FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
June 19, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAN SENTENCED TO OVER 50 YEARS IN PRISON FOR HAGERSTOWN ARMED BANK ROBBERIES
Fired a Gun at a Police Vehicle, and Held a Mother and her Daughter Hostage
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced David Wilbert Shanton, Sr., age 54, of Winchester, Virginia, today to 608 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he was convicted in March, 2009, of armed bank robbery and gun charges arising from the use of a gun to rob and attempt to rob two banks in Hagerstown, Maryland, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Judge Blake enhanced Shanton’s sentence upon finding that he was an armed career criminal based on three previous convictions for violent felonies.
According to testimony at his four day trial, Shanton robbed the M&T Bank at 930 Dual Highway, Hagerstown, Maryland on October 22, 2007 of $33,888. He fired a shotgun at a police vehicle responding to the bank robbery, and stole a handgun and held a mother and her daughter hostage at gunpoint for several hours while he eluded the police. Evidence presented at trial also showed that he used the stolen gun during an attempted robbery of the Susquehanna Bank at 1326 Salem Avenue, Hagerstown, on November 24, 2007.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hagerstown Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Washington County State’s Attorney Charles P. Strong, Jr. and his office for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution of the case. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorneys George J. Hazel and Cheryl L. Crumpton, who prosecuted the case.