FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 4, 2024
Re: State v. Xavier Alexander Stanfield
On Friday, March 1, 2024, Xavier Alexander Stanfield, 30, of Edgewood, was found guilty of Possession with Intent to Distribute Narcotics, Resisting Arrest, Obstructing and Hindering, and Second Degree Escape following a two-day jury trial before the Honorable Judge Mickey Norman, sitting as a visiting Judge in the Circuit Court for Harford County.
Evidence presented in trial proved that on August 10, 2022, Detective Amrein, working in a covert capacity for the Crime Suppression Unit of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, observed Xavier Stanfield in the Edgewood area. Detective Amrein knew Stanfield to have multiple active warrants and alerted patrol as to his location, so he could be apprehended. Stanfield was followed to the area of Clover Valley Way where he parked the vehicle he was operating. As deputies approached the vehicle, Stanfield exited the vehicle and fled on foot. A foot chase ensued, and Stanfield was eventually caught. However, he continued to resist as deputies attempted to handcuff him, ultimately resulting in a taser deployment to take him into custody. Following his arrest, Stanfield awaited Emergency Medical Services response to evaluate him and remove the probes from the taser. While awaiting their response, Stanfield fled from the scene again while in handcuffs. Deputies engaged in a second foot pursuit and were quickly able to take Stanfield back into custody. Following the arrest, deputies entered the vehicle Stanfield was operating to turn off the ignition and immediately detected the overwhelming odor of cannabis. Additionally, suspected cannabis was visible in plain view protruding from an open bag on the passenger seat of the vehicle. A search and seizure warrant was authored and executed on the vehicle, which revealed a clear plastic bag containing over 8 grams of a white rock like substance, later identified to be crack cocaine, and $1,070 of U.S. currency in the front pocket of the bag located on the passenger seat of the vehicle. During the search, a digital scale with a white powder residue contained on the surface was also located between the front passenger seat and center console. Expert testimony confirmed that all the facts and circumstances in this case indicated that Stanfield possessed the cocaine with an intent to distribute and further explained that the weight of the crack cocaine recovered was approximately 80 times that of a single use amount. Stanfield will continue to be held without bail at the Harford County Detention Center pending his sentencing hearing, which will be scheduled for a later date.
State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey, who personally handled the prosecution of this case, stated, “The jury in this case confirmed that Xavier Stanfield is a drug dealer, and this verdict is a huge win for Harford County. Through his behavior in this case, Mr. Stanfield demonstrated that he has no respect for the laws of our community, or the law enforcement officers that risk their lives daily to enforce them. The State will be seeking a sentence which will span over two decades for Mr. Stanfield for this case alone, as he is a repeat felony drug offender. In addition, this conviction triggers a Violation of Probation in two separate cases, and we will be seeking that the balance of those sentences be imposed consecutively to his sentence this case. These requests are vital to ensure our community is protected from Mr. Stanfield for years to come.”
State’s Attorney Healey also thanked Detective Amrein, DFC Keller, Cpl. Schnitzlein, DFC Jackson, DFC Jeffries, DFC Joines, Sgt. Underhill and all the members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office that worked diligently together to secure this conviction and to ensure another drug offender was removed from our streets.