FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
January
22, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BALTIMORE COUNTY FELON SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS IN PRISON FOR
THREATENING ARSON AND WITNESS TAMPERING
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Darrell Hall, age 41, of Pikesville, Maryland today to six years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for threatening to set fire to a building occupied by an insurance company and witness tampering.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Theresa R. Stoop 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.
“We take the crimes of arson, threatening arson, and witness tampering very seriously,” says ATF Special Agent in Charge Theresa R. Stoop. “In our relentless pursuit to reduce violent crime and keep the public safe, we rely on citizens to come forward and advise of threats and criminal activity. Arson is a crime of violence, and the very threat of committing such a devastating act will ensure a significant prison sentence.”
According to Hall’s plea agreement, prior to August 8, 2008, a woman with whom Hall was having a relationship demanded that Hall move out of the apartment they were sharing. The former girlfriend obtained a protective order requiring that Hall have no contact with her. The protective order was served on Hall on August 3, 2008.
On August 8, 2008, Baltimore County Police responded to a commercial building on Liberty Road in Baltimore that houses a State Farm Insurance office. The manager advised the police that Hall had called her several times and threatened her with bodily harm. Hall had became irate when he discovered that the former girlfriend had removed Hall from an insurance policy that had listed Hall’s address as her address. The manager had called her supervisor while Hall was on the phone. Hall then threatened the supervisor, stating that he knew where she lived and he was going to come and cut off her head and the heads of her children, and burn down the commercial building and the supervisor’s home. The police officer at the scene contacted Hall and Hall responded that he was coming over to shoot and kill the officer and burn down the commercial building. In order to protect its employees, State Farm closed its office.
Hall was arrested and was in state custody from August 8, 2008 until March 11, 2009. On March 11, 2009, Hall was taken into federal custody. Between August 21, 2008 through April 20, 2009, however, Hall repeatedly threatened the former girlfriend by telephone and letters. The former girlfriend believed that the threats were meant to keep her from testifying about the arson threat.
Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant U.S. Attorney A. David Copperthite, who prosecuted the case.