Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Maryland

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Two Men Indicted for Armed Robbery of Five Stores in St. Mary’s County

Allegedly Went on a Nine Day Robbery Spree

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury indicted Quantaz Lamar Shields, age 28, of Leonardtown, Maryland; and Trevone Damone Butler, age 25, of Lexington Park, Maryland, on charges that they conspired to rob businesses in St. Mary’s County.  The indictment was returned on March 21, 2016 and unsealed today after Butler’s arrest.  Shields is in custody on other charges. 

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron; and St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney Richard Fritz.

According to the 10 count indictment, on five occasions from October 20 to 28, 2015, Shields brandished a firearm and demanded money from employees of a liquor store, motel, pizza store, convenience store and pharmacy in Lexington Park and Leonardtown.  Shields took store proceeds, tip money and cigarettes.  Prior to leaving the pizza store and pharmacy, Shields phoned Butler so that Butler could pick him up from the scene of the robberies.

A detention hearing was held this morning for Butler before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jillyn K. Schulze in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. Butler was detained pending trial. An initial appearance is scheduled for Shields on May 2, 2016 at 10:00 a.m.

Shields and Butler face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the robbery conspiracy and on each count of robbery. Shields also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years in prison for the first count of brandishing a firearm during a robbery, consecutive to any term of imprisonment for the robberies, a consecutive mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison for each additional count of brandishing a firearm during a robbery, and 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a gun. 

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly O'Connell Hayes and Leah Jo Bressack, who are prosecuting the case.