The shotgun wasn?t loaded at first.
But as Steven Galasso approached the two Baltimore County code inspectors at his Lutherville body shop ? hurling expletives, racial slurs and threats ? he loaded two shells, cocked and shouldered it.
“I think he had full intentions,” inspector Jeff Radcliffe said. “In my head, he was going to kill us. We?re armed with a pen and pencil, and that?s all we have.”
On Thursday, Galasso, 44, took an Alford plea to assault and endangerment charges related to the March incident, a violent culmination of a seven-year zoning dispute between the father of three and Baltimore County. The plea means Galasso maintains his innocence but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him.
A circuit court judge ordered Galasso to be held without bail in the county?s detention center to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before sentencing. Galasso faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine.
The county has cited Galasso at least five times since 2001 with fines totaling nearly $150,000 for operating a body shop on land on the 10900 block of Falls Road that is zoned for residential use. The county says Galasso could lawfully operate a specialty auto shop but argues he refuses to stop working on regular passenger vehicles.
Galasso says the property has always been authorized for commercial use and said county officials refuse to correct the mistake on the county?s zoning map because of a vendetta against him.
During a March inspection, prosecutor Suzanne Cohen said Galasso chased Radcliffe and inspector Jerry Chen off his property with a loaded shotgun, screaming profanities and threatening to kill them. He also shoved Chen in the shoulder, she said.
Galasso, who was headed to the yard for target practice at the time, never directly pointed the gun at the inspectors, defense attorney Joseph Murtha said. Galasso said their frequent, unannounced visits constitute “pure harassment.”
“But there is no adequate excuse,” Murtha said. “It certainly escalated beyond a point where it?s appropriate.”
Galasso, who also owns Hereford Collision, has agreed to close the Lutherville shop, Murtha said. In the meantime, Radcliffe and Chen said they request police escorts to inspections of Galasso?s property.
