BALTIMORE WOMAN JAILED FOR ROLE IN
STOLEN GUN "RING"

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that Cheryl Kimberly Shorter, 29, 3600 9th Street, Baltimore, has been sentenced for her role in the illegal importation, possession, and sale of stolen firearms. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Alfred Nance found Shorter guilty of committing the following 15 offenses: 10 counts of Importation of a Regulated Firearm for Illegal Sale, two counts of Possession of Stolen Property Valued Over $500, two counts of Conspiracy to Illegally Sell Regulated Firearms, and one count of Unlawful Transportation of a Handgun. Judge Nance sentenced Shorter to a total of 10 years in the Department of Corrections, with all but three years suspended. Judge Nance further placed Shorter on three years of supervised probation upon her release, and ordered that she pay a $3,000 fine.

Shorter’s conspirators have already been found guilty and sentenced for their roles. Evelyn Renee Alston was sentenced to a total of five years, with all but 18 months suspended, and C’Don Chezere Thompson received 10 years in jail, with all but three years suspended.

The facts underlying the convictions are that on May 15, 2002, Anne Arundel County Police officers received information that two black females in a silver Nissan Pathfinder were attempting to sell handguns in the area of Freetown Village, located in Glen Burnie. The officers conducted a traffic stop and discovered three Smith & Wesson .38 Special Revolvers and 100 rounds of ammunition.Further investigation revealed that the firearms belonged to Argenbright Security Company, of Arlington, Virginia. A company representative confirmed that 12 guns were stolen and that Shorter was a current employee of the company. Thompson, her then boyfriend, was a former employee. Upon questioning, Shorter admitted that she stole the firearms from Argenbright. Shorter further stated that she and Thompson planned on selling the weapons because she needed money for a new car. Alston was later interviewed by the Maryland State Police, and she admitted to helping Shorter locate people in Freetown who would be interested in buying the guns because she also needed money.In an attempt to locate the remaining stolen weapons, a search was conducted at the Baltimore City residence of Shorter and Thompson. Three more of the stolen Smith & Wesson .38 Special Revolvers, and approximately 400 rounds of ammunition, were found and seized. When asked where the remaining guns were located, Shorter stated that Thompson must have taken them. Further investigation showed that Thompson sold at least four of the handguns. Thompson was located, taken into custody, and interviewed regarding his role in the sale of the stolen weapons. Thompson stated that Shorter came home with the guns and admitted to selling four of them, but claimed he did not know the buyer’s name or whereabouts. Troopers from the Maryland State Police are currently looking for this individual.

Subsequently, an additional stolen weapon from Argenbright was recovered during the execution of an unrelated drug search warrant in Baltimore City. Investigation as to how that individual obtained one of the stolen weapons, and the whereabouts of the remaining unrecovered stolen handguns, is continuing.

"I am pleased that all three defendants in this case were convicted and sentenced to serve time in jail for their role in this stolen gun ‘ring’," Attorney General Curran said. "The message needs to be clearly sent that involvement in gun-related crimes will result in jail time."

This case was investigated by the Maryland State Police Firearms Investigation Unit and Anne Arundel County Police Department, with assistance provided by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Baltimore City Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the Firearms Trafficking Unit of the Office of the Attorney General under Operation Crime Gun, which is funded from grants received from the Governor’s Office on Crime Control and Prevention, and the Maryland State Police Cease Fire Council.

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