Prosecutors on Friday dropped all charges against a Baltimore Police officer who had been accused of pulling a shotgun on a woman at his home during a night of drinking.
Assistant State’s Attorney Steven Trostle, chief of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office’s police integrity unit, said he was dropping the charges against officer Emmanuel Alston, 34, because the victim did not show up for court despite repeated attempts to guarantee her appearance.
“This the kind of case that simply cannot be proven without the victim,” Trostle said before Judge Lynn Stewart Mays.
Alston had recently been released from jail and placed on home detention, from which he’s now set to be freed.
Alston rejoiced in the hallway after Mays dismissed the case. He and his relatives embraced and then clasped hands and bowed their heads in prayer.
“Hallelujah!” a relative exclaimed.
Hired in 2019 by Baltimore Police, Alston still faces charges of driving while intoxicated in Baltimore County.
His attorney on both cases, Chaz Ball, said in a statement his client had suffered from being incarcerated for months.
“Today, while we may not have had the opportunity for a full trial, he stands as an innocent man,” Ball said. “He’s had tremendous support from his family and his colleagues, which says a great deal about the community around him, but also about him as a person.”
Alston declined to comment.
In a statement, State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said it was “deeply disappointing” that his prosecutor was “forced” to drop the charges.
“Victims and witnesses play an essential role in ensuring that cases can move forward and that individuals accused of crimes, regardless of their position or profession, are held accountable through a fair and impartial judicial process,” Bates said.
Baltimore Police previously said Alston was suspended with pay pending the resolution of criminal charges and an internal affairs investigation. Department spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge said Alston’s police powers remain suspended.
City police officers were called to Alston’s home in the 6000 block of McClean Boulevard around 4 a.m. on April 21.
A woman told police that Alston pulled a shotgun on her during a dispute while she and a friend were having a few drinks with the off-duty officer at his home, according to charging documents.
Officers found a black shotgun leaning against the living room wall, according to the documents. They also discovered a “black compact rifle” on the floor of a bedroom, a handgun on a couch and “a clear shotgun magazine with multiple red shells” underneath the couch, according to the documents.
This article may be updated.





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