Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted former Baltimore Police Sergeant Keith Allen Gladstone, age 51, of New Park, Pennsylvania, on federal charges of conspiracy to deprive civil rights, conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, and witness tampering. The indictment was returned on February 27, 2019, and unsealed today at the defendant’s initial appearance and arraignment.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
“Prosecuting criminals who work in police agencies is essential both to protect our communities and to support the many honorable officers whose reputations they unfairly tarnish,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “This is not about policing, it is about a criminal conspiracy.”
Keith Allen Gladstone joined the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) as an officer on November 20, 1992, and was promoted to Sergeant on December 16, 2011. Gladstone retired from the BPD on December 25, 2012, but was subsequently reinstated as a Sergeant on December 9, 2013. In March 2014, Gladstone was the officer-in-charge of a Special Enforcement Section (SES) unit assigned to BPD’s Western District. Gladstone retired from the BPD for a second time on May 1, 2017.
According to the indictment, on the evening of March 26, 2014, Gladstone, who was on duty, was having dinner with Officer 1 when he received a call on his cell phone from W.J., who was also a Sergeant in the BPD and the officer-in-charge of an SES unit assigned to BPD’s Western District. W.J. was in a panic because he had just deliberately run over an arrestee, D.S., in the front yard of a home in Northeast Baltimore. Gladstone allegedly retrieved a BB gun from the trunk of the BPD vehicle he was driving, and drove with Officer 1 to the site of D.S.’s arrest on Anntana Avenue and Belair Road in Northeast Baltimore City. The indictment alleges that Gladstone dropped the BB gun near a pickup truck where D.S. lay injured on the ground, unable to use his legs. Gladstone told W.J., in Officer 3’s presence, “it’s over by the truck,” or words to that effect, and told W.J. to have someone search by the truck. Gladstone left the scene and drove away with Officer 1. According to the indictment, W.J. told another officer to move the BB gun under the pickup, closer to the victim. The BB gun was ultimately recovered by the BPD’s crime lab unit. Based on a false statement of probable cause written by W.J. in another officer’s name, D.S. was subsequently charged with possession, use, and discharge of a gas or pellet gun, for the BB gun that Gladstone planted at the scene of D.S.’s arrest, and a number of drug offenses. D.S. was detained on those charges until at least April 2, 2014. On January 16, 2015, the charges were disposed of by nolle prosequi, which is a form of dismissal.
The indictment alleges that as a result of his actions, Gladstone conspired to deprive D.S. of his liberty without the due process of law, and conspired to commit offenses against the United States, specifically to impede, obstruct, and influence an investigation.
Finally, the indictment alleges that after W.J. and six other officers who had been members of the GTTF were arrested on federal racketeering charges, Gladstone told Officer 1 that if questioned by federal law enforcement about the events on March 26, 2014, Officer 1 should tell federal investigators that Gladstone and Officer 1 were at the crime scene for “scene security,” which Officer 1 knew was not true.
If convicted, Gladstone faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to violate civil rights, a maximum of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, and a maximum of 20 years in prison for witness tampering.
