of 20 walk in, took $200 worth of merchandise and walked out. the group went up and down aisles grab in what they wanted, forcing the employee to stay away. the owner says some of them became involved in a confrontation when they were leaving, which could make it more simple than -- more complicated than simple theft. >> one of america's most notorious serial killers will likely never walk free. charles manson did not show up for what could be his final parole hearing in california. it may be his last because he is 77 come and inmates can be denied the chimps for parole up to 15 years. -- the chance for parole up to 15 years. for's sister was on hand

the hearing. >> interesting to see how he is aged over the past 40 years. >> if you're waiting to fill up your gas tank, you may want to speed things up. take of the best time to head to the pump is right now. >> will take you on board a member of the airline's new was leak taking off from baltimore. a look inside in the consumer alert. >> a storm is pushing out over the atlantic. we will see what happens once it

>> working on much more for 11 news a 6:00. a late-breaking developments in

the trayvone martin case. our sons and a local church up in flames. banned from wal-mart. a strange punishment, but i happen to one person today. we will we will we love gardening... yeah, but the feeling wasn't always mutual. i want you to grow big! if you grow for me, you'll get cookies for free. nothing worked. ♪ but we started using miracle-gro garden soil. you just mix it with your backyard soil... and it feeds your plants for up to 3 months. my plants grew bigger... more beautiful... with more flowers and vegetables. guaranteed. everything changed with miracle-gro. for you are these flowers, like soap is for showers. everyone grows with miracle-gro.

>> more than 100 area leaders are joining forces and baltimore county to get students involved in science, engineering, and math. local business and its vacation leaders will come together to discuss how to attract more students to stem course work and related-careers.

once this is fully developed, it will serve as a think-tank for new ideas and approaches to get students agree of spain need to move forward in the field. >> this year's mild winter is bringing the chesapeake bay to light much sooner than anticipated. crabs are crawling out the mud much earlier than expected. the mild conditions will make everything a little bit different this year. scientists are waiting to see of algae blooms will be worse. rockfish could spawn a sooner, too. environmental officials tell us, crab died this year because of the cold. >> now your 11 insta-weather- plus forecast with tom tasselmire. >> a little instability in the atmosphere. a few of those have produced

isolated showers. and up to get the windshield wipers going. not significant in any other respect of all. we can see this body showers moving through the area from the northwest to the southeast. all of this will diminish this evening as temperatures start to cool down. because of all the cloud coverage in and out, about 10 degrees cooler today than yesterday. 55 at the airport and inner harbor. because temperatures are the same, an indication of the winds. only a trace of rain has been measured so far. stich beat ed easton. -- 50 at easton. the area shaded blue, a little bit chillier. some of the showers have been producing snowflakes here and there.

reports of almost like a dried sleet. of the church is below freezing up a couple thousand feet. it is only 32 at oakland right now. here are the spotty clouds. each one of those producing isolated shower activity. they are on the backside of this low-pressure system. this will move slowly to the east. that atmosphere stabilizes over night anyway. the dominant whether feature will be the high-pressure sitting out to our west. mostly cloudy tonight on average. a shower or chance early that diminishes. for daybreak, clearing things out. 34-40. a around baltimore, it looks like we will stay above freezing. a freeze watch in effect north of pennsylvania. take a look at the forecast for

the daytime hours tomorrow. partly cloudy skies. breezy and cool. warmer than today. small craft advisory on the bay. northwest wind gusting to 20 not spirited insta-weather-plus future cast shows activity disbursing overnight. thursday looks dry. as we go into the weekend, we begin to see whether system come the northwest. the forecast on a dry weather and warming trend. near 60 tomorrow. 60's on friday. your 70 over the weekend. shower activity over the weekend will be north of us. monday and tuesday a little better chance of seeing shower activity. temperatures near 80 degrees. >> in tonight's consumer alert, you will want to keep an eye on your e-mail.

this is what it looks like. what appears to be an apple order confirmation email. this will take you to a hacked website. if you receive an e-mail that looked like this, you are urged to delete it. speaking of apple, a government official said the company and the number of other book publishers have been part of a conspiracy to raise the cost of electronic books. federal investigators say the effort was a response to the success amazon has had in selling ebooks. they claimed the company demanded a guarantee of 30% commission of each book sold. >> when companies get together and conspired to enter into agreements that eliminate price competition, it crosses the line. this kind of agreement is illegal.

that is when the anti-trust division will take action, and that was what we've done today. >> apple has not responded to the request for comment on this. if you need to fill up your gas tank in the next few days, you may want to do it now. right now it is cheaper to go up. according to aaa, the national average price is now $3.92, down 27%. motorists will be paying on average 24 cents more through september of this year compared to last year. agency predicts the highest monthly average will be next month at just over $4 per gallon. that time of year again in baltimore when taxpayers are not only welcomed, they are invited to voice their tax concerns. it allows citizens to talk about their concerns, and it really what the mayor's proposed budget. on hand will be the member board

of estimates. they will listen and get their feedback. that meeting is set for tonight at 6:00. next time you fly southwest airlines out of baltimore, you may be riding in new state of the art aircraft. it is still 737, but here is what is different. it has more seats. the airline can fit 175 customers per flight, which allows them to take more customers more places and longer distances. we're told customers will like what they see. >> the aircraft looks different in feels different. fresh and bright. there is light beam. -- lighting. the overhead bins are recessed so you have more headroom. >> southwest is the nation's largest carrier. right now the new aircraft is

lying between b.w.i. marshall in fort myers. >> [applause] >> right, blooming, and the new of forever stamp. it was unveiled this morning at morgan state university. it is an honor of a major figure in 20th-century american art. the state shows flowers in a vase from a painting from 1940. right now we are awaiting a news conference out of florida where prosecutors are set to announce charges against george zimmerman in the shooting death of tra yvone martin. there are reports that the charges are second-degree murder. we will bring that conference to you live at 6:00. first, i read in a search for

food turned into an all-out of their hunt in a california neighborhood. we tracked the bear and the way ee tracked the bear and the way

>> a 400 pound bear became a television star. officers chased him through a southern california neighborhood. >> local television newscasts carry this live.

>> news trapper for caught video about 400 pound black bear roaming the streets of this neighborhood. it even pounded on the hoods of some cars. fish and game deputies ran throughout the neighborhood and pinned the bear down into a corner facing an apartment. >> as big as he is coming and may take a little bit more than usual. to coat the lieutenant with fish and game lead the charge. you can see this amazing they're looking a bit woozy. it took awhile for the animal to relax. people living there were forced to stay inside their home. >> it was really big. it seemed big to me because i've never seen a black bear. >> this there have been roaming

the neighborhood for the past couple of months. last month he wrote -- broke into our refrigerator and a treat. neighbors are in all of this massive creature. >> i was amazed. i never saw a bear. >> after all the chasing going on, six deputies had to drag the bear down a hallway and into a bear trap. it was quite a spectacle. >> the story does have a happy ending. fish and game officials were able to get him back into the wild and is now searching for more food someplace else. that is all for us at 5:00. >> the verdict is in the portland brothers accused of burning and killing the a pit bill. -- the verdict is in for twin

brothers. >> i, local, late breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news at 6:00. >> breaking news @ 6:00 in the trayvone martin shooting case. any moment now the special prosecutor is expected to announce formal charges will be filed against the shooter, george zimmerman. he will reportedly faces a second-degree murder charge. >> police say the neighborhood watch volunteer shot and killed the 17-year-old back in february. he says he fired in self- defense. many say was a racially- motivated shooting. we have learned he is in custody right now. we will go back live for the update when the news conference begins. more breaking news now closer to home.