Baltimore Felon Exiled to 16 Years in Prison

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Walter V. Alston, age 30, of Baltimore today to 16 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Judge Bennett enhanced Alston’s sentence upon finding that he was an armed career criminal, based on his prior narcotics convictions.

According to his guilty plea, on September 29, 2007, Baltimore City police officers saw Alston walking southbound on Barclay Street in Baltimore City, wearing a large puffy coat and walking as if he was concealing something under his right arm. The officers approached Alston to conduct a field interview. Alston fled when the police officers asked him for identification. The police officers followed and saw Alston throw a long object from underneath his coat into the rear of a vacant house. Shortly thereafter officers arrested Alston and recovered from the vacant house a sawed-off shotgun, loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition. Alston wore a green belt around his chest to hold the rifle.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Baltimore City State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy and Assistant State’s Attorneys Tony Goia and Bethany Durand, the Baltimore Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Bonnie S. Greenberg, who is prosecuting the case.