They say potato chips go with almost anything. But guns? Well, the feds say this stand was selling more than those salty delights. Here’s a little slice of the urban experience in Baltimore.
By Van Smith and Chris Landers Baltimore City PaperBALTIMORE — The owner of Lexington Market’s Utz Potato Chip stand illegally sold guns out of the market for years, according to federal authorities. The stand’s owner, 53-year-old Michael Papantonakis, and a woman described as his 21-year-old girlfriend, Sharon Jeanette Heberle, were charged March 31 in U.S. District Court in Baltimore with being unlicensed gun sellers.
In addition to detailing six transactions involving 13 guns since 2007, the nine-page complaint describes Papantonakis’ attempts to have someone beat up the market’s general manager Casper Genco, who also heads the Baltimore Public Markets Corporation.
Visited on April 6 by City Paper, Genco had no comment about either the gun sales or the threats against him, saying “I’m not aware of either of those things.” Papantonakis has been detained, according to court records, and could not be reached.
