In 2009, Alonzo King was accused of pointing a shotgun at a group of people. One of the witnesses identified him and King was charged with first- and second-degree assault. Due to a law that was passed in Maryland in 2008, police are permitted to collect a sample of DNA from any person arrested for a crime of violence or burglary. Because a charge of first-degree assault is considered a crime of violence, officials were allowed to take King’s DNA. King entered an Alford plea, which is a guilty plea of a person who says they are innocent and that the prosecution has enough evidence to prove he is guilty without a doubt, to his charge of second-degree assault. Second-degree assault is a misdemeanor offense that on its own would not have qualified
