Pair convicted of impersonating police, torturing carjacking victims in Baltimore
Clara Longo de Frietas
The Baltimore Banner
June 6, 2024
Two men who were part of a four-person crew that impersonated police officers have been convicted on federal charges of kidnapping, carjacking and robbery.
The kidnappings, where the men wore vests with “police” written on them, took place in May 2021.
Dennis Allen Hairston, 34, of Windsor Mill, and Donte Davon Stanley, 33, of Rosedale, were indicted two years ago along with Davonte Dorsey and Franklin Smith. Smith pleaded guilty in July 2023 to providing the car used to abduct a woman in Baltimore and Dorsey pleaded guilty to using a gun in the commission of carjacking and a violent crime.
A jury on Wednesday found Hairston and Stanley guilty of conspiracy to kidnap and commit robbery, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery affecting commerce. Hairston was also convicted of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
“Hairston and Stanley’s actions are disturbing and will not be tolerated. FBI Baltimore is determined to ensure brazen individuals willing to use inconceivable violence for financial gain are brought to justice,” Special Agent in Charge William DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office said.
In arguing the case in U.S. District Court, prosecutors said the men planned to kidnap three people, including two who worked at a check cashing business. They surveilled the people before kidnapping them, attaching tracking devices to their cars. They wore police vests and badges to trick their victims into thinking they were police officers and used police lights in their car to get people to pull over.
On the night of May 5, 2021, they handcuffed a woman behind her back, zip-tying her feet and blindfolding her with a mask and duct tape, prosecutors said.
Hairston and Stanley used a blowtorch to burn her, asking the woman how to get access to the check cashing business where she worked, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Ten days later, they again used police lights to pull over a man driving in Edgewood. Hairston, who was wearing a police vest and a badge, forced the man into the rear of the group’s car and blindfolded him. They burned him with a blowtorch, trying to get “cash and other items” from the man, prosecutors said.
Hairston and Stanley face a maximum sentence of life in prison for each count of kidnapping, up to 20 years in federal prison on counts of attempted robbery and up to 15 years in federal prison for each count of carjacking. Hairston also faces a minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and up to life for the firearms charge.
Dorsey is scheduled for sentencing in August, while there are no sentencing datex for Hairston, Stanley and Smith yet.