3.22.11: Already Serving Probation, Burley Convicted, Sentenced on Drug Charges
March 22, 2011 -- Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Edward Hargadon sentenced Robert Burley today to 12 years in prison for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and two other drug-related charges. Burley, 21, faces an additional 11 years and 10 months if he is found, at a hearing next month, to have violated the terms of his probation, which he was serving for a 2009 conviction of armed robbery.
On February 17, 2010, the Baltimore Police Department responded to a report of a burglary in progress in the Northeast District's 1900 block of East 28th Street. Inside a vacant dwelling, police discovered Burley, 21, in possession of 15 vials of cocaine and marijuana. Burley's arrest was part of an initiative known as CHUM, which stands for Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello.
At the time Burley was apprehended, he was serving probation for an August 2008 armed robbery, for which he was sentenced to 12 years, with all but 11 years and 10 months suspended, and three years of supervised probation. One requirement of probation is to obey all laws.
At a hearing scheduled for April 12, 2011, Baltimore City Circuit Judge John Addison Howard will determine whether the drug conviction constitutes a violation of Burley's probation. If so, Burley is eligible for the entirety of his suspended sentence: 11 years and 10 months.
Assistant State's Attorney Jeremy Eldridge prosecuted the case.