Steve Burns
WMAL.com
ROCKVILLE, Md. – (WMAL) Expressing a wish to see both punishment and rehabilitation, a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge sentenced Alwin Chen, 18, to four months in prison for bringing a loaded gun to Clarksburg High School in February. With time served, Chen will likely be released in mid- to late-May. That will be followed by five years of supervised probation, and an order to stay away from Clarksburg High.
A school resource officer pulled Chen out of class on Feb. 15, one day after the shooting in Parkland, Fla., and discovered a loaded Glock handgun in his book bag. Prosecutors said he had brought the gun to school on multiple occasions between December 2017 and the day of his arrest.
Both the prosecution and defense attorneys seemed satisfied with the sentence.
“It balances being fair to the defendant, and securing the safety of the community,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney spokesman Ramon Korionoff said.
One of Chen’s attorneys, David Felsen, said although they wished Chen could be released today, the sentence was understood.
“This is an appropriate sentence, and we look forward to Alwin being able to get his life back on track,” Felsen told reporters.
Chen responded “Yes, your honor” several times when asked if he understood the terms of his plea deal. Chen agreed to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor count of bringing a firearm onto school property. Two subsequent counts were dropped as part of the deal.
The sentence appeared to be a difficult one for Judge John Maloney. He heard from both Chen and Chen’s parents, who spoke through tears in broken English.
Chen’s father called his son “a bright, kind boy.”
“We will do our best to help him to a positive lifestyle,” he said.
Chen himself also addressed the judge, calling his actions “stupid.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt anybody,” Chen said. “I just want a chance to be productive in life and I never want to be back here again.”
Chen’s attorneys also noted support he had in the form of multiple letters attesting to Chen’s character, describing him as an upstanding young man who was involved in school extracurricular activities, on the honor roll, and had already been accepted to five colleges.
Judge Maloney took a deep breath before telling Chen to “do some soul-searching,” then announced the sentence. The judge also ordered Chen’s parents to remove all weaponry from the house, to which his father enthusiastically agreed. At least six additional guns were found in Chen’s home the day he was arrested, along with body armor, replica grenades, and ammunition. Judge Maloney also ordered Chen to continue his mental health treatment.
Chen’s attorneys stated his sole motive for bringing the gun to school was to protect himself and fellow students from a potential school shooter.
“It was a stupid, bad mistake – teenagers do it,” Chen’s other attorney, Jill Michaels, told the judge. “He learned his lesson.”
Judge Maloney, however, characterized Chen as having a “hero complex,” deciding which laws do and do not apply to him.
“You knew you were doing something illegal,” Judge Maloney told Chen. “You have to honor every law, not the ones you think you’re better than.”
Copyright 2018 WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: Montgomery County Police Department)
