Delaware man enters Alford plea for attempted murder, firearm possession

EASTON — A Delaware man will serve 20 years in the Maryland Department of Corrections for attempted second-degree murder and possession of a firearm with a felony conviction.

Tehron West, 39, entered an Alford plea June 25 for an incident that occurred last July. West was sentenced to 30 years, with all but 20 of those years suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation.

An Alford plea allows a person to maintain their innocence while acknowledging the state had enough evidence to obtain a conviction.

According to a news release from the Talbot County Office of the State’s Attorney, West was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of prior convictions that include a 2005 reckless endangerment charge and three drug-related charges from 2004, 2007 and 2015. The Office of the State’s Attorney said West had a warrant for his arrest in Worcester County at the time of the July incident.

On July 16, 2023, Easton police officers responded to Lynnbrook Court for a reported carjacking and shooting, according to previous Star Democrat reporting. Upon arrival, the officers met a female victim, who had bullet holes in the driver side door of her vehicle.

According to the news release from the Office of the State’s Attorney, the victim and her son told officers that West was trying to steal the victim’s Mercedes-Benz.

The news release states as West was trying to steal the vehicle, the victim was inside of another vehicle trying to position the car in a way to prevent West from stealing the Mercedes-Benz. At that time, West pulled out a handgun, pointing it at the vehicle the victim was inside and yelling at her, the news release states.

As the victim called 911, West proceeded to shoot the vehicle she was in multiple times while the victim’s son stood between the cars, according to the release.

Police said West fled the scene in the vehicle he had been trying to steal.

West was served with an arrest warrant on Jan. 22, according to previous Star Democrat reporting. That same day, he was taken into custody after being stopped by the Virginia State Police in Accomack County. He was extradited to Talbot County.

The Office of the State’s Attorney said the victim and her son did not suffer any serious physical injuries, but the incident had a “lasting impact” on them.

The news release says that West’s plea and sentencing “followed an extensive investigation” by the Easton Police Department. The department was assisted by the Talbot County Department of Emergency Services, Virginia State Police and the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia.