Baltimore County Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Threatening to Murder an ATF Task Force Officer

Baltimore, Maryland — U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles sentenced Craig Allen Shepperd, age 38, of Whitehall, Maryland, today to eight years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for threatening to murder a federal law enforcement officer.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Debbie D. Bullock of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Baltimore Field Division; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; Chief John J. Hohman of the Baltimore County Fire Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

According to Shepperd’s plea agreement, the Baltimore County Police Department and ATF identified Shepperd as a primary suspect in the arson of a horse barn that had burned down at 2808 Shepperd Road in Monkton, Maryland on August 26, 2010.

On March 8, 2011, a Baltimore County detective and an ATF Task Force officer (TFO) went to the Baltimore County Detention Center where Shepperd had been detained to serve a state indictment on Shepperd, charging him with arson. Shepperd became very agitated and stated that he was a marksman and a very good hunter. Shepperd said that he would shoot the TFO in the head, and that when he got out of jail, he would meet the TFO at a restaurant and neither of them would come out alive. Shepperd held his hand up imitating a pistol, pointed directly at the TFO and motioned as if pulling a trigger. Shepperd also stated that he was going to create a scene and when the TFO responded, Shepperd would be waiting in the woods to shoot the TFO in the head.

The TFO identified himself as a Federal Task Officer and Shepperd stated that he already knew that. The TFO had been appointed as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal and Task Force Officer with ATF since 2009.

Investigators also obtained recordings of conversations Shepperd had with an individual and his father in which Shepperd repeats and confirms his threats to murder the TFO.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the ATF, Baltimore County Police Department, Baltimore County Fire Department and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in this investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney A. David Copperthite, who prosecuted the case.

Firefighter Fatality

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:

Name: Mark G. Falkenhan

Rank: Firefighter/Paramedic

Age: 43

Gender: Male

Status: Volunteer

Years of Service: 16+

Date of Incident: 01/19/2011

Time of Incident: 1818hrs

Date of Death: 01/19/2011

Fire Department: Baltimore County Fire Department - Lutherville Volunteer Fire Company

Address:

700 E Joppa RD, Towson, MD 21093

Fire Department Chief: John Hohman

Fire Department Website: http://www.LVFC.com

Incident Description: Firefighter Falkenhan died from injuries sustained when he became caught and trapped by rapidly progressing fire conditions in a multi-story residential apartment building.  

Firefighter Falkenhan called a mayday about 20 minutes into the call. He was on the third floor, searching for fire victims. His partner was able to escape through a window on the third floor. Firefighters found Falkenhan near the balcony and delivered him to paramedics, who administered advanced life support measures and transported him to St. Joseph Medical Center.

Fire crews rescued two civilians who critically injured. An adult female was transported to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Burn Center, and an adult male was transported to Sinai Hospital.

The fire was contained by firefighters to a single garden-apartment building. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by authorities.

Incident Location:

Dowling Circle, Towson

Crossing apartments.

Funeral Arrangements: Pending

Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending