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Office of the District Attorney Albany Drug Dealer Found Guilty After Attempting “Pastor Charlie Defense” ALBANY, NY – District Attorney P. David Soares today announced that TITUS DAWSON, 26, of Albany, NY, was found guilty after a jury trial before the Honorable Dan Lamont of (1) count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a Class “D” Felony. On March 6th, 2009, Albany Police Officers responded to burglar alarm at 521 Lark Drive. When officers entered the residence looking for intruders or anyone injured, they observed a large quantity of packaged marijuana, a pistol and drug packaging materials in plain view in the bedroom of TITUS DAWSON, a convicted drug dealer. After executing a search warrant, a digital scale with marijuana residue was discovered, along with more than $8,000 in cash next to a 9-month-old newspaper section with a cover story titled, "Gang shootings plague Albany." After DAWSON's arrest, when asked about the presence of the marijuana and pistol in his room DAWSON told police that the burglar must have put them there. During the trial, in an effort to avoid conviction for illegal gun possession, a friend of DAWSON who had been convicted of selling crack cocaine and who candidly admitted to a history of selling crack cocaine claimed the two were going to turn the gun into the Victory Church's Buyback Program. After the verdict DAWSON was remanded to the custody of the Albany County Sheriff. DAWSON faces 3 ½ to 7 years in state prison when sentenced December 11, 2009. Assistant District Attorney David Gonzalez handled the prosecution of the case. ### For further information contact: Heather Streeter Orth
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