Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL BALDWIN, 19, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to one count of possession of a stolen firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 10, 2016, Hamden Police arrested BALDWIN after he and other individuals fled from police in a stolen car. After a pursuit, the vehicle crashed into a pole and BALDWIN fled from officers on foot. He was subsequently taken into police custody. A search of BALDWIN’s person revealed a plastic bag containing crack cocaine and a makeshift firearm holster around his stomach. Officers also located and seized a Springfield Armory XD.40 caliber handgun that had been discarded next to the crashed vehicle.
The firearm had previously been reported stolen from a residence in Hamden.
BALDWIN is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on June 28, 2017, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. He is released on a $50,000 bond.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hamden Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Markle, Michael Runowicz, and Natasha Freismuth.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
