FOURTH INDIVIDUAL CONVICTED AND INCARCERATED FOR ROLE IN STOLEN GUN "RING"

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that a fourth individual has been found guilty for illegally possessing two handguns, one of which had been previously stolen from a security company located in Virginia. Damon Darryl Dodd, 25, of 111 West Jeffrey Street, Baltimore, was found guilty of two counts of Illegal Possession of a Stolen Regulated Firearm before the Honorable John P. Miller of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, and was sentenced to four years to be served at the Department of Corrections.

The facts underlying the criminal convictions are that on May 15, 2002, officers received information that two females in a silver Nissan Pathfinder were attempting to sell handguns in the area of Freetown Village, located in Glen Burnie. Anne Arundel County officers conducted a traffic stop, discovering that Cheryl Kimberly Shorter, 28, 3600 9th Street, Baltimore City, and Evelyn Renee Alston, 28, 1014 Love Point Road, Stevensville, were identified as the driver and the passenger. Officers searched her vehicle and located three Smith & Wesson .38 Special Revolvers and 100 rounds of ammunition.

Further investigation revealed that the firearms belonged to Argenbright Security Company, located in Arlington, Virginia. A company representative confirmed that 12 guns had been recently stolen, and that Shorter was a current employee of their company. Upon questioning, Shorter admitted that she stole the firearms. Shorter further stated that she and her boyfriend 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,

In an attempt to locate the remaining stolen weapons, a search was conducted at the Baltimore City residence of Shorter and Shorter’s boyfriend, C’Don Chezere Thompson, 20, 3600 9th Street, Baltimore City. Three more of the stolen Smith & Wesson .38 Special Revolvers, and approximately 400 rounds of ammunition, were found and seized. 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 admitted to selling four of the guns to an individual on the street, but claimed he did not know his name or where he could be located.

Troopers from the Maryland State Police, in conjunction with the Firearms Trafficking Unit, continued investigation to locate the remaining stolen weapons. On June 12, 2002, Dodd was arrested on felony drug charges in Anne Arundel County after a traffic stop, which led to a search warrant being issued for his Baltimore City residence. During that search, two handguns and a bulletproof vest were recovered. Both recovered handguns had been reported stolen, including one reported recently stolen from Argenbright Security.

Shorter was previously found guilty of committing 15 criminal offenses, and received 10 years of incarceration with all but three years suspended. Alston was convicted of five offenses, and was sentenced to a total of five years, with all but 18 months suspended. Thompson was convicted of seven offenses and received 10 years in jail, with all but three years suspended.

"I am proud of the work of this unit and pleased by the results of the ongoing cooperative law enforcement effort," Attorney General Curran said. "There are far too many guns in circulation in Urban America and the effects are evident in the headlines everyday. When the wrong people have guns in their possession it is a recipe for disaster."

This case was investigated by the Maryland State Police Firearms Enforcement Section and Anne Arundel County Police Department, with assistance provided by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 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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