Man avoids prison, years after he was shot in Richmond pot grow house burglary
By Nate Gartrell
Published on March 17, 2026.
Marquese Belton, a man who was shot during a 2017 burglary of a Richmond marijuana grow house, has avoided federal prison after pleading guilty to a marijuana distribution charge and was sentenced to supervised release, not prison. His lawyer argued that he had already experienced violent street justice at the hands of the warehouse's operators. Other defendants in the case included his brother, Donald Belton. Joe'Vonnie Ralls and Vernell Thrower, who were also sentenced, were not so fortunate.
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