Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Stephen Sylvester Walker, age 31, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 293 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a gun. Judge Bredar enhanced Walker’s sentence upon finding that Walker is an armed career criminal based on one previous first degree assault conviction and two previous narcotics convictions.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Gerido of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger; and Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to evidence presented at Walker’s three day trial, on Jan. 30, 2011 at approximately 2:30 a.m., Baltimore County Police officers received a dispatch call for an armed person near a Denny’s Restaurant in Parkville, Maryland. Officers testified that they went to the location and witnesses identified Walker as the armed person. An officer drew his weapon and approached Walker, ordering him to show his hands and get on the ground. Walker refused to comply and another officer finally got Walker on the ground and arrested him. As the officer was detaining Walker, he saw a semiautomatic handgun tucked into Walker’s waistband. The officers recovered the gun, which was loaded with ammunition and also had a round in the chamber.
Witnesses testified that after his arrest Walker looked at the first officer that approached him and said, “I should have smoked you when I had the chance." During an earlier motions hearing in the case, witnesses testified that Walker also made statements threatening to harm the arresting officers and their families, and threatening the civilians in the area for “snitching."
Judge Bredar found that Walker was not truthful when he falsely testified at trial that he did not have a firearm on his person, and that he did not know where the firearm came from.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore County State’s Attorney=s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Michael C. Hanlon and Scott Lemmon, who prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
