A Baltimore cop was sentenced to 21 months in prison for planting a gun on an innocent man. He also admitted to telling a witness to lie about what he did if questioned by police. He tried to ruin a man’s life and got less than 2 years. (Read More Here).
A federal judge sentenced ex-Baltimore Police Department Sgt. Keith Gladstone to 21 months in prison Wednesday for his role in planting a BB gun on a man another officer hit with a car eight years ago.
Gladstone’s sentencing comes three years after he first pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to deprive someone of their civil rights. Gladstone has cooperated with federal prosecutors ever since, and his cooperation led to the conviction of four other officers, including two more involved in the gun-planting scheme, Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo Wise said in court.
Gladstone, 54, worked with two other officers, his subordinates Carmine Vignola and Robert Hankard, to get a BB gun and drive out to the scene where Gladstone dropped the gun. Simon served 317 days in jail on the bogus gun charges.
Vignola and Hankard have been convicted for their roles in the incident.
Simon was in court for Gladstone’s sentencing but had to step out at one point, becoming emotional after hearing Gladstone’s wife and family describe him as someone with a good character. Simon did not speak in court, but his attorney submitted a letter he wrote asking Blake to give Gladstone the maximum punishment under the law — 37 months.
“It was dehumanizing what happened to me,” Simon wrote. “I appreciate Gladstone testified against other officers also responsible, but only after he was caught red-handed. But that’s what a narcissist does. He never apologized. He never showed remorse. Not to me. Not to the people of Baltimore.”
Simon is suing Gladstone, Hankard, Vignola, other officers and the Baltimore Police Department for $17 million as a result of the gun-planting incident.
While Gladstone was charged only in the gun-planting scheme, the crimes he committed as a member of the Baltimore Police Department go much further. At Hankard’s trial, Gladstone offered explosive testimony, detailing his decadeslong history of criminal conduct.
Because the weapon was found at the scene, the suspect, identified as D.S. in the court document, was unjustly held for 10 months.
After Jenkins and others were prosecuted on corruption charges, Gladstone invited Vignola to his swimming pool so Gladstone could see that Vignola was not wearing a wire. At that meeting, Gladstone urged Vignola to lie to federal investigators but why they were present at the March 2014 incident.
