Shawn Shields, Possessing Contraband in Prison, Colorado 2018

Grimy Times has learned that Shawn Shields, a 45-year-old resident of United States Penitentiary — Administrative Maximum (ADX) in Florence, Colorado, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for possessing contraband in prison.

The sentencing, which took place on September 5, 2018, was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn. Shields was also ordered to serve 3 years on supervised release after completing his prison sentence.

The defendant was found guilty of possessing contraband in prison, specifically two homemade weapons known as shanks, following a three-day jury trial that started on February 20, 2018. Shields was initially indicted on May 5, 2015, and was remanded at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing.

According to court records and testimony given during trial, Shields was incarcerated at ADX in Florence, Colorado, on March 18, 2015. On that morning, a confrontation between two inmates took place, and Shields quickly retrieved an item from a rolled-up towel and tucked it into his waistband. Investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Services Department conducted an investigation, and Shields was taken into a separate location after a SecurPASS machine scan revealed an object in his lower abdominal area.

Shields ultimately retrieved the object, which was found to be a homemade weapon, commonly referred to as a shank. The weapon, which was covered in blood and feces, was deposited in a plastic bag and photographed. Shields was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Valeria Spencer and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Cook.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Services Department. Shields’ existing sentence for Second Degree Murder will run consecutive to his new prison sentence.