Baltimore man sentenced to 12 years for armed robbery of Hampstead tobacco shop

A Baltimore man was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Carroll County Circuit Court judge Wednesday for his involvement in a robbery last year at a Hampstead tobacco shop.

Gary Qian Newton, 48, was found guilty of first-degree assault, robbery with a dangerous weapon, use of a firearm during a violent crime and possessing a firearm with a felony conviction in February following a two-day trial.

During the trial, Michael McKeldin, who owns the Flight Delta 9 Tobacco Shop in the Hampstead Village Shopping Center, testified that on April 15, 2023, an man wearing a mask and gloves entered his shop with a gun and demanded money from the cash register.

The Hampstead Police Department and Carroll County Sheriff’s Office used surveillance camera footage that was captured by a resident of the Ridgley House apartments directly behind the shopping center to identify Newton, according to a news release from the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Carroll Circuit Court Judge Brian L. DeLeonardo imposed a sentence of 20 years with all but 12 years suspended for robbery with a dangerous weapon along with a mandatory five years without parole.

McKeldin testified that the trauma of the robbery caused him to close his store permanently, the news release stated.

“I believe that the outcome of this case demonstrates that we take a dim view of folks coming into our county for nefarious purposes, particularly when brandishing firearms,” said Carroll County State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker. “I hope that this provides a measure of closure for Mr. McKeldin.”

Newton’s attorney was not immediately available for comment.